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New Videos! • • •
The Castmaster
Latest “official” video.
Wrote this on the Smith River in Montana this summer. The tune came pretty fast but its roots are from years of watching folks take themselves far too serious on the river.
SOAR (somewhere on a river)
Not a full-blown music video but the tune is off the latest album “Campfire Talent.”
The footage is from the Alberton Gorge whitewater section of the Clark Fork river in Montana. It was pretty low water (1,820 CFS) but the rapids were more significant than last time I ran it (3 years ago at 2,500). Had a bit of an issue in Tumbleweed and had no option but to let the boat go and try to catch it on the other side of the cliff. Whew!
Chuck
We’ve all heard the awesome jokes.
A ways back I thought they would make a funny song, then after the Hocus Pocus video it seemed natural to make an animated video out of it.
We attempted to reach out to Mr. Norris’ people but never heard back, I suppose he is out looking for me now.
Hold on a sec, someone’s at the door…
Endless Metaphor (Hadley’s version)
We made a video for this a few years ago on the Smith River in Montana. On a recent trip I had the absolute pleasure of having 5-year-old Hadley along on her first ever river or camping trip. She loves the original video because her grandpa is in it and with her birthday coming up we decided to film a different version.
Hadley was a rock star and sang and danced her way through the entire four-day trip without a single complaint.
Hocus Pocus
First video off the Campfire Talent album. Decided to try something different and make an animated one. The tune is pretty self-explanatory. Big thanks to Salpier (Italy) for the ragtime piano, Andrea Di Fiore (Sicily) for the upright bass, Fernando Moncada (Argentina) for washboard and Carrie King (USA) for the harmony and backup vocals. Shout out to Adam Selzer for the mix/mastering and Kevin Travers and the team at Empire Animate for making Hocus Pocus a reality.Cosmic Woodstock
Not the vid I’ve been waiting for but here’s a quick one from the River Formula album.
This is a true story. Ha (but really). Song is about the 2017 eclipse in Wyoming but footage is from the Totality two weeks ago.
Left Montana in a blizzard and outran the clouds in Texas, then drove through an EF-1 tornado (90mph wind) on way to the airport for the flight home.
There were zero Pornhub logins on this trip. Honest.
April update...
April update...
So the Hocus Pocus animated music video is half done. It’s out of our hands now, but have been told “this month.”
Campfire Talent is just about done. The last three tracks are getting mixed this week. Then on to mastering and it’ll be ready to give away. Ha. It sucks to put all the time, money and effort in and then just put it on the curb with a “free” sign next to it, but the music industry as a whole is screwed so not losing sleep over it.
There are 12 tunes on this album and most of them were written on river trips in Montana and Arkansas.
Chuck The Last Hotdog
Dashboard Jesus The March
The Farmer’s Daughter Pirates Prefer Parrots
Flat Earth Army Resignation
Footnote S.A.D.
Hocus Pocus Somewhere on a River
NEW STUFF!
Last summer in Montana the Rocky Mountain “monsoons” came which made for a long and most excellent river season. There were plenty of Ninja sightings, both welcome AND unwelcome.
The extended season made for fruitful songwriting sessions and there are a whole batch of new tunes on the way.
This time the songs are being recorded à la carte at the Ninja compound.
The first song “Hocus-Pocus” is set for a March 18 release as a single and we are doing something completely different with the music video. It could be awesome or maybe Banjo Ninja will just paddle back into the mountains to forage for Spam and Oreos.
The album is tentatively titled “Campfire Talent” and will be released when we run out of songs, or money.
Latest videos
Hallowiverance
Michael Myers meets Deliverance.
Truly very scary.
River Formula
River trips are easy. You just need to come up with a phrase or formula so you don’t forget the essentials.
This one––the 12th Banjo Ninja video–-was filmed on the Buffalo National River in Arkansas and the Smith River in Montana. Woo!
New album ready to ship!
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The 21 songs on this album were started, finished or written entirely on dozens of canoe trips on Montana rivers.
They range from the absurd, sarcastic and cynical to the melancholy and desperate, with a splash of river party thrown in for good measure.
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There are 17 instruments on it ranging from accordion to Viking war horn with 11 vocalists contributing, plus one river dog: Django “The Navigator.”
The CD was mostly recorded, and fully mixed and mastered, at Basecamp Recording in Bozeman, MT over the summer and fall of 2021.
Banjo Ninja Video Playlist
Songs written to be watched. Check out the many adventures of BanjoNinja.
MURDER BALLAD 3
Murder ballads have a rich history in Old Timey and Traditional banjo music. This is BN's crack at one, for better or worse. We figured anyone can film a party song in Hawaii, so tried something different. Woo!
IT’S FRIDAY NIGHT
Most of this is true, or untrue, depending on whether or not you are in law enforcement. Filming on this started long before we couldn't do stuff anymore.
WINDFALL
Ever had a lottery fantasy? Of course you have. Here's one, of sorts.... Woo!
CRAZY TOWN
Rivers are better than cities. Period.
THE PARTICIPANT
Did you get the speech as a kid saying you could be anything you wanted when you grew up? Yeah, me too...
MONTANA RIVER
The Yellowstone is the longest free-flowing river in the U.S. (outside of Alaska) and is BanjoNinja and Django's stomping ground.
SOLILOQUY
"To be or not to be, that is the question;" and the answer just might be found on the river. Or maybe there is no answer. It's just not fair.
(Actually, when Banjo Ninja is on the river the answer is most definitely "to be.")
S.A.D.
The dark season gets tougher every year and Chadster is getting tired of running. Is this the end for him...?
Just hang on until the order's restored and the rivers all shed the armor they wore.
SINGING UNDERWATER
Do you have stage fright, performance anxiety or just don't do well at public speaking? BN feels your pain.
ENDLESS METAPHOR
The Smith River is a Montana treasure. If you are able to experience the trip you should be aware there are still wild banjo folk in the area.
GOING TO YELLOWSTONE
Yellowstone National Park is about as good as it gets...except for that guy. Make good decisions, folks.
Merch
Women’s Fitted T-Shirt
Banjo Ninja Stickers
Mens T-Shirt
Follow BanjoNinja: 2021 Tour
No self respecting Ninja announces where they’re heading to next, however here’s where he’s been.
2020 COVID River Tour
May 5-8
Smith River, MT (Permit #1!)
May 20-23
Smith River, MT
June 5-8
Smith River, MT
July 10-13
Smith River, MT - Filming “Crazy Town”
July 17-19
Yellowstone River, MT
July 30-August 2
Smith River, MT
August 7-9
Yellowstone River, MT
August 15-16
Yellowstone River, MT
August 22-23
Yellowstone River, MT
August 28-Sept. 30
Stillwater/Yellowstone River, MT
Sept. 4
Gardiner Town/Yankee Jim Canyon—Yellowstone River
September 6-8
Smith River, MT
Sept. 11/12
Blackfoot/Clark Fork River, MT—Filming “Crazy Town”
Sept. 25-26
Madison River—Filming “Crazy Town”
October 3
Yankee Jim Canyon—Yellowstone River, MT
October 8-11
Smith River, MT (trip 7)
Follow BanjoNinja: COVID-19 TOUR
No self respecting Ninja announces where they’re heading to next, however here’s where he’s been.
2019 River Tour
May 3-4
Yellowstone River, MT
May 28 - June 1
Smith River, MT
July 7-10
Smith River, MT - Filming “Endless Metaphor”
July 13-14
Yellowstone River, MT
July 19-21
Smith River, MT
July 24-26
Yellowstone River, MT
August 2-4
Yellowstone River, MT
August 17-18
Yellowstone River, MT
August 31 - September 1
Yellowstone River, MT - Filming “Montana River”
September 7-8
Madison River, MT
December 26
Chattooga River, GA - Filming a scene for “It’s Friday Night” on the same river featured in the film, “Deliverance”.