Picknbow Instructors from Aug 23-25, 2024

DANNY GOTHAM’s musical roots spread deep and broad, a master flatpicking and fingerpicking instrumentalist, cutting his musical teeth playing in various rock, jazz, blues, bluegrass and country bands. In 1980, Gotham took Second Place in the prestigious National Fingerpicking Guitar Championship in Winfield, KS. His musical collaborations include accompanist to the great folksinger Tom Paxton and original "Prairie Home Companion" music director, Peter Ostroushko. As a teacher, he has maintained an extensive private student roster, and, since 1974, conducted numerous workshops in the US and Canada. Gotham, along with Jane Peppler and Bob Vasile, founded Picknbow in 2011.

Danny teaches mandolin, guitar, uke, and leads the Sunday afternoon uke parade.

JON SHAIN Hailing from Durham, NC, Jon Shain is a veteran singer-songwriter who’s been turning heads for years with his words, his fiery acoustic guitar work, and his evolved musical style – combining improvised piedmont blues with bluegrass, swing, and ragtime. In 2019, Shain won the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN in the solo/duo category. Jon has released nine solo albums to date, along with two albums with duo partner FJ Ventre, a Jon Shain Trio live album, and one album of co-writes with Joe Newberry. Shain’s newest album, Restless Soul Syndrome, recorded at Good Luck Studios this past year, was released April 9, 2024 and went to #5 on the Folk Radio chart. Shain is also the author of the music books ‘Gettin’ Handy With the Blues – a Tribute to the Legacy of W.C. Handy’ and ‘Jon Shain’s Fingerstyle Guitar Method’, both published by Mel Bay.

Jon is the Teaching Workshop Coordinator at Picknbow and teaches classes in songwriting, fingerstyle guitar, blues, and improvisation.

JOE NEWBERRY is known around the world for his clawhammer banjo playing, Joe Newberry is also a powerful guitarist, singer and songwriter. The Gibson Brothers’ version of his song “Singing As We Rise,” featuring guest vocalist Ricky Skaggs, won an IBMA “Gospel Recorded Performance” Award. With Eric Gibson, he shared an IBMA “Song of the Year” Award for “They Called It Music.”

A longtime and frequent guest on A Prairie Home Companion, he was a featured singer on the Transatlantic Sessions tour of the U.K., and at the Transatlantic Session's debut at Merlefest. In addition to performing solo, Joe plays in a duo with mandolin icon Mike Compton, and also performs with the dynamic fiddler and step-dancer April Verch.  

Growing up in a family full of singers and dancers, he took up the guitar and banjo as a teenager and learned fiddle tunes from great Missouri fiddlers. He moved to North Carolina as a young man and quickly became an anchor of the incredible music scene in the state. He does solo and studio work, and plays and teaches at festivals, camps and workshops in North America and abroad.

Joe teaches banjo, guitar, and songwriting.

RACHEL EDDY, a native of West Virginia, grew up in a musical family steeped in the traditions of Appalachian music and dance. Now based in Washington, D.C., they are known throughout the world as both a dynamic, emotionally powerful performer and an engaging, thoughtful teacher. Rachel’s soulful singing and multi-instrumental finesse—including fiddle, banjo, guitar, and mandolin—may be heard on numerous solo and collaborative recordings as well as at dances and jam sessions, where Rachel is dedicated to fostering community and sharing a love of music with others.

A passionate teacher, Rachel regularly teaches private lessons as well as workshops. They are committed to ensuring an inclusive classroom, in which all students can succeed and experience the joy of developing their own musical talents—whether as beginners or long-time players. Indeed, Rachel’s students frequently remark on their teacher’s ability to lead them through a well-thought-out musical journey that leaves them more deeply connected with their instruments and inner creativity.

Rachel teaches fiddle, banjo, & guitar

JIM WATSON went to his first fiddlers convention in 1965. He played with the Hollow Rock String Band and in 1972 was a founding member of the Red Clay Ramblers playing mandolin, guitar, and autoharp. In 1988, he started playing with Robin and Linda Williams and their Fine Group. He works with the world-famous country duet Duke LaCrosse and Pinky Wyoming and plays string bass with the Green Level Entertainers. Jim also performs with the Piedmont Melody Makers, which features IBMA Hall of Fame member Alice Gerrard, Chris Brashear & Cliff Hale. Besides his recordings with the Red Clay Ramblers and Robin & Linda Williams, he has several solo recordings, plus ones with the Piedmont Melody Makers, Craver Hicks Watson & Newberry, and the late Alan Jabbour and Ken Perlman. 

Jim teaches guitar and mandolin.

BILL NEWTON is a local treasure. An incomprable musician, singer, and performer, he’s a founding member of three Triangle musical institutions: Rebecca and the Hi-Tones, Bill Newton's Big Blues Quartet, and the Duke Street Dogs. He has recorded with the Indigo Girls and Big Mama E and the Cool, among others, and toured extensively with singer/songwriter, Jon Shain.

Bill teaches harmonica and harmony

FJ VENTRE plays some of the most brilliant, kick-ass upright and electric bass you’ll ever see and sings honky-tonk and country-swing as if he’s borrowed Bob Will’s hat and string tie. He performs with numerous acts from The Triangle area, including Jon Shain, Wes Collins, and others. He’s also played with the Chris Stamey Group, the Swang Brothers, Rebecca and The Hi-Tones, Mel Melton and the Wicked Mojos, The Stars Explode, and Tom Maxwell.

As a highly sought-after teacher of upright acoustic and electric bass, one of the most popular music teachers in the area. Many local musicians have also benefited from his expertise as a recording engineer. His studio, Good Luck Studio, has recorded and mixed projects for Jon Shain, The Swang Brothers, Jeff Hart, Hailey Clark, The Infidels, Tad Walters, Tom Maxwell, and many others including Picknbow campers.

FJ teaches sound system use, home recording, and all levels of acoustic and electric bass.

CATHERINE ALDERMAN is one of the NC Triangle's most experienced voice instructors. With over thirty years of experience, she will be leading vocal technique workshops at Picknbow, and showing all of us how to bring out the best in our singing.

Catherine teaches voice, vocal technique, and harmony singing

Simply put, ALICE GERRARD is a talent of legendary status. In a career spanning some 50 years, she has known, learned from, and performed with many of the old-time and bluegrass greats and has in turn earned worldwide respect for her own important contributions to the music.

Alice’s four solo albums, Pieces of My Heart, and Calling Me Home, and Bittersweet (produced by Laurie Lewis), were released to critical acclaim in Billboard, Bluegrass Unlimited, New Country, and other publications. These superb recordings showcase Alice’s many talents: her compelling, eclectic songwriting; her powerful, hard-edged vocals; and her instrumental mastery on rhythm guitar, banjo, and old-time fiddle.

She also co-produced and appeared in two documentary films and is the subject of a Kenny Dalsheimer (Groove Productions) documentary: You Gave Me a Song: https://thegrooveproductions.com

JIM ROBERTS is a percussionist, producer, artist, and educator who resides in Chapel Hill, NC. His skills include drum set, djembe, congas, production using Ableton Live, and Cubase and performing with groups or solo. He is also an educator, teaching drum set and percussion at Elon University as well as directing the Elon World Percussion Ensemble. Also, he teaches several classes on the music of the 1960s and 1970s, the period in which he grew up.

In 1991, he hosted African djembe master Mor Thaim for a weekend workshop. This workshop resulted in a study trip that year to Senegal and The Gambia which Roberts helped organize. This life-changing trip became the foundation that has led to a lifetime of study of the music of African and the African diaspora and the mixing of African influenced music with other genres such as rock, country, jazz, and more.

Jim has worked for the American Dance Festival as music faculty in the summer of 2006.  Afterwards he toured to California with Footloose where he performed a week at the American Music Festival near Mendocino, Ca. and finished with a statewide tour.  Upon returning, Jim started teaching at Elon University in fall where is still on the faculty. At Elon, Jim is the director of the World Percussion Ensemble, teaches drum set/hand drums/percussion, and teaches two courses on the music of the ’60s and 70s. He also performs with several bands, Footloose, The Ivory Boys, Craicdown, and Mahalo Jazz. In October of 2018, he completed an odyssey project called The Tao of Time, which took 10 years to complete. It is his most comprehensive work to date. It is a journey through time, past and future, real and imagined.