It’s been a wonderful and unusual year so far here in Fiddleville. My life changed last November when I realized that I needed to step up my commitment to justice and liberty for all. I was already committed for a monthlong run of playing the Revels in Cambridge, MA (one of the most happy experiences of my musical adventures), but since the day after Xmas, I’ve become an accidental political organizer, full-time and then some. Here’s a shout-out to Olympia Indivisible, the best group of 300 citizen activists anyone could every hope to meet. And to all of you who are out there actively pursuing a path of kindness and fellowship.

Finding balance is a big part of remaining sustainable, so I am figuring out ways of keeping my musical muse alive and well. As an experiment, I squeezed in 6 workshops and concerts in late November and December, with a significant chunk of the proceeds going to Southern Poverty Law Center. Thanks to all who showed up and helped raise over $800 for SPLC. thanks to Mark Simos and Matt Glaser for organizing a blissful day of teaching at Berklee College of Music. January was a solid month of political organization. But in February, Dan Compton and I did a house concert in Olympia (thank you, Carla!) and donated some of our proceeds to the local Habitat for Humanity. My guess is that I’ll be doing a lot more of this kind of profit-sharing work in the next four years. I also did a weeklong residency working with middle and high school students in Pendleton, Oregon, where the multi-talented Emily Callender ably steers at the helm of an incredibly vibrant string program. It was pure joy working with these talented and lively musicians! And, I also taught my first home stay fiddle camp (major fun with Alice and Jeannine!).

For March and April: I’m starting to pick up students in Olympia, Tacoma, and Seattle. Would love to work with you Puget Sound fiddlers! Give me a shout. I’m also offering occasional OT fiddle workshops in Portland and offering individual lessons in SE Portland at least once and sometimes twice a month (let me know if you are interested!). I’ll be working with the wonderful kids in the BRAVO string ensemble in north Portland, prepping some French-Canadian string ensemble magic for an April 15 concert. And, with any luck, Dan Compton and I will be heading to Whidbey Island and the environs for dance music and concerts.

Come May, I’ll be on tour with Le Bruit court dans la Ville in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts. I’ll also be giving the keynote address at the Young Tradition Vermont Week-end, Friday May 5, 2017 at the Bishop Booth Conference Center in Burlington, VT.

Summer’s a ways away, but just so you know, I’ll be tutoring at Fiddle Tunes and teaching Cajun fiddle at Wallowa Fiddle Tunes, and teaching all Kinds of Fiddle at the Boxwood Festival in Lunenberg, NS in July and then touring with the Best of Boxwood in early August. More on that later!