Meet the Big Red Nominees: Favorite Local Fiddler
Favorite Local Fiddler
Jess Fox – Jess has the ability to add a whole lot to a whole lot of folks music. Highlighting here skills for years at the Highland Kitchens’ bluegrass brunch and with friends and cohorts over the years she has become a staple in the local music scene…oh yeah, and she builds fiddles as well. http://highlanddrifters.bandcamp.com/album/highland-drifters
Eva Walsh- Eva Walsh is a fun-loving folk-pop singer, fiddler and songwriter from Boston who delivers a heartfelt performance of catchy original songs and smiles. Her debut album “Storybook” is the product of a diverse and lifelong exploration of music and tells the stories of the heart with undeniably sweet sincerity. Hailing from 17 years of intense training and classical violin performance, Eva originally picked up the ukulele and a collection of other instruments as a stress-relieving hobby. Her musical curiosity grew into a passion and soon she began performing bluegrass, old-time, folk and jazz music around Nashville, all while slowly working up her courage and signature sound as a folk-pop songwriter. Leaving her classical roots in Nashville, Eva is now a unique sound in the Boston music scene, performing frequently as a solo artist and adding her fiddle & voice to a growing number of respected artists across New England.
Laurence Scudder- Laurence picked the viola after a school assembly when he was in the fourth grade. He’s been in love ever since. Groomed as a classical player, Laurence toured internationally with the Long Island Youth Orchestra playing music on every continent save Antarctica by the age of 19. Attending Skidmore College in 1995, he was ready for a break from orchestras. Influenced by several close friends, he listened to albums and bootlegs of nearly any music he could get his hands and ears on. During this time, he discovered he could electrify his viola and bought his first wah pedal. Everything opened up.. Laurence shifted his life from the road back to Somerville, MA in early 2011. Currently, he plays with local acts Brothers McCann, Dietrich Strause, Danielle Miraglia, Ryan Fitzsimmons, Erik White, The Blue Ribbons, Session Americana, Samantha Farrell and more. Although an adept sideman, Laurence is now writing his own material which he performs with his band Spotted Tiger. You can find him most nights gigging around Boston http://laurencescudder.com/
Katy Boc- As a violinist, violist, singer, and fiddler, Katy has performed throughout Texas and New England for more than twenty years. In addition to playing classical music, she enjoys playing various fiddle styles, including bluegrass and Celtic. You can usually find her playing bluegrass-infused Americana with the Jones River Band (www.jonesriverband.com) or sitting in with other bands throughout New England and the Greater Boston Area
http://www.sscmusic.org/fac_boc.html
Joe Kessler- The man of the Blue Fiddle. Joe Kessler can be seen onstage with a whole slew of musical folks. His style ranges in everything from classical to jazz to footstomping bluegrass. One of the most animated players on the scene, seen playing with up to 3 bows at a time and always moving on (and off!) the stage. Kessler is a force of nature. https://www.facebook.com/joe.kessler.165
MorganEve Swain- One half of quite possibly one of the most influential “not folk” bands to come out of the Northeast, MorganEve cannot be just put into this category, as she plays a host of other instruments as well. The Huntress: In the wake of losing her husband and musical partner to leukemia, MorganEve Swain refuses to succumb to the sadness and be rendered useless. Keeping his spirit close to her own, instead she gains strength from his memory and soldiers forward, hoping to perpetuate his spirituality, musicality and lust for knowledge through her own. The Huntress acts as a vessel for her healing, as well as an extended hand to Brown Bird fans, inviting them to continue the journey with her.
http://brownbird.net/the-huntress/
David Delaney- David leads the Whiskey Boys with his fiddle, combining Irish, folk, and Americana to craft the band’s signature eclectic sound. With the Whiskey Boys he has released three albums: First Day, Mary Come to Boston, and 2012’s Crescent Moon, writing and performing much of the music on each and building the band’s reputation as an exciting and powerful new voice in today’s Americana scene.
John Mailander – John Mailander is an acclaimed multi-instrumentalist and graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. As an accomplished performer, teacher, composer and recording artist, John has become known for his soulful voice on the fiddle, mandolin and various other stringed instruments. John has shared the stage with renowned artists including the Alison Brown Quartet, Victor Wooten, Tim O’Brien and Christopher Guest. He was one of sixteen musicians selected to participate in the Savannah Music Festival’s Acoustic Music Seminar in both 2012 and 13. John played fiddle in Steve Martin & Edie Brickell’s musical, Bright Star, for it’s premier run in New York. John’s debut solo album, Walking Distance, is a celebration of his time spent and musical friends made in Boston over the past five years. Featuring some of the most distinguished musicians from the acoustic music world, the album has a unique group sound that is energetic, humorous and spontanious, while also being deep, pensive and thoughtful. The album was recorded over four days at Dimension Sound Studios in Jamaica Plain, MA.
