WHAT HO!
Greetings from the rocky banks of the Great Sacandaga Lake. We’re having a beautiful summer up here at the cabin, and I feel stupidly lucky and privileged to be able to step away from “the world” and turn my focus toward the quiet and mundane for a while. At the midpoint of the summer I sheepishly admitted to my mom that I hadn’t even set up a microphone stand yet. Her response: “I think that’s called ‘vacation’.” What a concept!
But we aren’t ONLY going swimming and watching eagles and playing golf (all of which you can read more about in the KKRG News)—there are also gigs!
Here’s where you can find us in the next few weeks:
Aug. 22: Putnam Valley, NY • Tompkin’s Corners Cultural Center
Sep. 4: State College, PA • The Attic (The State Theatre)
Sep. 5: Bethlehem, PA • Godfrey Daniels
Sep. 6: Oneonta, NY • First United Methodist Church (Oneonta Concert Association)
Fresh Tunes
All the online things are harder to deal with here since we don’t have internet at the cabin, but I have finally managed to upload a couple new videos for my fiddle tune archive: Red Steer and Grub Springs. I’ll be talking more about where these came from (plus other general fiddle geekery) in my next Fiddlegeek newsletter, so if you’re into that sort of thing please sign up! The long-overdue next issue is coming soon.
Miscellaneous
The Bucolics Project • Back in June I drove over to Vermont to play fiddle on a very cool project that Brendan Taaffe has been working on for years with the great Kentucky poet Maurice Manning. It’s a fascinating mashup of Maurice’s writing, the Berea Archives, and Brendan’s own musical vision—plus quite a pile of musical collaborators, in which I’m delighted to be included. You can read more about it here.
Whole South Heritage Works • My frequently-mentioned dear friend Sarah Bryan has (finally!) started her own folklore organization (soon to be an official nonprofit). Whole South Heritage Works is (in her words) “dedicated to documenting and preserving the folklife and community history of the American South”. She has assembled a badass Board of Directors, and already has wonderful projects happening. In this moment of mass defunding, I hope you’ll consider supporting the important cultural work Sarah and her crew are doing. Follow the WSHW Facebook page and donate here.
DJ Shotski • Speaking of cultural heritage... it has been a real joy to witness (via the internet) my old gradeschool pal Stacy Harbaugh becoming a POLKA FANATIC. She’s now not only a collector of polka vinyl, but a DJ who spins those records both on the radio and at live events. She’s doing her part to help Wisconsin preserve and celebrate its quirky regional traditions, and it’s so fun. To keep up with DJ Shotski’s polka adventures, check out her website and/or sign up for her Substack newsletter.
In Closing
There’s plenty more to share, both about my little bubble and about the big wide world. As far as the big wide world is concerned, I’m sure anything I’d be saying to you would be preaching to the choir. But I’ll add this: don’t allow anyone or anything to grind down your sensitivity, your sense of humanity, or your sense of right and wrong. Do what you can.
Sending you lots of good vibes —
You’re a musical treasure, Rayna. Thanks for the shout out and the cheerleading!