Uncle
Eddie & Robin
Biography
Uncle Eddie
and Robin, “Not
Your Typical Old Folkies”, are a dynamic
musical duet with a taste of the old and a flair for the new.
Their energy belies their age, and the breadth of their life
experience makes for a rich and rewarding musical evening. This
husband-wife team combines their voices in stunning, tight
harmonies on songs that pack a punch, and their musical chemistry
is undeniable and their sound is unmistakable. Ed “Uncle
Eddie” Mahonen, “Banjo Player, Raconteur, and All
Around Old Dude” is an icon in the Appalachian music scene.
His wildly imaginative banjo playing, silky vocals, and
intelligent, witty songwriting make him a joy to listen
to. His style incorporates elements of bluegrass and folk, which
he has shaped into a unique and original blend which he terms,
“plunk rock”. West Virginia’s “Graffiti”
Magazine said Ed has been “a force in West Virginia music
for over thirty years”. Not just another folk 'n bluegrass
musician, he applies his velvety baritone voice to his own "plunk
rock", and has been known to "rap" along with his
more traditional renditions. Ed “Uncle Eddie”
Mahonen was born and raised in a small town in Massachusetts, not
your usual breeding ground for bluegrass music. He began his
musical career in grade school with piano, later moving on to
trumpet. But one night, he found himself at what was then called,
a “hootenanny”,
and was instantly drawn to the call of the banjo. Despite the
derision and snickering of his high school friends and family, Ed
practiced and persevered with his instrument, and has honed it to
the surprising sound you hear today. He is also accomplished on
guitar and bass, and dabbles with the tuba. His rich velvety
baritone voice completes his presentation in bluegrass, folk and
other musical genres. After graduation, he served in the Navy
in San Francisco in the 60’s, where he was influenced by
the singer-songwriters and poets of the era. Following his
discharge, he spent a summer hitchhiking across Canada and the
US, with his banjo
slung across his back. Passing through Wheeling, West Virginia,
he got into a jam session with some of the local pickers and
quickly fell into the young progressive bluegrass scene. Before
long, he became a fixture on the local scene, with the band “West
Virginia Grass”. “We were playing jamgrass in the
early 70’s, before the term had been invented. We were just
doing what came naturally to us.” He also made his first
appearances on the legendary Wheeling Jamboree. This period
culminated with his participation in the band, “Castlemen’s
Run”.
In
the 80’s, Ed played traditional bluegrass with Pittsburgh’s
"Beaver Creek" band and for
over 30 years was part of the legendary "Short Crick
Flatpickers", touring statewide and regionally. “Uncle
Eddie” was born when he was appearing in the 90’s at
the Wheeling Jamboree, and did solo spots of bluegrass, novelty
songs, jokes and funny stories. The spots were called "Uncle
Eddie's Corner", and the nickname stuck. His easy going
demeanor and booming laugh made him a favorite with his
audiences.
Ed met Robin, appropriately enough, at an open
mike jam
night which Ed hosted in Wheeling. Their chemistry was immediate.
Robin is the daughter of the late Jimmy Knepper, internationally
renowned jazz trombonist, and Maxine Fields Knepper, a strong
independent woman who was already on the road with her trumpet at
the age of 16, before anyone had ever coined the term “feminist”.
Robin
was listening to music before she was born, and has fond memories
of jam sessions lasting late into the night as she drifted off to
sleep as a little girl. Her early musical influences were shaped
by some of the most influential jazz artists of the day. She
played piano at age 8, picked up her first guitar at age 14, and
played her first coffeehouses shortly thereafter. After a brief
hiatus of twenty years from music while she raised her four
children as a single mother and pursued a career as a social
worker in private practice, she returns
to the music scene with a vengeance. She brings her born and bred
musical ability and her deep understanding of pathos and the
human condition to her every note she sings. Imagine: a bluegrass
banjo player, and the daughter of a legendary jazz musician- it’s
unthinkable? Or is it???
More recently, Ed was associated
with West Virginia’s premier jam band, “The Recipe”,
and his cutting edge
explorations and signature sound clearly comes through on their
latest CD, “Jubilee”. Joe Prichard commented on Ed’s
original song, “One Eye Laugh”, which closes the CD,
“Ed was able to say in one song what it took me a whole
album to say.” As the Recipe’s “Uncle Eddie”,
he and Robin became a fixture at summer jam band festivals, and
are much beloved by festival goers who seek them out for a pat on
the back, a shared joke, and, if desired, a gentle bear hug.
Uncle
Eddie and Robin have released a CD titled "When We're
Together" consisting of eleven original songs.
It features stunning vocal arrangements and some dazzling
instrumental work by Ed and several guest artists. Ed’s
solo work, “My Own Words”, is a compilation of ten
original songs, including the often requested “West
Virginia Farm”, and “Let ‘Em Eat Cake”,
and the amusing, yet socially poignant “Plain White
Rapper”, which leaves audiences scratching their heads.
Stylistically, they are literally all over the map, and yet they
expertly craft their shows to the particular taste of their
listeners.
Uncle
Eddie and his banjo continue to be a force on the Appalachian
music scene. Through numerous appearances on the Wheeling
Jamboree, the hard core traditional bluegrass of the Short Crick
Flatpickers, and his cutting edge explorations with The Recipe,
“He has respected and preserved the rich musical traditions
of the region while keeping it alive and evolving by taking it to
new and unexpected places.” (Graffiti Magazine) His newest
collaboration with Robin, has added a new dimension and texture
to an already eclectic musician.
Uncle
Eddie & Robin also operate a recording studio, ELM Cottage
Studio, out of their home, and are available to help aspiring
young musicians produce their own original music.
An
evening with Uncle Eddie and Robin is like sitting down with old
friends. Kick off your shoes, put up your feet, and open yourself
to a musical experience which will make you laugh and cry, and
laugh again.
“One
Eye Laugh, One Eye Cry.”
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