Ethan's Bio
Fiddler Ethan Hazzard-Watkins performs traditional and original music with infectious energy, passion and grace. His fiery, lyrical fiddling fuses elements of Irish, French Canadian and New England styles, along with influences from swing, blues and classical music. Based in Brattleboro, VT, Ethan tours extensively with bands such as Elixir, the Figments, Beeswax Sheepskin, and other combinations, performing inspired music for dancing and listening audiences throughout the US. Ethan is an avid composer of fiddle tunes in a variety of styles, and his compositions have been recorded, published and performed widely. He also works as a producer, helping facilitate the recording process for individuls and bands, and assisting with the creation of excellent recordings.
Ethan grew up in Amherst, MA, the quintessential New England college town. He was exposed to traditional music from an early age, listening as he slept to the sounds of his parents' contra dance band rehearsals, and getting carried along as an infant to dances around Vermont and Massachusetts. In elementary school he started playing classical violin; under the expert tutelage of Van Kaynor he made the jump to fiddle in 10th grade. Shortly thereafter he began to play for Contra and English dances around Amherst. His first experience fiddling at a real live dance was as a sit-in with Swallowtail at the Munson Library; his first paying gig was with Ralph Sweet at his monthly dance. At age seventeen he composed his first fiddle tune (which you can find here, and in his tunebook).
When Ethan finished high school he made a quick escape from New England and headed off to Macalester College in St. Paul, MN. There he embarked on a course of study in Political Science and Biology and just about everything other than music. At the same time he became a member (and eventually student manager) of Flying Fingers, the college's traditional music ensemble. He continued to perform for contra dances and compose tunes, and started playing and listening to a lot more Irish music.
After graduating from Macalester in 2001 Ethan headed off for a two month tour with his good friends Megan, Lia and Sara. They performed as "The Barefoot Four" in schools, pubs, Camphill communities, and on random street corners in Ireland, the U.K. and continental Europe. He enjoyed the trip so much that he decided to shun gainful employment in a field related to his educational experience and focus instead on life as a musician.
In 2002 Ethan moved to Boston, and soon after that he met a nice clarinetist from Vermont who convinced him to move to the Green Mountain State. He now lives with his partner and musical co-conspirator Anna Patton (the clarinetist) in Brattleboro, where they are surrounded by a thriving musical community and a lot of farmers and elementary school teachers. Enmeshed in this scene he's been influenced by Brattleboro fiddlers Mary Lea, Becky Tracy, Naomi Morse and Lissa Schneckenburger as well as countless other local musicians; by the strong presence of French Canadian music in Vermont; and by the Patton family's hereditary passion for old swing and jazz. Building on his earlier study of New England and Irish styles, Ethan's fiddling has evolved a unique blend of playful improvisation, strong rhythmic drive, and fluid lyricism. In recent years he has made English Country Dance music an intergral part of his repertoire, developed an interest in classic swing dance tunes, and continued to compose and arrange music in a variety of styles.
Besides his work as a musician, composer, and producer, Ethan also helps to organize dances in Brattleboro and Greenfield, and he serves on the Brattleboro Dawn Dance Committee and the Board of Youth Dance Weekend. From April 2008 to 2009 Ethan worked as Youth Projects Intern for the Country Dance and Song Society; in September of 2009 Max Newman took over that position. When not doing any of that Ethan spends his time gardening, hiking, enjoying the bounty of local food in Vermont, sitting by the wood stove, and seeking out euphoric espresso experiences wherever possible.