“New York-native, Benny Bleu is a geologist by trade, banjo player and singer-songwriter who touches on our connections with the natural world and each other.” – Putumayo World Music Benny Bleu Haravitch plays old time banjo in the Finger Lakes of upstate New York, perched at the northern terminus of the Appalachian Mountains. Haravitch, a geologist himself, grew up in the region defined by deep lake valleys and steep highlands. This up-and-down is reflected in the local flavor of fiddle tunes, and Benny Bleu’s banjo sways along having studied and played with regional old-time visionaries Mac Benford, Richie Stearns, Judy Hyman, and Bruce Molsky. His clawhammer banjo playing is like a marching band – the bugle melodies in lock-step with the drum corps. On March of the Mollusk, a new album of meditative banjo tunes, Haravitch holds true to the local tradition and offers a collection of grooves soothing in their dance-like delivery. He invites us to walk with the cadence of a snail through the woods. For only by softening our pace could we hope to answer the conundrum of modern existence together. National Amtrak Tour – just Benny and a Banjo! – in Spring 2024! Visiting Frostburg MD, Kansas City MO, Los Angeles CA, Santa Cruz CA, Eugene OR, Portland OR, Seattle WA, and Millheim PA New albums Banjo Jubilations and Banjo Meditations coming Spring 2024! Slow and in the flow, Benny