Hawktail | Väsen

Hawktail

“Like the sounds of a forest or the symphony of the sea, Hawktail’s music has an organic quality—the sounds grow together in perfect harmony.” – Folk Alley

Bluegrass supergroup, Hawktail, features fiddler Brittany Haas, bassist Paul Kowert, and guitarist Jordan Tice. Their all-original music is cohesive and unique, distinguishing them as an ensemble with a sound built from the ground up. Flush with orchestral sweeps and sparse vigils, with strains of the American South and the North Atlantic, this cosmopolitan sound is not what you’d expect from a string band. Each member of Hawktail brings a strong individuality to the group. Haas’s 2004 self-titled release instantly became the touchstone for a generation of old-time fiddlers. She has since lent her sound to Crooked Still, Live From Here, and Steve Martin. Haas also has been featured in David Rawlings’s band, where she played alongside Kowert—best known as the virtuosic bass player from the Grammy-winning Punch Brothers. Tice is a rare guitar player whose music showcases his unique identity and a particular knack for song and tune-writing. Something special happens when these musicians unite as Hawktail. Together they have fostered a reputation as a rare ensemble of composers and instrumentalists able to take the listener on a journey without the use of words.

Väsen

“A fantasia of pizzicato viola, nyckelharpa harmonics, and twelve-string melodicism…this was quiet, shapely majesty in a set overflowing with magic, musicality, wit, and whatever the Swedish might be for bonhomie.” – Tradfest Review (Edinburgh)

Swedish folk masters Mikael Marin and Olov Johansson have created their very own musical language – intense and full of humor, modern as it is ancient – with a foundation firmly rooted in the traditional music of Uppland. After almost 40 years of interaction and touring, the pair has refined their sound and their stage presence to the extent that today they are unique in their kind. With a playful and perfect interplay, they seem to defy the laws of physics in what appears to be a telepathic communication. When they met at Oktoberstämman in Uppsala in 1983, Olov and Micke discovered that they had a large common repertoire and a similar way of playing. They released their first recording, “Det rister i Örat,” in 1985. Today they go on adventures among old fine musicians, stories, and trad tunes, and at the same time they continue to break new ground. Their new album “Melliken” was released in March 2023. The pair perform on a variety of stringed instruments, including kontrabasharpa, oktavharpa, three-rowed nyckelharpa, violoncello da spalla, and a blue electric base-viola.