The Great Bear Trio at The Roxbury Arts Group
The Great Bear Trio have delighted the audiences at the Roxbury Arts Group’s annual Fiddlers! festival for many years. On Saturday , July 12 at 8 pm, they are appearing again on their own and liberated from the strict confines of traditional fiddle music. $12. (607) 326-7908.
Brothers Andrew and Noah VanNorstrand are both still in their teens but display a mature and seasoned musicality beyond their years. The core of Great Bear's instrumentation has always been twin fiddles and piano (ably supplied by mother Kim) but the line up is frequently augmented by mandolins, guitars, banjo and an assortment of percussion including the African djembe and the Australian didgeridoo. Andrew and Noah compose and arrange the majority of Great Bear's material, drawing heavily on Celtic and Appalachian fiddling traditions for their melodies but with plenty of room for improvisation and an occasional alt-rock or world beat groove creeping into the rhythm section. There are also some new original songs in their repertoire now, a welcome addition to their well-known instrumental skills. Great Bear's distinctive sound has won them fans all over the continent and they are continuing to shape the face of contra dance music in the 21st century.
The Great Bear Trio is quickly becoming one of the most exciting and talked about contra dance bands in the nation. With a strong and growing fan base in their native northeast, Great Bear is now bringing their unique brand of high-energy folk music to festival stages, concert halls and dance floors across the country.
Andrew and Noah VanNorstrand are two of the most exciting and creative new faces on the acoustic music scene today. While still in their teens, they have managed to carve themselves a unique niche in the modern alternative folk arena with stunning ability as both performers and composers. After years of touring, studio work and teaching experience they are both seasoned and mature musicians, but with their energetic stage presences and cutting-edge arrangements Andrew and Noah truly stand out in a crowd.
At the age of eight Andrew started learning fiddle by ear from the late Norma Sweet, a well-known local musician and teacher. Noah started teaching himself fiddle shortly after and soon both boys had begun working on mandolin and guitar as well. Ten years later they have mastered the title of "multi-instrumentalists" by being proficient at more than twenty different string and percussion instruments between them. In 2000 Andrew and Noah formed the Great Bear Trio with their mother Kim on piano. Great Bear since has become one of the hottest contra dance bands on the circuit and has performed for enthusiastic fans at festivals across the country. In 2004 Andrew and Noah appeared on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion as finalists in the nationwide Talent from Twelve to Twenty contest. Their music has also been featured on NPR's Open Mic and The Thistle and Shamrock with Fiona Ritchie.
It's difficult to pinpoint all of the musical ingredients Andrew and Noah use in their original material. Celtic and Appalachian fiddling traditions are certainly at the top of the list but there's also Andrew's appreciation for Scandinavian harmonies and Noah's background as a world-beat percussionist. Other influences range from old-time Country and Bluegrass to Jazz and Swing; New England contra dance and Cajun/Zydeco to classic Rock, Alternative and Blues. Their focus however, is not on the parts but on the whole. Andrew and Noah have developed a multi-genre blend that stands on it's own. Their heartfelt songwriting and intricate arrangements demonstrate not only what these boys are capable of but also what we can look forward to in years to come.