This scholarship was established by Brad's parents Cindy and Lester Farmer to pay for music lessons for people of all ages interested in playing acoustic string band instruments. All applications will be considered, with priority given to teachers and students in the Piedmont and the Carolinas. PineCone is honored to keep Brad's memory and love of roots music alive through this fund.
Brad Farmer was a beloved member of the Raleigh bluegrass community. He was a performer, teacher, jam leader and friend to us all. Brad passed away unexpectedly on August 17, 2023. He was 36 years old.
“Brad was a kind, gentle soul and a very gifted guitarist,” said banjo player Hank Smith of the band Hank, Pattie & the Current. Hank and Brad played together most every Tuesday night at Beer & Banjos at The Raleigh Times. That’s where Jef Walter first met Brad. “Brad’s playing was natural, authentic, and sincere,” wrote Jef Walter. He plays bass at Beer & Banjos and leads jams for PineCone. “Brad had a lot of technical and music theory knowledge that propelled his music but playing with Brad never felt academic; it always felt like it was coming from a very real place. You could tell how Brad was feeling, or what he was thinking about, by listening to his playing that night.”
Brad moved to Raleigh soon after completing a Masters of Music in Guitar Performance at ECU. He taught private lessons, worked with music students at Wake Tech and lead jam sessions. PineCone had just recently started up a new series of jams that Brad lead with Tray Wellington at Riparian in Raleigh.
“As a jam leader and guitar instructor he was kind, nurturing, and made a place for players of all experience levels to get up there and pick,” said Jef Walter.
Marcel Adams says he met Brad soon after arriving in Raleigh. “He went out of his way to make sure I had a good time and felt welcome in town. It was a very kind gesture that I haven’t forgotten.”
Brad’s parents Cindy and Lester Farmer reached out to PineCone about establishing a scholarship in Brad’s honor. As such we are collecting donations in Brad’s name that will be used to pay for music lessons for people of all ages interested in playing acoustic instruments.
Applicants can apply for up to $250 of assistance at a time. Priority is given to applications from the Piedmont, and the Carolinas.
Once approved, teachers will invoice PineCone for the Total Scholarship Amount Requested. Payment will be made from the Fund directly to the teacher. Teachers must fill out a W-9 form and send a photo or screengrab with the student in order to receive payment. The image and likeness of both the teacher and student may be used to help promote the scholarship fund.
If assistance is required for this teacher/student pair beyond the allotted amount please contact us directly at 919-664-8333.
Click here to apply!
This application is open to all ages, and is specifically for those learning stringband instruments! Funds are awarded based on teacher/student pair and paid directly to the teacher. If you need help finding a teacher please reach out to us at info@pinecone.org before filling out this application. Both Teachers & Students can apply.
Please consider making a donation today to PineCone in memory of Brad. You can give online by clicking here or simply mail a check with Brad's name in the memo line to: PineCone, PO Box 28534, Raleigh, NC 27611. You can also call PineCone at 919-664-8333 to donate over the phone, anyone in the office can help!