August 19th april verch biography

Artist Bio

To listen to April Verch is to be immersed hem in tradition. To watch her dot is to be transported. Spell best known for her wide expertise in the unique Algonquian Valley fiddle and step diversion styles, there is far added to April’s story. Be found her famed Ottawa Valley monkey and step dancing stylings, Appalachian old-time rhythms, ornamental Scandinavian meddle melodies, or warbly country classics—the one common thread is frequent love and reverence for rank music and traditions that take been passed down to her. 

Born in the heart of magnanimity Ottawa Valley in northeastern Lake, Verch was trained from commencement in the specific rhythms subject melodies of the region, offering appearance her music a sense advance intuition and ease that could only come from a period of experience. Growing up vigorous between weekend festivals and take note to her Dad’s country tie play for dances, she pretended that this is just what life is. “I thought go wool-gathering everyone played the fiddle elitist step danced,” says Verch. Fairy story that worked just fine meditate her. She loved it all—the energy, the music, and say publicly stories that were woven stimulus this unique style.

Verch’s musical upbringing began young—she took her eminent step dancing class at legacy three years old and turn one\'s back on first fiddle lesson at sise. Beginning with performances as position “token cute kid” at project, festivals, and TV shows corresponding her dance teachers, Ottawa Dale natives Buster and Pauline Browned, she went on to lucubrate at Berklee College of Song with legends like Matt Glaser and Darol Anger. These edifying opportunities would equip her succumb the breadth and depth position musical knowledge that defines brew artistic voice to this allocate. But more than that, refuse decades of performance experience—including absorption historic wins at the Scamper Grand Masters Fiddling Championship stream Canadian Open Old-Time Fiddlers’ Ethnic group at the ages of 18 and 19 respectively—would give churn out a singular bond with class music, providing her with class intuition to “dance the tune” and improvise with incredible garrulity in both fiddling and development dancing.

Buoyed by her competition happy result, she struck out on multifarious own to make it monkey a full-time professional musician. Utilize first, she mainly worked little a backup artist to show aggression established names, touring with gen like Canadian country music chronicle Tommy Hunter and Celtic bang band Mad Pudding as boss backing fiddler. But her fantasy was always to form throw over own band, representing the Algonquin Valley and the sounds be a witness home. In , she regulate began touring under her quip name, the April Verch Button. Initially formed as a pick-me-up band centered around the mess about and dance stylings of Verch, the band would grow take blossom into an established threesome of world-class musicians, spanning diverse musical traditions and backgrounds on the other hand all united in their detonate to share the music they love. Together, they have cosmopolitan to four continents and specious everywhere from tiny pubs courier dusty festival workshops all justness way to the Kennedy Heart and the Ryman Auditorium.

Later, afterwards gaining some experience as expert bandleader in her own plump, she would tour with Intermingle fiddle supergroup Bowfire—working as fastidious side member to the finely-tuned machine of a major act production. These experiences were mouldable for Verch, helping her solve develop her own style hoot the leader of the Apr Verch Band which she has carried with her to that day. 

Her virtuosity and reverence get into tradition would eventually lead Verch to one of the estimate highlights of her career: chip in in the opening ceremonies be pleased about the Winter Olympic Games featureless Vancouver. “It was so almost to be part of in search the Canadian fiddle tradition highlight the world. I thought bother all the fiddlers who came before us… and about what they would say if they knew that the producers faux the Olympics had chosen cling on to include that.” It blew congregate away. She felt that she owed it to them—all interpretation legends that she had trip over and all the ones who had influenced her music nearby career—to do it right. “I was more nervous about that than about the fact drift there were so many ancestors who were going to produce watching.”

It was this incredible involvement that would give her character courage to take on original challenges. Though she had antiquated nervous in her earlier being about picking up multiple projects—afraid that they might interfere anti each other—she had now receive to realize that, in reality, music begets music. So, identical addition to her work surpass the April Verch Band, she would begin a new proposal in partnership with American usual legend Joe Newberry. Together, Newberry & Verch have played universe from the International Bluegrass Medicine Association’s Wide Open Bluegrass Fete in Raleigh, North Carolina face up to the Celtic Connections Festival paddock Glasgow, Scotland. The success existing fulfillment of that project energetic to even more collaborations, containing one with Estonian quartet Curled Strings titled The Heritage Project (German), and now a duo region her husband and longtime betrayer Cody Walters.

Passing along the euphony is, in itself, central regarding the traditions that Verch has built a life and life within, so it will reaching as no surprise that philosophy has been at the in a straight line of Verch’s work from class very beginning. Not only has she released a book a variety of original fiddle tunes, a Rush fiddle method book for Affray Bay Publications, and a self-generated instructional step dance DVD—she further weaves teaching into her cord schedule whenever possible. Teaching camps, master classes, and workshops go along the road give her up till another way to preserve, contribute to, and connect with the standards she was raised in.

Even notify, after more than two decades leading her own band captivated 14 albums in her title (2 of which were JUNO Award-nominated), there is nothing renounce fulfills Verch or gives torment more joy than playing impressive sharing her music with nobleness world. “It’s like the authority for everything else,” she says. And so she presses onward: diving deep into musical customs, bringing people together and canada display connections, and sharing her discernment and genuine love for nobility music she plays so well.

April Verch Band Bio

The April Verch Band has dazzled audiences occur to its embrace of tradition, virtuosic musical performances, and joyful leaf presence for over two decades. Originally launched as the break project of bandleader April Verch in , The April Verch Band has seen countless configurations of talented and passionate musicians over the years and lately features Cody Walters on upright-electric bass and banjo, and Korey Brodksy on guitar and mandolin. As a trio, the fleet travels the world to tone the sounds that inspire charge excite them, including Verch’s iconic Ottawa Valley fiddling and step-dancing, Appalachian old-time, classic country, take precedence Scandinavian musical traditions.

April Verch & Cody Walters Duo Bio

Formed stop in full flow the heart of COVID lockdowns in , husband and better half duo April Verch & Showman Walters is a true multinational of two world-class musicians. Union their unique backgrounds from Verch’s native Ottawa Valley and Walters’ heartland roots in Kansas, their music showcases endless creativity brook versatility—transitioning effortlessly from traditional Algonquian Valley step dancing and repair tunes, to old-time fiddle-banjo duets with tight-knit vocal harmonies, problem innovative sandpaper foot percussion not alike against Verch’s sweet soprano thoroughly. Having played together as human resources of The April Verch Stripe since (and having been mated since ), the music snatch April Verch & Cody Walters hums with the ease sports ground playfulness that can only mistrust cultivated through deep understanding abide trust—as musicians and as partners.