January News: Southeast Tour, New Classes, Tonight in NYC and More

Greetings everyone,

I hope you are having a lovely 2024 so far and have lots of music in your sights for the upcoming year. I closed out 2023 by recording a duo record with Jacob Jolliff which is a tribute to the music of our favorite slightly-under-the-radar bluegrass brother act, Jim & Jesse. We tracked it in the lovely upper hall of historic Old First Reformed Church in Brooklyn, NY, which is where I recorded the bluegrass half of Orchids and Violence, Jen Larson’s amazing EP Burning House, and several other projects. We don’t have any news for you yet as to when the album will be released, but when we do I’ll be yelling it far and wide! I look forward to sharing this with you and the world.

Tonight, I continue my monthly NYC residency with a 9pm set at the Rockwood Music Hall. I’m back on good ol’ Stage 1, where I played weekly from 2006 until the pandemic. It feels like coming home! It’s a solo set but you never know who might show up to sit in…

$15 suggested.
Photo: Manish Gosalia

Speaking of solo sets, thanks to all of you who tuned into Lonesome Fridays, where I shared a song video every week for the last 10 weeks of the 2023. You can hear those all together as a 10 song solo set on this YouTube playlist. In each post I talked some about the songs, the instruments I’m playing, and other news. I did the same thing the previous year, so you can check out the Lonesome Fridays 2022 playlist as well. Here’s one from this year’s series, Hickory Wind:

Hickory Wind is credited to Gram Parsons, though some attribute its true authorship to South Carolina folksinger Sylvia Sammons. Regardless of who wrote it, it's a killer song that is forever associated with Parsons' mythology due to his unauthorized performance of it on the Grand Ole Opry (instead of the Merle Haggard song that had been approved by the powers that be). I'm playing one of my favorite instruments, a Galiano likely made in NYC's Little Italy in the 1920s or 1930s by Anthony Cerrito. I keep it tuned low, in this case a down a major third and also in Drop D which takes it to a low Bb. This guitar always sounds so dramatic to me, a perfect fit for this song. I hope Gram would agree!

I’m gearing up for a busy January which includes two Southeastern runs with Tony Trischka, who will soon release his new Earl Scruggs tribute album, Earl Jam. This Saturday we play a special 100th birthday celebration show for Earl at the Scruggs Center in Shelby, NC, on a bill including Jerry Douglas and The Travelin’ McCourys which should be super fun. Then we head up to the venerable Floyd Country Store in southwestern VA on Sunday.

Friday, Jan. 19 is Tony’s own 75th birthday celebration at City Winery in NYC, featuring special guests including Steve Martin, Joyce Carol Oates, Bruce Molsky and others plus a core band of myself, Michael Cleveland, Jacob Jolliff, and Jared Engel. It’s technically sold out but there is a wait list you can join if you’re feeling lucky. Then at the end of the month Tony and I, along with Casey Driessen and Jared Engel, are back in NC to play Raleigh on 1/26, Sykesville, MD on 1/27, and Richmond, VA on 1/28. I’m hoping to see some friends in all these places I haven’t visited in a good while!

Here's a rehearsal video from last year with a fun iteration of Earl Jam including Alex Hargreaves on fiddle, Maddie Witler on mandolin, and Jared Engel on bass. We're doing Heavy Traffic Ahead, the Bill Monroe song which featured Earl Scruggs' first appearance on record.

On the teaching front, I’m pleased to have just opened up my new teaching studio in Brooklyn, NY for in-person instruction (I'd been online-only since the start of the pandemic!). FYI there’s a wait list for regular, ongoing lesson slots but I’m available for one-off “intensive sessions” (2 hr min.) on weekends either in-person or online, with no wait. I’ve also released my 2024 schedule of online group classes. Here’s what’s coming up; please email for the details on any/all of these options:

Feb. 27 - Apr. 2 Intro to Bluegrass Mandolin

Apr. 7 - May 5 The Guitar Style of Tony Rice: Church Street Blues 1983

Apr. 16 - May 21 Topics in Harmony Singing: Jim & Jesse

Jun. 11 - Jul. 16 Dynamic Duos: Doc & Dawg (with special guest David Grisman!)

Sep. 7 - Oct. 22 Singing Through the History of Bluegrass Music

Nov. 5 - Dec. 10 Ear Training, Theory, and Improvisation for Folk Musicians

I hope you are all well, and thanks for all you do to support live music!

Michael

UPCOMING SHOWS

Wednesday, Jan. 10, 9pm
Michael Daves solo residency
Rockwood Music Hall, NYC

Saturday, Jan. 13, 6pm
with Tony Trischka's Earl Jam, Travelin' McCourys, Jerry Douglas
Earl Scruggs Center, Shelby, NC

Saturday, Jan. 14
with Tony Trischka's Earl Jam (Casey Driessen, Jared Engel)
Floyd Country Store, Floyd, VA

Friday, Jan. 19, 8pm
Tony Trischka's 75th Birthday Bash (sold out, join waitlist)
City Winery, NYC

Friday, Jan. 26, 7:30pm
with Tony Trischka's Earl Jam (Casey Driessen, Jared Engel)
Martin Marietta Center For the Arts, Raleigh, NC

Saturday, Jan. 27, 7:30pm
with Tony Trischka's Earl Jam (Casey Driessen, Jared Engel)
Common Ground on the Hill, Sykesville, MD

Sunday, Jan. 28, 7pm
with Tony Trischka's Earl Jam (Casey Driessen, Jared Engel)
The Tin Pan, Richmond, VA

Wednesday, Feb. 7, 9pm
Michael Daves solo residency
Rockwood Music Hall, NYC

Friday, Feb. 9
Bruce Molsky, Tony Trischka, and Michael Daves
Susquehanna Folk Music Society, Lancaster, PA

Thursday, Feb. 22
with Tony Trischka's Earl Jam (Brittany Haas, Jared Engel)
Wintergrass Music Festival, Bellvue, WA

Wednesday, Mar. 6, 9pm
Michael Daves solo residency
Rockwood Music Hall, NYC

Sunday, March 17
Michael Daves & Jacob Jolliff
Northampton, MA (TBA)

Friday, Apr. 6, 8pm
Doc & Earl at 100 with Tony Trischka's Earl Jam (Casey Driessen, Jared Engel) plus Jack Lawrence, Wayne Henderson
Savannah Music Festival, Savannah, GA

Michael Daves

159 23rd St.

Brooklyn, NY 11232

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