Fiddler April Verch is going to raise the roof at the Big Yellow Merville hall on Saturday, March 12.
Best known for playing traditional fiddle styles from her native Ottawa Valley, Verch’s performances extend into old-time American and Appalachian styles and beyond, for a well-rounded tour-de-force of North Americana sounds. She tours with world-class musicians as a trio, featuring acoustic guitar, mandolin, bass and clawhammer banjo.
Verch, a fiddler, singer, step-dancer and songwriter, grew up living and breathing roots music and she knows how relevant an old tune can be. At the heart of her shows lie Verch’s delicate voice, energetic foot percussion, and shimmering fiddle-work. One might suspect an artist with as many talents as Verch would pause to take a breath, or need to somewhat compartmentalize her skills during a live show. But on stage, Verch is almost superhuman, flawlessly intertwining and overlapping different performance elements. She step-dances while fiddling. She sings while step-dancing. Sometimes she sings, steps and fiddles all at once, with apparent ease and precision. Verch is a triple threat in performance, her live show a beautiful companion to her music: versatile, robust, and masterfully executed.
On tour to promote her 10th album, The Newpart, Verch, with producer Casey Driessen, digs deep into songs and tunes from the era before the often-mined mid-century heyday of bluegrass and folk, harkening back to vaudeville and beyond.
“These songs don’t need to be revived,” said Verch. “They are timeless. They are still very much alive and relevant.”
Doors open 7 p.m. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 adult/$10 youth, on sale at Blue Heron Books in Comox and Long & McQuade in Courtenay. FMI: Craig 339-4249 or: www.aprilverch.com