A fond look back to the 20th Anniversary Deering Banjo Event 2023
A few months have now passed since our 20th Anniversary Deering Event and in the wake of 2024 and the coldest days of the year, we thought now would be a good time to come back and reminisce on a very special day, which celebrated our 20th year in business as Eagle Music with our close and talented friends from around the globe.
Weeks prior to the event, the whole of the team worked hard to get the North Light Gallery celebration-ready. However, at 9.30am on Saturday 11th November, the entire team was ready and suited to greet and welcome the first wave of attendees through the doors.
Most of the Deering models were out including the new Goodtime Deco series but also the Vega and Professional series among others. All models were advertised at a special ‘Event Discount’ and we also had a consequent selection of banjo accessories spread over several tables which got really popular throughout the day.
Some of our owner Steve Noon’s impressive private collection was also on display, including some unique and exclusive models collected over the years, all gifted by Mr Greg Deering himself.
Speaking of whom, Greg, Janet and Jamie Deering were present all through the day after travelling from San Diego, CA and were graciously and generously setting up and signing banjos, meeting and greeting customers as well as posing for pictures.
Also present were our friends from the British Bluegrass Music Association (BBMA). The BBMA was founded in 1990 with the aim of supporting and promoting bluegrass activity in the United Kingdom and making information about bluegrass music available to the general public. It was an honour to have them present and available all day with a stall at the entrance of the event. The BBMA also publishes a quarterly magazine, The British Bluegrass News (BBN). We’ve been loyal readers of theirs for years here at Eagle Music. Filled with information, reviews, articles, festivals and tour dates, it keeps their members up to date with what’s been happening in the British bluegrass community and informed of any future events of note.
It was great to see so many of our dear friends attending the event, including but not limited to Maria from True North Music, long-neck banjo player Pat Kelleher, plectrum banjo player Howard Shepherd but also Dave Mallinson, John Leonard.
We would also like to thank Seamus Breen and Debbie Soden for capturing this lovely day on camera for us to reminisce in the years to follow.
Right from the start the atmosphere was filled with excitement and the buzz of the room palpable. At 11am however, under the announcement of owners Rachel Price and Steve Noon, everyone without exception joined in a solemn and heartfelt minute of silence to honour the brave and mark Remembrance Day.
As the room filled up with more people and more excitement, our first performer, San-Diegan singer-songwriter Gayle Skidmore took to the stage at around 12pm, freshly arrived from the Netherlands where she currently resides. Gayle showcased the tip of the iceberg that constitutes her brilliant, wide and ever-expanding catalogue, both on a 5-string and on a banjo ukulele. It didn’t take long for the silence to be heard in the North Light Gallery, rightly making room for Gayle’s heartfelt lyrics and ethereal vocals.
Next up was another good friend of ours, the inimitable Dan Walsh, a true pioneer and innovative clawhammer player that I’m sure a lot of will be familiar with. Dan did what he does best, that is taking the audience with him on a journey through ages but also space. Drawing from Irish, bluegrass and old time music but also an astonishing piece called ‘Whiplash Reel’ inspired by his travels in India, Dan effortlessly proved to the whole room that music transcends both borders and preconceptions.
We were delighted to welcome the Mayor of Huddersfield Cllr Cahal Burke, who joined the festivities around lunchtime for a series of official pictures, conversations and he definitely enjoyed some of the brilliant live music.
As everyone was still on a high from these two fantastic sets, it was time to get into the nitty-gritty and technical aspect of what bound us all together in the first place: the love of the banjo. And who better qualified than Greg Deering and Jens Kruger for that purpose? Whether you can enjoy and appreciate the technicality of a banjo setup or not, I’m sure everyone present would agree that this was a fascinating insight into what constitutes a good banjo and an optimal setup. The answer was, as one might imagine, very personal and subjective despite a few rather-objective key points highlighted by both masters of their craft. Regardless of the technical aspect of the matter, to witness Greg Deering and Jens Kruger discuss their common love so eloquently and with so much passion was a special moment that all presents will probably cherish.
Without much transition, it was then time to go back to the music as dozens of well-armed banjo players - as well as a few fiddles, mandolins and guitars - gathered by the stage to start our group jam with a roaring rendition of the classic ‘You Are My Sunshine’, led by the Kruger Brothers and the Eagle staff. This was shortly followed by a joyous and lasting ‘Dueling Banjo’ that put a smile on players and listeners’ faces alike.
Over the last 20 years, we have proudly become a hub for so many musicians from all levels and backgrounds and we wanted to give that community a slot in our great line-up with our Customer Spotlight Hour, which was a pre-booked open mic and the next act in our itinerary. At 3pm, six of our many talented customers took to the stage one by one for an eclectic and brilliant mix of songs and tunes on the banjo. From Buddy Holly’s ‘Raining In My Heart’ to an O’Carolan’s tune via a Beatles medley among others, the choices of song were both diverse, brilliantly performed and pleasantly unexpected. Thank you (in no particular order) to Mick Allchorne, Paul Brammer, Alan Jones, Marco Banjo, John Mills and Gordon Warner & Rosie O’Brien for their brilliant performances.
For the lucky ones who had booked a workshop with Ashley Campbell, it was then time to gather in a separate room for an hour-long workshop revolving around clawhammer playing and some insights into her playing style and influences.
In the meantime, jam sessions started to naturally spring up across the main room and it was also a good time to browse the abundance of Deering Banjos on display and use our staff expertise for any advice. Led by Mark Mawby and Dan Walsh, these jam sessions later merged into one main one in the adjacent Sons Of The North Café. A lovely selection of food and drinks were available there to recharge everyone’s listening and playing batteries. This was a beautiful celebration of traditional music that all attendees will remember and hold dear for sure.
At around 6pm and as the party went on in the café, it was time to have a little break in the main room and to get it ready for the anticipated evening concerts.
At 7.30pm, the lights went out in the North Light Gallery as the eagerly-awaited Ashley Campbell & Thor Jensen walked on stage, with a freshly-set-up banjo and guitar in hand. Right from the start we were struck by Ashley and Thor’s alchemical bond transpiring in their effortless vocal harmonies as well as their playing. What followed was a display of intricate and gorgeous songwriting delivered in a vulnerable and intimate fashion. Their performance of songs from their newly released album ‘Turtle Cottage’ really came alive as the room came to a standstill for the whole of their 45-minute set. Their set left us all wanting more and converted a big part of the audience, judging by the queue that quickly built around their merch store where they gracefully spent the time to talk to their existing and new fans.
Soon after the main lights came on, owners Steve Noon and Rachel Price took to the stage to perpetuate one of our Deering events traditions and honour our Customer of the Year award to Tim Soden who has been a regular and dear customer of ours over the years.
After a few words of thank you from Tim and our owners, the latter were joined by Erin and Toby Price to draw the winners of our exciting raffle. Plenty of prizes from our trusted suppliers were collected by the winners, including an Eastman PCH1-D dreadnought guitar and a Barnes & Mullins ukulele banjo amongst other wonders from Tanglewood, Seydel and Ohana.
It was then time for Greg, Janet and Jamie Deering to join Eagle Music owners on stage and award them with a beautiful banjo-neck ornamented plaque to commemorate 20 years in business and ‘ongoing service and care to the musical community’. This felt like a proud landmark in a decades-long and ever-growing friendship between both maker and supplier.
As we were approaching 9pm, the room was at an all-time state of anticipation and excitement. Finally, the lights went out, leaving a sober and elegant spotlight on Jens & Uwe Kruger and Joel Landsberg as the opening piece of their ‘Appalachian Concerto’, the mesmerising ‘Morning At Deep Gap’ reverberated in the North Light Gallery. What followed was nothing short of magical. From their heartening classic ‘Forever And A Day’ to the tremendously thumping ‘Swing That Maul’, they weaved effortlessly their unparalleled virtuosity with musicality and spirit, making us laugh out loud with some good story-telling in-between songs. Among their own original songs, the audience was also treated to some of the band’s favourite covers including the spirit-lifting ‘People Get Ready’, a mystifying rendition of ‘Fields Of Gold’, Dylan’s classic ‘Don’t Think Twice’ and a version of Ralph McTell’s ‘Streets Of London’ that got the whole of the audience beautifully singing along in a half whisper. Seasoned fans and newbies alike, the whole of the room joined in a standing ovation whilst the North Carolina-based trio generously launched into an unexpected joyous version of Tom Petty’s ‘Learning To Fly’ as an encore. It is way past their scheduled curfew that The Kruger Brothers walked off stage, leaving every member of the audience glowing with the genuine and lasting smile of someone who has been part of something special.
Shortly past 11pm, the North Light Gallery closed its doors as the remnant attendees scattered into the cold Kirklees night, leaving behind memories of songs, friendship and community. ‘The perfect end to a perfect day’ never sounded truer.
We are still on high from this 20th Anniversary Deering Event and to see so many of our valued customers make the trip from all over Britain and even Europe truly was a humbling moment for all of us. To celebrate this proud achievement with such a line-up of musicians, including our customers, was both a joy and an honour that we do not take for granted.
We look forward to welcoming you again at one of our events in the future and through the doors of our shop in the meantime.
Here’s to 20 years in business and to this beautiful community we’re proud to have around us. Thank you for your continued support throughout the years.
From all of us at Eagle Music.
