What’s the difference between a violin and a fiddle? Nothing, really, except maybe an approach to playing it and the musical style. Fiddle is actually just a nickname for the violin, although any bowed string instrument can be called a fiddle (or so Wikipedia tells me). But most of the time, a fiddle is a violin. Just played in a different style.
Personally, I think it goes deeper than that. History records the violin as reaching its modern form during the Italian Renaissance but bowed stringed instruments can be found in many cultures throughout the earth, and many are quite ancient. The sound of a bow moving across tightly stretched strings has been a part of human consciousness for untold generations and has traveled with us from caravans along the Silk Road to wagon trains across the American prairie.
On Saturday, April 7, this tradition comes home to Cloverdale for the 42nd Cloverdale Old Time Fiddle Festival. Held at the Cloverdale Citrus Fair from 8 a.m. to the awards presentation at 4:40 p.m., this event helps to preserve the tradition of American fiddle music with concerts by some fine fiddle music acts, such as Debby McClatchy, the Antioch Strolling Strings, the Haute Flash Quartet and the Road Oilers as well as a slow jam hosted by renowned bluegrass aficionado John Karsemeyer.
The tradition of fiddle contests, as immortalized in that ol’ Charlie Daniels’ song, is also an important part of the festival and features contestants from pee-wees to seniors competing in styles ranging from Texas to waltz to old-time. For more information, go to cloverdalefiddles.com.
The Cloverdale Arts Alliance’s THE Jazz Club helps kick off the fiddle theme on Thursday, April 5, presenting two-time Grammy-winning violinist Mads Tolling, with Dave MacNab. Tolling is a former member of the renowned Turtle Island String Quartet as well as the great Stanly Clarke’s group. He has led his own group, Mads Tolling Quartet, since 2007. Violin is a somewhat overlooked instrument in the jazz pantheon, so it’s good to see this event coinciding with the fiddle festival. Did I mention that Mads won two Grammys? It doesn’t get better than that.
The Blues Session at the Arts Alliance continues on Saturday, April 14, with local cats The Blue Lights performing electric and eclectic blues and funk and R&B. You never know what new songs they may bust out.
Thursday, April 19, Americana Night at the Arts Alliance will present the Coffis Brothers and the Mountain Men. Brothers Jamie and Kellen Coffis are literally from the mountains, albeit the Santa Cruz mountains, and grew up playing and composing music in the musical cultural milieu of that region, which included bluegrass and country music as well as the country-influenced rock of Tom Petty and Neil Young.
Listening to the selections on their website reveals that they also listened to, or at least absorbed by osmosis, The Beatles and Buddy Holly. Lots of Buddy Holly. They describe themselves as a “rootsy rock n’ roll band” and feature the two brothers on guitars and keyboards and vocals as well as the Mountain Men — Kyle Poppen on lead guitar, Aidan Collins on bass and Sam Kellerman on drums. Should be rootsy, should be rockin.’
Arts Alliance shows start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets at the door, at the Arts Alliance or online at cloverdaleartsalliance.org.
Over at the Cloverdale Ale Company, aka Ruth McGowan’s Brew Pub, the new tradition of music on the second Thursday of the month continues with resident groove-meisters Big Blue House playing groove jazz, blues and funk. Members of the Blue Lights form this new Cloverdale group and will be playing April 12 from 6 to 9 p.m., laying it down in styles ranging from Latin bossa nova to swingin’ blues to get-down funk. All instrumental (so far), they really stretch out but keep it in the pocket. No cover.
Other music at the Brew Pub wasn’t yet listed on the schedule, as of this writing, so be sure to stop in at 131 E. First Street and have a pint of one of their fabulous local ales and see who’s coming up.
Support Live Music in Cloverdale. Remember, they call it “playing” music, but it ain’t nothin’ but hard work, years of it, and having an appreciative, supportive audience is what makes it all worth it.
Paul Schneider lives and writes and plays music in Cloverdale and other Sonoma County venues. He can be reached at
ps************@gm***.com
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