Crowdis Bridge

Artist Information

Biography

Like a well-distilled bottle of Appalachian Whiskey, Crowdis Bridge is smooth, complex, tasteful and good for all occasions. From foot-stomping, light-hearted songs to soul-searching melodies with lyrics that run deep, they produce a fine mash of folk, country-blues and bluegrass, pleasing both whiskey and music lovers alike.

This Cape Breton trio of multi-instrumentalists has been entertaining folks in small towns and strange places across the Maritimes since 2008. Their latest album “The Seasons & The Rhymes” explores universal themes of heartache, happiness and everything in between.

In August 2010, the band won a Cape Breton talent search contest put on by local radio station, The Eagle 103.5. The top prize was $2000 worth of recording time with multi-ECMA winner Jamie Foulds in his Soundpark Studios.

“Bluegrass band Crowdis Bridge wins Eagle Talent Search” Cape Breton Post (August 2010) “Crowdis Bridge are incredibly tight, it’s like they breathe bluegrass.”

The funding was supposed to be used to record a single track that could be played on the Eagle. The band however, had greater ambitions. They rolled into the studio with enough well-rehearsed and original material to record a full-length album. During their initial visit to the studio, not only were they were able to record the first single for the Eagle 103.5, they managed to lay down most of the bed tracks for what would become their first full-length album.

The single “I Don’t Like You” was released prior to completion of the new album. This was done to satisfy Eagle 103.5 contest obligations. The song was a hit on local radio stations and garnered much attention on various regional CBC Radio programs.

Rather than relying on grants and subsidies to finish the album, the band chose to use their own blood sweat and tears. They toured extensively across the Maritimes over the next year in an effort to hone their skills and raise enough money to complete the album.

Finally, in August 2011, they returned to Soundpark Studios to complete what would become “The Seasons & The Rhymes”. Fiddling phenom Colin Grant, who frequently joins Crowdis Bridge on stage, was happy to contribute to the album. The result was an eleven-track piece of art that freely crosses between various traditional and old-time styles of music.

The band did a “soft release” of the album just prior to their Celtic Colours International festival debut in October 2011. Between their two sold-out performances - alongside artists like Old Man Luedecke, North Carolina’s Sheila Kay Adams and Ireland’s Niamh Ni Charra – and a free live performance on CBC Radio, they managed to sell enough units to recoup the entire cost of making the album.

Shortly there after (October 29th) the band and album were featured on CBC’s Atlantic Airwaves. Since then, songs such as “Wasting Days”, “Edge of Town” and “The Seasons & the Rhymes” have been in consistent rotation on CBC programs across the Maritimes.

In January 2012, the Cape Breton Post nominated Crowdis Bridge as 2011 entertainer of the year. Garnering more votes then top Cape Breton acts such as Carmen Townsand, Slowcoaster and Matt Minglewood, they were second only to Jimmy Rankin.

Their album “The Seasons and The Rhymes” has been nominated by Music Nova Scotia for 2012 Country/Bluegrass Album of the Year.

Building on the momentum generated by the new album, the band has continued to tour around the Maritimes and is in preparation for a cross Canada tour and a trip to Scotland. After taking a brief break during the summer to spend time with their families, the band is back in full swing with showcases at the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival in Fredericton, a return performance at Celtic Colours 2012 and a main stage showcase at Music Nova Scotia’s Music Week.

Instrumentation

Andrew Fedora - Vocals, Guitar, Mandolin and Harmonica
Jason Rudderham - Vocals, Upright Bass
Ben Furey - Banjo, Vocals, Guitar, and Mandolin

Discography

Crowdis Bridge (self titled) - January, 2009
The Seasons and The Rhymes - October 2011

Official Website

http://www.crowdisbridge.com

Audio

• Edge of Town
  Listen  
• I Don't Like You
  Listen  
• I Wasn't Invited
  Listen  
• One of These Days
  Listen  
• Amy's Song
  Listen  
• Seasons and the Rhymes
  Listen  
• Wilted Flowers
  Listen  

Lyrics

• I Don't Like You
• Wasting Days
• I Dare You
• 1001 Ways

Video

Crowdis Bridge - I Don't Like You

Crowidis Bridge - I Wasn't Invited

Photo Gallery

Press

• Crowdis Bridge on CBC's Atlantic Airwaves [+ Show ]
  

  Cape Breton's Crowdis Bridge are a folk-bluegrass band who have succeeded in riding their cool caden...Cape Breton's Crowdis Bridge are a folk-bluegrass band who have succeeded in riding their cool cadence to recent national radio airplay on CBC Radio 2's Drive...like local culture bearers, however, the band keeps with the qualities that make all traditional music timeless: familiar lyrical themes, a focus on musicianship, and a joyous swing capable of filling dance floors despite the absence of drum samples and amplified bass lines. Crowdis Bridge just released their first full length recording 'The Seasons and The Rhymes'

• Crowdis Bridge crosses musical boundaries with latest album [+ Show ]
  

  SYDNEY — Crowdis Bridge tried to reproduce the feel and sound of their favourite venue when recordin...SYDNEY — Crowdis Bridge tried to reproduce the feel and sound of their favourite venue when recording their latest album. And it may not be the venue you expect of the bluegrass folk trio featuring multi-instrumentalists Jason Rudderham, Andrew Fedora and Ben Furey.
  
  “We find that our sound really comes across the best actually when we’re in a kitchen somewhere in Cape Breton,” said Fedora. “The level of the acoustics and the harmonies, everything blends really well and we wanted to try and get that across on the album and just have the feel of our music come through. So if somebody listened to the album and then saw us live, they wouldn’t be able to distinguish between it.”
  
  Fans of the Cape Breton band, which has been together for close to four years, will be able to hear for themselves with the release of “The Seasons & The Rhymes” later this week. It’s the trio’s second album and the recording process for the project actually got started after Crowdis Bridge won last year’s Eagle Talent Search and received a recording session at Soundpark Studios in Sydney.
  
  Described as an exploration of universal themes of heartache, happiness and everything in between, Fedora and Furey are the songwriters behind the all-original material on the new album. But it’s a full band effort in putting those lyrics to music and bringing each song to its full potential.
  
  “Ben or I might pen a song but when the band actually gets together, we certainly arrange the songs as a band and Jason Rudderham has a lot of input on that as well,” said Fedora.
  
  The result of that collaborative process, according to Fedora, is music that is really accessible to all types of music fans.
  
  “You look at some genres of music and there’s a lot of technical brilliance there but it’s not for everybody. But with the kind of music that we’re making, it’s pretty close to a folk music, which is for the people,” he said. “So when you look at the lyrics and the melodies and the sounds, there’s enough there for the average person who just wants to tap their foot. And for avid music listeners who really appreciate what it takes to craft a good song, there’s certainly a high level of musicianship there as well.”
  
  A big opportunity to showcase that musicianship came last month when Crowdis Bridge made its debut at the Celtic Colours International Festival, performing in several shows alongside artists like Old Man Luedecke, North Carolina’s Sheila Kay Adams and Ireland’s Niamh Ni Charra, and recording a CBC Radio special.
  
  Now focused on their new album, the trio will officially release “The Seasons & The Rhymes” Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at Bearly’s, located at 1269 Barrington St. in Halifax. A Cape Breton release event is in the works for Dec. 2 at the Upstairs club in Sydney.
  
  With another milestone for the group just days away, Fedora said several factors have contributed to their success to date, including taking a very professional approach to running the band, and a willingness and dedication from all three members to put in the extra effort required to keep the band going.
  
  “We’re pretty close friends, so that helps a lot,” he added. “There’s no egos or attitudes and we’re also very big fans of playing and making music.”
  
  ljgrant@cbpost.com
  

• Bluegrass band Crowdis Bridge wins Eagle Talent Search [+ Show ]
  

  Published on August 19th, 2010 Staff ~ The Cape Breton Post SYDNEY — Crowdis Bridge came out ...Published on August 19th, 2010
  Staff ~ The Cape Breton Post
  
  
  SYDNEY — Crowdis Bridge came out on top of the Eagle Talent Search contest.
  
  The bluegrass band from Sydney was crowned winner at the final event of the talent search held Aug. 14 at Daniel’s in Sydney. As a result, Crowdis Bridge — featuring Jason Rudderham, Andrew Fedora, and Ben Furey — receive a recording session with Jamie Foulds at Soundpark Studios.
  
  “This is what we need to take our music to the next level. Working in studio with Jamie Foulds is like a dream come true,” said Rudderham.
  
  Meanwhile, fellow contestant Gary Williams of Port Hawksbury took home the mentoring session with internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Aselin Debison.
  
  “The only way we could come to a decision was to make sure both acts got prizes,” explained Jonathon Ettinger, one of the four judges. “Crowdis Bridge seems more ready for studio but Gary’s got this amazing ability to tell stories with his songs and we want to see him develop this and come back and compete in next year’s competition.”
  
  “I can hear Allan Jackson singing his (William’s) songs,” added Aaron Lewis, another judge of the contest. “And Crowdis Bridge are incredibly tight, it’s like they breathe bluegrass.”
  
  Nancy MacDougall of Port Hawksbury and Ronald Barron of Sydney also competed in the contest, doing original pieces as well as covers.
  
  Jay Bedford, program director of 103.5 The Eagle, says he never expected the high quality of talent.
  
  “Recording a song is one thing,” explains Bedford, “But then taking it and performing it live is a completely different story. We’ve definitely set the bar high for next year.”
  

• Bluegrass trio Crowdis Bridge ain’t got a lot of fancy but do enjoy a timeless appeal [+ Show ]
  

  Formed in January 2008 as the happy result of an impromptu holiday jam session, Crowdis Bridge are a...Formed in January 2008 as the happy result of an impromptu holiday jam session, Crowdis Bridge are a three piece bluegrass band who have succeeded in riding their cool cadence to recent national radio airplay on CBC Radio 2’s Drive and an upcoming showcase on the Discovery Stage during the 2010 East Coast Music Awards and Conference weekend.
  
  Members Andrew Fedora, Jason Rudderham and Ben Furey describe the band’s style as “Bluegrass influenced folk” that combines the technical aspects inherent in bluegrass (flat-picking, multi instrumental solos, and vocal harmonies) with the lyrical clarity and quality found in timeless folk music.
  
  The band’s formative influences run the gamut from metal to jazz, celtic, funk and electronica. Rudderham is an experienced bassist who co-founded funk rock band Bemus Tun, rising to regional popularity in the late ‘90s before touring the United States with New Glasgow-based Celtic-rock act MacKeel. Furey grew up collecting indie rock records and finished studying jazz at St. FX before spending time performing with alt-county group Red Barn and bluegrass influenced Dark Mountain. Fedora followed an enthusiasm for the blues to a fascination with various acoustic guitar finger-picking styles.
  
  Oddly for a group of young traditional Cape Breton musicians, of the five stringed instruments considered to be part of the traditional bluegrass set-up—mandolin, fiddle, guitar, banjo and upright bass—Crowdis Bridge is missing only the fiddle. Like local culture bearers, however, the trio keeps with the qualities that make all trad music timeless: familiar lyrical themes, a focus on musicianship, and a joyous swing capable of filling dance floors despite the absence of drum samples and amplified bass lines.
  
  Throughout the band’s debut album, the banjo and finger-picked guitar do-si-do around the mandolin while the double bass stands firmly in the corner calling the changes and ensuring that the pulse keeps the instrumental and vocal melodies in motion. Furey’s vocals are gentle, but solid, while Fedora takes on a more manufactured “Old Timer” voice that is well suited to the material that features him as lead. All three members deliver steady harmonies that temper and flesh out the percussive bluegrass sound.
  
  The lyrical themes of the album are consistent with the folk tradition. Trails and cabins are mentioned specifically while frequent references to simple images from the natural world—trees, flowers, waves and shores—are used to beautiful effect. (Indeed, Fedora is a full time forestry professional.)
  
  Left to my memories the afternoon showers,
  that rested on flowers in the summertime there
  
  The changing of seasons is mentioned to mark the passing of time between romantic encounters or given anthropomorphic characteristics to describe the ebb and flow of a long-term relationship:
  
  There’s a cold breeze that rips the leaves from the trees,
  still the autumn’s hard to please though the summer’s on its knees,
  but then the warm spring air will make the winter’s heart to care,
  for he knows that he’d despair if he couldn’t feel her there.
  
  The songs’ protagonists use sunshine as a metaphor for good fortune and are invariably lamenting a dearth of it or expressing their gratitude for its presence. Themes of lost love are prevalent with many mentions of broken hearts, separation and isolation. The lyricists speak as though they are much older than their average 31 years, describing faded photographs and hearts in need of rest. Eternal wanderers, they are often on the move contemplating trips to Mexico or “riding that slow train.”
  
  Not all is melancholy at Crowdis Bridge, however. “I Dare You (to make less sense)” is a lighthearted poke at the ups and downs of coping with a fickle lover while “Choosey Beggar” is a sharp parody of old time blues:
  
  I got a twenty dollar banjo
  The strings are made of twine
  I got a leopard skin tuxedo
  But I ain’t got no tie
  And my shoes are made of leather
  But they’re too small for my size
  
  Ultimately, the lyrics relate the tales of people who value contentment and piece of mind over romance or adventure:
  
  As I pack my bag to go, I remember something I’ve always known
  The life that I have, it ain’t so bad
  
  Catch Crowdis Bridge at Governor’s Pub on January 30th, and during ECMA weekend March 4th at Smooth Hermans and March 7th at the Capri Club and support young people who have finely honed a traditional craft to such an appealing edge, despite the lack of fortune and fame promised to rural dance bands in the twenty first century.

• Have Banjo, Will Travel [+ Show ]
  

  Though Crowdis Bridge is relatively new on the scene, it is evident from the first few notes, be it ...Though Crowdis Bridge is relatively new on the scene, it is evident from the first few notes, be it live or on their debut CD (self titled); Ben Furey, Jason Rudderham and Andrew Fedora are no strangers to the multiple instruments they each play.
  
  Listening to vocal harmonies on songs like “Long Long Gone” or absorbing the introspective lyrics of “1001 Ways” it is evident these guys are as comfortable writing and singing as they are playing.
  
  All three from Cape Breton, Ben, Jason and Andrew’s paths have crossed several times over the years but it wasn’t until a fateful New Years Eve party that everything started to come together.
  
  Full article found at: http://musiceast.weebly.com

• Crowdis Bridge set to launch debut CD [+ Show ]
  

  SYDNEY — An impromptu New Year’s performance proved to be a new start for three local musicians who ...SYDNEY — An impromptu New Year’s performance proved to be a new start for three local musicians who have merged their divergent musical backgrounds to create a fresh new sound.
  Crowdis Bridge — featuring friends Andrew Fedora, of East Bay, Jason Rudderham, of Point Edward, and Ben Furey, of Coxheath — has been playing together throughout 2008.
  “It was kind of a funny meeting,” recalled Furey. “I was in Scotland and came home on Boxing Day and ended up going to a New Year’s party with Andrew and Jason at the ski hill out in Ben Eoin and we ended up being the entertainment for the night. There was a P.A. set up and stuff and we just got up on stage and we never really left so that was our first show.”
  A little over a year later and the three are already preparing to celebrate the release of their debut seven-track EP recording, Saturday from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Bunker’s in Sydney.
  “Once we started playing shows we enjoyed it a lot and thought it would be a good idea to make a CD and get our name out there,” said Furey. “We recorded in July at Jason’s house and our friend, Chris Jones, who is an audio engineer, he came over and did all the work for us.”
  The CD features all original material and Furey said their approach to the project was pretty simple.
  “We just tried to capture our sound as best as we could,” he said, describing it this way, “(It) most closely resembles bluegrass folk. I sometimes call is country blues but it’s not so much blues as it is folk and bluegrass. It’s within the country realm but it’s got an edge.”
  All experienced musicians, singers and songwriters — Rudderham has toured with rock band Bemus Tun and Celt-rockers Mackeel; Furey played with the Antigonish-based alternative-country group Red Barn for a couple of years; and Fedora has performed his old country, fingerstyle guitar style in solo shows across the province — the three clicked right away despite wide-ranging musical influences, from jazz and rock, to pop, metal, and Celtic.
  Each a multi-instrumentalist in their own right, the three together incorporate guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin and the harmonica into the band’s sound. The CD also showcases the strengths of both their individual and collaborative writing abilities.
  “I usually write by myself and Andrew usually writes by himself but we’ve collaborated on a few different songs. The instrumental on the album, ‘One Good Day’ is a collaborative one. It’s kinda self-explanatory,” he said, noting it was created after a fun day spent with friends. “We just picked a key and went and it just sorta came out.”
  Youngest Daughters, a folk duo from the Halifax area, will open for Crowdis Bridge. There is a $6 cover charge for the show, or $12 for admission plus a copy of the new CD.
  Bunker’s is located at 233 Esplanade in Sydney (above Governor’s Pub and Eatery).
  
  ljgrant@cbpost.com

Setlist

Our sets are predominantly original music with some bluegrass standards and old Americana in the mix.

We currently have enough original material to fill two one-hour sets. With covers, we can fill at least four hours.

Example of artists covered: Old Crow Medicine Show, Tony Rice, Doc Watson, Tim O'Brien, Townes Van Zandt

Example of cover songs: Creole Belle, Shady Grove, Bury Me Beneath the Willow Tree, No Lonesome Tune, Brother Wind, Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms, Rockytop...

Basic Requirements

Calendar