In the 19th century, banjo and fiddle duos were the equivalent of today’s two turntables and a microphone – when pickers appeared, a party inevitably broke out. Back then, Allison De Groot and Tatiana Hargreaves would have fit right in, and they fit in right now as sustainers of the old-time string band tradition while adding their own modern spin. Their musical chops are widely documented. Winnipeg’s de Groot has been hailed as one of the best clawhammer style banjo players around joining an elite group of innovative pickers as evidenced by her winning the prestigious Steve Martin Banjo Prize. On the fiddle side, when Tatiana Hargreaves isn’t teaching bluegrass at the University of North Carolina, she takes the stage with Dave Rawlings and Gillian Welch and a host of other Americana greats. These two mighty players are equally comfortable in a variety of genres – bluegrass, old-time, folk, Celtic jigs and new improvised jamgrass rave ups. Their decision to join forces has resulted in two albums that have garnered folk, bluegrass and Americana award nominations and wins on both sides of the Canada/U.S. border. The acoustic music intelligentsia has embraced them as keepers of the flame of old-time music and as a musical force adding new spark. Ten strings and two voices, playing new and old music that’s bursting with goosebump-raising banjo and fiddle energy.

Eric Rosenbaum