Red Steer, Grub Springs, & more

roscoe, three way hornpipe / pick my new sticker / more schottische!

Hello from the Adirondacks!

I’m writing to you from my summer zone up north in Day, New York. We don’t have internet service at the cabin, so I take the season off from online teaching—but I haven’t forgotten my fiddlegeeks! (If you want to keep up with all my summertime adventures, please subscribe to KKRG News, where I share more about whatever silliness we’re getting into.)

TUNE VIDEOS

Since I last sent out a Fiddlegeek newsletter, new additions to my tune video archive are “Roscoe” from Kyle Creed (GDAE, key of G), “Three Way Hornpipe” from John Sharp (AEAE, key of A), “Red Steer” (AEAE—more on sources below), and “Grub Springs” which comes from Ernest Claunch but I mostly got via various pals (also in AEAE)—all by request. Got a tune you’d like to see added to my video pile? Drop me a line!

I am massively grateful to those of you who are subscribers to my tune video collection. Your support makes it all possible.

RED STEER & OTHER FIDDLEGEEKERY

I’ve gotten multiple requests for “Red Steer”, mostly due to this joyful YouTube video from a zillion years ago when Jack Devereux was working on an album (which sat in the can for ages but is finally available here). The original source recording of the tune is from Dykes Magic City Trio, an amazing stringband from Kingsport, Tennessee that recorded in the late ‘20s. John Dykes played fiddle, Hubert Mahaffey played guitar, and Myrtle Vermillion (YES THAT’S HER ACTUAL NAME) played autoharp. (Additional info can be found here and here.) As much as I adore that band and that recording, my playing of this particular tune is probably just as much influenced by Bruce Molsky and Jeff Goehring. I think Jeff is generally cited as the source for this “arrangement”, as John Dykes’ version is inconsistent as far as numbers of parts/phrases. You can hear Jeff playing it on this Field Recorder’s Collective release.

And speaking of the FRC: Shoutout (yet again) to my fab fiddlefriend Sami Braman for turning me on to another of their wonderful projects—this album of tunes from Lee Stoneking, courtesy of Linda Higginbotham and Brad Leftwich. Sami plays his lovely version of “Bitter Creek”, which was what led me down the Lee Stoneking rabbit hole—but the whole album (with great accompaniment by Brad and Linda and Kenny Jackson) is so delightful. And his “Rustic Dance Schottische” convinced me that what the world needs now is MORE SCHOTTISCHE.

HELP ME CHOOSE

I’ve been noodling with some new sticker concepts, and would love to know which of these you’d be most likely to slap on your instrument case/water bottle/bumper/etc.

(I was going to do this via a substack poll, but they don’t allow enough options, so I’m just leaving it up to you all to either comment or email me if one of these is of interest to you!)

---

UPCOMING GIGS

• 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)

Get alerted when shows are posted by following me on Bandsintown

REMINDER

Our latest duo album, Volume 4, is available everywhere. If you dig it, please spread the word! Share it on social media, send it to a friend, add some tracks to a playlist. It all helps. :)

THANKS

Thank you for being a subscriber and a fellow fiddlegeek! Please drop a comment on this here post to carry on with the geeking out… what fiddle tunes or recordings are you particularly excited about these days?

xo rayna