Dear People,

I’m sorry it has been so long since I connected with you! Lots going on. I’m sure that it’s the same with you. In any case,  here’s some news: 

 Last November marked the revival of On a Winter’s Night, a group tour that was started in 1990 by Christine Lavin. The longest running line-up that toured under the name for nearly two decades included Patty Larkin, Cheryl Wheeler, Cliff Eberhardt and me. Christine has rejoined the group for the reunion, with shows last fall in the northeast and midwest. Over a dozen On a Winter’s Night shows are booked his coming March in Colorado, California and the northwest. These upcoming shows may have various combinations of 4-5 players, so if you’re interested, check my itinerary for dates and the specific venues for line-ups. It’s been fun to travel and do shows with artists and friends I’ve known for such a long time. Audiences have been telling us that they enjoy the music and the camaraderie, too. 

This January also happened to mark the first Red Horse show in 1 & 1/2 years, a group that includes Eliza Gilkyson, Lucy Kaplansky and me. We played in Gainesville, at the University of Florida, and had a great time.  There are more shows in the works…

 In other recent  travels, I was happy to share the stage with Michael Smith in a workshop at the Fox Valley Festival in Illinois in September. Michael wrote  The
Dutchman, which is one of those songs that changed my idea of what a song could be. He is a fantastic songwriter! We may do some shows together later this year. In December, I was also glad to be able to hear Chris Stills at Swallow Hill in Denver, and to bring home his new LP, called Don’t Be Afraid. Other shows brought me to some new favorite venues where I hadn’t played before, including The Word Barn in Exeter, New Hampshire and the Sofia Tsakapolous Center for the Arts in Sacramento, CA.

 In five days in January, I went from -16 F seeing a snowshoe hare in Alberta, Canada to 66 F degrees seeing Spanish  moss in Florida! 

 Looking ahead, there are many solo shows along  with the Winter’s Night tour, including plans in the works for a return to Ireland in May and The Netherlands in November. 

As always, I continue to work on new songs. A few songs in the works are collaborations with John Vezner and with Eliza Gilkyson.  

 Hope  comes from surprising places these days. Most recently, it came from our local librarian, who taped a few tax forms I needed on the outside door of the library, where I could find them after closing time on the day of the IRS deadline. Especially in a world where the troubles are big and many, there is no such thing as a small kindness. 

Peace to you,
John