House of Hamill

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Friday Concert Performer

Opening the night will be intricate, unpredictable arrangements of traditional songs and fiddle tunes; compelling and catchy original songs and completely unexpected covers, by Philadelphia's House of Hamill.

Intricate, unpredictable arrangements of traditional songs and fiddle tunes; compelling and catchy original songs and completely unexpected covers – Philadelphia’s “House of Hamill” will keep you guessing (and laughing) and leave you with a whole new appreciation for what a fiddle can do in traditional and contemporary music.

Rose Baldino and Brian Buchanan met 10 years ago, late one night backstage at a theatre in rural Pennsylvania.

Brian’s band Enter The Haggis and Rose’s group Burning Bridget Cleary were sharing a stage that evening, and the two bonded over a love of Irish fiddle tunes, Radiohead, and 4 AM whiskey. Their paths crossed a dozen times over the next decade on the road, but it wasn’t until the International Folk Alliance 2014 conference in Kansas City that they finally became musical collaborators. Burning Bridget Cleary’s guitarist and drummer had their flights canceled at the last minute, and Rose (in desperation) asked Brian to grab a guitar and join her onstage. The two performed with virtually no rehearsal for over an hour, and their connection was powerful and immediate. A few months later Brian moved from Canada to Philadelphia, and as a tribute to the first tune Rose ever taught Brian, House of Hamill was born.

Brian and Rose are both accomplished traditional fiddle players and classical violinists, and despite being young, have almost 30 years of writing and performance experience between them. Together, they write unusual new fiddle tunes and exciting, unpredictable original songs while also breathing new life into traditional and contemporary songs. Both are confident and unique lead vocalists, and the blend of their two voices in harmony is hypnotic and irresistible.

Whether House of Hamill is playing songs from their debut album “”Wide Awake”” (September 2016) or stomping through a set of original jigs and reels from their follow-up “”March Through Storms”” (2018), their chemistry onstage is always engaging and often hilarious. In the summer of 2018, their quirky all-violin cover of “”Sweet Child Of Mine”” went viral, amassing over 15 million views and more than 400,000 shares on Facebook in just a few weeks, and was picked up by publications all over the world.

House of Hamill is on the bleeding edge of a new generation of traditional musicians.

https://www.houseofhamill.com/