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Teaching at Julian Family Fiddle Camp
I’ll be teaching classes on clawhammer banjo and ragtime guitar at the 2025 Julian Family Fiddle Camp in the mountains of San Diego County, California. Camp runs from May 7-11. Find the full details and registration here.
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3rd Ever North Park Square Dance
We’re back, baby. Grab a ticket for our next square dance at San Diego’s Verbatim Books. Dance is November 17th. Caller is Jeremy Horton. I’ll be joined by Ryan Finch and members of By The Lee for the tunes. . A small number of tickets will be held for purchase at the door, so don’t lose hope if we sell out!
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Texas Tour with Skillet Licorice
This October I’ll be playing a string of shows in Texas and Louisiana with my stringband friends in Skillet Licorice. This band has been a years-long exploration and celebration of the fiddle music of the East Texas Serenaders. ETS was a stringband from Mineola and Lindale, Texas that played sophisticated fiddle music that bridged the sounds of hillbilly, ragtime, classical, and early jazz music in the 1920s. We’ll be playing festivals, concerts, and square dances, and traveling through many of the same towns they would frequent. In an unbelievable stroke of serendipity, on Oct. 21st we will perform in Mineola for the unveiling of
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June Stringband Tour
6.1 San Diego North Park Music Festival Noon TICKETS 6.7 Poway Templar’s Hall, Presented by San Diego Folk Heritage 7:30pm TICKETS 6.8 Jacumba Hot Springs The Old Bath House 8pm MAP 6.13 Mammoth Hot Springs Mammoth Museum at Hayden Cabin 7:30pm 6.14 Fiddletown Fiddletown Community Center 7pm 6.15 Grass Valley California Bluegrass Association’s Father’s Day Festival 2:20pm TICKETS 6.16 Lee Vining Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center 5pm
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March Solo Tour
Get the full details here.
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Weeklong Clawhammer Banjo Workshop in NC
I’m teaching a weeklong clawhammer banjo workshop in Brasstown, North Carolina at the John C Campbell Folk School April 28th-May 3rd. This will be a workshop for all skill levels focusing on right hand rhythms. A lot of players get by using just one, two, or maybe three rhythms in their right hand (like the ‘bum-ditty,’ the drop-thumb, the double-thumb). We’ll start by reviewing these fundamentals, and then explore rarely-heard rhythms used by clawhammer legends like Wade Ward, Hobart Smith, and Kyle Creed. Our goal will be to understand how and why these players would use these rhythms, and how you can use their techniques in any
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North Park Square Dance
Southern Pacific Sessions is proud to present its second-ever SQUARE DANCE right in the heart of North Park, San Diego at Verbatim Books on Sunday February 25th at 7pm. All ages and experience levels welcome! All dances taught from scratch and all moves prompted – no experience necessary. Live fiddle music from yours truly, Ryan Finch, and members of By The Lee. Evie Ladin(Oakland, CA) calls the dances. It’s an old time dance party! Details here
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Show with Foghorn Stringband
ALL AGES! Tickets $40 (Online ticket sales only) Buy tickets online with no service fees at: https://verbatimbooks.com/events/… and then click green “Tickets” button on top right Doors open at 7:00 pm, show starts at 7:30 pm General Admission
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Two New Grossman Guitar Instructionals
I’ve two new guitar instructionals available in limited supply at my store, and also on Stefan Grossman’s Guitar Workshop…. The Music of Jelly Roll Morton We will study one song and two instrumentals from Jelly Roll Morton’s vast repertoire. Each tune will open up a world of chord voicings and bass counterpoint to push your hands to the limit. Tunes covered are: Sweet Substitute, Grandpa’s Spells, and Seattle Hunch. Preview here. Building a Guitar Rag This lesson will be structured around three forms commonly used by country, ragtime and blues pickers. Each is introduced in a simple arrangement for beginners.
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June California Tour
Excited to announce a stringband tour through California in June. 6.10 Jacumba. The Bath House. 8pm. Facebook Event 6.11 Santa Monica. McCabe’s Guitar with Zac Sokolow. 8pm. Tickets. 6.13 San Luis Obispo. The Milking Parlor at the historic Octagon Barn Center. 7pm. Tickets 6.14 Locke. The Pearl. 8pm. Facebook Event 6.15-16 Grass Valley. California Bluegrass Society’s Father’s Day Festival. Tickets 6.18 Bishop. Mill Creek Station. 7:30pm. Facebook Event