How Ben Townsend’s Cross Country Bike Ride Inspired His Old-Time Music Album

At Big Ears 2019, West Virginia old-time fiddler and banjo player Ben Townsend will perform as part of two special projects we announced this week: Mosaic, a new collaboration where international partners explore timely topics, and All Night Flight, our 12-hour drone concert. Ben is fairly used to unorthodox endeavors. In fact, he biked across the United States in 2014, stopping in every state to play with fellow folk musicians, a journey that inspired his lauded album, Ben Townsend & Friends. Read about the journey in The Los Angeles Times here.