Banjo

Rudy's 2900 Restaurant in Finksburg featured international music along with its international cuisine on New Year's Eve.Thanks to the banjo tunes provided gratis by Baltimore radio personality Dr. James F. "Jim" Dasinger, the Route 140 restaurant was humming and strumming all evening.Dr. Dasinger said the songfest is a New Year's tradition he has observed since Rudy's opened several years ago."I guess it's been at least eight years that I have played at Rudy's on New Year's Eve," he said.

Washington College Parker, ex-star lacrosse goalie and noted school supporter, dies Washington College alumnus John R. Parker , a writer, storyteller and former advertising executive who retired to Chestertown so he could spend more time cheering on the Shoremen, died Saturday at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va. Parker was a part of coach Charley Clark's finest team. In 1954, the Shoremen shared the national championship with Syracuse University in the Laurie Cox Division and were ranked fifth among all colleges in the nation.

WEST MILTON, Ohio -- A 63-year-old man bludgeoned his wife to death yesterday morning with a pair of banjos, deputies said."I've been an officer for 30 years, and that's the first banjo killing I've seen," said Miami County Chief Deputy Charles Price. "It's just kind of bizarre."Edward Benson has been charged with aggravated murder and was being held in the Miami County Jail in lieu of $50,000 cash bond. Mr. Price said Mr. Benson beat his wife, Katie, with the musical instruments in their home about 5 a.m."

Men's college soccer Banjo's two goals lift Towson to 3-2 victory over Loyola Freshman forward Kay Banjo scored two goals, including the eventual game-winner in the 52nd minute, as host Towson (6-0-0) earned a 3-2 nonconference victory over Loyola (1-3-1) on Sunday. Banjo, who leads the Tigers with five goals, helped the Tigers end a four-game winless streak against the Greyhounds. Frank Olszewski Loyola took a 1-0 lead in the third minute after senior forward Phil Bannister was fouled inside the penalty area by senior defender Roslin Nzokou to give the Greyhounds a penalty kick; Bannister converted the attempt for his second goal of the season past freshman goalkeeper Angelo Viteritti . Senior midfielder Marco Mangione (Calvert Hall)

The local concert-goers have always looked to the Performing Arts Association of Linthicum for an enjoyable slate of concerts, and the 1993-1994 season should prove no exception."

When Susanna's true love sang, "I come from Alabama with a banjo on my knee," in Stephen Foster's 1847 ballad, he was probably strumming a five-stringer made in Baltimore.Between 1845 and 1870, William Boucher Jr., an immigrant German drum maker, became the country's first commercial banjo maker, in a shop on Baltimore Street near High Street. Only a handful of his originals survive and are much sought after by museums and private collectors.Now, George Wunderlich, a 33-year-old former insurance executive, is building handcrafted replicas of Boucher's distinctive instruments in a renovated shed behind a white Victorian house in western Frederick County.

The No. 11 Catonsville girls basketball team had not played yet, and its opponent, Mercy, played less than 24 hours before yesterday's game. Understandably, the visiting Comets did show some early-season nervousness, and the Magic looked tired at times, but seventh-ranked Mercy still played well enough to capture a 58-48 nonleague victory. Senior B.J. Banjo, coming off a 32-point performance in her team's hard-fought win against McDonogh on Friday, led the Magic (3-1) with 24 points. "McDonogh was very physical, and my team spent a lot of energy last [Friday]

The tavern owner waves his hands in the air, trying to grasp how so much money could vanish so quickly."One hundred thousand dollars toward that," Ayo Banjo gestures. "One hundred thousand dollars toward that. One hundred thousand dollars toward that."It wasn't enough money."Among Baltimore's high-dollar rehabs, the six rowhouses on North Mount and Mosher streets stand as a model of inefficiency. Even with a $1 million budget, mostly from public sources, few people are happy."We call it the Big White Elephant," said Ayo's wife, Sineta.

Milford Mill's girls basketball team learned a hard lesson last night in its first-ever meeting with No. 11 Mercy - don't put the Magic on the line and, especially, don't put B. J. Banjo there. Banjo scored 13 of her 23 points on free throws, including 8-for-8 in a tight fourth quarter, as the Magic pulled out a 55-50 victory over the No. 3 Millers. The junior guard went 13-for-14 from the line for the game. "Every time she stepped up there, I said, `That's two points,' " said Millers coach Pam Wright.

Sophomore Colette Hailey and junior B.J. Banjo have spent the majority of their young lives playing basketball together in various AAU and recreation leagues. These days, however, it's No. 12 Mercy that's reaping the rewards of the talented backcourt tandem. Yesterday against No. 13 John Carroll, Hailey (21 points) and Banjo (16) accounted for nearly 80 percent of the Magic's offense, helping their team build an early 17-4 lead before holding on for a 47-41 win over the visiting Patriots in an Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference game.

He bends over the old instrument, his eyes narrowed, the tortoise-shell pick in his right hand working rapid runs up and down a fretboard that's as black as an old peat bog. The sounds are tuneful yet melancholy, sunlit tones weaving through a fog of minor chords. In Spencer Nitchie's hands, on his handmade tenor banjo, the tune "Fisherman's Island" somehow evokes the smell of turf fires in Ireland, the downing of pints, the migration of an oppressed people to an uncertain new life across the Atlantic.

He bends over the old instrument, his eyes narrowed, the tortoise-shell pick in his right hand working rapid runs up and down a fretboard that's as black as an old peat bog. The sounds are tuneful yet melancholy, sunlit tones weaving through a fog of minor chords. In Spencer Nitchie's hands, on his handmade tenor banjo, the tune "Fisherman's Island" somehow evokes the smell of turf fires in Ireland, the downing of pints, the migration of an oppressed people to an uncertain new life across the Atlantic.

Hometown -- Baltimore Current members --James Sarsgaard, vocals, guitar and banjo; Andy Stack, upright bass and vocals; Jenn Wasner, banjo, harmonium, guitar and vocals Founded in --2006 Style --pre-radio modern country Influenced by --The Carter Family, Townes Van Zandt, Neil Young Notable --For its first full-length album, titled Heyday, the group set up a few mikes in a friend's house and played live. They finished most of the CD in just one day. It should be released in December on Creative Capitalism.

Pop quiz: Which of the following tribute album titles is for real? A. Come Together: An a Cappella Tribute to the Beatles B. The Reggae Tribute to Pink Floyd C. Kiss My Grass: A Hillbilly Tribute to KISS D. The String Quartet Tribute to the White Stripes Try E - all of the above. This past week, the mind-boggling array of existing tribute albums was joined by a dozen new ones, saluting musicians from blues great Robert Johnson and rock heroes the Eagles to such up-to-the minute forces as the Matrix songwriting-production team and alt-rock band Evanescence.

One day, a black cat he would name "Animal" walked into Bela Fleck's Nashville, Tenn., home and never left. The Grammy-winning banjo player says songs come to him like that: out of nowhere, only to make themselves at home with the right care and feeding. "I compose in the dark a lot," says the 45-year-old native New Yorker, who dares to make music without the illumination of "being grounded in theory." Like his grandfather, Fleck says he loves to tinker. But instead of focusing his attention on things like septic tanks, as his grandfather did, Fleck uses his banjo to play everything from classic bluegrass to compositions by the great composers of European concert music.

The twang of fiddles, banjos, mandolins and other old-time instruments will fill the air at the Carroll County Farm Museum's annual Fiddlers' Convention from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. June 8. The competition will feature 10 hours of old-time and bluegrass styles of American folk music as musicians and vocalists compete for cash prizes totaling more than $3,000. Contestants can register for the competition at the Farm Museum beginning at 8:30 a.m. when gates open. Performers will play for prizes in these categories: Bluegrass Band, Old Time Band, Bluegrass Fiddle, Old Time Fiddle, Bluegrass Banjo, Old Time Banjo, Guitar, Mandolin, Vocalist (solo)

As Mercy's BJ Banjo stood at the free-throw line last night with "The Game" in her hands and 21 seconds left, she tried not to think about the 3,130 screaming fans at the Towson Center. Banjo narrowed her focus to the lane and nailed both free throws. She added two with 8.8 seconds to go to seal the No. 5 Magic's 57-51 girls basketball win over No. 2 Institute of Notre Dame. "You've got to tune everybody out. It's got to be just you and that foul line," said the senior guard, who finished with 24 points.

The 17th-ranked Institute of Notre Dame had the advantage on the inside early in yesterday's game at No. 4 Mercy, but the Indians had no answer for the magic of BJ Banjo. The 5-foot-5 senior guard scored 28 points, including six of the Magic's last eight, to lead Mercy to a 57-48 victory over IND in an Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference game. Banjo shot 9-for-19 from the field and was 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. She also had seven rebounds, five steals and an assist.

BJ Banjo Mercy, senior The BJ really stands for Bola Jacqueline, but this season, it also meant Backcourt Jewel. The 5-foot-5 guard brought a wealth of experience, a dazzling offensive repertoire and a gem of a defensive game to her senior year, but it was her emergence as a leader that made her so indispensable. Banjo simply carried the Magic as far as she could take them - to the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference tournament semifinals, a 16-10 record and the No. 5 ranking.

BOYS Mike Kessler Owings Mills, wrestling The 125-pound freshman is poised to continue a legacy started by brothers Kevin, Gregg, and Steve, who collected a combined eight state championships. Kessler, who is 32-0 this season, stunned former state champion Brian Fox of Kent County with a 9-7 decision Saturday at the Class 2A-1A state dual-meet championships. Kessler, who registered five near-fall points against Fox, pinned three other opponents last week. Kessler, who has been wrestling for Eagles coach Guy Pritzker since age 4, has captured titles at the Parkville and Loch Raven Duals invitationals.