Brittany Haas (5-string fiddle) and Nic Gareiss (step dance)
BRITTANY HAAS http://brittanyhaas.com/ California-born Brittany Haas is widely regarded as one of the most influential fiddlers of her generation. She grew up honing her craft in fiddle camps nationwide, and came to her unique sound through the old-time fiddling of Bruce Molsky and the innovative stylings of Darol Anger. A prodigious youth, she began touring with Darol's Republic of Strings at the age of 14. She simultaneously studied baboons in the evolutionary biology department of Princeton University (and minoring in music performance, composing with professor Dan Trueman) and joined seminal chamber-grass band Crooked Still. She has toured with them since, and also performed with Yonder Mountain String Band, Tony Trischka, Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas (her cellist sister), Abigail Washburn, and The Waybacks. She played her fiddle on Steve Martin's Grammy Award-winning CD, "The Crow," and performed in his band on Letterman and SNL. She released her debut self-titled solo album at 17, produced by Darol Anger and featuring Bruce Molsky, Mike Marshall, Alison Brown and others. Currently residing in Nashville, she is the co-leader of the Brittany Haas/Dan Trueman band who released their debut record "CrissCross" in 2011. She also plays in a fiddle duo with Lauren Rioux, an all-girl indie old-time band called The Fundies, "4tet" with Cleek Schrey (hardanger fiddle/pump organ), Jordan Tice (guitar) and Nic Gareiss (percussive dance), a trio with Jordan Tice and Paul Kowert (bassist in the Punch Brothers), and a duo with Kai Welch. "So here is a real roots musician in the most modern sense--Brittany Haas fiddles from a very deep and personal place, the way she feels it, the way she wants to hear it, with seemingly infinite facility, and a spirit that's simply uplifting." -- … Read More »