Biography

For Immediate Release: Dynamic banjo and fiddle duo George Jackson and Brad Kolodner release new album Shady Lane 

October 25, 2024 - Nashville, TN - George Jackson and Brad Kolodner met nearly ten years ago in a late-night jam session at the hallowed Appalachian String Band Music Festival in Clifftop, West Virginia and have since formed a special musical bond that runs deep, across continents and through a number of recorded projects. Flash forward to the spring of 2024 when the two of them were on tour in George's native New Zealand. They traversed the country playing rec halls, community centers, living rooms and bluegrass clubs. Upon returning to the States, they made the impulsive decision to go immediately into the studio to record a full-length album of banjo and fiddle duets. Much of the repertoire was worked up between their gigs, hikes to remote mountain huts, swims on driftwood-lined ocean beaches and hearty meals of fresh fish and chips. Today, the duo celebrates the release of their duo album Shady Lane.

Born in New Zealand and now based in Nashville, George Jackson is one of today's most respected Old Time and Bluegrass fiddlers, steeping himself in the traditional fiddle music of Appalachia and rural America. Brad Kolodner, Baltimore born and raised, is a force on clawhammer banjo and a founding member of the acclaimed roots quartet Charm City Junction. Together, there’s something in the synergy of their musical personalities that encourages exciting interplay, daring one another at a moment's notice to step to the side of a path for a spell and play something that keeps the listener, and player, on the edge of their seat. They do this while staying fully in the groove and true to the soul of Old Time banjo and fiddle music. It’s with this spirit in mind that George and Brad wanted to create an album of recordings that captures some of these live moments and brings their interplay front and center. The album is a collection of thirteen banjo and fiddle duets from raging barn-burners to dreamy, ethereal pieces.

“We hope you enjoy this selection of tunes that we had so much fun recording, our hope is that this music can take you on a journey somewhere else for a moment or two in your day, as it did for us. Thanks for listening!” George and Brad

For more info, booking and press inquiries, contact Brad Kolodner
bradkolodner@gmail.com
410-404-9270

George Jackson: fiddle
Brad Kolodner: banjo, gourd banjo

Engineered and Mixed by Ben Surratt
Mastered by Mike Monseur
Art and Design by Anna Jane Lester