Vodka likes to expose all sorts of music, but honestly, it usually isn’t straight-up instrumental. There are several exceptions, Lydian Collective, Snarky Puppy, etc., but for the most part, the music that I cover here has lyrics. That seems to be shifting a bit over time. Perhaps because the quality of instrumental music itself has increased, or perhaps I’m just noticing it more these days. Enter Daniel Sherrill, whose traditional banjo compositions are beautiful and breathtaking. Fortune, (seen/heard here) is from Sherrill’s forthcoming LP From A Heritage Tree, due out June 17, 2022. 

To find anything out about Daniel Sherrill, you have to be willing to dig-and that’s probably not a good thing. He’s got a website, but that site is basically a promotional site for the new LP with links to streaming sites. There are no social sites listed, no biography, nothing. I know from his bandcamp.com page, that he’s from Ashland, Oregon. When you search for his name, one of the first links that shows up is for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival site, which lists Daniel’s accomplishments: National and International touring singer-songwriter and guitarist, part of the Ashland indie-folk duo Hollis Peach, producer, and owner of his own professional recording studio with his own label Rent A Puppy Records. When you add Hollis Peach to the search, you end up with a bit more information, the kind that you would be looking for on Daniel’s site. 

Fortune is an uplifting track that was/is a blue ridge mountain standard called Once I Had A Fortune. Daniel’s video captures the beautiful surrounding of his home and he shows that he is an accomplished player. The sound and production values here are perfectly balanced. Daniel’s finger-picking style seems effortless, which I’m sure it is not. His fingers dance up the fretboard. If Fortune is any indication, the eight other tracks on the LP should be phenomenal!

Check out some traditional banjo music from Daniel Sherrill by picking up the LP on his bandcamp.com site. Preorders are now available. 

Note: There is a reason to be cautiously optimistic about the trajectory of the COVID 19 virus. We’ve been here before and were turned back by the variants. Even with things improving, artists such as Daniel Sherrill could still use your purchases. If your situation allows it, consider purchasing more in these tough times.  Please, if you are physically able to do so, get vaccinated. — Vodka