Gig Alert: Morgan O'Kane

Morgan O'Kane
"Sail Away"
Playing Friday night at The Lake (258 Johnson Ave. Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
Info: Tickets ($6)| Directions

Morgan O’Kane moved to Brooklyn in 1999 from the rolling hills of Charlottesville, VA. Ever since moving to the big city, the self-taught banjo player has passionately busked his way around parks and subway platforms, perched over a suitcase modified with a kick-pedal and tambourine. (He sometimes has accompaniment. In the video below shot in Union Square, another C-ville native, Ezekiel Healy, plays the slide guitar on the left, while Ferd Moyse gets down on the fiddle.)

O'Kane released his debut album, Nine Lives, last month, and he's got a 14-track sophomore album, Pendulum, ready to be rolled out this summer. Before he jumps across the Atlantic for a European tour, check out his picking at The Lake on Friday night for $6. If you miss that show, he also plays for free at D.B.A. on Saturday night.