Tall Poppy String Band / Northern Resonance Spring Tour 2024
Tall Poppy String Band and Northern Resonance are kindred spirit string trios at the forefront of their respective fields, deeply informed by American Old Time and Swedish music traditions while bringing together new instrument combinations and approaches to add to the canon of tradition. Like the Appalachian mountains of the US and the Scandinavian Mountains of Sweden, which were once connected before continental drift, there’s a musical throughline that connects the historic string band music of Sweden and the string band music that emerged in the US with the convergence of European and African influences. Together, these bands present a musical journey across geography, modality, and dance forms, connecting the music of Sweden, America, and beyond and then performing together to reconnect the old continents once again through music.
Northern Resonance is the Scandinavian string trio that takes newly composed folk music into enormous soundscapes. With their previously untested combination of instruments; viola d’amore, Hardanger fiddle, and nyckelharpa, they let Scandinavian music meet explosive rhythms and grand chamber-like arrangements that take folk music in a new direction. All members are highly skilled and accomplished musicians rooted in traditional music. With an intense musical connection that is rare to come across, they invite you into their world of compositions. There is great life in their tunes, and the trio knows how to bring it out.
With their debut album that was released in the autumn of 2020, Northern Resonance have already established themselves with a glorious sound. The album was nominated for a Swedish Grammy and the trio is going to release their upcoming album in 2024.
“With their close interplay, the trio moves effortlessly outside the soundscape of the tradition but moves just as easily within it. The instrument’s many resonance strings become the trio's musical bloodstream that is effervescent with both detail and boundlessness. It pulsates with the feeling of home as well as a desire to discover new land.” — Lira Music Magazine
Tall Poppy String Band is an Old Time trio featuring fiddler and 2022 International Bluegrass Music Association’s Momentum Instrumentalist of the year George Jackson, guitarist Morgan Harris, and banjoist Cameron DeWhitt. Drawing from the deep well of American string band music, Tall Poppy String Band approaches tradition with playful curiosity; each performance more a discussion than a statement. Whether they’re chasing the elusive downbeat of a source recording, playing with the pronouns in a bluegrass standard, or challenging the assumed roles of their instruments, Tall Poppy String Band endeavors to prove that tradition is still being written.
Their debut, self titled album was released in 2022. “Intermittently majestic and mournful, the breadth of the album’s emotional palette is wide.” — Country Queer
“Just as it is a joy to listen to and watch this trio play music, it is also a pleasure to watch them interact. The fun they have together enhances the deeply collaborative and respectful nature of their overall style. I truly look forward to seeing this album make its way into the world, and to the future endeavors of Tall Poppy String Band.” — Folk Works