Tania Opland & Mike Freeman

"An excellent performance of traditional, contemporary and original material in diverse ethnic styles, which held a capacity audience captivated. Latecomers lined up outside in the rain for a chance to get in between sets!
"A memorable evening of contrasts laced with quick-witted humour." - Cowichan Folk Guild, Vancouver Island

"Unquestionably the most talented duo we have ever had at this club... I've never seen so much variety in a single set." - Matt Armour, The Songloft, Milton Keynes

"Tania Opland & Mike Freeman are definitely a partnership made in heaven.
"They are quite simply one of the most original and interesting musical combinations you're ever likely to see!" - Chester Folk Festival

"This duo is rather astonishing -- she's from Alaska and he's from England, and between them they play hammered dulcimer, fiddle, guitar, recorder and whistle, excellent percussion, sing, and have a wonderful stage presence. Their repertoire is vast, and includes things like sing-alongs in Russian. Credits include numerous UK and US tours and seven albums." - Whidbey Island Folk Festival

"Well, what a brilliant night! Eclectic isn't the word for this pair, or, no, hang on yes, eclectic IS the word for this pair. Tania was brought up in Anchorage Alaska, and now has a house in a village on an Indian (native American) reservation called Squip... Squoo... er, near Seattle. Mike comes from well, Crumpsall, but maybe that seems exotic to Tania.
"From the start the audience was treated to a whirlwind trip round most of the northern hemisphere, starting "Somewhere in America" (-Bogle), and ending back there with an encore of "Desperado" (Henley & Frey), visiting en route, Norway, Russia and Byelorussia, with a brief aside for an Inupiaq (let's say Eskimo) welcome-dance song. Well now, this might not be your usual diet when visiting the local folk club, but I can tell you it was far from indigestible, leavened as it was with more usual contemporary and traditional tunes and songs, together with plenty of humour and anecdote.
"Tania played guitar, fiddle and pentatonic native American flute (one of which you could have bought along with your more usual tape or CD), while Mike stuck mostly to hand percussion of variously esoteric sorts including darabouka and Hopi medicine drum, with the occasional diversion on mandolin.
"This was one of those evenings which occasionally comes to the more adventurous folk clubs, where the audience, not having quite known what to expect, finds itself having a really good time, and then wishing that they could instantly import all their friends who are missing out.
"So the message is, next time you have the chance to see Tania & Mike, go along. You might not get to sing "Byker Hill", but you won't be dissappointed." - Jim Lawton, Folk Northwest

"Throughout the whole evening we had ample evidence of Freeman and Opland being very talented musicians with an eclectic selection of tunes and songs ...
"As diverse as Mike and Tania's programme was, it was surpassed by the bewildering array of instruments which they played to deliver it ... " - Folk Northwest

" … a remarkably fine duo … if you get within 100 miles of a gig - don't miss them!"
- StortFolk

"Incredible combination - Tania's Slavic songs to the renaissance music of France to Gaelic and Celtic music, all flavored by Mike's African and Middle Eastern rhythms ... "
- Potbelly Potpourri, Port Orchard WA