Latest additions
Fiddlers’ Sons welcomes new band member, performs music from new CD during Close to the Ground concert series at the Ceilidh Hall on Thursdays
Once again Fiddlers Sons’ is hosting the Close to the Ground concert series at the Kaylee Hall on Thursday nights this summer.
And the roots traditional band is enthusiastic about the new additions it’s sharing with concertgoers.
The first addition is “Red Rock Run,” Fiddlers’ Sons’ latest CD, recorded and produced by Jon Matthews at Sound Mill Studio in Emyvale, this past winter.
“Now that it’s finished, I feel it’s a really accurate representation of the band live. It’s what you would hear if you came to the Kaylee Hall on Thursday nights,” says Eddy Quinn, front man for the band that is holding a meet-and-greet CD signing at the RCAF Wing, 329 North Market St. in Summerside, today at 8 p.m.
The 14-track CD consists of traditional fiddle tunes and songs as well as new compositions by John B. Webster, Clara Vanderaa, the late Garth Matthews, Allan Betts and Quinn.
The second addition is Keelin Wedge, who has joined the band.
“Keelin is just the right fit for Fiddlers’ Sons. As a multi-instrumentalist she brings a lot of versatility to the band because she plays the guitar, bass and fiddle and sings like an angel,” says Quinn of Wedge who joins John B. Webster, guitar, Courtney Stage Door Hogan-Chandler, and him on stage.
She also has a winning personality.
“Keelin is a very down to earth person with an immense talent. She mixes well with the band members and the people in the audience love her,” says Quinn, adding Wedge fills the enormous shoes left by Mat- Members of Fiddlers Sons’ appear in a handout photo. From the left are John B. Webster, Courtney Hogan-Chandler, Eddy Quinn and Keelin Wedge. The band’s new CD, “Red Rock Run” is dedicated to the memory of late band member Garth Matthews. thews, the group’s bass player who died earlier this year.
Although gone, the founding member’s memory is very much alive.
“Everyone’s missing Garth but when we return to places to play in the summer, we’re bumping into people and they’re sharing their favourite stories of him performing with us,” says Quinn, adding the new CD is dedicated to Matthew’s memory.
“Garth will always be part of our music no matter what because of the way he’s influenced us over the years.”
The addition of a new member also inspired Quinn to write a new song.
“People like to hear Keelin singing, we thought we’d showcase all her strengths. So as well as playing bass, fiddle and guitar on the album we have her singing a solo number on the CD that we sometimes perform as a duet in the shows.”
Entitled “It’s Still Me” it was inspired by a story about a woman and her estranged husband who reunited after he went into palliative care.
“People part for different reasons. Nowadays it seems pretty common, but I wondered how common it was when, in time of crisis, people came back together in spite of their differences.
“I thought it was pretty uncommon when I wrote the song. But, now we’ve been performing it the last few weeks, I realize that it’s more common than I Eddy Quinn holds a copy of Fiddlers’ Sons new CD, “Red Rock Run”. A meet and greet CD signing will take place today at the RCAF Wing in Summerside at 8 p.m.
Copies of “Red Rock Run” are available at Fiddlers’ Sons’ concerts, R.J.’s County Store, Baldwin’s Road, Back Alley Music, Charlottetown, Rice’s Garage in Cardigan and other places where local music is sold.
Following today’s CD signing event at the RCAF Wing in Summerside, 8 p.m., Eddy Quinn’s other band, Old Habits will play a dance from 9:30-1:30 p.m. Sally Cole is an entertainment writer with The Guardian. She welcomes comments about her column as well as suggestions for future columns from readers. She may be reached at scole@theguardian.pe.ca or by phone at 902-629-6000, ext. 6054.