Becky Buller and Ned Luberecki joined KGNU’s Meredith Carson for a lively in-studio interview ahead of their performance at the Charles Memorial Mountain Jam in Gold Hill. They discussed their ongoing tour, teaching at the RockyGrass Academy, and performing alongside Rebecca Frazier, Eric Thorin, and others in the All-Star Jam. The duo shared stories behind their original songs, including “Cherry Grove” and “Back in Baltimore,” with Tim O’Brien featured on the latter. They reflected on their musical roots—Ned inspired by Steve Martin and Becky growing up in a family bluegrass band—and showcased their dynamic chemistry through humor and music. (Studio Session: 7/20/25)
Meredith Carson: We are delighted to have in the studio with us Becky Buller, Ned Luberecki, and also Romey—Becky’s daughter. It is just so much fun to see you all this morning. Welcome to the High Country!
Becky Buller & Ned Luberecki: Thank you!
Meredith Carson: Have you gotten your breath yet?
Ned Luberecki: Yeah, we were actually down in Westcliffe a week or two ago—no, just last weekend.
Right. So we lost all our breath down there.
Becky Buller: And you’ve been to Texas since then.
Ned Luberecki: Yeah. So I haven’t been home in days.
Meredith Carson: Of course! But here you are in our studios—Ned Luberecki, Becky Buller—thank you so much for coming in on a gig day. You’re going to leave here, zip up to Gold Hill, and—
Ned Luberecki: What’s going on? What woke me up for this?
Becky Buller: Yeah, we’re headed to Gold Hill for the Charles, absolutely—to support KGNU Radio. And we’ll be playing with our friend Rebecca Frazier this afternoon, along with Todd Livingston, Dave Richey, and Foggy Mountain Spaceship.
Meredith Carson: And isn’t Eric Thorin playing with you guys too?
Becky Buller: Yes, I think so! I saw him in Fort Collins the other night playing at a Joni Mitchell tribute. He was like the star of the show. You know, Eric always thinks he’s in the background—but he never is.
Meredith Carson: So you all are part of our headlining act, which we’re calling the All-Star Jam. Yes—so it’s Becky and Ned and Rebecca, and Eric on the All-Star Jam.
Becky Buller: I’ve heard the food up there at the Gold Hill Inn is amazing.
I’ve never been before.
Meredith Carson: Well, the food in the Inn is absolutely amazing. And if you can do it—stay after the show and have dinner there. It’s wonderful. What we’ll have this afternoon is also wonderful—Louisiana Chef is doing barbecue for us, to be sold outdoors in the side yard, where we’ll be at the Charles. So there’s good food all over the place!
Becky Buller: When does the music start?
Meredith Carson: Music starts at noon. Doors open at 11:30. You guys go on just about 3 o’clock?
Becky Buller: Are we indoors or outdoors?
Meredith Carson: Outdoors all afternoon.
Alright? Absolutely. And it should be a perfect day up there. So we’re really looking forward to it, and to hearing you all play—like right now. Let’s do it. And also this afternoon.
Becky Buller: Okay. This is a tune that I wrote and named after the township that my mom grew up in, just outside of Kenyon, Minnesota.
She grew up on a farm in Cherry Grove Township. So this tune is called “Cherry Grove.”
Meredith Carson: Becky Buller and Ned Luberecki live in the KGNU studios this morning—live, awake, and visibly hydrated.
Ned Luberecki: I did buy some sparkling water to keep in my tiny home.
We’re here all week—we’re going to be teaching at the RockyGrass Academy.
Becky Buller: Absolutely—for the festival. And we’ll be at the festival next Saturday.
Meredith Carson: Next Saturday is a big day?
Becky Buller: It’s a really big day. We play at 2 o’clock—but it’s Ned’s birthday!
Ned Luberecki: That’s right—Saturday will be my birthday. Look out, Stage Two at RockyGrass. Come help us celebrate.
It’s one of those birthdays that ends in a zero, so it’s a big one.
I’m saying 40. I’m saying I’m 30 again.
Meredith Carson: Okay! I think that’s a good anniversary of your 30th birthday.
Ned Luberecki: I’m 59.
Becky Buller: He told us last weekend that he was “59.95”—and it was in a text message, so I read it like, “Oh yeah, he’s got like two weeks left of being 59.” But now I get it. 59.95.
Meredith Carson: Alrighty. You’re moving pretty fast this morning on that fiddle, I have to say. You all sound great. Have you played together a bunch?
Ned Luberecki: Let’s see—10 years? 11?
Well, that’s a bunch. Something like that.
Becky Buller: He keeps threatening to quit every gig. Absolutely every gig.
Meredith Carson: Okay.
Ned Luberecki: I keep hoping there’ll be some severance pay.
Meredith Carson: Yeah, good luck with that. In this current climate, you just get fired.
Meredith Carson: Now that was a song that you wrote?
Becky Buller: Yes.
Meredith Carson: And Ned, do you write as well? Are we going to hear one of yours?
Ned Luberecki: Do you think we could try it?
Becky Buller: Do you write, Ned?
Ned Luberecki: Do I write? Begrudgingly.
Do you want to try one we wrote? “The Baltimore Song”?
Becky Buller: Yeah, sure!
Tell them about this song. Part of the fun is the story.
Ned Luberecki: So Becky is one of the most prolific songwriters I know. She’s written songs that have been recorded by all kinds of folks—I mean, Ricky Skaggs, the Infamous Stringdusters…
Becky Buller: And some important people, too, I’m sure.
Ned Luberecki: She writes songs all the time—she’ll write a song at the drop of a hat. You just say some words out loud and she’ll go, “Ooh, drop of a hat! That sounds like a song!” When we’re driving in the band van, if misfortune happens and she ends up in the shotgun seat, she will make me write songs with her.
Becky Buller: I get my notebook out and start writing.
Ned Luberecki: One time we were driving through my original hometown—Baltimore, Maryland—and she goes, “Oh Ned, aren’t you happy to be back in Baltimore?” Then she says, “Ooh, ooh, we gotta write that—‘Back in Baltimore’.”
Because she breaks for alliteration.
Becky Buller: So we started writing this song.
Ned Luberecki: Midway through, we realized the only person we could hear singing it was Tim O’Brien. So I got the idea to record it and asked Tim to sing on it.
We sent him a phone demo with the lyrics, and the first thing he said was, “Congratulations on getting the word ‘stevedore’ into a song.”
For anyone who doesn’t know, a stevedore is someone who loads and unloads cargo from ships. The Stevedores Union was a big deal in Baltimore.
Becky Buller: I’m from Minnesota, so I’m sure we have those too—on the Mississippi River. But I’m from about two hours southwest of Minneapolis–St. Paul, out in the corn, soybean, and hog barn belt.
Ned Luberecki: About five minutes after we sent it, we got a text from Tim actually singing the song and playing it on guitar. And I thought—well, we got him now.
Song lyrics: “Back in Baltimore” follows…
(Omitted here for brevity—can be kept as is or lightly formatted upon request.)
Meredith Carson: Here in Colorado, we get to hear a lot of bluegrass—with all the Telluride festivals and lots of local players—but I seldom hear people at your level of excellence. I just wanted to talk to each of you about how long you’ve been playing your instrument.
Shall we start with banjo?
Ned Luberecki: I got my first banjo for Christmas in 1978 and started learning to play.
In 1979, I found a teacher—if anyone’s familiar with the band Hawktail, their guitarist, Jordan Tice, is a terrific player. His father was my original banjo teacher back in Annapolis, Maryland. Jordan now lives a block away from me in Nashville.
I was first inspired by Steve Martin—on his comedy records. Everyone else was listening for the jokes, but I kept dropping the needle on the banjo parts. And I’ve been lucky enough to get to know Steve a little—he’s a very good player and a real inspiration.
Meredith Carson: Do you wear the arrow on your head?
Ned Luberecki: I’ve always wanted to go to a comedy club in a white suit with the arrow through my head, bunny ears, banjo around my neck, and say, “Stop me if you’ve heard this one.”
Meredith Carson: I want to be at that show!
Meredith Carson: Becky, how about you and your fiddle?
Becky Buller: I grew up playing music in a quasi-family band. My mom plays guitar, my dad plays mandolin—they both sing. They met through music in college and formed a band with another couple, Gordy and Roxy Schultz. They told all us kids: “If you want to be in the band, you have to play an instrument.”
I wanted to sing, and the only thing they didn’t have was a fiddle. I didn’t know about Dobro yet. But there was a family legacy of fiddle playing, so I picked it up just to join the band.
Not long after, I started writing songs. I still feel like I’m catching up on the fiddle.
Meredith Carson: Oh, probably not.
Becky Buller: I don’t know enough waltzes.
And I’ve always preferred playing in a band setting to contests—they make me nervous.
Ned Luberecki: I always tease Becky—I know more fiddle tunes than she does. But to be fair, the year I started banjo, she was…
Becky Buller: I was in utero.
Ned Luberecki: So I’ve had a little more time.
Meredith Carson: It is such a pleasure to have you all here. Thank you again for getting up early—on a gig day—and driving all the way from Lyons to Boulder at the crack of… 10.
Everyone: [Laughs]
Meredith Carson: It’s going to be super fun this afternoon. Could we hear maybe a couple more tunes?
Ned Luberecki: Do “The Fiddlin’ Barber”?
Becky Buller: We could—it’s sort of in the Baltimore vein.
Should we do something else first?
Ned Luberecki: What do you like?
Becky Buller: We don’t do that one without a guitar.
We really have this planned, y’all.
Ned Luberecki: Okay, I guess “The Fiddlin’ Barber” then.
Becky Buller: Or the other one… “The Bird.”
Becky Buller: Ooh, that sounds beautiful. For any They Might Be Giants fans out there—wherever you are. And we want to send a big shout-out to all our friends on social media writing in with us this morning.
Meredith Carson: Isn’t that what Instagram is all about? That moment of spontaneity?
Becky Buller: Yes, it is. Thank you all! Follow us on the socials—we appreciate it.
Meredith Carson: Well, that was absolutely fabulous. You got one more in you?
Becky Buller: This is from my Distance and Time album. You can find out more about me and my music at beckybuller.com.
Ned Luberecki: You can find me at nedski.com—that’s N-E-D-S-K-I.com. Or facebook.com/banjoboy.
Becky Buller: Say it in your radio voice!
Ned Luberecki: Oh indeed!
That’s because I’m your 2023 IBMA Broadcaster of the Year.
Meredith Carson: It’s wonderful to be here and learn about unassuming people being incredibly important.
Ned Luberecki: Look at that! And over here on fiddle and vocals, she’s a 10-time IBMA award winner—including the first person ever to win both Vocalist and Instrumentalist of the Year in the same year—Becky Buller!
Becky Buller: Alright, this is called “The Barber’s Fiddle.”
(Music plays)
Meredith Carson: Love that—and love you guys for getting up early, driving all the way here. Now they’re going to drive back, try to catch a little nap, and then see you up the hill at Gold Hill for the Charles Memorial Mountain Jam this afternoon.
Becky Buller: Mountain Spaceship, Todd Livingston, Dave Richey, Rebecca Frazier, Eric—and Ned Luberecki!
Ned Luberecki: I first met Rebecca out here in Colorado—she used to live here and played with the band Hit and Run Bluegrass. I’ve been a fan of her singing and guitar playing for a long time. She’s a great player, great singer.
Becky Buller: Talent!
Ned Luberecki: Looking forward to getting to hang a little bit.
Becky Buller: Of course!
Ned Luberecki: I live in Nashville where Rebecca is—we’re in the same part of town. Never see each other unless we’re out on the road somewhere.
Meredith Carson: Well, we’re glad to facilitate. Thank you!
Ned Luberecki: Gonna be fun.
Meredith Carson: I hope to see everyone listening out there at the Charles Sawtelle Memorial Mountain Jam this afternoon!
