Bile Em’ Cabbage Down on Banjo at Wild Cat Run

“I went to visit Dwight on Wild Cat Run outside Marlinton. If I recall correctly, he had recently acquired a small cabin on a piece of property where he already kept a storage shed. The shed had been purchased by Catherine Rowe, and Dwight was using it to store water, dry goods, and extra instruments. I brought a camera with me to film a walkthrough of the cabin and send it to Catherine.

What struck me immediately was the cabin’s simplicity. It wasn’t particularly sturdy. Cracks between the boards had been sealed with spray foam, and the bathroom, kitchen, and sleeping area were compressed into a space no larger than an RV interior. Throughout the visit, I kept asking Dwight whether he had a reliable source of firewood. I worried about how he would make it through a harsh mountain winter. He never really answered the question.

After the walkthrough, Dwight and I went over to the storage shed, where he taught me a few tunes. In this clip, he talks about the fifth string and the importance of channeling rhythm through the instrument. He plays “Bile ’Em Cabbage Down” and “Cripple Creek” on the banjo while seated among stacks of bottled water. It was a hot August day.”

-Jamie Lovejoy