MARIEL VANDERSTEEL
Hickory
Mariel Vandersteel

www.marielvandersteel.com
 

Mariel Vandersteel is a young fiddler who grew up in California. She attended a number of music camps which nurtured her old-time abilities. But at the same time she was exposed to the wonders of Norwegian Hardanger fiddle music. She moved to Boston, attended the Berklee College of Music and after graduation moved to Norway to continue her musical studies there.

Upon her return to the US she began playing with Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers, an ensemble that explores the musical connections between the US and Scandinavia.

Hickory is her first solo recording and is evenly divided between Appalachian and Nordic inspired tunes. She is joined by some of the finest young acoustic players from the New England area. Jordan Tice offers strong guitar accompaniment, fiddlers Tristan Clarridge and Duncan Wickel provide lush ensemble playing with Mariel. Also featured on the CD are bassist Sam Grisman, mandolinist Dominick Leslie and harper Maeve Gilchrist.

My favorite selection is “Sitting on the Ridge” a tune written by Mariel on a warm day at a music festival as she peered down on all the activity below.

It would be easy to lump Mariel Vandersteel in with many other young fiddlers but the maturity of her playing and the fusion of two great styles places her in a wholly different category.

— Tom Druckenmiller