Announcing EU/UK and West Coast Tour Dates + New Videos + More

Buenos tardes, amigos! I am so pleased to share the unofficial prerelease availability of physical CD copies of Dos Señoritas: Classic Banjo Duets, by myself and Ben Belcher! This album will not be officially released until October so for now the only way you can get one is to either come to a concert (see below or website calendar for upcoming tour dates) or send me a message requesting one or more copies, and in a few months I’ll be able to make digital pre-ordering available via bandcamp. I’m very happy with how they turned out, featuring beautiful artwork by Grace van’t Hof.

In this newsletter:

• Update re: Emmett’s Bike
• Detroit, EU/UK and US West Coast Tour Dates (More TBA)
• New Ragtime Banjo Revival Website
• New Videos (A Lot of them)
• Banjoland, Here I Come (American Banjo Fraternity Spring Rally)
• Abolitionist Inside/Outside Reading Group Fundraiser

Update re: Emmett’s Bike
Thanks in part to your generous contributions Emmett will get his bike in a couple months, AND enough funds were raised to provide another family with a bike as well! Stay tuned for pics.

Detroit, Canada, EU/UK and US West Coast and MI Tour Dates
(As usual, there are more gigs TBC so stay tuned with my online calendar)

• April 25 – It’s Two-Step Tuesdee at Outer Limits Lounge in Hamtramck, where I’ll be fiddling and singing lead on some classic country songs with local pals
• April 30 – Workshop and Concert at Crooked Stovepipe in Villa Nova, Ontario – For tickets call 519-732-9026  or e-mail [email protected]
• May 6 – Detroit Square Dance Society Presents — Queer Square Dance + Potluck at Spread Art
• June 4 – Dundalk, Ireland – The Spirit Store
• June 6 – Belfast, N. Ireland – The American Bar
• June 9 – Peebles, Scotland – Eastgate Theatre and Arts Centre
• June 11 – Edinburgh, Scotland – House Concert – Message [email protected] for reservations and more info
• June 13 – Barnoldswick, England – Barnoldswick Music & Arts Centre
• June 22 – Berlin, Germany – Yorckschlösschen – With a Berlin version of Ragtime Banjo Revival band – piano, bass, and two guitars!
• June 24 – Rotterdam, Netherlands – Rotterdam Bluegrass Festival – Performing solo and with Berber banjoist and singer Hassan Wargui
• July 7 – Seattle, WA – The Royal Room – With Cami Celestia joining me once again on piano — We shall have a joyful reunion!
• July 15 – Half Moon Bay, CA – Odd Fellows’ Hall
• July 25 – Caledonia, MI – Summer Concert Series, opening for Good Morning Bedlam
• July 26 – Big Rapids, MI – Summer Concert Series

In case you noticed some gaping holes in the schedule, yes, we are still working to fill these holes. And I’m spending some time in Paris again after the Rotterdam festival, recording video for the Cité de la Musique-Philharmonie de Paris in which I will play classic banjo music with a late 19th century banjo from their collection. Quite the honor!

Also, I still have some availability for new students getting started with in-person or online lessons until May 23.

New Ragtime Banjo Revival Website
That’s really it — It’s just the beginning but there’s something there now, including a DONATE link! (Wink wink, nudge nudge)

New Videos (A Lot of them)
I’m actually not going to share them all here but I’ve been posting some lovely videos first to my Patreon page (Join for less than the price of a cup of coffee!) and later on to Facebook — You can also subscribe to my YouTube channel here. Here are a few (and I’m releasing more in the coming weeks!)

A Footlight Favourite, by Emile Grimshaw – Live in Detroit with Stephen Warner, organ, and Alex Belhaj, guitar

Russian Rag, by George L. Cobb – Live in Detroit, with Alex Belhaj, guitar, and Grace van’t Hof, uke

Albi’s Waltz, by Yours Truly – Warm Welcome series, shot in Lansing

Luxury Liner, by Gram Parsons – Warm Welcome series

Also, I’ve been posting frequently to my TikTok account lately — Please don’t join TikTok for me but if you’re already on there you can follow me and get lots of classic banjo content and more. I also have an Instagram account which I don’t use as often but feel free to follow me there as well.

Banjoland, Here I Come (American Banjo Fraternity Spring Rally)
I’ll bet you looked at the tour schedule and wondered, why are you going to Ontario, Aaron? Well, it’s on my way home from the ABF Spring Rally! I’m so excited to go back to Banjo Hogwart’s, as I like to think of it, and see my classic banjo pals and jam, hear and share great music, and play in the banjo orchestra.

I liken the ABF to Hogwart’s because it’s hiding in plain sight, and it contains a wealth of knowledge and experience that can’t be found anywhere else. It’s a veritable treasure trove!

Abolitionist Inside/Outside Reading Group Fundraiser
I’m closing this newsletter with a call to action to help fund an inside/outside prison reading group around No More Police: A Case for Abolition by Andrea Ritchie and Mariame Kaba (The New Press, 2022) in partnership with some folks in the prison system. In order to make this group a reality, we need to do some fundraising to cover the cost of books and communication to our comrades in prison.

This money will be used to fund phone calls as well as letters and e-messages to and from prison. These costs are sometimes quite high, and can add up quickly. For example, in Michigan it costs $.25 to send a single, one way e-message and a 15 minute phone call costs $2.10. This does not include the fees that are incurred each time money is deposited for using these services, which are often around $5 per deposit. (More info here: https://www.prisonpolicy.org/phones/state_of_phone_justice_2022.html)

We are expecting the participation of several dozen incarcerated folks — any donation helps us make this possible! We want to make sure to support our group members so that they can communicate with the outside world. We currently have raised about $325 of our goal of $1999. Thank you.

As Always, Stay Fresh
Enjoy the lovely change of seasons and I look forward to seeing you soon!

Banjovially,
Aaron