Danny Barnes, Matt Mitchell

If you were to cobble together a list of great living banjo players, a few names would jump right to the top. Steve Martin, for one. Béla Fleck would be another. Danny Barnes certainly belongs in that rarified company, an ace musician who has explored the ins and outs of bluegrass in ever-fascinating ways. The picker extraordinaire started as bandleader of the Austin outfit the Bad Livers, bringing a poppier flare to classic Americana, and has collaborated with multi-instrumentalist Max Brody as the Test Apes, a more rock-oriented band from Seattle. Regardless of who he’s playing with, you’ll marvel at the way he burns up a banjo.