MerleFest and Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion fans, listen up:
Scythian is making its debut at The Ramkat on Saturday, Nov. 23, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It’s the last chance you have to catch the band performing live in 2019 before they head into the studio to record a new album.
But if you want to see this talented group, whom I have affectionately dubbed MerleFest’s house band, you’ll have to stand because all the seated tickets are already sold out. But that’s OK. If you are at all familiar with this Celtic rock band, you won’t be doing any sitting at the show because you’ll be too busy dancing.
Named after their Ukrainian nomad ancestors, Scythian (pronounced sith-ee-yin) draws its roots music from Celtic, Eastern European and Appalachian traditions with an unprecedented energy, technical prowess and storytelling songwriting. Their shows fall somewhere in between a barn dance and a rock concert.
The band, founded by brothers Alexander and Danylo Fedoryka, has gone through a number of changes over the past 15 years. The quartet is currently made up of Alex, who sings and plays fiddle, mandolin and harmonica, and Dan, who also sings and plays guitar and accordian. Accompanying them are Fritz McGirr on drums and vocals and Ethan Dean on electric and acoustic upright bass and vocals. Dean took Larissa Fedoryka’s spot when she left the band last year to pursue a teaching career after earning her doctorate in classical music.
I named their 2017 live album, “Dance All Night,” one of the Top 20 of the year my Huffington Post blog and Nashville’s Music City Roots wrote Scythian is “what happens when rock star charisma meets Celtic dervish fiddling” while the Washington Post wrote “Scythian’s enthusiasm is contagious, and shows seem to end with everyone dancing, jumping around or hoisting glasses.”
In addition to MerleFest and Bristol Rhythm and Roots, Scythian is a staple as headliners at Irish/Celtic music festivals across the country, as well other festivals on the Americana/bluegrass circuit. Based in the Washington, D.C.-area, the band has performed at MerleFest since 2007 after these Celtic rockers initially played their way into fans’ hearts busking outside the grounds as festival goers were waiting in line.
Much to their ever-growing fan bases’ delight, the band started their own music festival — Appaloosa Roots Music Festival — in their hometown of Front Royal, Virginia, five years ago.
But don’t take our words for it, go check them out for yourself!
Get your tickets while you still can at TheRamkat.com.
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