Festival season is underway and we were pleased to kick off the summer with a trip to Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Thanks for hosting us in Abingdon, Doug Beatty, at Bone Fire Smokehouse!

Friday brought us to the renowned Graves Mountain Festival of Music in Syria, VA. It was such a treat to hear some of our favorite bands crushing some ‘grass and see old & new pals again like Balsam Range and Randy Cook (and my mom, Dixie!)

Saturday we experienced the glory of Mountain Lake Lodge, where the movie Dirty Dancing was filmed. We stayed in a woodsy cabin and headlined the BrewRidge Music Festival which featured our favorite regional craft beers (Devil’s Backbone–my personal fave!) This was incredible afternoon of sunshine, scenery, tasty beer, and warm vibes all around. See you next time, Virginia! 

‘Born in East Virginia’ has been out of print now for 10 years. When a few folks showed up at shows across the country recently with old copies for me to sign, I was amazed that the music had lived on. This record, originally released in 2001, features ‘grass & jazz classics as played and sung by 23-year-old me and masters like Todd Phillips (bass), Darol Anger (fiddle), Joe Craven (percussion), Bill Evans (banjo). We are expecting a re-release date of June 2.

This weekend in Virginia, we’ll be joined by old friend and fiddle virtuoso John Mailander who hails from San Diego, CA. I met him in California 4 years ago, and he helped me debut my new guitar tune, Clifftop! John has been busy touring with Alison Brown Quartet, Christopher Guest, Victor Wooten, Tim O’Brien, and for Steve Martin & Edie Brickell’s musical, as well as his duo with Molly Tuttle. Thanks for taking the time to play with us, John! www.johnmailander.com

Excited to announce the fantastic talented Mike Sumner is taking over banjo duties with Hit & Run. Mike is a 2-time National Banjo Champion, Rockygrass & Merlefest Banjo Champion, and all around cool dude. He’s toured with Jim Lauderdale, Dale Ann Bradley, Randy Kohrs, and many others. Please join us in welcoming Mike to the party. 🙂

Heartfelt Thanks to Durango Bluegrass Meltdown. This fest is truly one of a kind. We spent a weekend enjoying the San Juans and the amazing folks of this region. 

It was an honor to be joined by talented fiddler Becky Buller, who inspired everyone with her great playing, singing, songs, and laughter. It was also a joy to spend some time with old friends like Aaron & Erin Youngberg, Rich Zimmerman, Greg Cahill, Dustin Benson, and new friends like Darin and Tim of Balsam Range. 

It was a hoot to teach the guitar workshop and jam with old pal Jon Stickley. He’s a monster!

We were sad to leave the San Juans, but we’ll be back in June! Hurrah! 🙂

Colorado style bluegrass hang on ‘Grass for that Ass Thursday’ night. It was just the right scene for our snowy arrival in mid-April. Loved Lil’ Smokies and Jon Stickley Trio.

Governor Haslam and former Governor Dunn, Senator Lamar Alexander, and Speaker Harwell were in attendance at Harwell House Homecoming at Ellington Agricultural Center on April 1. The amazing Kyle Cantrell of SiriusXM Bluegrass Junction–and wife Becky were there requesting songs!

Fun news for springtime! Virtuoso Isaac Eicher has come onboard to delight festival audiences with his genre-bending mandolin mastery. Originally from Tulsa, Isaac is known for winning the National Mandolin Championship in Winfield, KS and for winning the Colorado Championships at Rockygrass (Mandolin, Guitar). He began his early career in the bluegrass world, and he’s since incorporated other musical languages, such as gypsy jazz, bebop, and latin jazz. Welcome, Isaac!

March 20-22 was a special weekend in St. Louis. Great students, great pickers and singers, and a fun concert on Saturday evening with Stephen Mougin, Bull Harman & Bullseye, and Harpers. Thanks to Tammy, Bull, and Wyatt for putting it all together and inviting me to teach and perform!

Friday’s show in Columbus was a dream–sold out theater and incredible music played by the inspiring Iris DeMent. We were so honored to be invited to share the stage…THANK YOU Six String Concerts and WCBE/NPR!