Psyched for some shredding fiddle this week and in New England in July. Joining us in Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado is my old pal Nate Leath! Raised on ‘grass in NC, Nate’s been busy as adjunct professor of music at prestigious Washington & Lee University in Virginia these days. So glad he’ll be with us!

Welcome, bassist Erik Alvar to our traveling feast! Erik is a graduate of Florida State University with a degree in commercial music. He’s toured with the Roys and Grant Peeples, among others, and he’s studied with Mike Marshall, David Grisman, Jerry Douglas, Darol Anger, Julian Lage, jazz bassist Rodney Jordan, and classical bassist, Melanie Punter. He’s got the chops and the sense of adventure that make him an awesome fit for this crew of multi-faceted musicians, and we so enjoyed his inaugural weekend at Pagosa Folk n’ Bluegrass last week! www.erikalvar.com

I’m excited for Royal Masat’s new adventures with his new venture ChessBoxer with Cadillac Sky alums, Ross Holmes & Matt Menefee! But I’m so sad to say ‘bye for now. It’s been real, ‘Royale!’ Thanks for almost two years of your amazing singing & playing–bass, Dobro, fiddle–anything you touch turns to gold. Thanks for the laughs, the jokes, and the words of wisdom. Thanks for the stories about all things Texas. Happy trails!

It was our first time there on June 6, and WOW! Amazing music, fantastic scenery, nicest folks on earth…THANK YOU Folkwest for including us amongst the world’s best musicians & scenery (and audience!)

Congrats to the FARM School and thank you to Annie Savage for hosting us in Lafayette, Colorado! What a wonderful afternoon and evening with the Steel Pennies! 

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! 🙂