Bluegrass Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Bluegrass And Old-Time Hopefuls Find A Tune In Spoons

In a classroom in Fairmont, West Virginia, a diverse group of students has gathered to learn how to play an unlikely instrument: the spoons.

This story originally aired in the Nov. 26, 2023 episode of Inside Appalachia.

In a classroom in Fairmont, West Virginia, a diverse group of students has gathered to learn how to play an unlikely instrument: the spoons.

Looking relaxed in a Hawaiian shirt at the center of the circle is their teacher Jeff Fedan. The seniors, kids and young adults who showed up for Fedan’s lesson are playing along to a dulcimer-version of Golden Slippers with spoons of different shapes and styles. As they clack along, Fedan encourages them to try out new rhythmic patterns.

Jeff Fedan has been teaching aspiring spoons players how to play for years. He is also one of the co-founders and organizers of the yearly Pattyfest.

*Credit: Lauren Griffin/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

As a recent retiree, Fedan now has more time to dedicate to his musical passion. He’s primarily a drummer, but he also plays the dulcimer.

When Fedan moved to West Virginia decades ago, he started attending music festivals. As a percussionist, he was intrigued when he came across the spoons at a festival once. He picked up the skill and has been teaching other folks how to play for about 10 years. Over that time, he’s noticed increasing interest in the spoons.

Fedan is teaching this free spoons workshops at Pattyfest. It’s a yearly festival held in honor of Patty Loomen. Loomen was a mountain dulcimer player who taught Fedan, along with many others.

Throughout Appalachia, old-time and bluegrass jams are a beloved pastime. For those who want to join, the spoons are an accessible way to dip your toe in. For Fedan, spoons are both affordable and approachable.

“Not everybody can afford an instrument like a guitar, which is several hundred dollars. But if they are inspired by the sound of spoons, for just a few bucks, you can get something that you can use to participate in a jam session,” says Fedan.

Spoons have been played for centuries in Europe, Asia and the Americas. In ancient history, people used bones to play. You can still find bones players today, but more often people use a wooden set.

The spoons became popular in American folk music, particularly in African American jug bands. You might find the spoons accompanied by a washboard or a jug. Simple, household items that can easily be picked up to carry a tune.

The Bone Player, William Sidney Mount (American, 1807–1868)1856

*Credit: Bequest of Martha C. Karolik for the M. and M. Karolik Collection of American Paintings, 1815–1865*

Aspiring spoons players have a couple different options. You could play with metal spoons. Or you could opt for a pair of carved wooden ones.

Like their players, each set of spoons has its own personality. Bob Snyder, an old-time musician from Clarksburg, West Virginia, is also a woodworker. After seeing spoons around at festivals, he tried making them himself, creating his own design in the process. He makes his spoons from sassafras, walnut, oak and other hardwoods.

Bob Snyder sells all kinds of different spoons at the festivals he attends. There are metal ones with wooden handles and carved wooden sets of different woods and styles.

*Credit: Lauren Griffin/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

“Even two of the same woods, they’re gonna sound different because of the grain in them. I like the walnuts. Everybody’s different,” says Snyder.

Snyder starts out with a square block of wood. He carves out his shapes and glues the two halves together. The final step of his process is lots and lots of sanding.

“I want them to last for people and be comfortable. If it’s uncomfortable, they’re not gonna play it,” says Snyder.

Wooden spoons mimic the shape of kitchen spoons. Cups of different sizes are carved out of the wood. The two halves can then be glued together, creating one singular instrument, rather than two metal spoons that have to be held together in a particular way.

Wooden spoons might be more comfortable, but some players still prefer metal spoons. Emily Kaniecki in Wheeling, West Virginia, is one.

Kaniecki grew up in a family of bluegrass musicians but never picked up an instrument herself. She knew she had rhythm though. So one day, she looked up how to play the spoons online and taught herself how to play.

Kaniecki’s twin brother played in an old-time group, the Marsh Wheeling String Band. After teaching herself how to play, she joined the band on stage at Oglebayfest, an annual fall festival.

Emily Kaniecki (right) performing with her friend Tim Ullom at the 19th Hole in Wheeling, West Virginia.

*Credit: Emily Kaniecki*

“It was always kind of a joke at first. People just thought it was funny. But after a while, I wanted it to be more of a serious thing,” says Kaniecki.

Playing the spoons isn’t always easy. Your body is part of the instrument.

“I’ve taken my jeans off and my whole entire thigh is covered in bruises from just hitting,” says Kaniecki.

Kaniecki has honed her skills and can turn a clamor into a tune. She explains that playing the spoons is not just about the sound you make, but also about the performance. When she gets on stage, she becomes the star of the show.

Kaniecki delights her audience with spoons tricks like the drag. A drag is a technique where you sweep the spoons across your fingers. Instead of hitting the spoons on your leg, you can also play off your elbow or even your head.

Along with her performance at Oglebayfest, Kaniecki has brought out her spoons at open mic nights, on stage at festivals, even at her own wedding. These days, her work as a nurse and a mother keeps her busy. But she says she’ll never retire from the spoons.

“I love it. It’s so easy if you can just have rhythm, practice. It’d be a really cool instrument to play that doesn’t really require formal musical training. And also, it’s different. It’s not something you see everyday,” says Kaniecki.

So, next time you’re putting away your silverware, give it a try. Play along with the rhythm to a song, find a local bluegrass jam, or take a free workshop next year at Pattyfest.

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This story is part of the Inside Appalachia Folkways Reporting Project, a partnership with West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s Inside Appalachia and the Folklife Program of the West Virginia Humanities Council.

The Folkways Reporting Project is made possible in part with support from Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies to the West Virginia Public Broadcasting Foundation. Subscribe to the podcast to hear more stories of Appalachian folklife, arts and culture.

Keeping State Agency Emails And Playing Bluegrass With Spoons On This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, ongoing court cases involving West Virginia corrections and foster care agencies have raised concerns on retaining state agency emails as lawsuit evidence. Lawmakers are now getting responses in making sure that needed emails are not lost.

On this West Virginia Morning, ongoing court cases involving West Virginia corrections and foster care agencies have raised concerns on retaining state agency emails as lawsuit evidence. Lawmakers are now getting responses in making sure that needed emails are not lost. Randy Yohe has our story.

Also, in this show, you don’t have to go far to find bluegrass or old-time music in the Appalachian Mountains, but even if you don’t play a guitar or the fiddle, you can still get in on the music. Folkways Reporter Lauren Griffin brings us this story about how playing along might be as easy as grabbing something out of your kitchen.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.

Caroline MacGregor produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

How A Legendary Virginia Recording Studio Is Changing With The Times

Flat Five Studio has frequently evolved to keep track with the rapidly changing music industry. Now, as a new owner takes the helm, the studio is trying new things while still remaining grounded in the fundamental art of expert music production.

This story originally aired in the Aug. 27, 2023 episode of Inside Appalachia.

Flat Five Studio has frequently evolved to keep track with the rapidly changing music industry.

Now, as a new owner takes the helm, the studio is trying new things while still remaining grounded in the fundamental art of expert music production.

Located in Salem, Virginia, Flat Five Studio has been around since the 1980s. It was founded by Tom Ohmsen, who grew up around music. His uncle played trumpet in jazz bands, and bought him his first tape recorder when he was just a kid.

“I got just a basic quarter inch reel-to-reel recorder with a cheap microphone,” Ohmsen said.

Ohmsen’s family moved around but eventually settled in western Virginia. When Ohmsen went to college at James Madison University, he started playing his own music, beginning with a roommate’s mandolin. Ohmsen also got into college radio, which gave him the chance to practice his recording skills with high-level bluegrass musicians. He would travel to nearby festivals and eventually hosted musicians in-studio.

“Those people were demanding that somebody mix them according to the protocol of bluegrass and old time music, and I just happened to be in that world,” Ohmsen said.

Ohmsen recorded bluegrass artists such as Bill Monroe, Ralph Stanley and Seldom Scene. The experience gave him the chance to rub shoulders with famous musicians, while also honing his recording skills.

A sign in Flat Five includes a photo of Tom Ohmsen with the acronym “WWTD” — or, “What would Tom do?”

*Credit: Mason Adams/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Ohmsen eventually opened his own recording studio — first in his house and then in a space in downtown Salem, Virginia. Flat Five Press & Recording catered to local bands, and to bluegrass musicians who knew Ohmsen would record them properly.

Then, one day, Ohmsen got a call from the owner of a Roanoke-based sound and event company. It turned out a Charlottesville promoter was looking for a quiet, out-of-the-way place for a band to record an album. But there was a catch — Ohmsen had to keep it a secret.

“They tried to record at a studio in Charlottesville, and the recording was going okay, but there was such a buzz that they couldn’t get anything done,” Ohmsen said. “Crowds of people were showing up, because it was a local sensation. So it was this undercover thing for six or eight months.”

And that’s how Dave Matthews Band ended up at Flat Five.

They recorded between 150 and 200 hours for songs that became part of the band’s debut album “Remember Two Things.” The album was released in the fall of 1993. Soon after, Dave Matthews Band exploded in popularity, becoming one of the defining acts of the 1990s. That, in turn, made Flat Five a hot destination for bands hoping to make a splash.

Flat Five merchandise hangs in the recording studio.

*Credit: Mason Adams/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

“I was swamped with regional and local bands,” Ohmsen said. “I was working six, seven days a week. But, it felt like I had to do what I could do with it while the demand was there.”

Flat Five became one of eastern Appalachia’s premier recording studios. Ohmsen kept rolling with it — at least until a few years ago, when he started to think about retiring.

“Last year, I turned 68,” Ohmsen said. “And I’m thinking, ‘I don’t know if I want to be here at 75.’”

Ohmsen made plans to pass on the studio to a new owner — but not one who would do things exactly the way he had. Instead, he zeroed in on one of his employees, a part-time engineer named Byron Mack. Mack grew up in the Roanoke Valley. And like Ohmsen, Mack came from a musical family.

“I am the nephew of the jazz singer Jane Powell,” Mack said. “My grandfather is the one who got her into music. His name was Eddie Powell. I’m a third-generation musician from my family.”

Flat Five owner Byron Mack shows a trophy for an award won by one of his songs.

*Courtesy Photo*

But while Ohmsen got into bluegrass, Mack was all about rap and hip hop. His aunt Jane encouraged him to pursue it.

“So as a 17 year old, I was writing rhymes, and she found my rhyme book,” Mack said. “It had a bunch of profanity-laced stuff in it, just a young kid writing crazy stuff. But she was like, ‘Hey, you clean this up, I’ll let you come out and rap with my band.’ And that’s where everything started.”

Jane Powell did more than give her nephew a chance to perform. After he complained he was having trouble finding beats, she gave him a beat machine for his 18th birthday.

Mack was still living at home with his mom, but he quickly started producing music. Like Ohmsen, he started with a makeshift studio in his house.

“To tell you how small things were, I slept on a mattress, and I would literally take that mattress out of the walk-in closet so the artist could have room to go in and record their song,” Mack said. “And then when they’d get done, I’d slide the mattress back in the closet.”

Mack’s hustle and initiative eventually put him on Ohmsen’s radar. In 2005, Mack went to work at Flat Five. Ohmsen says it was a good fit from the start — not just on the technical end but with handling clients and soothing musicians when they started to get frustrated.

Mack says Ohmsen started talking to him about retirement in 2018. It took another four years to close the deal, but finally in 2022, Mack became Flat Five’s new owner. He has expanded it to incorporate more of his work in hip hop and R&B.

“I’ve been able to bring in some more hip-hop elements that didn’t exist before,” Mack said. “I still do graphic design [and] website design. We really try to make it a one-stop shop for an artist so they don’t have to go anywhere else.”

Mack has continued to work with Flat Five’s old clients, but he’s brought in new artists, too — especially hip-hop artists. Ohmsen said he thinks that’s the studio’s future.

But even with Flat Five’s long history, there are challenges. Flat Five is essentially a new business, with all the difficulties that come with it.

But then again, Byron Mack has been working as a music producer for decades at this point. Just like Tom Ohmsen, he started at home before moving up to Flat Five. He wants to keep building and turn the studio into a destination for musicians across the east coast.

“My long-term goal for Flat Five is to be that go-to spot when you have to travel through southwest Virginia,” Mack said.

And in doing so, Byron Mack is keeping Tom Ohmsen’s vision, and the craft of music production, alive and thriving.

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Flat Five Studio, Old Growth Forests And Trouble At WVU, Inside Appalachia

This week, we drop by Flat Five Studio in Salem, Virginia. It had a reputation for recording bluegrass bands, but caught a big break in the early 1990s when the Dave Matthews Band needed a quiet place to record its debut album. We also learn a little about primordial forests, and we visit a small nonprofit company in West Virginia that’s making solar powered light kits for families in war-torn Ukraine.

This week, Inside Appalachia drops by Flat Five Studio in Salem, Virginia. It had a reputation for recording bluegrass bands, but caught a big break in the early 1990s when the Dave Matthews Band needed a quiet place to record its debut album.

We also learn a little about primordial forests. A patch of woods in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve was recently inducted into the Old Growth Forest Network.

And we visit a small nonprofit company in West Virginia that’s making solar powered light kits for families in war-torn Ukraine.

In This Episode:

The Once And Future Flat Five
The Burnwood Trail Protected And Preserved
Lights For Ukraine
Dire Decisions At WVU

The Once And Future Flat Five

Tom Ohmsen’s been around music and recording his whole life. He got his first tape recorder when he was just a kid. In college, he recorded bluegrass bands, which led to the start of Flat Five Studio in Salem, Virginia.

In the early 1990s, the studio helped launch the Dave Matthews Band, but now Ohmsen’s looking toward retirement.

Mason Adams visited Flat Five to get its history and hear about its future.

The Burnwood Trail Protected And Preserved

If you ever want perspective on your place in the world, visit one of Appalachia’s old-growth forests. Trees tower overhead and you can get a sense of just how old the world is. Old-growth forests play an important ecological role, too, protecting against erosion and providing a habitat for rare animal and plant species.

The nonprofit Old-Growth Forest Network is dedicated to protecting these old growth forests. Recently, the Burnwood Trail at the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve was brought into the group’s network.

WVPB’s Briana Heaney has this story.

Lights For Ukraine

Russia’s war with Ukraine has dragged on for more than a year and a half. The distant war has faded into the background for some, but not for the head of a West Virginia nonprofit, who wanted to do something for Ukrainian families under constant threat of bombardment.

WVPB’s Assistant News Director Caroline MacGregor visited New Vision Renewable Energy in Philippi, West Virginia where they’re making solar light kits for Ukrainian families that can also be used to charge a cell phone.

Dire Decisions At WVU

Students and community members protest on the downtown Morgantown campus of West Virginia University Aug. 21, 2023.

*Credit: Chris Schulz/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Grappling with a $45 million budget shortfall, West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia has recommended cutting 32 of its 338 majors, including all of its world language programs.

WVPB’s Chris Schulz has been covering the story.

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by ONA, Valerie June, John Blissard, June Carter Cash and Little Sparrow.

Bill Lynch is our producer. Zander Aloi is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens.

You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.

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Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Influential Bluegrass Musician J.D. Crowe Has Died

Grammy-winning bluegrass musician J.D. Crowe, whose influential career spanned more than 50 years, has died. He was 84.

His son, David, confirmed the death on Saturday to The Associated Press.

“We just want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. As great of a musician as dad was, he was even better husband, father and friend,” David said in a brief message.

Crowe died Friday of undisclosed causes, the family earlier a nnounced via Facebook.

Born James Dee Crowe in 1937, his career included stints with Jimmy Martin’s Sunny Mountain Boys, Mac Wiseman and his own band, the Kentucky Mountain Boys, which later became the New South.

According to the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum, his path was set in 1949 when, at the age of 12, he heard Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys play at a barn dance in Lexington.

“Crowe was an innovator on the banjo and influenced countless musicians with his technique and style,” read a post on the website of the Owensboro, Kentucky-based hall, where Crowe was inducted in 2003.

Social media tributes poured in from the music world.

“He was an absolute legend,” eclectic bluegrass guitarist Billy Strings wrote on Twitter. “He will be remembered as one of the greatest to ever play bluegrass music. He had tone, taste and TIMING like no other.”

Crowe won a Grammy award in 1983 for best country instrumental performance for his song “Fireball.”

He is survived by his wife, Sheryl; his children, David and Stacey; and a granddaughter, Kylee.

After 46 Years, Bluegrass Mountaineer Opry House to Close

The Mountaineer Opry House in Milton is set to close its doors permanently next month.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the new owner, medical provider Valley Health, will then take over the property. Eighty-three-year-old Larry Stephens has managed the bluegrass hotspot since 1991. He says the Opry House has to be off the property by June 19.

Stephens says the closing of the local landmark isn’t surprising considering it’s been on sale for several years. He says crowds have dwindled and there’s been pushback on even modest ticket prices. Stephens and his wife, Mary, will put on a few more shows before closing, including a free one this Saturday sponsored by the new owner.