Yes, that title is autobiographical ;0 This newsletter contains 90% of your monthly recommended dosage of AJL info. The rest can be found on IG, FB, YT and TT*

Getting older is so sweet because I’ve been learning how to enjoy life and have a good time more, sweat the small stuff less and less, and attract the best people. Case in point: Corn Potato tour with Ben and Nikki was honestly the easiest touring of my life. We played so well together, every venue was wonderful, and we even fit ourselves and our four banjos, three fiddles, a guitar, a box of merch and all our bags into my 2009 Ford Focus! It almost felt like cheating. The only hard part was missing Lindsay McCaw so terribly much. There will be some video from that tour eventually but it’s not ready yet, so stay tuned

Dig that Wisconsin sunset! Ben, Nikki, and moi just missing our chance to capture the bright red sun disc before it descends after our set at Sugar Maple Fest in Madison. We were so well-received everywhere we went it was bittersweet not knowing when/if we’ll do it again…

In this newsletter:
– Upcoming Events
– The Banjo Gathering
– Michigan Arts Access
– New Video
– Book Report

Thank you for joining me, it’s great to have you here! And here we goooooo —

Upcoming Events

TOMORROW – Detroit Square Dance Society Presents: Potluck + Queer Square Dance at Vámonos, 4444 W. Vernor, 4-8pm, FREE ($20 suggested, NOTAFLOF**). More info here

Monday, Aug 19 – Ann Arbor, MI – Detroit Street Filling Station w/Alex Belhaj, Chris Tabaczynski aka Detroit Street Syncopators (cute band name, right??) – 6-8pm, FREE

Friday, Aug 23 – Traverse City, MI – The Allluvion w/Hannah O’Brien & Grant Flick – 7pm doors, 7:30pm show, $20 adv $25 dos – Tickets available here and please send me a message if you want to come but can’t afford a ticket, I will gladly add you to the guest list as long as there’s room.

Saturday, Sep 7 – Detroit – Dally in the Alley w/Alex Belhaj – We play a 35-minute duo set at the Garden Stage at 2:15pm — Don’t be late or you’ll miss us! — The Garden Stage is in the alley near W Hancock & 2nd Ave.

Friday, Sep 27 – Ann Arbor – North Star Lounge w/Pontiac Trail Blazers – I get to sit in with these guys once in a while as guest fiddler. Casual fun bluegrass reminds me of where I got my start. 7-8:15 & 8:45-10, FREE

Saturday, Oct 12 – Whitmore Lake, MI – Hamburg Township Library w/AJL’s Ragtime Banjo Revival, 2-3pm, FREE, Register here – With Special Guest Chris Tabaczynski subbing in for King Sophia on Bass Saxophone!

Thursday, Oct 17 – Lansing, MI – The Robin Theater w/AJL’s Ragtime Banjo Revival, 7pm doors, 7:30 showtime, $21 advance/$25 door, All ages, Book your Tickets early, this venue always sells out!

Sunday, Feb 16 – Detroit – Cliff Bell’s w/AJL’s Ragtime Banjo Revival, two shows: 5:30-6:45 and 7:30-8:45, $25. Tickets are not available yet but I will likely be offline when they do become available so keep your eye on the Cliff Bell’s website — This venue also tends to sell out.

The Banjo Gathering

On Thursday Oct 24 I will share a presentation at the Banjo Gathering about the Ragtime Banjo Revival project and the progress that’s been made since the last time I presented in 2021. The presentation will take place 7:30-8pm at the Hilton Garden Inn in Lansing, MI. The Banjo Gathering is an informal conference for banjo collectors, researchers, instrument builders, and musicians to share new scholarship and findings about the banjo as a historical, cultural, and built object. Find out more about the Banjo Gathering here.

Michigan Arts Access

I spent last weekend at a retreat for Michigan arts educators who work with people with disabilities and I met some truly inspiring people and learned so much. Here’s a reminder that youth and able-bodiedness are temporary conditions for all of us. Only time will tell if I indeed become a MiAA Teaching Artist but I wanted to share this org with you because I strongly believe in what they stand for and what they’re doing. (And if you’re looking for a good cause, here is one!)

New Video

If you’ve made it this far please consider joining my Patreon (and yes, free subscriptions are available), where you will get early and exclusive access to new content (e.g. I just shared a video from The Ark concert last May of me playing the trumpet for our last piece of the night, and I will not be sharing that one publicly.) Even more satisfying, you’ll get the warm feeling that comes from knowing you’re helping me continue this work.

Here’s a video that I have made public from that same concert. I am so very proud, grateful and awestruck by the talent, generosity and friendship of Alex Belhaj and King Sophia in this group. In this video we’re playing “Ragtime Oriole,” by James Scott (1885-1938).

And if you’re already a Patreon subscriber, here we are playing Chasing Rainbows, from the Dallas String Band.

Book Report

“From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death” — Fascinated by our pervasive fear of dead bodies, mortician Caitlin Doughty embarks on a global expedition to discover how other cultures care for the dead. I found this book very easy to read, almost a little too light for my taste, but would recommend for everyone because, as Nick Cave says, “All God’s children, they all gotta die.”

“Always Coming Home,” by Ursula K. Le Guin — Now this book has a bit more substance. Le Guin’s insight into indigenous thinking and her projection of a future that leans heavily into ways of the past had me in awe. I love any work that creates a whole world, and this is very much that. It’s presented as a sort of anthropological study of a society some dozens of generations from now, after our current civilization has collapsed and the surviving humans have had a chance to pick up the pieces and move forward. Very interesting, beautifully crafted, highly recommended!

“Right Story, Wrong Story: Adventures in Indigenous Thinking,” by Tyson Yunkaporta — It will come as no surprise to hear that I loved this book and plan to reread it just as I did with “Sand Talk,” to which this book is something of a sequel (in other words you will probably want to read “Sand Talk” before you read this but it’s not 100% essential to do so.) If you haven’t read “Sand Talk” yet, please do. Of pretty much everything I’ve read since 2020 it’s left the deepest impression on me. We need to look beyond this tiny anthropocentric moment in history and engage with alternative ways of thinking if we are to survive at all.

Farewell

Until next time my sweeties, please stay well and be safe out there.

Love and Banjos Forever x

*IG, FB, YT, and TT are abbreviations for InstaGram, FaceBook, YouTube, and TikTok

**NOTAFLOF = No One Turned Away For Lack Of Funds. Also reminds me of a certain Midwestern specialty, the Fluffernutter: A sandwich consisting of peanut butter and marshmallow fluff on white bread. Anyone familiar??