Banjos, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook: The Brave But Now Not-So-New World of Bluegrass & Social Media

Jul 26, 2013 | Welcome Column

I realize that I’m late to the game compared to many of you in regard to exploring bluegrass through social media and those of you who are experts in these fields might want to stop reading right here, as I know that I have nothing new to tell you. For the rest of you, who are probably close to my age (mid- but quickly heading to late 50’s) and have the same misgivings about social media as I still carry, my message this month is simple: try it because if you like bluegrass, you’re going to experience a deeper appreciation of the music and its musicians through social media.

Sign up for an account on each social media platform to get started. The ones that I mentioned in the title of this message – Twitter, Instagram and Facebook – seem to be the three that most people seem to use, without going completely overboard. Of these, I use Facebook much more than the others, even though some of my younger friends are telling me that Facebook’s days are numbered. I’m convinced that these sites are deliberately made to be addictive – the more time you invest in them and the more you learn your way around, the more you get hooked on all of them. I’m sure that there are other sites and apps that are more cutting edge than these and I invite all of you experts to post on the Message Board your own personal favorite social media sites (especially if you’re under 25 years of age!).

Once you have an account, start typing in your favorite musicians, festival events, camps – you name it. You’ll be surprised at what comes up but don’t be surprised if you find yourself hooked in just a short amount of time.

You might have already heard that Instagram concentrates on photography while Twitter specializes in the pithy, short comment, usually with a link to a photo or another website. Steve Martin (the famous banjo playing Steve, not the Kentucky lawyer/radio host Steve) has assembled an entire book from his Twitter posts (called feeds, right?). Following his exploits on Twitter is worth the price of admission alone (and the admission is free, by the way).

Every one of your favorite bands is on both Twitter and Facebook, and probably Instagram too. I enjoy following the touring exploits of music friends Ned Luberecki, Chris Pandolfi and Wes Corbett and bands such as Della Mae and Windy Hill (although I’m personally done with pictures of someone else’s dinner but, hey, that’s just me). I love even more Snap Jackson’s stunning and edgy photography on Instagram and just yesterday, I watched Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands rip through “Old Ten Broeck” from last year’s IBMA Awards Show.

And for full disclosure: you can check out my own exploits on Facebook by accessing “Bill Evans Banjo.” On Twitter, you can fine me by searching for “@BillEvansBanjo” and on Instagram, I’m at “billevansbanjo.” I hope to see you online soon…or is it in the cloud? I still have to get this jargon down….well, you know what I mean. Come check it out.
All the best,

Bill Evans
bill@billevansbanjo.com

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