Richie Stearns via Matrix

Richie Stearns I CURATE

Network Node

Name: Richie Stearns
City/Place: Ithaca, New York
Country: United States

CURATION

from this node by: Matrix+

Current News

What's Up? He’s been described as one of the major innovators of 5-string banjo playing, a wonderfully idiosyncratic musician.

Fellow musician Tony Trischka calls him “a transcendentally clawhammering force of nature”.

And Bela Fleck says simply, "Richie is a wonderful musician. I love his mantra-groove spooky-banjo style."

For Natalie Merchant, it’s his ability to blend traditional technique and repertoire with contemporary and original material that sets him apart: says Natalie, “I have been amazed by Richie Stearns’ musicianship…the banjo in his hands can become either a hypnotic weapon of propulsion or the source of some of the most soulful and plaintive sounds I have ever heard."

Life & Work

Bio: Richie Stearns first discovered the pleasures of the old time banjo when he was 14. He’s traveled round the world, performing both traditional and his own original music, finding ways to collaborate with musicians from five continents (Africa/Asia/North America, Australia, Europe) as well as local musicians from diverse musical backgrounds (classical, jazz, country, R&B, and more). Over the past three decades, he’s written original music for film scores and dance ensembles as well his own bands (The Horse Flies, Evil City String Band, Ti Ti Chickapea, Donna the Buffalo, and the Renegades, among them) and collaborated with artists from a variety of disciplines to present public performances on stages through the U.S., Canada, and Europe, as well as on radio and television.

A founding member of the neo-traditional alternative rock band THE HORSE FLIES, he’s toured extensively over the last three decades, recording eight albums with The Horse Flies, including releases on MCA and Rounder Records. (The Horse Flies have been featured on MTV, Prairie Home Companion, All Things Considered, World Café and Mountain Stage, and have been written about in Rolling Stone, the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, and other major publications).

The list of musicians Richie’s recorded, toured, and performed with is long and diverse: among them, jazz guitarist BILL FRISELL, Malian bluesman VIEUX FARKA TOURE, North Indian Gypsy band MUSAFIR, Tibetan singer YUNGCHEN LLAMO, pop legend LINDA RONSTADT, country and bluegrass musicians (including PETER ROWAN, VASSAR CLEMENTS, TONY TRISCHKA, and JIM LAUDERDALE), Cajun groups (Michael Doucet & BEAUSOLEIL, REDSTICK RAMBLERS), Celtic bands (DE DANNAN, John Doyle of SOLAS) and Australia’s KASEY CHAMBERS as well as SAMITE of Uganda and South African Afro-pop star JOHNNY CLEGG.

Three major long-term musical collaborations involve NATALIE MERCHANT (three recordings and multiple tours), BELA FLECK (workshop presentations and performances on concert stages throughout the US) and folk hero PETE SEEGER, who recently invited Richie to score original music for an album that will feature Pete telling his life story over a music background. (Over the past two decades, Richie’s performed with or for Pete on numerous occasions.) Past performances and recordings also include work with a wide variety of other musicians, including DAVID BYRNE, BILLY BRAGG & WILCO, OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW, JOAN BAEZ, and the Tuvan throat-singers, the ALASH ENSEMBLE.

In addition to his ongoing tenure with THE HORSE FLIES, Richie’s best known for his current work with his own EVIL CITY STRING BAND (repertoire based in the world of old time and country music, with some originals) and the improvisational trio TI TI CHICKAPEA, which includes critically acclaimed cellist HANK ROBERTS and respected violinist ERIC ACETO. (Their music, while rooted in tradition, involves a wide range of improvisation and musical experimentation.) He’s a founding member of the roots rock outfit, DONNA THE BUFFALO.

He’s also president and co-creator of the annual GRASSROOTS FESTIVAL OF MUSIC AND DANCE, a major American roots music festival that not only brings together internationally respected musicians from many different cultures for four days every July, but also, by allowing the space for these talents to come together and play music, has over the last 25 years succeeded in naturally fermenting its own unique musical culture. The festival draws thousands of attendees every year; the alumni list is literally a “who’s who” of world roots music and Americana, and the success of the Finger Lakes festival has spawned a similar sister festival held annually in North Carolina.

As a workshop presenter and teacher, his credits include the Vancouver and Winnipeg Folk Festivals in Canada as well as the Telluride (Colorado) Bluegrass Festival, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, Florida’s Suwanee and Magnolia Fest, West Virginia’s Augusta Heritage Center, New York’s Ashokan Fiddle and Dance Camp, Alaska’s Folklife Festival, Meadowlark Music Camp in Maine, and other festivals in Sweden, Denmark and Germany.

Artistic collaboration has included creating works for the SECOND HAND DANCE COMPANY (including an off-Broadway show), the RHYTHM & SHOES Dance Ensemble and the GREENGRASS CLOGGERS as well as concert presentations at the Corning Glass series, 2300 Degrees, which melds live music with glass-blowing artistry. Richie has played a leading role in composing music for two feature film scores: Where the Rivers Flow North (Producers Guild of America Nova Award) and A Stranger in the Kingdom . Among his most recent collaborations are live performance art presentations (including Park Doing’s Ode to Analogue Television and Natasha Pickowicz’s PopCorn Youth noise concerts).

When he’s not touring, Richie’s taught banjo students in Ithaca and, over the past 30 years has regularly offered a weekly music session (held at a variety of venues over the years) that’s most often simply billed as “Richie Stearns and friends.” Joining Richie are a cast of local luminaries as well as far-flung musical friends passing through.

“What I’ve learned from my students,” says Richie, “is that everyone has a different way of learning. When I teach, what I try to do is show people how to listen. It’s all about sharpening listening skills, being aware of what’s going on around you, and using what’s going on in the moment to inspire you to improvise.”

Contact Information

Contact by Webpage: http://richiestearnsmusic.com/contact

Media | Markets

▶ Buy My Music: (downloads/CDs/DVDs) http://richiestearns.bandcamp.com
▶ Twitter: richiestearns
▶ Instagram: richie.stearns
▶ Website: http://richiestearnsmusic.com
▶ YouTube Channel: http://music.youtube.com/channel/UCCCZ09CTu1jwBNi2K1OV0KA
▶ Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/album/1bYVaN946ja1ucFH9zU0aJ
▶ Spotify 2: http://open.spotify.com/album/2QXveDUD5QzyPu1qYaobvK
▶ Spotify 3: http://open.spotify.com/album/0IQndXulfb48c8I2MMuR5p
▶ Spotify 4: http://open.spotify.com/album/0dhMghcuwzR8NjKq67KEKD
▶ Spotify 5: http://open.spotify.com/album/6pZYABITnoY7naaaquZwt2

My Recordings

Discography: RICHIE STEARNS Missing
RICHIE STEARNS Solo
RICHIE AND ROSIE Tractor Beam
HORSE FLIES Chokers and Flies - Old Time Music
HORSE FLIES Human Fly Rounder Records (re-released by MCA)
HORSE FLIES Gravity Dance MCA Records
HORSE FLIES Where the Rivers Flow North Alcazar
Records/New Sounds (film score)
HORSE FLIES A Stranger in the Kingdom Kingdom County Productions (film score)
HORSE FLIES In the Dance Tent Live and Kickin' Records
HORSE FLIES Two Traditions Rhythm Records
HORSE FLIES Until the Ocean Pest Control
EVIL CITY STRING BAND/Evil City String Band/Simply Red
JENNIE STEARNS Angel with a Broken Wing
JENNIE STEARNS Mourning Dove Songs
JENNIE STEARNS Live from Buffalo 2001/Tin Roof Mystery 1993
JENNIE STEARNS Sing Desire
RUNNING WITH SCISSORS Running with Scissors
TI TI CHICKAPEA Change of Worlds Orchard Beat Records
TI TI CHICKAPEA Firestick I-Town Records
BUBBA GEORGE STRING BAND Bubba George Live
THE IMPROBABILLIES Improbabillies
THE RENEGADES The Renegades Carryon Records

Richie also appears on:

CHIP TAYLOR & CARRIE RODRIGUEZ Red Dog Tracks Train Wreck/Back Porch Records (voice, banjo, tenor guitar)
CARRIE RODRIGUEZ Seven Angels on a Bicycle Train Wreck/Back Porch Records (vocal, banjo)
JOE CROOKSTON Able Baker Charlie Milagrito Records (“album of the year” on US Folk DJ chart 2008) (banjo)
NATALIE MERCHANT House Carpenter's Daughter Myth America Records (voice, banjo, tenor guitar)
10,000 MANIACS MTV Unplugged (banjo)
JIM LAUDERDALE AND DONNA THE BUFFALO Wait 'Til Spring Skycrunch Records
JIM LAUDERDALE The Hummingbirds (banjo)
DONNA THE BUFFALO Positive Friction Sugar Hill Records (vocals, keyboard)
DONNA THE BUFFALO Live from the American Ballroom (vocals, keyboards, organ, synthesizer)
TARA NEVINS Mule to Ride Sugar Hill Records
HANK ROBERTS Truth and Reconciliation Show I-Town Records (banjo)
JIM ROBERTS Ancient Hand Rhythm Records (banjo)
JOHN DOYLE Evening Comes Early Shanachie (harmony vocals, banjo)
MARK GRAHAM Southern Old Time Harmonica (banjo)
MARY LORSON AND ST. LOW Tricks for Dawn Cooking Vinyl Records (banjo)
SAINT LOW Saint Low Cooking Vinyl Records (banjo)
HORSE FLIES AND AGENTS OF TERRA Fresh Oldtime String Band Music (produced by Mike Seeger) Rounder Records (vocals, banjo)
SIM REDMOND BAND Good Thoughts I-Town Records (tenor guitar)
THE SAMPLES Return to Earth Apache Records (banjo)
THE YOUNG FOGIES The Young Fogies (vocals, banjo)
TONY TRISCHKA World Turning (vocals, banjo)
CROW GREENSPUN Never Be Its Own (banjo)
ALEX CATON The Sinners and the Saved (vocals, banjo)
Various Artists Rounder Old-Time Music (banjo)
Various Artists Old Time Music: On the Air, Vol. 2 (banjo)
Various Artists Visits (produced by Ray Alden/Heritage Records (re-released by Rounder)
Compilation (with the Horse Flies) Rainbow Sign (produced by John McCutcheon) Rounder
Various Artists: Sowing these Seeds: the Tenth Anniversary (a Pete Seeger tribute) Appleseed Records

Clips (more may be added)

0:06:01
Richie and Rosie - Fall On My Knees / Laughing Boy
By Richie Stearns

261 views
1:34:33
Richie and Rosie - Full Concert Film
By Richie Stearns

282 views

Richie Stearns Curated

What's Been Happening?

A video was posted re Richie Stearns:

Richie and Rosie - Fall On My Knees / Laughing Boy
Richie Stearns and Rosie Newton perform Fall On My Knees / Laughing Boy, their medley arrangement of the two traditional old-time tunes. An all acoustic performance in front of a packed house, March 30, 2019, at Deep End Sessions.
- October 4, 2020
A video was posted re Richie Stearns:

Richie and Rosie - Full Concert Film
- October 4, 2020
A category was added to Richie Stearns:

Bluegrass
- October 4, 2020
A category was added to Richie Stearns:

Appalachian Music
- October 4, 2020
A category was added to Richie Stearns:

Americana
- October 4, 2020
A category was added to Richie Stearns:

Composer
- October 4, 2020
A category was added to Richie Stearns:

Old-Time Music
- October 4, 2020
A category was added to Richie Stearns:

Ithaca, New York
- October 4, 2020
A category was added to Richie Stearns:

Tenor Guitar
- October 4, 2020
A category was added to Richie Stearns:

Banjo
- October 4, 2020
Richie Stearns is matrixed!
- October 4, 2020

em português →

ARE YOU MATRIXED?

"Many thanks for this – I am touched!"
✅—Julian Lloyd Webber
We're touched too Mr Webber! (Julian Lloyd Webber is among the most deservedly praised cello players of all time)

"Obrigado!"
✅—Founding Member Darius Mans (economist, PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology); president-elect of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

"I'm truly thankful ... Sohlangana ngokuzayo :)"
✅—Nduduzo Makhathini (piano, Blue Note recording artist)

"Thanks, this is a brilliant idea!!"
✅—Alicia Svigals (klezmer fiddle; founder of The Klezmatics)

"This is super impressive work ! Congratulations ! Thanks for including me :)))"
✅—Clarice Assad (composer & piano; compositions recorded by Yo Yo Ma and played by orchestras around the world)

This is a matrix in the original sense of "source" ("matrix" derives from "mater", Latin for "mother"). The platform was built in Bahia, Brazil in order to provide a means by which Bahian artists could be reached from around the world. But there's a beautiful catch: To work for these people the platform must work for ALL in the global creative economy. It must (work to) create an INTEGRATED GLOBAL CREATIVE ECONOMY.
How a) Inside this matrix you have a node (a page) — a calling card to the universe — from which you can curate (recommend) other people in the network, and by which they can recommend you.
How b) In mathematics there is something called "the small world phenomenon". Human society is "small world" (which is how most of the 8 billion of us of are within some 6 or so steps of each other). Neurons in the human brain are "small world". The internet is "small world".
How c) This matrix is "small world". Nodes tend to be a small number of steps apart. You can potentially step from any node to any other. You can get to João do Boi from Quincy Jones in 4 steps. And from Quincy Jones to you.
Participation is free to people. Businesses outside of Bahia, Brazil will be levied a nominal fee.
Artificial intelligence not necessary. Real intelligence, yes. The matrix is a real mother for ya! Odoyá!

← in english

VOCÊ ESTÁ NO MATRIX?

"Muito obrigado por isso - estou tocado!"
✅—Julian Lloyd Webber
Estamos tocados também Sr. Webber! (Julian Lloyd Webber está entre os merecidamente mais elogiados violoncelistas de todos os tempos)

"Obrigado!"
✅—Membro Fundador Darius Mans (economista, doutorado, Massachusetts Institute of Technology); presidente eleito do Brasil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

"Estou realmente agradecido... Sohlangana ngokuzayo :)"
✅—Nduduzo Makhathini (piano, artista da Blue Note)

"Obrigada, esta é uma ideia brilhante!!"
✅—Alicia Svigals (violino klezmer; fundadora da The Klezmatics)

"Este é um trabalho super impressionante! Parabéns! Obrigada por me incluir :)))"
✅—Clarice Assad (compositora & piano; composições gravadas por Yo Yo Ma e tocadas por orquestras ao redor do mundo)

Este é uma matrix no sentido original de "fonte" ("matrix" deriva de "mater", latim para "mãe"). A plataforma foi construída na Bahia, Brasil, a fim de fornecer um meio pelo qual artistas baianos pudessem ser alcançados de ao redor do mundo. Mas existe um porém lindo: Para funcionar para essas pessoas a plataforma deve funcionar para TODOS na economia criativa global. Deve (trabalhar pra) criar uma ECONOMIA CRIATIVA GLOBAL INTEGRADA.
Como a) O matrix é uma rede de pessoas/entidades na economia criativa global. Você tem um nó (uma página) — um cartão de visita para o universo numa lista de informações do século 21 que circula o mundo — de onde pode selecionar (recomendar) outras pessoas na rede, e elas podem recomendar você.
Como b) Na matemática existe algo chamado "o fenômeno do mundo pequeno". A sociedade humana é um "mundo pequeno" (que é como a maioria dos 8 bilhões de nós estão dentro de mais ou menos 6 passos de um ao outro). Os neurônios no cérebro humano são um "mundo pequeno". A internet é um "mundo pequeno".
Como c) Este matrix é "pequeno mundo". Os nós tendem a estar separados por um pequeno número de etapas. Você pode potencialmente passar de qualquer nó para qualquer outro. Você pode chegar ao João do Boi de Quincy Jones em 4 etapas. E de Quincy Jones a você.
A participação é gratuita para pessoas. As empresas fora da Bahia, Brasil serão cobradas uma taxa nominal.
Inteligência artificial não necessária. Inteligência real, sim. O matrix é uma verdadeira mãe! Odoyá!