Noam Pikelny, banjo picker.Q&AQ&A with Noam Pikelny
IF YOU GOWhat: An Evening with Noam Pikelny and Friends.When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday.Where: Barking Legs Theater, 1307 Dodds Ave.Admission: $15 in advance, $18 at the door.Phone: 624-5347.Venue website: www.barkinglegs.org.Online: www.noampikelny.com
Long before he became a world-renowned banjo player, Noam Pikelny was apparently a fairly oblivious child.
When his parents asked how he wanted to celebrate his ninth birthday, Pikelny requested a concert by his new banjo instructor. As he sat, raptly attentive in the front row, footage shot by his parents showed his friends looking equal parts bored and confused.
“They looked miserable, and this was supposedly a party,” Pikelny said, laughing. “To me, [banjo] was something magical. I think early on, it was something pretty weird to my friends.”