Last evening, Ted M and I drove out to Guelph Ontario for the Newberry and Verch performance. The Ever-Lovin’ Jug Band started the show and played a very entertaining set of mostly old jug band material, featuring banjolin, fiddle, guitar, jug, kazoo and a pecular bass instrument played with the toes. They have a few pieces up on YouTube. Here’s one of them, just to give you a taste….

Joe Newberry and April Verch played two fabulous sets of tunes and songs, providing lots of fiddle, guitar, and banjo and some fine singing along the way.

Newberry and Verch is an American/Canadian collaboration. April is from the Ottawa Valley and Joe lives in North Carolina. They bring the two musical traditions together seamlessly.

Lot of highlights in last night’s show! I particularly enjoyed April revisiting Lucille Starr’s The French Song, a song she grew up listening to, with Joe providing back-up vocals. The banjo & fiddle duets were also a great treat, superb playing, punctuated by occasional bursts of Ottawa Valley style step-dancing.

Newberry & Verch were in Ontario for just one performance and are back down in the States today to play in Cleveland. If they come to your town, I highly recommend getting out to see them.