Black Twig Pickers

Exploring the stringways of our corner of the mountains, eternal one-song and Turkey in the Straw.

We're reeling from the death in December of our longtime pal Jack Rose, with whom we made a record and toured the UK (and played some Virginia, Pennsylvania and North Carolina shows in the States) last year.

We played some memorial shows in Philadelphia and New York in February, and really, we'll be playing memorials for a long, long time.

We've completed the next Black Twig album. None other than the esteemed Thrill Jockey label will release "Ironto Special" this year. [Ed. note: We've got CD copies to sell at shows! LPs will be along soon we hope, along w/downloads from Thrill Jockey's FINA site. Official release is September] And we're talking about a pontoonload of shows with Charlie Parr, and another trip to the UK. And we're honored to be continuing the monthly dance gig at the Floyd Country Store. It'll be the final Friday through October, then some farther-from-the-holidays Fridays in November and December, all with our slot starting at 7:30 p.m. We're also delighted to continue our monthly bar gig at the Cellar. Check the schedule page here or over at Myspace or look for updates on the new Black Twig Facebook page, and come out if you can.

BOOKING/PROMO: Download the Black Twig Pickers one-sheet. And here are larger photos over on the downloads page.

There are more songs, more pics and other such e-ephemera on the always (ahem) recently refreshed Black Twig Pickers Myspace site. And as mentioned, we're now on Facebook.

For Black Twig albums of which we've sold all our copies, try VHF Records for a very reasonable deal.

Contact the Black Twig Pickers at band@blacktwigpickers.org.

From 2009: NEW ALBUM OUT w/Jack Rose: Black Twig Pickers and globe-trotting, Virginian-turned-Philadelphian six-string finger-picking ace Jack Rose team up for a full album of guit/harmonica/banjo/fiddle/washboard fury, building on (and demolishing, frankly) the work Mike and Nathan did with Jack on his Dr. Ragtime & Pals album. Working with Jack stretched us in some new directions and we're delighted with the results. Album is a long-playing LP available right here in the catalog. CD version is available in USA from VHF and in UK from Beautiful Happiness.

And from 2008, the Black Twig Pickers "Hobo Handshake" CD (vhf 108). A few accolades:

-- "Exciting old-time music at its finest" -- Bluegrass Unlimited

-- "One of southwest Virginia's best old-time acts, yet they might as well be playing balls-out boogie rock." -- Justin Farrar, Strawberry Flats

(To order Hobo Handshake, click here for VHF Records.)