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I’m heading down to Austin this weekend. No, not for SXSW. A whole bunch of my KC pals will be down there to represent next week and I’m really proud of them. I am not in the position to be doing that conference right now. Instead, I am playing a house concert and doing a fiddle workshop. I think house concerts are one of the best ways to get the intent of acoustic music across. I love to drive things home in a small room, and also a small room of listening people is a powerful backdrop for a subtle, emotional, quiet moment.

The information about this weekend, March 10-11, is on my Tour page.

Then I’m heading to Lafayette, LA and vicinity. I hope there are some fiddlers down there who want to learn more about old time fiddle and fiddle technique. That area of the country is swarming with amazing musicians. I think also that spurs interest in the hearts of audience members who want to be a part of the music. I’d love to help folks like that.

And then, I’m heading up to Arkansas with my pal, Anna Roberts-Gevalt. We’re going to visit Violet Hensley! My dear 95-year-old fiddling friend. I’ve written about her before. And I will again. Here’s a link to a piece on Violet from CBS Evening News.

On the way there, we’ll shoot up to the MO Ozarks and play an afternoon at Copper Run Distillery… this fine place tucked into the mountains outside Branson. Cindy Woolf works there when she’s not making music – and sometimes both at once. I think she’ll join us for some songs that day, March 18!

See the Tour page for the scoop… also see the Live Online Fiddle Lessons page if you want to meet me on the ‘web for a lesson.

I’ll be teaching an Intensive Fiddle Class this Thursday, February 23, at Wintergrass in Bellevue, WA. What’s an “intensive”? It’s a workshop with a very specific set of goals. I created a curriculum for the class, and plan to carry it out during the few hours I’ll have with a classroom of fiddle students. My classes are usually geared for an intermediate player. What constitutes an intermediate player? It varies. If you can play a scale in each of the common fiddle keys (G,D,A,C – there are a few more to know but these are the most common), and you can play a simple tune by ear, and you know where the notes are on your fingerboard, you are an intermediate player.

I use old time tunes to help illustrate principles of good technique. I hope that I am a little different from most old time fiddle teachers in this way. To me it is essential that a player learn their scales and arpeggios thoroughly (an arpeggio is a chord, played one note at a time) – these are the building blocks for everything musical. I try to help a player find joy in playing something seemingly simple, perfectly and beautifully. I want to help lessen frustrations that most of us have – the things we “can’t” do. Language choice is a part of my teaching approach. I believe very deeply that our semantics can help or hinder us in reaching our artistic goals.

Wintergrass Intensives

I have discovered that I love taking square format photographs – yes, I’m using an iPhone to take them, and yes, with an app – but I think of these as my “digital snapshots”. When I was a kid, my Mom let me use her Brownie camera, and when I look back now, I realize that the square format spoke to me way back then.

I have an artist page at Fine Art America, and if you want to take a look, here’s a small preview:

I’m honored to be a part of the 10th Anniversary Concert for the Folk School of St. Louis. I’ll be doing an opening set for the main act, Pokey LaFarge & Ryan Spearman. There will likely be some collaboration amongst the three of us… check the link for the details.

I’m on my way to Lafayette, Louisiana, home of Blackpot Festival and a multitude of amazing musicians, cooks, artists, etc…

This just in… I’ll be jumping up on stage with JP Harris & The Tough Choices at the Blackpot kickoff party at the Blue Moon on Thursday night, Oct. 27. Rock!

My solo set is Friday night at 9:15 pm. More rock!