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 I crowdsourced the name of this tour and someone named cosmicmeatbagsystem came up with the winning entry: “Americana Come Over” 2022 UK Tour. In this newsletter: – US Tour Dates – UK Tour Dates – Ragtime Banjo Revival Progress Report – New Video – Interview/Concert “From the Kitchen Table” – Book Report – Bonus Fun Thing! US Tour Dates Some very exciting gigs coming up pretty soon on my way to Boston: 4/19 – Chagrin Falls, OH – Send me a message for details 4/20 – Pittsburgh, PA – TBC 4/22 – Sheffield, MA – Dewey Hall – Workshop + Concert 4/23 – Greenfield, MA – New American Banjo Festival 4/24 – Portsmouth, RI – TBC – Send message for details   UK Tour Dates…

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 1/30 – Grand Rapids, MI – Tip Top Deluxe 2/3 – Remus, MI – House Concert – email [email protected] for info 2/4-5 – Big Rapids, MI – Big Rapids Festival of the Arts (concert 2/4, square dance 2/5) 2/6 – Midland, MI – Creative 360 (banjo workshop at 12, concert at 2:30) 2/8 – Grosse Pointe Park, MI – Old Time Jam at Cabbage Patch Saloon, 8pm 2/9 – Fort Wayne, IN – Hop River Brewing 2/10 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark 2/11 – Columbus, OH – Rambling House 2/12 – Peninsula, OH – GAR Hall We have received one request so far, which we plan to honor. If you’re planning to come to any of these shows feel free to respond to…

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 being part of a group of people who share understanding.   For me it’s the way we understand the importance of acknowledging the uncomfortable parts of our history in order to be able to move forward. In other words, we all know and can speak openly with each other about the slave trade origins of the banjo and the ways it was used as a prop in minstrel shows to perpetuate  demeaning stereotypes of  African Americans, for example.   This isn’t the only group I’ve found that gives me that special feeling, I am fortunate to have found a few. I hope you all know the feeling of being around people with whom you share very specific understanding.   Greetings and Welcome! In this email…

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 a respirator) so I stayed outside to gather shingles and tarpaper and put them in the dumpster.   Within about ten minutes I had stepped on a rusty nail deep enough to draw blood. We got the wound cleaned up and bandaged, and I spent the rest of the day looking for a place to get a tetanus shot that would be covered by my insurance. Long story short, I got a tetanus shot at the local drug store for $60 (no insurance coverage) and I’m feeling fine. And I’ve experienced some unexpected side effects, i.e., a mild case of the runs. Funs!   The main thrust of this email is twofold, but I have some bonus book reports and other tidbits to share as…

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 me were suddenly hospitalized. (Both of them are recovering, for which I’m grateful.) So I don’t have a lot of gigs to share but here’s what I do have: – A Gig + More in Feb (with Corn Potato!!!) – A Video I’m In – Bandcamp Friday Is Tomorrow – Join Patreon – Book Reports   My One Big Gig + More in Feb Saturday, Sep 4, at May’s Barn (2439 Arthur Rd, Remus, MI) 7pm, $20 suggested donation — I played here last fall and it was simply quite magical. If you live within 100 or so miles of this place I’d say it’s worth it. We will certainly be hanging out afterwards, too. And in February the Corn Potato String Band will ride…

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! In this email my primary goal is to get you to click on this link and watch the Bluegrass Situation premier of the new music video for our original ragtime piece, Rivka Road Rag, by my band, Lovestruck Balladeers. It’s such a beautiful piece of cinema, created by Horatio Baltz, who also made our other music videos. So, that’s the main thing. And if the Bluegrass Situation link doesn’t work for some reason here is the Vimeo link.   More Videos Other than that, I have some other fun videos to share from my Tunes from the Bag series I’ve been posting to all the social media platforms that I use (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok).   Patreon I currently have 46 Patreon subscribers and…

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 event if you like that sort of thing.   Also this weekend is the first annual New American Banjo Festival, very exciting! My set is on Sunday, 4/25, at 8:10pm Eastern time, with Cameron Celestia joining me on piano, but the whole weekend will be full of fantastic performers and discussions, all online. Here is a FB event for this one.   And I already mentioned Banjopalooza at Fiddle Tunes, the first weekend in July. More info on my website.   Recording Project So, other than these I don’t have anything else confirmed yet but there are a few maybes! And I am slowly working on getting my team together for the next recording project.   No big hurry there, as I still have 800…

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) you can still spread the virus. We are so close to beating this thing, let’s see it through to the end and keep everyone safe so we can once again enjoy live music and dancing! In this newsletter I have a few exciting items for you: Bandcamp Friday is April 6! Fiddle Tunes at Centrum Oh No. Oh No. Oh No No No No No — I Have a TikTok… Tunes from the Bag Picky Fingers Theme Music and a Book Report Bandcamp Friday is April 6! By now you know the meaning of “Bandcamp Friday” — It’s the one day a month the benevolent overlords at Bandcamp allow us pathetic artists to keep 100% of the donations our fans contribute. (Any other day they…

It’s Wednesday and the snow is almost all gone. Has winter gone so fast? I love the winter because it makes me strong. As I told a friend earlier today, we don’t get strong sitting in a hot tub drinking lemonade. But if we’re also lifting weights at the same time then maybe we do get strong while sitting in a hot tub drinking lemonade…   No matter. Next week I will try downhill skiing for the first time since I was 16. I had a blast then and didn’t hurt myself, but I’m older now… I never really learned how to stop back then. I would just go straight and aim for something soft to run into. I’m looking forward to having some fun on the slope/s this time, and once again not getting hurt.   In this newsletter we have – Bandcamp Friday is THIS FRIDAY – Upcoming Show – One Recent Show – New Fiddle Tune Series: Tunes From The Bag – Book Report – Recommended Listening   Bandcamp Friday is THIS FRIDAY It’s happening again! Bandcamp…

Who else went for a swim first thing on New Year’s Day? Grace and I have been getting in the Detroit River once a week, and last week we had to break up some thin ice before we could get all the way in. I’ve heard there are health benefits to doing this but for us it’s just a cheap thrill since we can’t get together with friends for square dances and potlucks during the pandemic and we both gave up substance abuse years ago. In this email I have four things to share:  – New Video Out Now: Listen To The Mockingbird  – Yoga With Melanie This Sunday  – Live Stream Concert From The Blacksmith Shop Next Saturday 1/23  – New Classic Banjo Lessons Series on YouTube   New Video Out Now: Listen To The Mockingbird My new video is from the concert at the G.A.R. Hall a couple months ago with Cameron Celestia on piano, and this is a special piece because it’s an “Air Varie” arrangement by Hoosier banjo virtuoso Parke Hunter (1876-1912) of Listen To The…