Syracuse native Tony Trischka to honor banjo legend Earl Scruggs in Unity Hall performance

There are few, if any, who would question Earl Scruggs’ place as the most influential banjo player in the history of bluegrass music.

Scruggs, the pioneer of the three-finger “Scruggs style” of banjo playing and the man who popularized such classic tunes as “Foggy Mountain Breakdown" and “The Ballad of Jed Clampett, has influenced, literally, every bluegrass player in the world and is considered perhaps the most important figure in all of bluegrass music.

To some, Tony Trischka, who many have called the father of modern bluegrass, is ready to assume that mantle.

Trischka is considered the consummate banjo artist and perhaps the most influential banjo player in the current roots music world.  For more than 50 years, his stylings have inspired a whole generation of bluegrass and acoustic musicians with the many musical innovations he has brought to the instrument.

Appropriately enough, Tony is currently honoring Earl’s music with his latest project, cleverly titled, EarlJam, which features numerous songs Scruggs never recorded.

Tony Trischka’s EarlJam: A Tribute to Earl Scruggs will be presented at Unity Hall in its intimate 120-seat theater at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 22.

This will be a bit of a homecoming for the Syracuse native, who has influenced every banjo player from Béla Fleck to Steve Martin.

How Trischka came into possession of the tunes that make up this project is a story all its own.  At the height of the pandemic, Trischka was surprised to find a mysterious thumb drive left on his doorstep. Upon listening, he discovered the drive was filled with over 200 lost songs from Earl Scruggs, recorded from private gatherings in his home during the ’80s and ’90s.

“Earl is my North Star, a lifetime pathway. And I’m not alone,” says Trischka, a banjo innovator and educator in addition to being a skilled performer. “Through his music, this shy kid from Flint Hill, North Carolina went on to enrich countless thousands of lives.”

“At the age of 13, when I first heard 16 notes of Scruggs style banjo playing, I put down my folk guitar and mercilessly pestered my parents to buy me a banjo. Once in my hands, that 5-string became my obsession and has been for 60 years.”

Transcribing the newest crop of tunes has only increased Trischka’s appreciation for Scruggs.

“The depth of his genius becomes ever more apparent when I transcribe his solos, which I’ve been doing my entire musical life and with renewed vigor,” notes Tony. “Discovering new twists and turns in his playing is pure joy and in fact the inspiration for this tribute show and album

Doors for Tony Trischka’s EarlJam: A Tribute to Earl Scruggs will open at 7:15 p.m. Early seating for members will begin at 7:30 and non-members at 7:45. Tickets are on sale at unityhall.com and the Adirondack Cheese Company on Rte 12 in Barneveld. Advance tickets are $30; Day of show tickets are $30 members/$35 for non-members (if available).

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Syracuse's Tony Trischka bringing bluegrass to Unity Hall in March