Biography
Australian Chainsaw-folk vigilantes The Crooked Fiddle Band deliver a no-holds-barred mash-up of gypsy passion, bluegrass swampstompers and near metal mayhem.
tCFB have recently completed their Second EP, Rise, which solidifies the band's style - Bulgarian melodies sung with Native American lyrics; Romanian tunes thrashed to their modern limits, with the rhythm section honing their blast beats and trademark acoustic riffery. New directions are explored via a rip-roaring bluegrass workout and a tango that pans back to a dancefloor melodrama. "We mutate world music to create our own sound" says guitarist Gordon Wallace "it's like a pig with sharks teeth, fat with plenty of bite."
This year The Crooked Fiddle Band has blazed the New Years Eve Countdown at Peats Ridge Festival, packed out both the Famous Spiegeltent and the Bosco Theatre at Sydney Festival and been handpicked by UK art-rock godfather Brian Eno to play at his inaugural Luminous Festival at the Sydney Opera House.
Having toured four states in Feb-Mar to nationally promote their second release, tCFB has twice been selected as feature artists on Radio National's The Daily Planet and garnered sustained airplay on Triple J, community radio worldwide and US college radio.
Globally, tCFB is picking up pace: Last year US based world music mag Global Rhythm featured the band on their Aug-Sept cover cd. The group's primarily instrumental tunes have led their recordings to be used across various soundtrack projects - shortfilm sountracks at overseas film festivals, a documentary on artistic roller-skating, and perhaps the ultimate in unexpected applications: accompanying the Australian Synchronised Swimming Duet team in their Olympic qualifying event in Switzerland.
"...a short fast slab of hardcore gypsy passion... a fiery blend of various violin traditions with punk intensity and the raw finesse of crazed street virtuosos"
Bradfield Dumpleton, indie-cds.com/Trad’n’Now
“Wild mash up of styles. Jess is giving the violin a solid workout. Which is a good thing. It deserves a flogging at times that bloody instrument. And a bouzouki in the line up! I'll be there at your next show if you shout the ouzo.”
Richard Kingsmill, Triple J Radio
“It has the intensity of most thrash metal songs yet doesn't need heavy, distorted electric guitars to get that point across...sure to get people moshing in the pit!”
Jeff Francesconi, metalreviews.com
"It's fantastic...Any band that digs Sepultura and Balkan gypsy bands is okay by me. It makes for some exciting listening.”
Zan Rowe, Triple J Radio
“...I’m taken by how effortlessly it appears that they are masters and mistresses of the mood, playing with and for dancers as if we are flexible puppets – willing eager recipients of the ebbs and flows…. They are so totally in charge of the audience in the most generous way...”
Severin, Cuturazi.com
Webpage: www.crookedfiddleband.com
Myspace: www.myspace.com/thecrookedfiddleband
Instrumentation
Jess Randall - violin, vocals
Joe Gould - drums, junk percussion, guitar, vocals
Mark Stevens - double bass, charango, vocals
Gordon Wallace - guitar, bouzouki, mandolin
Discography
Self titled debut EP released December 2006
- feature album on ABC Radio's Daily Planet.
'The Butcher of Bessarabia'
- played on Australia's popular youth radio station Triple J
- used by the Australian synchronised swimming team to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics
'The Drowned Sun'
- used in 'Sundowner', a short film by John Frost featured in California's Backlot Film Festival
Second EP 'Rise' released November 2008
- feature album on ABC Radio's Daily Planet.
'The Rom Rebellion' and 'The Milkman'
- played on Australia's popular youth radio station Triple J