Travis Bartosh — Orange, CA, USA

More About Me

Travis Bartosh started out his music career in a rather unlikely spot compared to the position he finds himself in as a bluegrass banjo player. Growing up in southern California in the 90’s it was difficult not to be swept up by the surf/skate punk rock scene. His first instrument, like many other musicians, was the guitar. He picked up the instrument at the age of 12 and hasn’t stopped loving music since. Throughout high school and into his early college days he would most likely be found playing electric guitar in a punk rock band throughout the southern California area.
Travis’ love of bluegrass music came about by chance. With the release of the film and consequential soundtrack of O’ Brother, Where Art Thou? he was handed down a banjo from his uncle who is also a bluegrass musician. It was these two occurrences that changed the trajectory of his music life.
Now that Travis has moved on from the early days of punk rock to bluegrass, he hasn’t put the banjo down since. He has been the banjo player for several bands including the Fifth Wheel Bluegrass Band, the Rainwater Bluegrass Band, and the Rivers of Agnes. Besides playing in groups he also enjoys playing as a solo musician at farmer’s markets, private events, restaurants, or anywhere that will have him. Travis hones his sound by practicing every day, giving lessons to a multitude of students, and playing at several jams happening in the southern California area every week.
Travis' teaching technique is unique in the sense that he comes from not only a music background, but also an education background. He received his Master's degree in Communication Studies from the University of Nebraska- Lincoln, and is currently teaching at a university in the southern California area. This is an asset for his students, and makes him stand out compared to many other teachers. Being able to combine music instruction with higher educational teaching experience not only helps students learn songs, but also critically asses technique and theory.
Travis is available for hire at private events that would like to have live music, for one-on-one banjo instruction, and also for recording.

“Pick banjos, not fights”