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.
Sep 7, 2018at 8:00 pm | Rear Defrosters @ The Stone ChurchThe Stone Church 210 Main St, Brattleboro, VT 05301, United Stateswith Elixirwww.facebook.com/events/1355870321223769 |
Sep 8, 2018at 6:00 pm | Rear Defrosters @ Glendale Ridge WineryGlendale Ridge Winery, Southampton, MAwith Elixir |
Sep 21, 2018to Sep 22, 2018 | Contrashock 2018Brooklyn Waldorf School 11 Jefferson Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238with ElixirWith Nils Fredland and Will Mentor calling, music by Elixir and Wake Up Robin! Friday 9/21: 7:30 PM Contra Dance Lesson 8-11:00 PM Contra Dance Saturday 9/22: 2:15-5:30 PM Challenging Contras 7:00 PM Contra Dance Lesson 7:30-10:45 PM Contra Dance |
Sep 23, 2018at 1:00 pm | Contrastock VIIISpanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park, Glen Echo, MDwith ElixirAnother great Contrastock party! With Elixir, Maivish, Wake Up Robin, Nils Fredland, Will Mentor, and Susan Michaels |
Oct 5, 2018at 8:00 pm | Mostly Waltz GreenfieldGuiding Star Grange, 401 Chapman St, Greenfield, MAwith ElixirThe Figments: Ethan Hazzard-Watkins (fiddle), Anna Patton (clarinet), Owen Morrison (guitar) |
Oct 6, 2018at 8:00 pm | Montpelier Contra DanceCapital City Grange, Montpelier, VTwith Elixir |
Nov 2, 2018to Nov 4, 2018 | Foggy Moon Dance WeekendMonterey, CA United Stateswith Elixir |
Jan 18, 2019to Jan 20, 2019 | Contra CarnivaleSan Luis Obispo, CAwith Elixirwith Nils Fredland calling and playing trombone! |
Jan 25, 2019at 8:00 pm | Greenfield Contra Dance401 Chapman St, Greenfield, MAwith Elixir |
Jan 26, 2019at 3:00 pm | Snow BallPeterborough, NHwith Elixir |
Feb 22, 2019at 8:00 pm | Rear Defrosters - Johnny Cash Birthday BashThe Stone Church 210 Main St, Brattleboro, VT 05301, United Stateswith Elixir |
Feb 23, 2019at 7:30 pm | Emma and the Sweet Pea Pickers Benefit Concert and DanceRebop Farm, 1320 Sunset Lake Rd. Brattleboro, VTwith ElixirAn evening of swingy music and dancing on the hill, provided by the endlessly charming Emma Schneider, Arthur Davis, Anna Patton, Ethan Hazzard-Watkins, and Guillaume Sparrow Pepin. All proceeds benefit the NOFA farm share program. Your contribution will help subsidize CSA shares for lower-income neighbors. See: nofavt.org/farmshare |
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.