Recap:  Bert’s on Thursday Featuring Axel Rico

At times on Thursday evening, 3/31/22, if you closed your eyes,  Bert Driver’s Burlap Room took on the auditory ambiance of an old west saloon, with the (regular and newbie) Burlappers partying, laughing, and chatting it up, while a red-hot banjo player wails away in the corner. Again, we are amazed at how many diverse people visit the Burlap Room and last night was no exception.  Travelers from San Francisco, Chicago, and Copenhagen, Denmark joined our tribe for the evening of regale inside the Concession Stand Studios as a gentle, but chilly rain descended upon Snow Hill.  

Instead of some anonymous banjo, fiddle or piano player, this week’s Bert’s on Thursday series featured Axel Rico, local “sensation” and multiple winner of the coveted Smithville Jamboree Bluegrass Banjo Award, showing off his expertise on the Tap House stage with his technically astounding “fast and clean” versions of traditional bluegrass and country tunes. From Bob Wills to Roy Acuff, and from Lester Flatt to Earl Scruggs and Benny Martin, Axel gave us all a tutorial on the development of traditional country to bluegrass to jazz and how the banjo played a part in those genres development.  

Axel’s musical talent isn’t limited to the banjo- He’s an above-average guitar player and singer as well…and, saxophone (which requires music-reading ability in addition to the playing-by- ear proficiency on the string instruments). The enthusiastic and well-rounded 20 year-old says he would pursue a career in professional music “if the right situation came along”, but is also currently working on his Master’s Degree in Humanities “as a back-up plan”.

Here’s hoping (as a devoted music lover) that Axel spends a lot more time pickin’ that banjo than having to chase employees around in some corporate environment.  

We’re easing into Spring/Summer here, Burlappers!  The Second Annual Crawfish Boil with some of the best mudbugs ever served up by the Louisiana Boil Bros., and authentic New Orleans funk from Soul Project NOLA (their third appearance at Burlap Room) and Jordan Morack will be happening on Saturday, 4/9/22.  Get your tix early to reserve your meal on Eventbrite and stay up-to-date with all the events in the Bert Driver Network (Nursery, Burlap Room, and the newly opened Harvester Event Center) by signing up for our Burlapper Newsletter. See y’all here!