Scott Woods is bringing his family of fiddlers to Canmore.
The Canadian fiddle champion and his band will pay tribute to legendary fiddle masters in a performance at the Canmore Miners’ Hall on Monday (May 28).
“What we’re doing is honouring the fiddle legends of the past – people like Don Messer, Al Cherny, Ward Allen, King Ganan, Graham Townsend – those are the kinds of people, and a lot of the seniors we cater to will know those names,” said Woods, in an interview with the Outlook.
“We do an old-time fiddle variety show,” he explained. “There’s fiddling and singing and we have a 17-year-old champion step dancer – it’s a real mix – you don’t have to be a fiddle or country music fan. We try to keep it very much in the old-school, variety show format.”
From Fergus, Ont., Woods frequently travels back and forth across the country, spreading his fiddle magic.
“Our show is a very respectful honouring of what these legends did and it’s in their footsteps that we’re following now,” he said.
The band was originally founded by Woods’ father, Merv, in 1944 at the age of 12.
“In 1956, they hired a new piano player for the band, a young girl named Carolyn,” said Woods. “My dad hit it off with this girl and they ended up getting married and four kids came along – I’m the youngest.”
Woods took over the band in the mid-1980s. Though he lost his dad in 2003, his mother is still touring with the band and will be at the Canmore show.
“She’s the mom for the whole group. My nephew Ben Norris, he plays the drums, guitar, mandolin and does most of the singing. And then our step dancer is Kyle Waymouth – when he steps out on that board, he goes about a hundred miles an hour with his feet – it’s worth the price of admission just to watch Kyle dance.”
The current tour of Western Canada, which includes Red Deer and High River, involves 36 shows in 40 days. This will be the band’s first time playing in Canmore, however.
“We’ve never been to Canmore, although my brother lived there for five or six years – he was the manager at a ski lodge,” said Woods. “I was out several times to visit, so we’re really looking forward to playing and having a good time in Canmore.”
Woods is known as the ‘Flippin’ Fiddler,’ he said.
“I will be doing my tricks,” he confessed. “I play behind my back and under my legs, and I use a broom instead of a bow, and I do a front-running summersault while I’m playing.
“This year I’ll be playing on a rolling barrel, while we play “Roll Out the Barrel,” so it’s kinda silly, we like to have fun – it’s a very down-home, grassroots kind of show.”
Having a lively show is a big part their success, which often leads to sellout performances.
“We play so many different venues, from theatres to churches, and fit the show to whatever the audience is,” said Woods. “They really get into it, and tap the toes and sing along, and you really see their faces light up when we mention some of these old-time fiddlers.”
While most of the band’s shows are in conjunction with a charity, the Canmore concert, being their first time in the city, is a show to fill their calendar.
“A lot of our shows are for groups going on a mission trip or raising money for cancer research or a church doing youth outreach – I’d say 95 per cent of our shows for charity,” said Woods. “Canmore is just a fill-in date between shows, so we’ll encourage a church or service group to invite us back the next time.”
While the content of the legendary fiddlers may appeal more to an older crowd, the show is good for all ages, he insisted.
“It’s certainly something that folks could bring their grandparents to or their grandchildren to, whatever the case might be,” he said. “It’s a very family friendly, clean show.”
Advance tickets are available at Second Story Books in Canmore or by calling 1-855-726-8896.
For more information on the band, visit scottwoods.ca
