It was 10 years ago today: @michaeldaves.bsky.social's 'Orchids and Violence' was released. Its two discs contain identical track listings of mostly traditional bluegrass tunes, including songs by bluegrass pioneers Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley, played two ways: michaeldaves.lnk.to/OrchidsAndVi...

Year 5 of Best Country Music on @bandcamp.com begins!

January's roundup includes Natalie Prauser, @levijburr.bsky.social, Emily Scott Robinson, @michaeldaves.bsky.social, Barry Walker Jr., Veranda, Mike Ellison and more.

Find it at Bandcamp Daily ⬇️

Got together with Tony Trischka the other day, who helped me kick off a new series on Hazel Dickens, for ArtistWorks. Hazel is pretty much my favorite bluegrass singer (along with Bill Monroe) and it was her centennial on June 1 so I’ll be celebrating with various special guests in the coming months

March Addendum: Livestream Today, FreshGrass, New Music Soon! mailchi.mp/michaeldaves...

Here’s I’ve Endured, written and recorded by the great Ola Belle Reed, though I do it at more of a Del McCoury tempo. It’s a staple opener for my solo sets

ICYMI, just released the March Newsletter where I talk about my UK tour May 1-10 etc. Read and subscribe here:

mailchi.mp/michaeldaves...

Jacob Jolliff and I are psyched to play NYC’s legendary Cafe Wha? on Friday, March 21. Sharing a bill with our buddy Jordan Tice and his trio. It’s an early one - 6pm - and tickets are limited so don’t sleep on it!

www.eventbrite.com/e/jordan-tic...

This is Stoney Creek, a Jim & Jesse original

Had a nice convo with The Fretboard Journal re: the NYC scene, the interplay of traditional & experimental forms, teaching & documenting the bluegrass guitar canon, and the upcoming Muleskinner tribute at Green Mountain Bluegrass & Roots Festival. Read here:
www.fretboardjournal.com/features/int...

Can’t wait to play Wintergrass Music Festival this weekend near Seattle with Jacob Jolliff. Great lineup as always! We’ll be doing a bunch of #jimandjesse material from our upcoming album (release TBA) including this one, You Are The One.

Been diving deep into Norman Blake’s Sulphur Springs album for a class I’m teaching. Here’s his version of Bully of the Town - first and last times through.

#normanblake #flatpicking #flatpickingguitar

I'm doubling up on Lefty Frizzell songs in this Lonesome Fridays series! That's The Way Love Goes was a late entry into Lefty's catalog (1973). If people know the song, it's usually from Merle Haggard. The song didn't stick with me until it came up in some jam sessions this summer but it’s a doozy.

LONESOME FRIDAYS #8: I was recently asked to demo an early ‘60s Gibson Everly Brothers model guitar so I dug up their 1958 album Songs Our Daddy Taught Us for inspiration, which features old folk tunes. The opening track is Roving Gambler, and that’s the story of how we got to this week’s offering.

Part of my Zoom class on Clarence White/Muleskinner was a roundtable with OG band members David Grisman, Richard Greene & Peter Rowan. They shared amazing insight and stories about working with Clarence and with each other/

Just wrapped up a Zoom class on Clarence White’s playing on the 1973 Muleskinner album. Here’s his break on the Peter Rowan song Blue Mule — his last solo on the last song on a (finished) studio album. Clarence passed a few months after recording this. His phrasing was unbelievable. None finer.

First post! You’ve caught me in the midst of a 10 song series, Lonesome Fridays, where I share fav songs solo (mostly bluegrass, country, etc). Here’s Slow Train Through Georgia by Norman Blake. I’m playing my first guitar, received Xmas ‘88, and recently reacquired from an old friend after 20 yrs 🙏