Banjos, Violins and Shamisens: Untangling Cats and Strings

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March 13, 2024 • 34 mins

…as in, stringed instruments! Brace yourselves for a high-strung episode connecting your favorite pet to three distinct stringed instruments in this episode of 6 Degrees of Cats, the world’s #1 (and only) cat-themed culture, science and history podcast.

What is "cat gut" – and is it truly derived from feline materials, as rumored? Join Amanda “Captain Kitty” B. in this culturally informed and historically resonant investigation into the history of the banjo with Hannah Mayree, co-founder of the Black Banjo Reclamation Project, and gain a sense of appreciation for the past, present, and future of this very American instrument. And learn about another instrument it often accompanies, the violin, from Canadian-Romanian musical polymath and documentarian Joenne Dumitrascu, a lifelong violinist who helps clarify what is, and isn’t, making those strings sing. Then, we revisit Japan to speak to an expert on the shamisen, a three-stringed lute-like instrument that carries with it over 600 years of Japanese history and an ongoing message from the past. By the end of the episode, which of these instruments, if any, is embodied by cats? Listen and find out!

Please note: While vivid imagery of deceased animals is not - and will never - be included, listeners who are more sensitive to the topics of animal death may wish to check out other 6 Degrees of Cats episodes, as referenced below.

Join us on this historical trip through time across three continents to gain a deeper sense of appreciation, nuance, and context for the banjo, the violin, and the shamisen – and their connection to cats!

Support the podcast, sign up for The Captain’s Log, the companion podcast newsletter and learn about way$ to help keep this ship afloat for our next season here: linktr.ee/6degreesofcats.

Referenced episodes:

Referenced materials:

6 Degrees of Cats: Banjos, Violins and Shamisens YouTube playlist

About the experts:

Hannah Mayree is a California-born banjoist, singer, songwriter and music educator. They are the co-founder of the Black Banjo Reclamation Project (BBRP), which is a creative eco-system that curates musical, cultural and land-based opportunities for Black, Afro-Diasporic communities around the world to work with the banjo as a tool for reclaiming ancestral wisdom & creating Afro-futures. You can find Hannah at http://hannahmayree.com and BBRP at https://blackbanjoreclamationproject.org.
Joenne Dumitrascu, M.M., is a Canadian-Romanian musician and filmmaker. She has composed and performed works on major feature films and tours internationally as a concert violinist and pianist. Joenne can be found at https://www.joennedumitrascu.com and followed on Instagram @joenne_dumitrascu
Keisuke Yamada, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral fellow at the Center of Japanese Studies, University of Michigan. He is interested in sound studies. He has been working on a book entitled Ecologies of Sound. The book offers a sound-centered analysis of the logic and interplay of global capitalism, militarism, and industrialization that have shaped the soundscapes and sound-politics of twentieth- and twenty-first-century Japan.

Special thanks to the Willie Mae Rock Camp community, Mr. Tony Thomas and Camille Pajor and Rebecca Stein.

Producer, writer, editor, sound designer, host, basically everything*

Amanda B. (Instagram @catsuitband)

* with co-executive producers Binky & Snuggles

Animal voices include:

Binky & Snuggles _^..^_

Music

Captain Kitty: all music supervision, mixes and arrangements unless otherwise noted
Samples licensed via Loopcloud
Additional sound effects from Pixabay.com

Logo design:

Research used:

Allen, G. (2011, August 23). The banjo’s roots, reconsidered. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2011/08/23/139880625/the-banjos-roots-reconsidered
Bogoian-Mullen, W. (2020, February 27)

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