April Verch will be dance, fiddle and sing deeper into north American roots music when she plays the Opera House at Boothbay Harbor on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. with guitarist Hayes Griffin and banjo/bassist Cody Walters.
Many years ago, Verch was up on stage at the county fiddlers’ monthly dance event in her native Ottawa Valley. She was a darling among the fiddlers there, a cute kid who could play beautifully, and the more seasoned players encouraged her. But she noticed something: “When I played a waltz, even though I had decent tone and technique, the floor didn’t fill up. At the urging of my dad, I began to listen to the way elder fiddlers played, and watched how, even if they were a little scratchy, they got people dancing.”
Verch marked that lesson well, even as she plays with the tradition she inherited. She keeps the community-fired celebratory side of her music at the forefront, honing a keen awareness of how to engage contemporary listeners. With 10 albums and years of touring under her belt, Verch has moved from upstart prodigy to mature and reflective songwriter, interpreter, and storyteller.
Verch’s inspiration often comes from unexpected quarters: the mix made by a dedicated fan or regional music aficionado, a field recording played in the tour van that left Verch, Griffin and Walters, dumbstruck. The rough blues gems, the ballads with roosters crowing and dinner cooking in the background: Old recordings often touch Verch, Griffin, and Walters profoundly
Many of the sourced pieces on her new 10th album, “The Newpart” stem from Dust to Digital’s striking collection of early 20th-century recordings, rare glimpses of the world of American popular music before World War II, when vaudeville and other lost styles still held sway. The styles may be old, but the feelings are fresh; sentiments in songs like “If You Hadn’t Gone Away” and “Montana Call” still ring true today.
Putting together unexpected pieces comes easily to Verch, as “Midnight Wheeler” proves, an organic move from a Virginia fiddle tune (“Midnight Serenade”) to a more “crooked” (uneven meter) métis Canadian tune (“Stern Wheeler”). Or the trio’s lovely “Polska from Kumla,” a tune Verch picked up at a Swedish jam session that eases wonderfully into the old-time and other North American traditions.
“It’s all about touching people, about bringing them together in a community to celebrate music,” Verch said. “I’ve understood that better and better as time has passed: how to take this music that is at the center of my life, and make it live and breathe for other people.”
Tickets, $20 in advance, $25 day of show, are on sale through the box office at 86 Townsend Avenue, open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday-Friday. Tickets can also be purchased by calling 207-633-5159, and online: www.boothbayoperahouse.com. All seats are general admission. Doors open at 7 p.m.