I'm excited to be a hosting a series for OurConcerts.Live, a new virtual concert series that offers a wonderful stage where I can share some time with a few of my favorite traditional fiddling colleagues from different corners of the globe with you. I hope you can join us on our folk-music journey that will inspire you to tap your feet and get our souls to soar. Starting out with my dear friend Alasdair Frasier on Thur 8/13 (info and link to tickets here: Alasdair & Bruce ) where we will be trading some well-loved tunes found in both our cultures and swap stories from our journeys from tradition to today. The next concert will be with the fabulous Ellika Frisell from Sweden who changed my world bringing me into the lovely, compelling and challenging world of Scandinavian music 8/29. That will be followed by a much anticipated reunion with my Fiddlers 4 compatriot, and the ambassador to the world of Cajun music, the great Michael Doucet! 9/8.
Off the Road... Again.
Hi everyone,
It’s hard to know where to start this newsletter, but I can guarantee it will go longer than usual. So much to think about as we try to reconfigure our lives for the 
next little while. As music lovers, you know how devastating this crisis is to our community, the players, theaters, and on and on. Folks are scrambling to keep their art going, and creating on-line distanced alternatives to the direct human contact we thrive on. But if nothing else, we are survivors and scrappers, and will do what we need to do to get to the other side of this. I’m making my own plans to stay with you in various ways - more on that later.
For you who read my occasional newsletters, and whom I’ve come to know personally and as fans through our shared love of music, we do our best to navigate around the elephant in the room. It all came home to me earlier this week, when less than two hours after a long journey to Norway, almost all the festivals and shows in our Molsky’s Mountain Drifters tour canceled, almost all at once. We had to turn around and come back the next day. With concerts, festivals, music camps and gatherings shutting down all through this spring, everyone is looking toward the summer in the hopes that some can resume.
So after 9000 miles of flying in two days, and a lot of time in airports, I’m self-quarantining for the next 2 weeks. I don’t want to get sick, and I don’t to get anyone sick. We’ve laid in some food and a few bottles of wine, and going to stay at home.
But I am figuring on putting some music out there for you shortly, and in various formats from the newly created and very casual Tree Frog Music studio of one, here in New York. I’d love to know what you’d love to hear. Please send suggestions via my Facebook page: http://facebook.com/brucemolsky, or just shoot me an email at bruce@brucemolsky.com.
If you’re a player, please consider some of the lessons we have on offer at Peghead Nation (pegheadnation.com.) You can try a month for free with the code “BruceM” and if you like it, it’s not terribly expensive to continue. I have well over fifty fiddle tunes up, each one in detail with melody, bowing, embellishments, etc. I’ve also done a Wade Ward banjo special there.
Stash and Allison! Many of you know Stash Wyslouch’s wide-open and virtuosic guitar chops and Allison de Groot’s incredible smooth and powerful clawhammer banjo style in the Mountain Drifters. But you might not know they are also in great demand as incredible, experienced teachers. You should contact them for one-on-one online lessons! They’re at: stashwyslouch@gmail.com and allisonanndegroot@gmail.com
Finally, I hope to broadcast some on-line performances, and will send out announcements of those. Other ideas for keeping the music going? Please get in touch!!
And oh yeah, I recently started a Facebook group for lovers and players of roots music who love to bake, especially bread. We’re sharing photos, stories, and having a nice conversation there. It’s called “Fiddle and Dough” at https://www.facebook.com/groups/193771878533048/. 
Come visit!
Love and warm wishes from Audrey & me.
Bruce
Please stay safe and healthy!
Returning to Riverdale
Tony, Me & FreshGrass -- what a blast!
What a wonderful festival, and so much great music.
Going Old School (pardon my penmanship)
Newsletter Summer
#1 on the Folk Charts!
YES "THERE'S A BRIGHT SIDE SOMEWHERE"#1 On the Folk Charts! Many many thanks to all the wonderful DJ's who work so hard listening and curating music coming from all directions to share their finds with listeners around the world. We, Molsky's Mountain Drifters are so delighted that our song, There's a Bright Side from our brand new album Closing The Gap (http://bit.ly/ClosingTheGap_CDBaby) was the top April #1 SONG on the FolkDJ Charts! (https://www.folkradio.org/Charts/FolkDJChartApril2019.html#songs) Here's the Bright Side Story. While on tour in Australia we were asked to lead a multicultural musical workshop at the wonderful Woodford Folk Festival, for all to join in a piece of music together. We wanted to present a musical setting that offered a spark of hope and optimism in troubled times, something both beautiful and accessible that could bridge across cultures. Bruce suggested one of his favorite songs from the great Reverend Gary Davis - ‘There’s a Bright Side Somewhere’ which we reworked from Reverend Davis’ very personal bluesy guitar rendition into a fiddle/banjo stringband with harmonies that everyone could sing along with. We love playing it and singing with everyone at the festival so much we made it our first track on our new CD "Closing the Gap" - and hope you'll join us along our UK CD release tour and sing along too! Thanks to Beehive Productions for the great video work & The Hoot for hosting us this Winter. Thanks to William Kennedy for spreading the word!
Posted by Bruce Molsky on Thursday, May 9, 2019
Jamming on Old Sledge with the amazing Mike Block
Brand new Mountain Drifters! CLOSING THE GAP - out TODAY
Allison, Stash and I will be starting our CD Release tour next week! Closing the Gap goes on sale too, you can pre-order on our store: http://brucemolsky.com/store We loved recording this -- and love recording live. I think you'll enjoy it too.
There's A Bright Side Somewhere
Time to find some more joy and peace - There's a Bright Side Somewhere! Would love it if you clicked this link: https://show.co/W6Rj96v to Pre-Save our song on Spotify - our very first single release for Molsky's Mountain Drifters' upcoming record - this puts it into your song queue so you hear it automatically on its release date Nov. 16! Since this is our first try at this would love to know what you think!!
We Moved Our Store!
We consolidated our titles and they are now available at our new BandWear store! - check it out and let me know what you think.
Fiddle Workshops with Bruce Molsky: Repertoire
So many tunes lend themselves to community jamming. Bruce will present some of his favorites. We learn a couple, and record a few more for you to work on afterwards. 8/9 2PM CT https://www.oldtownschool.org/classes/detail/?courseid=6598
In a series of six online workshops, renowned fiddler and educator Bruce Molsky will look at some of the finer points of fiddle technique. The goal of these individual workshops and this series as a whole is to demystify these techniques and principles to make their study accessible to fiddlers of various experience levels.
In a series of six online workshops, renowned fiddler and educator Bruce Molsky will look at some of the finer points of fiddle technique. The goal of these individual workshops and this series as a whole is to demystify these techniques and principles to make their study accessible to fiddlers of various experience levels.
ALASDAIR FRASER & BRUCE MOLSKY: OURCONCERTS.LIVE PRESENTS
Legendary Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser and revered Appalachian old-time fiddler Bruce Molsky will trade some well-loved tunes found in both their cultures and swap stories from a musical partnership that extends over more than 25 years. Appalachian and Scottish music share centuries of melodies and songs, and it was Alasdair’s and Bruce’s curiosity and wide open ears (and also some good luck) that brought them together. Each has dug deep into the musical traditions of other countries and integrated what moved them into their own voices. Alasdair and Bruce believe that music exists to bring people together, and their vast works are joyful living proof. OurConcerts.live is a new online streaming service that promotes the creation and widespread distribution of high quality, live music by uniting artists, presenters, and audiences.
Freight at Home - Bruce Molsky
Freight at Home presents live streamed, FREE concerts from Freight favorites you can enjoy from anywhere in the world! Make a donation to support this online event. Your kind donations will be split to help keep this wonderful venue going through all this. Please note that this donation will appear on your purchase receipt listed as a "ticket." https://www.facebook.com/thefreight/live
Our Saturday, August 15 5PM PDT https://www.facebook.com/thefreight/live
Our Saturday, August 15 5PM PDT https://www.facebook.com/thefreight/live
Swallow Hill Live Presents: Bruce Molsky
Streaming live for Swallow Hill Music 8/24 8PM ET https://www.facebook.com/swallowhillmusic/live
Caffè Lena School of Music: 4 week Clawhammer Banjo Course with Bruce Molsky
Four Wed evening classes at 7:00 PM ET Sept 2, 9, 16 & 23
We’ll look at a couple of classic tunes and focus on the important elements, like phrasing and rhythm, and work on techniques such as pull-offs, drop thumbs and rolls. Solid time is the engine behind good banjo playing, and so we’ll come back to some of the right hand basics as well that give the drive we’re all looking for.
We’ll look at a couple of classic tunes and focus on the important elements, like phrasing and rhythm, and work on techniques such as pull-offs, drop thumbs and rolls. Solid time is the engine behind good banjo playing, and so we’ll come back to some of the right hand basics as well that give the drive we’re all looking for.
Caffè Lena School of Music: 4 Week Old Time Fiddle Course with Bruce Molsky
Caffè Lena School of Music: 4Old Time Fiddle Course with Bruce Molsky
4 Thur classes at 7:00 PM ET
Sept 3, 10, 17, & 24
We’ll take a fun and intense hands-on approach in Bruce’s old time fiddle workshop. Tunes are taught a phrase at a time, first melody, then bowing, and then piecing things together. We'll dig into old-time music's unique phrasing, rhythm and syncopation, intonation, etc. The tune is the vehicle, so mostly we'll be playing! If enough folks are interested, we can also spend some time working on singing with the fiddle.
4 Thur classes at 7:00 PM ET
Sept 3, 10, 17, & 24
We’ll take a fun and intense hands-on approach in Bruce’s old time fiddle workshop. Tunes are taught a phrase at a time, first melody, then bowing, and then piecing things together. We'll dig into old-time music's unique phrasing, rhythm and syncopation, intonation, etc. The tune is the vehicle, so mostly we'll be playing! If enough folks are interested, we can also spend some time working on singing with the fiddle.