We don't check myspace often, but you can reach us at
[email protected]. Meanwhile here is some light music...
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Matthew playing with the Danny Knicely Band at Watermellon Park 2009
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Matt's dancing in the new Uncle Earle Video, check it out:
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Welcome to the rolling blue hills of Virginia, a musical crossroads where Irish music goes hand-in-hand with the irresistible, driving rhythm of French-Canadian fiddling and step dance. Red-hot fiddle tunes from the Appalachian old-time repertoire nail down a solid floor for clogging and flatfooting. Hell on the Nine Mile performs an excitingly raw mix of music and dance stemming from Irish, American and Canadian traditions. Their debut CD, Witt's End was released in November, 2005. It features Aaron and Matthew Olwell, Meg Madden, Josephine Stewart, Cleek Shrey, Danny Knicely, Yann Falquet, and Amanda Kawolski.
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The band has performed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and last summer shared the stage at the Old Songs Festival in New York with multi-instrumentalist and Rounder recording artist Bruce Molsky and Irish accordionist John Whelan. They have been featured on Acoustic Sunrise (WNRN Charlottesville), and WTJU Charlottesville. For the past three years they have played for packed dance halls in their home state of Virginia, as well as Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania. Recently they were chosen to open the annual Charlottesville Fall Dance Festival.
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The core of the band consists of brothers Matthew and Aaron Olwell (sons of renowned flute maker Patrick Olwell), fiddler Meg Madden, singer Josephine Stewart, piano player and fiddler Cleek Shrey and bassist Amanda Kawolski. Aaron plays flute, fiddle, concertina, and banjo and Matthew plays flute, bodhran, and foot percussion. Both brothers were part of the family business from an early age, learning the craft of flute making from their father, and tapping into a rich culture of shared musical ties between Ireland and America. Olwell flutes are brought to life in the hands of musicians like Seamas Egan (Solas), Matt Malloy (The Chieftains), and Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull). Mattthew and Aaron have performed at numerous festivals and concerts with thier father, Patrick Olwell. In March of 2006 the Trio opened for Tom Wolf at the Richmond Forum.
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MATTHEW danced for nine years with the Maryland based Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble, with whom he toured the UK, Canada, Finland and the United States. He was with Footworks in 1996 when they to traveled to London, where they appearing in the UK production of Riverdance. AARON is a three-time All-Ireland Champion on flute, and has performed at the Washington DC Irish Folk Festival, the Philadelphia Irish Festival, and the Kennedy Center. He has appeared with some of the best Irish musicians in America, including Mick Maloney, Mike Rafferty, John Skelton and John Whelan (with whom he has also recorded on the CD Celtic Fire). JOSEPHINE attended Oberlin College, where she majored in theatre and dance performance. She has been singing and dancing since an early age, and is a wealth of many songs bridging the gaps between the folk traditions of the British Isles and America. MEG has been playing fiddle and step dancing for eight years with the Blue Ridge Irish Music School, and has taught at the LEAF festival in North Carolina, as well as at the Augusta Heritage Center in West Virginia.
