Bonjour Mes Amis! (That’s French for “Hello My Friends!”)   I’ve been back in Detroit for a week or so now and the culture shock is real. I can’t pretend like the systems we take for granted aren’t failing us. I also can’t stop doing the cultural work I’m doing.   For a while my…

Is winter coming to an end so soon? I’m sad to see it go, but with spring comes SPRING TOUR DATES! Let’s get vernal. This tour was originally planned for April 2020, as many of you may know, and for some reason it had to be postponed til now…   I’m not very creative so…

Ahoy! It looks like I actually have some gigs to announce — fingers crossed — the Corn Potato String Band‘s “No Spaghetti Arms” Midwest Tour is starting in less than two weeks, and this will be our first time playing together as a trio in three years! 1/29 – Three Rivers, MI – Riviera Theatre…

It’s been over a week since I got back from the Banjo Gathering and I am still buzzing with the energy of that experience. Part of the thrill of the Banjo Gathering is seeing friends and exploring this very specific field of study we find ourselves drawn into. Another important part for me is simply…

Did you know that getting a tetanus shot can result in side effects? I was helping out on a roofing job last week. I didn’t want to get up on the roof and I also didn’t want to demo the old lead paint-covered walls in the house (since my beard prevents a tight seal with…

This has been a busy time for me despite having very little paid work. I’ve been rehearsing with a new ragtime band I put together, an organist, and the Detroit Party Marching Band, all of whom are contributing to my current recording project. And in the past week not one but two people close to…

We have entered warm/hot season! Time to prepare the ice hankies and strategically plan to open windows and operate box fans when the temperature is low and the air pollution meter reads low as well. On the plus side, warming up to practice banjo is much quicker than in the winter.   Big Video Times!…

Snowy Spring Greetings, This will be a short newsletter but I do have a few online shows coming up soon: Upcoming Shows Tomorrow! Saturday, 4/24 I’m playing The Blacksmith Shop online series with Rollie Tussing (guitar, vocals), Ross Huff (trumpet), and Serge van der Voo (bass). Register to attend and there is also a FB…

Warmest Greetings, I write to you from self-isolation due to recent contact I had with someone who tested positive for Covid. I just got my test results back — negative — but I was advised to self-isolate all the same. Please be careful — Even if you’ve had both doses (I’ve had one so far)…