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Sparkle and structure are two words that come to mind when hearing some of Buskirk’s original work from his debut CD “It Always Rains on Sunday.” Engaging melodic ideas combine with the distinctive twangy propulsion of the 12-string guitar on tracks like “A Thing” and “Waltz?” The disc features nine other original tunes, including “L.T.D.,” a piece that Buskirk says is the first music he ever heard in his head. “Everybody has a beat, and that tune is mine,” he said. “I carried that idea in my head for as long as I can remember. One day, it finally made its way out to the guitar.”

The other quality of the American Primitive movement that Buskirk stresses is its compositional nature. “Basically, you are taking those folk styles and presenting them as composed pieces, which is where the ideas from classical music come in,” he said.

American Primitive guitar is not exactly a household name, especially in Appalachia. “It’s pretty rare to find this approach to the guitar, especially around here,” Buskirk said. “In fact, I haven’t met anyone around here who plays in the American Primitive style in West Virginia.”

There is an almost obsessive quality to Buskirk’s intensity about the guitar. He acknowledges the relationship in some interesting ways. On one hand, he doesn’t want to take himself too seriously. “I try not to think too hard about why I am writing and playing what I am at the moment. There’s a temptation, because I’m a solo artist, to maybe think too much about that,” he said. On the other hand, he accepts who he is. “I’m sure there are friends of mine who wish I’d talk about something else besides the guitar,” he said. “But it’s all good for me. Since I was 9 or 10, this has been pretty much all I’ve wanted to do.”

-Laura Harbert Allen
Allen is the music director for West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she hosts and produces “Music in the Afternoon” and “In Touch with the Arts.”