L. Don Ohkami

L. Don Ōkami is the nom de banjo of Tampere transplant Don Lupo from South Carolina via Switzerland, Germany, Japan and Ireland. Don has been playing American for 45 years and clawhammer banjo for almost 30. He interprets traditional American music, country blues, in your face honky-tonk country and contemporary material, always with much love but never too much respect for the original sources, true to his motto “save folk music from the folkies”. More recently he has explored the space between folk music, American Primitive improvisations, drones, noise and banjo with the aid of loopers, effects and collaborators, creating something he sometimes calls “psychedelic stoner banjo”. His first solo album “Judgement Day in Pyynikki” was released on Hulina Records in 2018 and has received good reviews. In addition to his solo work, Don plays traditional American folk and country blues with The Candyland Crawdads, experimental folk with The Fractal Cauliflowers, and punk-country and doombilly with Dark Bottle.