Donna Lynn Caskey takes a pure, timeless sound to heartfelt, comforting and sometimes edgy new places. Her original songs honor the venerated five-string banjo while stretching its boundaries.

Stretching boundaries comes naturally to Donna Lynn, who received a scholarship for an intensive “Clawhammer Banjo by Ear” class at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC shortly before leaving her hometown on the coast of Virginia for California in 2001. She began writing songs three months later.

Wi…