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.
Oct 1, 2016at 8:00 pm | Fort Collins Contra DanceCity Park Center (Club Tico), 1599 City Park Dr, Fort Collins, COwith Elixirwith Nils Fredland (calling, trombone) |
Oct 2, 2016at 1:00 pm | Denver Contra DanceHighlands Masonic Center, 3550 Federal Blvd., Denver, COwith Elixirwith Nils Fredland (calling, trombone) Waltzes and couples dancing at 1 PM, contras from 2 to 5 PM! |
Oct 20, 2016at 8:00 pm | Old Farmer's BallWarren Wilson College Swannanoa, NC, United Stateswith Elixirwith Beth Molaro (calling) and Brian Bender (trombone) |
Oct 21, 2016to Oct 23, 2016 | Lake Eden Arts Festival377 Lake Eden Rd, Black Mountain, NCwith Elixirwith Brian Bender (trombone) |
Oct 30, 2016at 3:00 pm | Rear Defrosters @ Vintage Steele Four Year Anniversary PartyThe Bunker Farm, Dummerston, VTwith ElixirFree Admission, Free BBQ, BYOB |
Nov 4, 2016to Nov 6, 2016 | Foggy Moon Dance WeekendMonterey, CA United Stateswith Elixirwith Brian Bender (trombone) plus George Marshall and Warren Blier (calling), Barefoot, BLAM, and the Crabapples. |
Nov 19, 2016at 8:00 pm | Rear DefrostersThe Rendezvous 78 3rd St, Turners Falls, MA 01376, United Stateswith Elixir |
Dec 2, 2016at 8:00 pm | Mostly Waltz GreenfieldGuiding Star Grange, 401 Chapman St, Greenfield, MAwith Elixirwith Larry Unger (guitar) and Karen Axelrod (piano) Waltz lesson at 7pm |
Dec 3, 2016at 7:30 pm | Concord Experienced English DanceConcord Scout House 74 Walden St, Concord, MA 01742, United Stateswith Elixirwith Robin Hayden (calling) and Karen Axelrod (piano) |
Jan 12, 2017at 7:30 pm | House ConcertPhoenix, AZ, United Stateswith ElixirFor details and reservations contact: or (602)791-1238 |
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.