Ken Waldman & Fiddlers 8

For more than a decade, Ken Waldman has curated roots music variety shows. One has been Ken Waldman & The Secret Visitors, where Ken brings a troupe of artists that fits a venue's aesthetic and budget; it's superb interdisciplinary placemaking and takes an audience from their home community to Alaska and back. Another has been Ken Waldman & Fiddle Summit, where Ken brings a troupe of fiddlers of varied styles and backgrounds for an evening that crosses cultures. 

Now, Ken has combined (and formalized) those two projects. The result: Ken Waldman & Fiddlers 8.

The initial line-up:

Ken Waldman (old-time Appalachian fiddler, poet, storyteller, and mandolin player)
David Greely (Cajun fiddler, singer, and folklorist)
Riley Baugus (old-time Appalachian fiddler, banjo player, guitarist, and singer)
Emolyn Liden (old-time Appalachian fiddler and percussive dancer--and also a knitter)
Kevin Carr (Irish fiddler, Quebecois fiddler, storyteller, and piper)
Ray Bierl (old-time Appalachian fiddler, Cape Breton fiddler, guitarist, and singer)
W.B. Reid & Bonnie Zahnow (New England fiddlers, indigenous Indian and Mexican fiddlers, blues fiddlers, guitarists, and singers)

These shows will begin and end with all eight fiddlers fiddling. In between there's fiddle (many styles!), dance, song, story, poem, other instruments, and surprises (every performance will include at least one guest local fiddler--after all, Ken Waldman & Fiddlers 8 add up to 9).

More information? Go right here and get in touch with Ken. Want to see some of these musicians? Here are a pair of videos: one with David Greely, one with the rest of the troupe.

Do you feel like it might be too big of a production?

Ken can adapt to the setting by bringing in fewer fiddlers--he can call the evening Ken Waldman & Fiddlers 3 or Ken Waldman & Fiddlers 5 or go back to the title Ken Waldman & Fiddle Summit--who are all local or regional (with national and international stature). He has a vast network of musicians he can call.