What the Forest Grows —
Musicians, Musical Instruments, and Craftspeople building community under the Forest Canopy
What starts as the trunk of a cherry tree becomes the neck of a banjo. The ancestral sagas contained within the forest become the conduit to our stories, told by the musicians and their instruments.
Melodies inspired by birdsong or water rushing through the creek bed… This ongoing portrait series invites the viewer to explore a musical ecosystem that begins in the natural landscapes of our forests and showcases the players in those surroundings. We’ll also visit with the builders and craftspeople who ask the question “When a tree falls in the forest, what song will it sing?”.
I also invite you to support this work, so we can continue to capture music and song and connection.
My story.
I started out playing electric bass (and eventually guitar) when I was in my early teens. Junior year of high school, I was playing bass in a punk surf metal rock band. We played in several battle of the bands competitions at the local Jewish Community Center and at a handful of pool halls. But outside of those two-three years, my playing experience–as a child and adult–has been sitting on my couch, alone. Picking away at a song I heard on the radio. Or just noodlin’, improvising whatever comes to mind. A solitary player. But ten years ago, instruments and their design began to fascinate me. I was never a great player, but I thought: maybe I could learn to build an instrument.
Nine years ago I enrolled in my first luthier class at the John C. Campbell Folk School. And since then I’ve built a dobro, an acoustic guitar, three banjos, a fiddle, and a washtub bass. I have a deep appreciation for building — the craft, the design, the materials — all which serve the function of playing a beautiful note.
While I anticipated that I’d love building instruments, I didn’t realize how enamored I’d become with the music and community. My first time at the folk school, I heard of some local jams, but the couch musician in me didn’t believe it would be my thing. It wasn’t until my first banjo building workshop that I participated at all. Our teacher, Lindsey, had rallied his friends and family to come play with us mid-week during the workshop. What struck me then has been true for every jam I have participated in since: it was about community, and it was about fun. People played songs they knew and played songs they didn’t know. The songs were in some ways an afterthought. The important part was coming together to play them. And for myself as a player, that’s actually what I’ve come to love. It’s led to this kind of mantra: to contribute what you can, be present, and just play along.
What the Forest Grows is my project to showcase the musicians* and their instruments along with builders and their works — to weave together the story of the materials that come from our forests, that become the instruments we use to connect, and the people we connect with. A musical ecosystem.
*For this project, there is no judgment on who is a musician or not. Musicians are those with the desire and willingness to make music.
This project is currently in its infancy. I’ll setup portrait sessions and travel to Appalachia when possible. If you see the potential in this project and would like to contribute financially, please visit our support page by clicking the button below. Money raised helps make this project possible by contributing to travel expenses, food, and making up for lost wages while away from home. If you are looking for other ways to contribute, the best way is to share this page with people you think might be interested.
Click images to view in lightbox mode and to see the full image. This is a living gallery that I’ll update as we go.
The images below are an example of some workshop images and jam images I’ve photographed in the past that I intend to expand upon during this project.
If you’ve got questions about the project, want to participate, or want to recommend someone I should get in touch with, please drop a note below.