FiddleStar

Registration for Nashville Fiddle Banjo Camp opened 30 minutes ago and half the spots are already gone. @clawhammerist and @tylerandal and @fiddlestar and @adamspickoftheday are going to help you master the art of old-time fiddle and banjo magic. Come with your favorite fiddle/banjo duo partner or come alone and we’ll find you a new friend! www.nashvillefiddlebanjocamp.com #fiddle #banjo #oldtime #friedchickensaturdays #nashvilleacousticcamps (at Fiddlestar)

This one is for my road musician friends. My boy’s got #buslegs #sirwinstoncup #bostonterrier #roaddog #bostonterriercult #squishyfacecrew (at Ridgetop, Tennessee)

The fiddlers are coming! The fiddlers are coming! #grandmasters #violinshophangs #fiddle #weheartroths #fiddlecontest #nashville (at The Violin Shop)

@tylerandal and @rossholmesfiddle and I love us some Indigo Girls. We also love staying late at @theviolinshop and recording videos with the help of @brianosonfun without whom nothing is possible. Thanks to @thebluegrasssituation for making @indigogirlsmusic their artist of the month. More songs with the words love and peace in them, please. Full version on YouTube and FiddleStar Music facebook. #indigogirls #lovewillcometoyou #fiddle #mandolin #guitar #theghostofbrianchristianson (at The Violin Shop)

If you didn’t know Sunshine McClenahan, I’m not entirely sure how to begin to describe her, and therefore to express what the world has just lost. I met her and her husband Lou when I was a little kid and their son Bryan and I were both competing in west coast fiddle contests. I remember wondering if my mom would ever let me run around festivals without shoes, like Sunshine always did. Years later, when I began to play bluegrass, I heard about this legendary weekly jam in Redwood City and decided to check it out, hoping whoever was hosting it would forgive my bluegrass ignorance and just welcome an eager fiddler. I needn’t have worried. When I walked in the door of that eclectic home in the hills and realized that this was indeed Sunshine and Lou’s house, all my fears disappeared and I vowed to spend every available Friday night with those people, in that spot. We hung out at festivals together, they invited me to their summer rental home on the coast, and they introduced me to a wacky and talented collection of musicians and raconteurs that I will never forget. Most of you know that, even ahead of the music itself, I value how music brings people together and I can trace my passion for that cause back to a handful of people. Sunshine was one of those people and I will miss her terribly. I hope there are well-tuned banjos and soft grass for bare feet where she’s going. #sunshine (at Redwood City, California)

One of my favorite things about #summergrass weekend was getting to see two of my favorite people in the whole wide world. @curmud.geon may not be my brother by birth but I couldn’t be happier that our parents met, fell in love and made us siblings for life. Not to mention, he definitely married up when he found @dreuz #realbrother #thefamilyyouchoose (at Campfire)

Holy hell. Another night in Nashville, another mind-blowing night of music. Thanks to @rossholmesfiddle for the hookup on a show we will remember for a lifetime. Turns out, guitar tone is a really huge deal. #govtmule #warrenhaynes #tone #gibson #jackpearson #fendersquireforthewin (at Ascend Amphitheater)

A super fun #girldate with @cleliahart last night. Pictured here, #michelleshocked with her stellar band, celebrating the 25th anniversary of her seminal Arkansas Traveler album. That album came out the year I graduated from high school (and right after Clelia was born 🙄) and it was a huge deal for us traditional musicians. It turned me on to Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown and Taj Mahal and was full of other amazing collaborations before collaborations were a thing. Side note: Michelle Shocked does not allow phone use or photo/video capture during her shows so, before the band starts, they pose for 30 seconds so everyone can get it out of their systems. This is a photo of that. #arkansastraveler #cripplecreek #soldiersjoy #blackberryblossom #fiddle (at City Winery Nashville)

I find the weirdest things hanging around our house. #61strat #guitarrestoration #fiestared (at Fiddlestar)

Here’s a little #tbt to my beginner fiddle class at @augustaheritage circa 2006. Augusta was the first bluegrass camp I ever taught and I learned so much about the music from the four years I was there. The summer bluegrass and old-time camp season is drawing to a close and I’ve heard so many great stories from my students about their experiences at #walkercreekmusiccamp and #swannanoa and #montanafiddlecamp and #Augusta and #nashcamp and #nimblefingers and the many other awesome camp experiences out there for the enjoying. I love hearing about and learning from all of the wonderful camps and teachers. It inspires me and reminds me that the music we love is about more than just the music. It’s about the community we build, the gaps we bridge, and the challenges we face. Our own fall camp season here at #nashvilleacousticcamps starts in a couple of weeks and I’m beyond excited. #bluegrass #oldtime #musiccamp #timetoorderthefriedchicken (at Augusta Heritage Center)