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Ethan Hazzard-Watkins fiddler

Fiddler Ethan Hazzard-Watkins performs traditional and original music with infectious energy, passion, and grace.

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.

gig calendar

Jun 17, 2021at 8:00 pmRear Defrosters at NOVA48 Emerald St
Keene, NH, United Stateswith Elixir
Jun 26, 2021at 5:00 pmRear Defrosters at Bunker FarmThe Bunker Farm
857 Bunker Rd, East Dummerston, VT 05346, United Stateswith Elixir
Jul 16, 2021to Jul 18, 2021Swing into SummerPinewoods Camp
80 Cornish Field Rd, Plymouth, MA 02360, United Stateswith Elixir
Aug 19, 2021at 8:00 pmRear Defrosters at NOVA48 Emerald St
Keene, NH, United Stateswith Elixir
Sep 16, 2021at 8:00 pmRear Defrosters at NOVA48 Emerald St Keene, NH, United Stateswith Elixir
Sep 25, 2021at 5:00 pmRear Defrosters @ Chesterfield, NH Lantern Supper535 Old Chesterfield Rd
Chesterfield, NH, United Stateswith Elixir
Oct 21, 2021at 8:00 pmRear Defrosters at NOVA48 Emerald St Keene, NH, United Stateswith Elixir
Dec 16, 2021at 6:00 pmRear Defrosters @ NOVA48 Emerald St Keene, NH, United Stateswith Elixir
Mar 24, 2022at 8:00 pmRear Defrosters at NOVA48 Emerald St
Keene, NH, United Stateswith Elixir
Apr 28, 2022at 8:00 pmRear Defrosters at NOVA48 Emerald St
Keene, NH, United Stateswith Elixir
May 26, 2022at 8:00 pmRear Defrosters @ NOVA48 Emerald St Keene, NH, United Stateswith Elixir
Jun 16, 2022at 5:00 pmRear Defrosters @ Retreat Farm Food Truck Roundup
Jun 17, 2022to Jun 19, 2022Swing into SummerPinewoods Camp
80 Cornish Field Rd, Plymouth, MA 02360, United Stateswith Elixir
Jun 23, 2022at 8:00 pmRear Defrosters at NOVA48 Emerald St Keene, NH, United Stateswith Elixir
Jul 22, 2022at 7:00 pmRear Defrosters @ Neon Rainbow Queer Honky Tonk & Gender Neutral Square DanceThe Bunker Farm
857 Bunker Rd, East Dummerston, VT 05346, United Stateswith Elixir
Aug 6, 2022to Aug 13, 2022American Dance and Music WeekPinewoods Camp, Plymouth, MAwith Elixir
Sep 15, 2022at 8:00 pmRear Defrosters @ NOVA Arts48 Emerald St
Keene, NH, United Stateswith Elixir
Oct 14, 2022at 8:00 pmContrashockChurch of St Paul & St Andrew United Methodist
263 W 86th St, New York, NY 10024, United Stateswith Elixir
Will Mentor (calling) and The Figments
Oct 15, 2022at 2:30 pmContrashockChurch of St Paul & St Andrew United Methodist
263 W 86th St, New York, NY 10024, United Stateswith Elixir
Will Mentor and Maia McCormick (calling), music by Rover Road and The Figments

2:00-5:30 PM Afternoon Advanced Contra
7:30-10:45 PM Contra Dance for All
Oct 16, 2022at 1:00 pmContrastockSpanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park, Glen Echo, MDwith ElixirWill Mentor, Gaye Fifer, Perry Shafran, The Figments, River Road, Blue Moon
Nov 17, 2022at 8:00 pmRear Defrosters @ NOVA Arts48 Emerald St
Keene, NH, United Stateswith Elixir
Dec 23, 2022at 7:30 pmRear Defrosters @ NOVA48 Emerald St
Keene, NH, United Stateswith Elixir
Opening for Sarah Lee Guthrie
Jan 6, 2023to Jan 8, 2023Florida dance weekendThe Dancing Fish of Lake Santa Fe, Melrose, FLwith ElixirMary Wesley (calling) and The Figments: Ethan Hazzard-Watkins (fiddle), Anna Patton (clarinet), Owen Morrison (guitar/foot percussion)

Friday 7-10 PM, Saturday 7-10 PM and Sunday Noon to 3 PM
Feb 17, 2023to Feb 19, 2023Corvallis Contra Dance WeekendCorvallis, ORwith Elixir
Mar 9, 2023at 8:00 pmRear Defrosters @ NOVA Arts48 Emerald St
Keene, NH, United Stateswith Elixir
Mar 17, 2023to Mar 19, 2023Spring Breakdown Dance WeekendJefferson City, MOwith Elixir
Mar 31, 2023to Apr 2, 2023Epicenter Dance WeekendThe Figments: Anna Patton (clarinet), Ethan Hazzard-Watkins (fiddle), Owen Morrison (guitar, foot percussion)
Apr 12, 2023at 8:00 pmRear Defrosters @ NOVA Arts48 Emerald St Keene, NH, United Stateswith Elixir
May 5, 2023at 7:00 pmNeon Rainbow at Brattleboro Gallery WalkElliot St, Brattleboro VTwith ElixirQueer honky tonk with the Rear Defrosters
Jun 15, 2023at 7:00 pmThe Guthrie Girls w/ the Rear Defrosters @ NOVA Arts48 Emerald St
Keene, NH, United Stateswith Elixir
Jun 18, 2023to Jun 24, 2023Lady of the Lake Music and Dance Week
Jul 29, 2023at 8:00 pmGreenfield Contra Dance401 Chapman St, Greenfield, MAwith Elixirwith Anna Patton (clarinet) and Kristen Planeaux (piano)
Nov 3, 2023to Nov 5, 2023Foggy Moon Dance WeekendMonterey, CA
United Stateswith Elixir
Jan 12, 2024to Jan 14, 2024Contra 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
Feb 29, 2024at 8:00 pmRear Defrosters @ NOVA Arts48 Emerald St
Keene, NH, United Stateswith Elixir
Mar 15, 2024to Mar 17, 2024Beantown StompCambridge, MAwith ElixirThe Figments
Mar 22, 2024to Mar 24, 2024Pigtown FlingMercer School, 2600 Bartels Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45244with Elixirwith Naomi Morse (fiddle)
Apr 4, 2024at 8:00 pmRear Defrosters @ NOVA Arts48 Emerald St
Keene, NH, United Stateswith Elixir
Apr 19, 2024to Apr 21, 2024Dandelion RompOberlin, OH
United Stateswith Elixir
Sep 13, 2024to Sep 15, 2024Echo 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)
Nov 1, 2024to Nov 3, 2024Hey Fever Dance WeekendOttawa, ONwith Elixir
Jan 24, 2025to Jan 26, 2025SnowBallGulfport, FL
United Stateswith Elixir

store

Elixir CDs

To order Elixir CDs please visit the Elixir store.

In the Window

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.

Guest Musicians

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).

tunes

Tune Book: A is for Avocado

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.

Download A is for Avocado

A few of Ethan's compositions are available for download below.

contact

Get in touch with Ethan: