April
Verch is a champion Canadian fiddler, stepdancer and singer bringing
together Celtic, jazz, folk and bluegrass influences. “Her style, technique
and sheer virtuosity rivals anyone who’s ever held a bow,” raved Vintage
Guitar Magazine. “Verch brings a unique mix of old-fashioned and modern
sensibilities to make every song special.”
April hails from Ontario’s Ottawa Valley, a place steeped in cultural
history, including a musical style and stepdancing heritage influenced by
early French, Irish, Scottish, Polish and German settlers. April has
established herself as a modern pioneer of this tradition, emerging as one
of the top female artists in the roots music genre. She has built a
repertoire rich in original tunes influenced deeply by the treasure chest of
music passed down through the generations. Her fiddling and stepdancing
styles were shaped by the diverse roots of the immigrants drawn to the
region’s lumber camps in the mid-1800s.
April knew as a young girl that she wanted to play fiddle and dance for a
living, and by the time she finished high school, she had recorded her first
two self-released albums and was touring full time. She studied at Boston’s
Berklee College of Music and simultaneously captured two fiddling
championships -- Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Champion and Canadian Open
Fiddle Champion. Between 2001 and 2006, April recorded three albums with
Rounder Records, working with Bruce Molsky and Dirk Powell as producers on
the latter two.
In addition to her fiddle virtuosity and remarkable stepdancing, April has
become a soulful songstress, using her ethereal vocals to draw listeners
into her wistful and evocative lyrics.
The April Verch Band, with April at the helm on the fiddle, delivers richly
textured phrasing on traditional roots tunes, bluegrass and newgrass
melodies, jazz-influenced compositions, and country music. When April trades
her fiddling for the rhythmic art of stepdancing, the band takes on the
sound of the old lumber camp halls where those without instruments created
rhythms with their feet. The metal taps on April’s shoes generate
exhilarating cadences that enhance her traditional Ottawa Valley
arrangements. It’s even more impressive when April continues playing
intricate rifts on her fiddle while dancing the rhythmic pulse that drives
the tune. The effect on the audience is often nothing short of electrifying.
April’s newest recording, Steal the Blue, showcases her engaging
vocals, drawing continued comparisons to Alison Krauss. In reviewing the
record, Popmatters called April“a master of subtlety and
precision. She doesn’t over-sing, or over-play, although it’s plain she
could easily do both.”
