23 October 2005

Bill Evans & Megan Lynch: banjo/fiddle and then some...

Bill Evans and Megan Lynch are combining efforts and the result is greater than the sum of its parts. They are playing traditional banjo/fiddle tunes, of course. But they’re going far beyond that. Their voices blend beautifully and you won’t believe how they can interpret both the classics and contemporary acoustic tunes. Bill and Megan are both contributing unique, original material to the mix, adding a new level of innovation and excitement to their already stellar musicianship. Plus, they’re funny.

World-renowned California bluegrass banjo player and Banjo for dummies author Bill Evans has performed with Dry Branch Fire Squad, David Grisman, Peter Rowan, Tony Trischka, Laurie Lewis, Maria Muldaur and Jody Stecher, among many others. His first CD, Native and fine (Rounder Records), features Bill along with fiddler Stuart Duncan & mandolinist Mike Compton (Nashville Bluegrass Band), guitarist David Grier and fiddler Jason Carter (Del McCoury Band). It received an Honorable Mention for Acoustic Instrumental CD of the Year from the National Association of Independent Record Distributors. His most recent CD, Bill Evans plays banjo (Native and Fine Records) features dobro player Rob Ickes, fiddler Darol Anger, and mandolin player John Reischman. It landed on David Royko's Top 10 Bluegrass CDs of the Year list and was in the Top 10 of Bluegrass Unlimited's charts for seven months.

Bill is the author of the most popular banjo instructional book in the world today, Banjo for dummies from Wiley Publications, the famous yellow-and-black-book folks. As an instructor, Bill has taught or co-directed activities at most every major instructional camp in the country, including Sore Fingers Bluegrass Week (England), Banjo Camp North (Boston), the Maryland Banjo Academy, the American Banjo Camp (Washington state), and Alan Munde's Camp Bluegrass (Texas). In addition, he hosts his own instructional camp, the Sonny Osborne NashCamp Fall Banjo Retreat, outside of Nashville.

Megan Lynch won her first National Fiddle Championship at age 8 and followed that with three consecutive wins at ages 10, 11, and 12. In 2003 Megan made a return to serious competition and captured two more national titles in 2003 and 2004. During the last 24 years of on-and-off competition, Megan has also won 6 California State titles. While living in California, Megan performed with West Coast supergroup Due West as well as singer Kathy Kallick. Megan also appeared with the Chieftains during their Las Vegas tour.

As an educator, Megan is author of the FiddleStar Instructional Series and has been contracted to continue the extremely successful Mel Bay American Fiddle Method Series. She has been an instructor at many of the great North American traditional music camps and schools including the British Columbia Bluegrass Workshop, Augusta Heritage Bluegrass Week, and Vanderbilt University’s International Fiddle School.


Since moving to Nashville, Megan has played and sung with country legend Pam Tillis as well as bluegrass luminaries Roland White, Larry Cordle, Jim Hurst, and Chris Jones. She has had the good fortune to play on the Grand Old Opry four times, including once at the historic Ryman theater! She is the founder and director of FiddleStar Youth and Adult Fiddle Camps. Megan is a celebrated fiddler and singer of varied interests and influences. You never know if she’s going to go Texas style, Celtic, Motown, Bluegrass, or all of the above!

For booking contact Above the Bay Booking 510.582.2797 or marianadauld@pacbell.net.

What they’re saying about Bill Evans and Megan Lynch

'I am a huge fan of Megan Lynch! Her fiddling is remarkably precise, her phrasing is unique, she has a killer bow arm, and she plays it like she means it. Whether she is cutting loose on a standard fiddle tune, creating her own arrangement of a contemporary instrumental or playing fills to accompany another musician, her taste is impeccable. I love listening to Megan's recordings, but nothing beats seeing and hearing her perform live. Her mix of instrumental and vocal selections, combined with her quick wit and charm in front of an audience, make for an unbelievably
entertaining stage show.' - April Verch, Rounder Recording Artist

'Banjos have Bill Evans because Earl Scruggs, Thelonious Monk, and Wolfgang Mozart were not all available at the same time. Bill Evans is what banjos have to make people who tell banjo jokes feel ashamed. - Ron Thomason of Dry Branch Fire Squad

'Bill Monroe said his Uncle Pen could make a fiddle talk and sing. I think Megan Lynch can make a fiddle talk, sing, laugh, cry, moan, whisper, tell a bawdy tale, and then play all the roles from "A streetcar named Desire". It's rare to hear such virtuosity paired with the gifts of a great entertainer.' - Chris Stuart, chart-topping songwriter and bluegrass journalist

'Plenty of pickers play banjo, but very few can compose with the range, depth, beauty, and creativity of Evans. His ability to pull from myriad sources for inspiration and distill elements of jazz, rock, classical, you-name-it, down to their essential truths, and spin those truths into beguiling bluegrass compositions and riveting banjo solos places him in the ranks of the greats.' - David Royko, Chicago Tribune

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