An Interview with Dr. Banjo - Pete Wernick

New York City doesn't leap to mind when talking bluegrass, but that's precisely where Pete Wernick began his career as one of the genre's most accomplished practitioners. Since moving to Colorado in 1976, Wernick, aka Dr. Banjo, has carved his name indelibly on the tree of bluegrass with the legendary group Hot Rize and demonstrated his renowned skills onstage with roots influenced acts such as Phish, Leftover Salmon, Yonder Mountain String Band and The String Cheese Incident. His picking has also taken him to the David Letterman Show, where two years ago he performed with his longtime idol Earl Scruggs and comedian Steve Martin. The only banjoist to play through a phase shifter, he continues to travel the planet as an instructor, performer and ambassador of bluegrass. His band Flexigrass finds the good Doctor melding bluegrass with jazz instrumentation to provide an unlikely though satisfying bridge between the traditional sound of the hills and the whimsical tones of clarinet and vibraphone.

Have you lived in Colorado all your life?

Actually, I grew up in New York City. I came to Colorado 31 years ago. My wife and I moved to Denver for a few months then eventually we found our dream place, which was an old ramshackle house on Left Hand Creek in Niwot [near Boulder]. We fixed it up and it's been our beloved home ever since.

How long have you been playing the banjo?

Since I was 14. I had friends in New York who played folk music and bluegrass and I got into that scene. At first I played a folky Pete Seeger style of banjo. Then Flatt and Scruggs came to town and I went to see them. I was floored by Scruggs' innovative picking style and I immediately switched from my folky approach to trying to figure out his rolling three-finger style.

So seeing Flatt and Scruggs was how you caught the bluegrass bug?