Internationally renowned Canadian fiddler, singer, songwriter and stepdancer, April Verch is returning to Shetland with her high-energy performances having last appeared at the Festival back in 2004. Now in the second decade of her career, April Verch has never sounded more comfortable in her skin than she does now.
Her ninth album, Bright Like Gold, captures a woman who’s fleshed out her identity and is in full command of her gifts. With a massive and impressive range of material, the album demonstrates her fluency in folk traditions – the Canadian ones she was born in to and the American ones she later found her way to.
April started performing at a very early age and became the first woman in history to win both of Canada’s most prestigious fiddle championships, the Grand Masters and Canadian Open. In 2010, she was asked to represent her country’s music at the opening ceremonies for the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.
With an overwhelming desire to share music, she’s among the most in-demand performers in roots music today. The April Verch Band consists of April at the helm rounded out by bassist and clawhammer banjo player Cody Walters and guitarist Hayes Griffin. Together they are an energetic, virtuosic, tradition-celebrating outfit who have toured across Canada, the United States, the U.K. Europe, Australia and China.
Welcome back April!
She’s so fluent in the language of music that she never needs to imitate……..She hears the heart of it and lets that become part of her core. April’s just got that, man; she’s always speaking the language for real. She is a rare mix of all the technique and super-flashy things, along with the deep soul and tradition that comes from having grown up with the music.
Dirk Powell
Find out more at aprilverch.com.
