Stash took us on an almost vertical hike up the trail outside of Førde 

How liberating to have a surprise free day with no distractions and nothing really looming! Thanks to United Airlines frantically informing me of an incoming storm in Newark and strongly recommending that I fly to Colorado a day early, I’m in Colorado a day early, ready and excited for Rocky Grass Academy to start tomorrow, and for the festival this weekend with MMD. The big storm never even happened. 

So today’s plan is to hunker down, ruminate, rehearse and start to focus in on what comes next this summer and fall. MMD is going into full swing with festivals, camps and concerts all over the place, and it feels good to be strapping ourselves into the touring catapult again. 

I’m honored to have been asked to judge the Arkansas State Fiddle Championship in a couple of weeks, and that MMD will be playing a set. Philadelphia Folk Festival comes soon after, followed by the venerable Nimblefingers Festival and camp in B.C., Canada. Allison and I were there last year, and this year Stash will be on hand as well. 

Then there’s Wheatland in Michigan (Happy Wheatland!), Black Swamp and onwards. Extra exciting is that MMD will be touring in the UK and Ireland for the first time this fall! Closer to home, we’ll be in the Pacific Northwest as well. And speaking of cogitating, we’re making plans for a second recording. The music feels even more liberating than a free hotel day. 

Here’s some Peghead Nation news! My old time fiddle course continues, but in addition to that I’ll be offering a special series of lessons on Wade Ward’s clawhammer banjo playing. He has been one of my heroes of banjo since I first started to play, and it was really inspiring to dig into and deconstruct some of the important parts of his style into lesson videos. That should be out this September at www.pegheadnation.com 

Please stay tuned to mountaindrifters.com and facebook.com/mountaindrifters for all the deets that are fit to print. 

And (as Stash would say), in the rear view mirror: 
The Silkroad Global Musician Workshop once again was such an uplifting confluence of cultures and fellowship that it’s hard to describe. Thanks to Mike Block, Liz Keller-Tripp and everyone for making it such a beautiful celebration common ground. We need that now more than ever. 

Rachel Barton Pine’s “American Partitas” were presented for the first time in March, and I’m super-excited to be there with David Wallace, Darol Anger and April Verch as one of the composers. These works accompany Rachel’s phenomenal new recordings of the Bach Partitas. She’s also a monster metal player, BTW, I got to return to Førde Festival in Norway, this time with MMD, where we played the first concert ever in the Sunnfjørd Hotel’s new theater. Beautiful. Got to see and hear the very best traditional (and not so traditional) musicians you’ll hear from Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. Then on to Gooikoorts Festival in Flanders, Belgium (what beer!) 

A big highlight was meeting two new friends in Belgium. My pal Daan and I had the only two ball caps at the festival, so of course bonded instantly. And Marlies got her first guitar that day - Stash put her right to work! 

Now back to this free day and doing everything and nothing, in no particular order. I hope your summer days are happy, chill and not fact free. 

Stay in touch!! 
Peace, Bruce 

P.S. The Mountain Drifters are stoked to have be asked to showcase this year at the The Bluegrass Ramble at World of Bluegrass in Raleigh NC!
P.S. The Mountain Drifters are stoked to have be asked to showcase this year at the The Bluegrass Ramble at World of Bluegrass in Raleigh NC!