Fred Brown

Multi-Instrumentalist & Composer
Founder & Owner, Lowly Mountain Banjos

FRED BROWN has had an eclectic musical life experience. He grew up singing hymns in church and playing saxophone in the rural community band, which led to playing punk and hardcore guitar; classical composition; avant garde, noise, electroacoustic, and computer composition and performance; and lately to traditional American folk music performance and study. Somehow, it all flowed naturally from his perspective, though he has yet to discover the throughline.

His compositions are influenced heavily by non-musical sounds, finding organization in randomness and form in the inchoate, while his banjo playing rests firmly in the American oldtime and pre-bluegrass traditions. Whether you learn composition or banjo performance from him, he wants to help you find your own musical voice and enjoy a lifetime of listening.

He is also the founder of Lowly Mountain Banjos, where he works with clients to create truly unique instruments that reflect the player’s personality and aesthetic sensibility, specializing in earlier forms of the banjo including mountain banjos and gourd banjos.