This guy is not your father's ‘Hee-Haw' banjo player

WARWICK — Banjo player Steve Lutke and his band will be performing for the third time at Warwick Valley Winery and Distillery on Saturday, April 5, at 8 p.m. The performance is a continuation of the winery’s ongoing “uncorked and unplugged” music series. “Every performance has been a sellout and audiences have always left extremely happy,” said winery co-owner Jeremy Kidde. Lutke starts with a lyrical banjo arrangement of Beethoven’s “FŸr Elise,” then segues to a version of “Bonnie Scotland” and finishes with bluegrass tunes. Lutke’s new CD, “Appalachian Uprising,” features all original compositions, ranging from the ballad, “The Sky is Falling,” composed when Lutke learned of the events of Sept. 11, 2001, to the true bluegrass “Spinner” and “Moon Dog.” Lutke said he plays his banjo as if he were a painter putting gorgeous colors on canvas. He creates his music on a Gibson which, he said, has a bucolic sound, and on Red Fox and Sunflower banjos handcrafted by Geoff Stellings. “When my band starts setting up to play, people see the banjo and think, ‘Oh no, more “Hee-Haw” music,” Lutke said. “But when we start to play, everyone is stunned into silence. I’ve seen grown men sit on the floor in front of us listening with tears in their eyes.” Doors open at 7 p.m. for those that are interested in eating at Pane, the winery’s bakery and café. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased by calling the winery at 258-4858.