The Fretless is a group with a new approach to folk music that is quickly gaining acclaim around the world.
The Campbell River-based Otter’s Holt House Concert Series will present the award-winning group, The Fretless, on Thursday, April at 7 p.m.
Group members include Comox Valley’s Trent Freeman – fiddle, viola; Karrnnel Sawitsky – fiddle, viola; Eric Wright – cello, and special guest Ben Plotnick – fiddle, guitar, viola, composer and arranger.
This unique band is taking string music to fascinating places as it transforms fiddle tunes and folk melodies into intricate, beautiful, high-energy arrangements. Musically, the goals of the group are to expand the rhythmic, harmonic and structured arrangement style of the many folk genres they play using only string instruments. There are countless fiddle styles across Canada and around the globe that have been stagnating over time, and The Fretless is working to incorporate a new approach and a new audience. As a band, all four members have come from very different traditional and contemporary backgrounds, and are influenced by a vast array of art. However they are unified in their goal to continually develop their amalgamated sound in order to push traditional music as far as possible.
The concert takes the format of Merville’s Gardener’s Green house concert series – two 45-minute sets with an intermission in between and all proceeds going to the performers.
For complete information (ticket availability, location, and directions) contact Barbara or David Denz at 250 923-6361 or barbaradenz@gmail.com. They live about half way between Campbell River and Courtenay.
For a taste of what they sound like: http://www.thefretless.com/#!music/c1t44
