Ethan's fiddling combines expressive subtlety, playfulness, and compelling rhythmic power born out of more than two decades of experience as a dance musician. A versatile and inspiring performer, Ethan is equally at home digging into an Irish, Quebecois, or New England fiddle tune, improvising on a classic blues, swing, or honky-tonk song, or interpreting a lyrical waltz or English Country Dance melody.
Based in Brattleboro, Vermont, Ethan tours extensively throughout the U.S. and abroad, playing for dances, festivals, camps, concerts, weddings, and other events with his bands Elixir and The Figments. He performs closer to home with honky-tonk band The Rear Defrosters. Ethan is also an avid composer of tunes in traditional styles, and his compositions and arrangements have been played and recorded widely.
Jan 12, 2024to Jan 14, 2024 | Contra CarnivaleSan Luis Obispo, CAwith Elixirwith THE SYNCOPATHS (Aslhey Hoyer, Christa Burch, Ryan McKasson, and Jeff Spero), ELOISE & CO. (Becy Tracy, Rachel Bell, and Bethany Waickman), Cis Hinkle and Susan Petrick |
Sep 13, 2024to Sep 15, 2024 | Echo Summit Dance CampJesse Edgerton and Wendy Graham (calling), The Figments (Anna Patton, Ethan Hazzard-Watkins and Owen Morrison) and Toss the Possum (Laura Zisette, Rob Zisette and Ed Butler) |
Jan 24, 2025to Jan 26, 2025 | SnowBallGulfport, FL United Stateswith Elixir |
To order Elixir CDs please visit the Elixir store.
Selected traditional and original material arranged to highlight the diverse musical ideas that grow out of the New England contra dance tradition. Ethan’s solo CD moves gracefully between high energy jigs and reels, contemplative airs, and lovely waltzes, flirting with musical ideas drawn from a wide range of styles. Recorded and Mixed by Bob Mills in Guilford, VT.
Anna Patton (clarinet), Bob Mills (guitar & bouzouki), Chuck Corman (bass), Erica Morse (cello & bass) Elvie Miller (piano & accordion), Jesse Hazzard-Watkins (trumpet), lydia ievins (fiddle), Marko Packard (guitar & sax), Naomi Morse (fiddle & viola), Peter Siegel (guitar, mandolin, banjo, & feet), Roger Kahle (guitar), Seth Houston (piano).
Ethan's collection of original tunes, published in 2007, is no longer available in print. You can download a complete PDF of the book or find some individual highlights and more recent compositions below.