Brittany Haas and Lauren Rioux - Bio

	Two fiddlers from widely respected bands (Brittany Haas of Crooked Still, and Lauren Rioux from Darol Anger’s Republic of Strings) are joining forces. As a duo, the women bring their extensive knowledge of Appalachian music and experience of being at the forefront of the contemporary string band scene, as well as the strength and depth of seasoned performers. Their music is steeped in groove, emotion-filled and harmonically progressive. The joy they share on stage as they weave and dance through duets on their instruments and vocals is palpable among audiences.
Lauren Rioux fiddles from the heart with soul and joy. This, in combination with her warm tone, elegantly expressive phrasing, and playful style, leads her to create music that artfully explores themes of both heartache and hope. With her debut album, All the Brighter, Lauren presents a beautiful collection of melodies that embrace and celebrate the richness of life. Rooted in the old-time tradition, and drawing inspiration from a wide swath of musicians, from Sam Cooke to Hillary Hahn, her music is at once timeless and fresh. Lauren performs regularly with Darol Anger, Scott Law, and Mike Block in the band Republic of Strings, and Scott Nygaard and Joe Walsh in Crow Molly. She also tours with fellow fiddler and All the Brighter producer Brittany Haas of Crooked Still. She has shared the stage with Bruce Molsky, Tim O'Brien, Mike Marshall, Vasen, Laurie Lewis, Natalie Haas and others at such festivals as Wintergrass, Delfest, Rockygrass, and Celtic Connections. In addition to her prowess as a performer, Lauren is enthusiastically sought out for her teaching expertise, and leads classes and workshops across the country. She also maintains a very active private studio in her home state, Maine, through which she teaches a delightfully rowdy group of over thirty violinists, violists, and fiddlers ranging in age from 5 to 70. "A versatile, soulful fiddler and vocalist, ...Lauren is...powered by the Right Stuff: an irresistible sense of fun, and her endearing radiation of the pure joy of making music. " -Darol Anger From reviews of All the Brighter: "'All the Brighter' is a well-mixed and well-produced CD with an old-time feel, but also a sense of nowness. Rioux stands firmly on the string music map, and with 'All the Brighter,' she'll continue to divide and conquer. Nicely done." -- The Portland Press Herald "Rioux's voice is light and airy, convey[ing] a quiet strength like the best of Abigail Washburn's work. She truly nails the vocals on 'Wildwood Flower,' and the arrangement... makes for a spare and powerful piece." -- The Portland Phoenix "This is an intimate album, where you sometimes feel like you're listening in on a family dinner conversation or a party with close friends, and that's most of why it succeeds so well." -- The Portland Phoenix
Brittany Haas is a 5-string fiddle player from the Bay Area, currently residing in Nashville. 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 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. She recently recorded a soon-to-be-released project with hardanger fiddler and composer Dan Trueman featuring their own original music. She also plays in a fiddle duo with Lauren Rioux and an all-girl indie old-time band called The Fundies. "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." -- Bruce Molsky "...a major fiddling talent has emerged." -- Mark O'Connor "She can shove the whole room around with her fiddle." -- Danny Barnes "A joy to listen to...” -- Alasdair Fraser "There's no one I'd rather listen to play the violin than Brittany Haas – her playing just slays me." -- Matt Glaser "Britt opens the window, gets out of the way, and the music floods through in a tide of joy." -- Darol Anger