There’s no question that Tony Trischka stands as one of the most preeminent banjo artists of our time. For more than 50 years, his innovative style, dazzling speed, and musical ingenuity have shaped and inspired generations of bluegrass musicians.
Beyond his celebrated career as a performer, Trischka has authored 15 influential instructional books, produced artists like fellow banjoist Steve Martin, and recently released “Earl Jam,” an album paying tribute to one of his own musical heroes, Earl Scruggs.
Trischka continues to maintain an active touring schedule, and on Thursday, the Syracuse native will bring a banjo-fueled celebration of the season to Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem.
I recently spoke with Tony Trischka about his upcoming performance and more in this new interview.
Q. What can you tell me about your upcoming performance at Godfrey Daniels?
Trischka: I’ve got a great band and we’ll be doing Christmas, holiday and seasonal tunes. Many of which are not the standard ones you hear. We have Hannah Read from Scotland who’s an incredible singer/songwriter. We also have Tim Eriksen, who’s been doing these Christmas shows with me for the last 27 years. Then there’s Jared Engel on bass and my son, Sean, who’s also in the band playing drums and mandolin.
Banjo player Tony Trischka performs Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, at Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem. (Greg Heisler)
In your opinion, what makes Bluegrass such a great form of music?
That’s a really good question. For one thing it’s really American, even though it has roots in African-American and Scottish-Irish tradition. There are older values, gospel tunes, fiddle tradition and the blues. Some of it is really fast and gets people excited and energized. You can enjoy it on so many different levels. It’s deep music that you can listen to casually or, if you’re like me, can be into it ever since I was 14.
Your most recent album, “Earl Jam,” is a tribute to Earl Scruggs. How did the project come about?
A fellow by the name of Bob Piekel and I were both fixing an Earl Scruggs book the two of us were working on. In the process, Bob would send me a tune here and there where Earl was playing with John Hartford between the mid-80s to mid-90s. It was music I’d never heard before. One day in the mail I got a thumb drive from Bob with over 200 of these tunes. At the time of the recording, Earl was thinking about getting out of music. John wasn’t going to have that so he asked Earl to just jam with him and John recorded them all. I started transcribing Earl’s solos because they were so exciting. Then I received permission from the Scruggs and Hartford families to record some of the songs and decided to record exactly what Earl played. So every solo I take on that album is note for note. That’s how the concept came to be.
Tell me a little about your own musical upbringing.
As a child I had taken classical flute and piano lessons. Then I discovered guitar and folk music. My parents listened to a lot of Pete Seeger and The Weavers and in 1963 I went to the Newport Folk Festival and saw Doc Watson. That sort of sealed the deal. Then I heard The Kingston Trio perform the song “M.T.A.” Dave Guard played the banjo solo. It was only 16 notes but it changed my life forever.
Are there any highlights of your career that stick out as most memorable?
There are actually two. The first was in 1987 when I was in the band Skyline. We were invited to come to Czechoslovakia when it was communist. We played this giant festival in front of 30,000 people and as we looked out at the audience every second or third person was holding a candle. It was incredible. When we were about to come out to do our second encore the emcee asked us to instead just come out and stand in front of the stage. So we did and he said, “You’ve given us the gift of your music, now we’d like to give you a gift. Then he divided the audience into thirds and had them sing a major triad for us. To hear 30,000 people do that was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.
The other moment was when I produced Steve Martin’s album, “Rare Bird Alert.” Steve said he had a silly love song he wanted to do and had a few ideas of people he wanted to include. I told my son about it and he said, “Well, if it’s a silly love song, why doesn’t Steve get Paul McCartney.” I said, “Yeah, right.” Well, it is Steve Martin and he did get Paul McCartney to sing on the album.
Since I was producing the album, I got to produce Paul’s vocal and hang out with him for a few hours. The experiences I’ve had, the people I’ve met and the places I’ve been to have been incredible. I’m so blessed.
Is there a message you have for fans of the Lehigh Valley?
I think the real message is to be kind to each other, and not just because it’s the holiday season but year-round. We’re all in this together. Even if we disagree, we can still be friends and get along. Forget politics, divisiveness, and whatever side you’re on. Let’s love each other.
James Wood is a freelance entertainment writer. His new music-themed novel, “Beyond What We Know” is available now. You can contact him at jimmywood@gmail.com.