"The Post Comes Rattling In..."

nostalgia is nothing new

WHAT HO!

An old friend reached out recently to share some postcards and letters I’d sent her back in the last century. It was a great reminder of how very very much I loved writing letters, and how much of it I did. (It seems practically Victorian to imagine now—keeping up handwritten correspondence with friends all over the place—but it was a regular part of my life!) I do still occasionally write a physical letter, but never with any expectation of hearing back via the same medium.

A homemade postcard from 1997. (Yes, it was a cheerios box.)

I might’ve mentioned at some point that I’ve been reading a lot of Elizabeth Gaskell the last year or two.¹ Reminiscing about my own letter-writing past made me think of this passage from one of her books. It’s an elderly woman speaking to a teenage girl in about the mid-1800s, as she begins to share stories about her own youth back in the previous century:

“… but letters were letters then; and we made great prizes of them, and read them and studied them like books. Now the post comes rattling in twice a day, bringing short jerky notes, some without beginning or end, but just a sharp sentence, which well bred folks would think too abrupt to be spoken.”

A good reminder that nostalgia for a more humane pace of communication (or life) is nothing new. (And also a nudge to write a letter or two.)

THE LATEST

Kieran and I have been enjoying a chunk of quiet time at home in East Nashville since we got back from the cabin. I taught an online fiddle workshop in October (you can still watch the archived video if you want!), have added to my tune video library, and I’m doing some one-on-one fiddle coaching. I’m also working on booking our duo shows for 2026 (more on that soon), and as always welcome your suggestions for cozy listening rooms.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

I’ve been going through a not-unusual bout of fiddle frustration. Violins are incredibly touchy instruments, and the transition to winter is always a time of new tonal quirks. First line of attack for me with this is always to pester Rafe Stefanini, who’s a fabulous luthier and a dear old pal. He made some adjustments to the bridge that helped a lot. But a few weeks later I was feeling like there was more to the story, and when I wanna go for a deep dive into the tone zone I schedule a meeting with Brandon Godman at The Violin Shop. He has bottomless patience for the puzzling process of coaxing the best possible sound out of a fiddle. He took care of some open seams and other issues (which got me to a happy-enough-for-now place), and we made a plan for me to have some slightly more involved work done in January. I am soooo lucky to have such top-notch resources for musical help!

Brandon Godman working his magic

Side note: There’s a really beautiful short documentary about Brandon that I cannot recommend enough. It’s touching and human and just lovely. And after you watch it you’ll want to listen to his gorgeous album, I Heard the Morgan Bell.

Also: If you want to hear about the stupidly expensive shoulder rest I was finally convinced to buy while hanging out at The Violin Shop, I’ll be dishing on that in my next Fiddlegeek newsletter.

LISTENING

I am late to discovering the luscious Beehive Cathedral album. I heartily recommend it, as well as Joseph Decosimo’s new one, Fiery Gizzard.

I’ve been taking some auditory trips down memory lane lately—remembering and revisiting some albums that made an impression on me when I was a youngster. These run the gamut, but a couple examples are this Bok, Muir, and Trickett album that my mom spun a lot when I was a kid; and this Tom Waits album that I believe my brother Jonah introduced me to.

And when it’s time for me to wrap presents, I will be summoning the seasonal vibes with another childhood favorite: Nowell Sing We Clear.

WRAPPED

Speaking of wrapping presents: I’ll remind you that CDs are totally coming back and will make great stocking stuffers for all the hip youngsters (or oldsters) in your life! When you order directly from us, we’re happy to sign albums or include a li’l note if you want. And did you know you can give digital downloads as gifts via Bandcamp? Yes, indeed!

HAPPY SOLSTICE SEASON

It certainly makes sense to have important holidays in the darkest part of the winter—to keep each other company and shore ourselves up with tasty treats and comforting rituals. I hope you get to do just that, and have meaningful and joy-filled celebrations.

Tinkerty-tonk!

P.S. Don’t forget to sign up for KKRG News to keep up with all the duo happenings!

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1. This came about because I finally had to add another author to my bedtime comfort-reading routine after years of relying solely on P.G. Wodehouse to fill that role. I was tempted by the promise of getting Gaskell’s entire pile of work for something like 99 cents on my e-reader and off I went. Turned out to be a great move. (Mostly. Some of her stories are too intense to be ideal bedtime reading.)