By Gretchen Wing
The Lopez community did itself a huge favor last March when it hosted Bluegrass virtuosos Eli West and Brittany Haas for a concert: they liked it so much here, it took less than a year to woo them back. They will play at Lopez Center on Tuesday, February Fourth at 7:30. Cahalen Morrison will not accompany them as he did in 2013, but West and Haas have more than enough chops between them to ensure a rousing evening of old-time fiddle, guitar and vocals.
California-born Brittany Haas is widely regarded as one of the most influential fiddlers of her generation. She grew up honing her craft in fiddle camps nationwide, and came to her unique sound through the old-time fiddling of Bruce Molsky and the innovative stylings of Darol Anger. A prodigy, she began touring with Darol’s Republic of Strings at the age of 14. At 17, she released her debut self-titled solo album, produced by Darol Anger and featuring Bruce Molsky, Mike Marshall, Alison Brown and others. At Princeton University, she majored in biology but minored in music performance, composing with professor Dan Trueman, and joining seminal chamber-grass band Crooked Still. She has toured with them since, also performing with Yonder Mountain String Band, Tony Trischka, Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas (her cellist sister), Abigail Washburn, and The Waybacks. Brittany played her fiddle on Steve Martin’s Grammy Award-winning CD, “The Crow,” and joined his band on Letterman and Saturday Night Live.
Eli West is a Seattle-based multi-instrumentalist and interactive graphic designer. His angular phrasing and innovation within the traditional parameters of bluegrass and old time music create a guitar style that has been called both strange and strong in the same breath. Eli has released three records as half of the duo Cahalen Morrison & Eli West, which tours regularly throughout the U.S. and Europe. Eli is also a key member of Jamie Stone’s Lomax project, which includes Tim O’Brien, Bruce Molsky, Margaret Glaspy, and Brittany Haas. Eli plays regularly with mandolin great John Reischman, who played on Lopez in 2012, and is featured on his latest record, Walk Along John.
In 2013, West and Haas (with Cahalen Morrison) filled Woodmen Hall, and everyone who attended filled the ears of all their friends with glowing reviews of the evening. This year, at the Center, there will be room for even more future fans. Advance tickets are $13/adults, $5/youth, on sale now at Lopez Center office, Paper Scissors On the Rock, Lopez Book Shop and at www.lopezcenter.org .Tickets at the door will be $15/adult, $7/youth. A full house will ensure that West and Haas continue to bring their flying fingers and sweet harmonies to Lopez in years to come.
