Gaining Momentum: Fiddlehead
Salem and Chelsea, MA
Coming to a venue near you...
Fiddlehead is a funk and jam band based out of Salem and Chelsea, Massachusetts. Its members include Patrick Nelson on vocals and guitar, Michael Strakus on guitar and bass, Kevin Maestranzi on bass, guitar and vocals and Tim Johnson on drums. They have an intensely unique sound with lots of wild guitar effects and monster solos. Some of their songs go on for twenty minutes and don't get old for a second. I've had an opportunity to spend some time with the band and even been able to check out some of their practices.
In my opinion this band shows all the qualities of hard work and sacrifice. During the warmer months, they play several festivals a year, this winter they have been keeping warm at venues such as Paddy Kelly's, Bangkok Paradise and even the Salem Beerworks. They play a ton of shows and drag around about 10,000 pounds of equipment. I accompanied them to a small festival last year and actually helped out moving some of their gear. Being cramped in the back seat of a car for two hours with two guitars, an amp and Kevin Maestranzi wasn't ideal either...playing in a funk band is not easy. These guys work really hard and put on great shows.
Fiddlehead has expanded their repertoire on a regular basis, always writing new and exciting grooves. They've also got an incredible new light show to go along with their funky tunes. At a Fiddlehead show its all about the total experience, its not just the sound of a great band, its not just the electric light show, its not just the live painting auctions, dancing hippies or the cheap beer...its about the total experience of Fiddlehead. You hear Fiddlehead, you see Fiddlehead and you even taste Fiddlehead...taste the "Space Cream".
The band is constantly doing live albums, professionally recorded and distributed. They sell stickers, CDs, artwork and their souls to survive. The band and the circle of friends around them are almost like a family, with everyone working hard for the group dynamic. You're going to be hearing a lot more about Fiddlehead if you regularly read my column as I'll be reviewing a lot of their shows in the near future. They have a CD release party for their latest live album on February 12th, 2011 at Dodge Street in Salem, MA. You can find Fiddlehead on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fiddle-Head/173974271344 ...They also have a Reverbnation page at: http://www.reverbnation.com/fiddlehead
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