SOMDI 20th Anniversary Giveaway!

Surviving, Thriving, Turkey Jiving, and GGGGGGIVING! Also, Upcoming Gigs, New Videos,

A few weeks ago I went out of state for a couple of sweet little gigs that I really enjoyed. After the second gig I chose to drive home through a real treacherous ice storm. Even though I had a place to stay the night and it seemed safer to stay put I just wanted to get home and so I said what’s the big deal, it’s only a two and a half hour drive and I’ve driven through worse many times before…

With about an hour and a half of drive time left I was feeling alert and calm, and I decided to exit the highway and take a little break. While slowing down and changing lanes I realized I was losing control of the car and that I was going to rear-end a semi that was parked on the shoulder between the highway and the exit ramp. It didn’t matter what I did with the steering wheel or how hard I pumped the brakes. I hit the truck, got out of the car, waited a few minutes, got into the ambulance, got wheeled into the hospital and went straight to surgery.

I had a couple of minor skull fractures that were addressed immediately and no other injuries worth noting. This all took place in the early morning hours on Thursday, February 6. I woke up that morning feeling grateful and strangely calm, not very surprised though a bit dismayed at the inconvenience my impatience had caused everyone at the hospital, on the road, and my friends, both those who came to help and those who wished they could do more. What a way to come back to reality! (Scroll to end of newsletter for photos — Warning, they are not pretty!)

In this email:

• SOMDI 20th Anniversary Giveaway!

• Upcoming Gigs

• Goodbye, Instagram

• New Videos

• Detroit Folk School Newsletter - Subscribe if you haven’t already

SOMDI 20th Anniversary Giveaway!

You may be wondering, “What is SOMDI?” You also may be wondering, “Has AJL really been doing this for 20 years now??” OK, I have answers!

SOMDI = Sounds of Mount Desert Island, the first album I ever recorded, produced, and released under my own name. (At the time I didn’t know how many other musicians also go by Aaron Lewis so I hadn’t started going by my full name yet.)

This collection is quite different from other releases as it’s not exactly “music” in the usual sense, rather, it’s a genre of sound art called phonography, or field recording. I was inspired by the likes of Annea Lockwood, Pauline Oliveros, and John Cage, and I wanted to explore the island I’d been calling home and create a tribute as well as provide an opportunity for all the people who call MDI home in the summer months to connect with the year-round experience of living on the island.

I encourage you to bookmark and peruse the full collection as I spent eight months recording over 400 hours of raw material that eventually became 17 hours of finished material. All the tracks are available for free download, however the giveaway is for the double-disc album including annotated map and liner notes from the field — I made 1000 copies thinking they would sell like hotcakes in the tourist shops.

Little did I know that all the tourist shops were owned by one company, and they were not interested! Over the years I’ve managed to sell and (mostly) give away a few hundred but I am keen to clear out the space in my house and share this beautiful project with you. So what I’m asking is for you to click this link and order as many copies as you like. Bandcamp won’t let me set the price to zero, so you’ll pay $1 per copy, plus shipping.

Upcoming Gigs

03/08/25White FlowersAnn Arbor, MIMatthaei Botanical GardensUnited StatesTime: 7:30pm. Admission: FREE! – Registration required. Age restrictions: All Ages. Address: 1800 N Dixboro Rd. THIS CONCERT IS SOLD OUT

03/22/25Aaron Jonah LewisToledo, OHOver Yonder Concert HouseUnited StatesTime: 7:00pm. Admission: $20. Age restrictions: All Ages. Address: 2492 Scottwood Ave. Doors at 6:30, show at 7:00 at the Flamb-OWE-nce Community House More information

03/29/25Aaron Jonah Lewis’s Ragtime Banjo Revival TrioAnn Arbor, MIAnn Arbor Groupmuse House ConcertUnited StatesTime: 7:00pm. Admission: $30 suggested minimum. Age restrictions: All Ages. Capacity is 25 people – Don’t bring your own drinks – Non-alcoholic drinks provided – Pets – Dogs and cats live here – Not wheelchair accessible – Some stairs may be present in the space – Welcome! We are excited to welcome three extraordinary musicians, Aaron Jonah Lewis (banjo), Alex Belhaj (guitar) and King Sophia (cello) into our home for an evening of ragtime style music. “Ragtime banjo, influenced by the “classic banjo” style, is rooted in African-American music that was appropriated for minstrel shows and was mingled with other popular styles of European and distinctly American origin.” Harkening back to the days before recorded music when folks played and listened to music in their parlors, on their porches and in small local concert halls, we will enjoy innovative arrangements of music once the most popular music in the world. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Light refreshments will be served. BUY TICKETS

04/04/25Aaron Jonah LewisChicago, ILBanjos After Dark at Borelli’s PizzaUnited StatesTime: 6:00pm. Admission: $25. Age restrictions: All Ages. Address: 2124 W Lawrence Ave. Banjo After Dark Presents: Aaron Jonah Lewis! – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Aaron is one of the best fiddle and banjo players I’ve ever seen. You have a chance to see it first hand AND learn a thing or two. There will be a 60 min workshop at 6pm and a concert at 7:30pm. Both will happen at Borelli’s Pizza 2124 W Lawrence Ave. The workshop is $25 an includes entrance to the performance. The performance is $10 (suggested donation so you can definitely give more to support the effort). Workshop space is limited so email jonasfriddle@gmail.com to secure your spot! – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Here’s the workshop description: Rhythm in the Right Hand: Old Time Fiddle Bowing — In this workshop Aaron Jonah Lewis will teach old time fiddle by ear with special attention to right hand rhythm and bowing patterns that can be applied to many tunes. The workshop will be spent discussing musical and technical aspects and learning a tune. This workshop is aimed at people who can already play their fiddle/violin and will be taught by ear so you don’t need to read music. More information

04/05/25 Groupmuse Ragtime Banjo House Concert in Humboldt Park, Chicago, with Hope Arthur, piano — Details TBA!!

04/07/25 Aaron Jonah Lewis St. Louis, MO Scott Joplin House 6-7PM: OPEN PIANO 7-8PM: FEATURED GUEST MUSICIAN (Aaron Jonah Lewis) – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Hosted by Ethan Leinwand

04/19/25Detroit Square Dance SocietyDetroit, MIVámonos!United StatesTime: 7:00pm. Admission: $20 suggested, No One Turned Away For Lack Of Funds. Age restrictions: All Ages. Address: 4444 W. Vernor.Potluck + Square Dance.+ Fundraiser Benefiting The Great Lakes Water Protector Network — waterprotectornetwork.org — Raffle + Door Prizes! – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Lindsay McCaw calling, Aaron Jonah Lewis on fiddle, Alex Belhaj on guitar, Rachel Pearson on bass, and special mystery guests sitting in. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Bring: Potluck foods with serving utensils, bring a bunch of friends and wear comfy shoes for dancing! Dancing is optional, too — it’s 100% ok to hang out, eat, drink, enjoy the scene and socialize without dancing. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Parking: There are two free parking lots behind the space plus street parking and the insurance agency lot across the street, all free – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – $20 suggested donation. If you don’t have $20 we still want you to come in and join the party! If you can pay more than $20 please do, it helps a lot. Pay whatever you can. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Cash bar with beer, wine, nonalcoholic drinks including fresh squeezed juice. Please no outside drinks. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Covid Precautions: We will have CR boxes set up for super filtered air quality and we are not requiring masking for this event, although we encourage you to wear whatever you feel most comfortable wearing. Please do not attend if you’re feeling the slightest bit unwell. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Accessibility: Vámonos is wheelchair accessible – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Restrooms: There are two unisex restrooms available and the doors are 35.5” wide. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – As always: – All ages welcome – No one turned away for lack of funds – No experience necessary, all dances will be taught – No partner needed, no fancy outfits needed (though you’re welcome to dress up however you like) – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – “Why a queer square dance and not just a square dance?” We use gender inclusive language and we don’t enforce any dress codes or other gender norms. We promote a culture of acceptance and discourage homophobia at our events. Everyone is welcome to attend, except for bigots and haters! – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Please note: We are creating a queer space where we can come together and celebrate each other’s unique experiences in community. Bring your open and welcoming hearts and keep respect and kindness in mind as you may see people expressing themselves freely! More information

Goodbye, Instagram

Yes, I’m finally making the move away from social media, little by little. I’m not planning to look at it much anymore although it’s possible I will continue to post occasionally. It’s more likely I will post to the detroitsquaredance and detroitfolkschool IG accounts than to the old aaronjonahlewis account.

New Videos

I’m not really sure what’s new, or what I haven’t shared here yet, but really the best way to stay up on the most recent videos I’m sharing is to subscribe to my Patreon account — and yes, you can subscribe for free! You can also subscribe to my YouTube account which will send you alerts when videos that have already been posted to Patreon go public.

Here’s a fun video from last fall of my solo arrangement of the most famous fiddle tune ever, the Orange Blossom Special:

and here’s another fun one, this is last summer’s special edition of the Corn Potato String Band (featuring Nikki Grossman on baritone fiddle) playing Joe Morley’s “A Banjo Frolic” —

Detroit Folk School

I just sent out a newsletter for the new Detroit Folk School — we have a website, too — Just feeling proud and excited for this group and all the fine people who continue to contribute to make these great events happen in Detroit!

Farewell, for Now (Photos Below…)

I know we’re at the tail end of winter time but PLEASE drive safe. Your health and safety as well as everyone else on the road is so much more valuable than arriving on time or at any particular time.

And before I reveal these photos, I have two more parting requests:

1. Imagine a world without cars. I know it seems impossible because few of us have ever lived without cars, but it IS possible, and not only is it possible, it’s NECESSARY. The first step to creating any change in the world is to IMAGINE the possibilities, so please USE YOUR IMAGINATION! Have fun with it, too. It doesn’t have to be perfect or even “realistic.” Just spend a few minutes imagining a world without cars… and

2. Practice metta. If you don’t already, google it and try spending just a few minutes each day cultivating the feeling of loving friendliness within yourself and then perhaps allowing it to overflow and radiate beyond your sense of self. And if you do practice metta already, high five! Please continue!

OK, I’m just going to insert some space here so anyone who doesn’t want to see these photos doesn’t have to. Until next time my dears!

Somehow I climbed out of that!

The day after the accident, feeling grateful and embarrassed, wanting to reassure friends and family that I’m safe, I’m alive and recovering

Two weeks ago, just before getting stitches out. In good spirits!