The April Verch Band
w/special guests
Rogers Hall
4th and High Street, Lyons,
CO
Doors 7pm / Show 8pm
Born, raised and now living in Pembroke, Ontario, where her family has lived for generations, April Verch grew up in an area with a rich, distinctive musical and stepdancing tradition shaped by the diverse roots of the immigrants drawn to the region’s lumber camps. She began taking stepdancing lessons when she was three, but right from the start, she was drawn to the fiddle, too-though her parents made her wait for three years before giving her a fiddle for her sixth birthday. “By the time I was ten,” April recalls, “that was it-I knew I wanted to play fiddle and dance for a living. I just wasn’t sure how I could do it.”
 
Her talents in both arenas quickly became evident, as she began winning fiddle and dance contests on her own. By the time she finished high school, she had recorded her first two self-released albums (Springtime in 1992, Fiddle Talk in 1995) and was touring full time, as well as teaching at fiddle camps, always integrating dance and fiddling into a seamless, dynamic whole. Offered a job with a leading fiddle ensemble after graduation, she opted instead to attend Boston’s Berklee College of Music, where she was exposed to-and quickly mastered-an array of musical styles. At the same time, she capped her fiddle contest career with a pair of impressive wins, earning the titles of Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Champion and Canadian Open Fiddle Champion.
Indeed, her success-and her determination to pursue music for a living-were such that April left Berklee after a year. “I only had enough money to get a two year diploma,” she says with a laugh, “and I knew that if I did that, I’d be starting out with nothing but loans. So I decided to take the money I had saved for my second year and use it to start my career.”
By the time she reached her early 20s, she had matured into a self-assured, vibrant performer, and was picked up by Rounder Records, one of the most prestigious independent record labels in the US. She released Verchuosity (2001) upon signing with Rounder Records, followed by Where I Stand (2003), produced by old-time music favorite Bruce Molsky — adding a new dimension to her music, making her singing debut on songs like the Carter Family favorite, “I’ll Be All Smiles Tonight.” Roots music master Dirk Powell produced the next album, Take Me Back (2006), with a new emphasis on songs and arrangements with broader and roots-leaning appeal.
Now with her first independent release since high school, Steal The Blue, (Slab Town Records) April offers compelling proof of her continuing development; with songs that range from bluegrass to newgrass, with flourishes of jazz and melodic old-timey music – anchored by her touring band and the voices and songs of some of roots music’s most revered artists.
“I was in a really comfortable place in my career when it was time to record again,” said April said in a recent interview. “I decided that what I really wanted to do was make an album that just represents what I’m into right now, what I would want to put in my CD player…I’ve always listened to a variety of styles of music, but my tastes continue to grow and evolve as time goes on, and I wanted to reflect that in this project.”
Tickets will be available on-line and at the Stone Cup in Lyons approximately one month before the show date. |
