Newberry & Verch
- Guelph, ON
- 03/07/2020

About
Through their strong musical traditions of the Ozarks and Canada’s Ottawa Valley, Joe Newberry and April Verch take a little bit of home with them wherever they go.
Verch, best known for two decades of international touring with The April Verch Band and a 2020 JUNO Award Nominee, and Newberry, well-known for his work with mandolin icon Mike Compton, as well as The Transatlantic Sessions and A Prairie Home Companion, say that this collaboration holds a special place in their hearts. They have enjoyed developing it alongside their other projects, which will continue.
“Joe and I had known of each other’s music for years, but had never met,” Verch said. “We had talked on the phone a few times and felt so confident that we would love playing together, that when some time opened up in each of our schedules, we decided to go ahead and book some shows. In our first face to face meeting, and that first rehearsal in August, 2016, we knew that we were right. This was going to be special!”
In October, 2016, the pair performed their first concerts, among which were multiple appearances at the Celtic Colours International Festival across Cape Breton, NS. “By the end of that run, we knew that we wanted to record an album,” Newberry said. “The music that we make inspires us and we wanted to capture some of that feeling that we were sharing on stage in the studio.”
The result was their debut album Going Home released in 2017. It's an album that sounds like two old friends who have been playing together for years. In the words of Barry Poss, founder of Sugar Hill Records “Oh, but this is a good one! Going Home is a simply gorgeous and intimate expression of musical multiculturalism. Joe and April each bring superb musicianship from their respective Ozark/Appalachian and Canadian Ottawa Valley roots and while they never lose sight of their own unique traditions, their work together also serves to craft an entirely new musical aesthetic, one with its own melting pot integrity.”
Since those first encounters in 2016, Newberry & Verch have carved out time in their schedules for regular tours together, resulting in not only North American appearances but also in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales. In December 2021 they'll release their second album, a collection of holiday songs and tunes titled On This Christmas Day.
Americana/Roots | Holiday | World Music/Traditional
Links
- 'Going Home' - Full Album Soundcloud Stream
- Newberry & Verch Online
- Joe Newberry Official Site
- April Verch Official Site
Source
Newberry & Verch bring tunes, ballads, step dancing, and original songs by way of Ottawa Valley and the Ozarks to Banjofest Guelph on March 7
Growing up, Joe Newberry and April Verch absorbed traditions of home and hearth - in his Missouri Ozarks and her Ottawa Valley of Canada. Although they are on the road much of the year, the two musicians are fond of saying that they are rarely homesick, because their music means they always have a bit of home with them wherever they go. They are excited to venture to Guelph for Banjofest this year!
Joe Newberry comes from a family of singers and dancers. He took up the guitar and banjo as a boy and learned fiddle tunes from great Missouri fiddlers. April Verch grew up listening to her Dad’s country band play for dances in the Ottawa Valley. She started step dancing at age three and fiddling at age six. In a Newberry & Verch show, delighted audiences see first-hand the roots of their music, their love of performing, and their strong musical connection. Original songs join timeless classics. Stories warm the heart, and give audiences a chance to understand where the music comes from. Lively fiddle and banjo numbers combine with traditional dance steps to illustrate happy times when people made their own fun.
Known around the world for his clawhammer banjo playing, Newberry is also a powerful guitarist, singer and songwriter. The Gibson Brothers’ version of his song “Singing As We Rise,” featuring guest vocalist Ricky Skaggs, won the 2012 IBMA “Gospel Recorded Performance” Award. With Eric Gibson, he shared the 2013 IBMA “Song of the Year” Award for “They Called It Music.” A longtime guest on A Prairie Home Companion, he was a featured singer on the Transatlantic Sessions 2016 tour of the U.K., and at the Transatlantic Session's debut at Merlefest in 2017. In addition to his work with April Verch, he plays in a duo with mandolin icon Mike Compton. He also plays and teaches at festivals and workshops in North America and abroad.
Before launching her professional career, Verch was the first woman to win both the Canadian Grand Masters and Canadian Open Fiddling Championships. In 2000, she formed “The April Verch Band,” and together they have toured the world, performing in 18 different countries. She has released 12 solo recordings to date, receiving JUNO, Canadian Folk Music and Independent Music nominations and awards for several of those releases. She has also released an instructional stepdance DVD, a book of original fiddle tunes, and a Canadian Fiddle tune teaching method for Mel Bay. Verch was one of 6 fiddlers whorepresented the Canadian fiddle tradition to the world at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, as part of a segment called “Fiddle Nation” featured in the Opening Ceremonies.
Ever since Newberry & Verch met, and discovered a musical spark that few can match, they have toured across North America, Europe, and the U.K., including Nova Scotia’s signature festival Celtic Colours International Festival, the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival in New York state, and Celtic Connections in Glasgow, Scotland. Their CD, “Going Home,” was released to wide acclaim. Whether it is the power of two voices lifted in harmony, or the sound of traditional tunes calling people to get up and move, these two masters of tradition put on an unforgettable show. And, when their feet kick up the dust in perfect rhythm and those two voices become one, Joe Newberry and April Verch make folks remember why this music existed in the first place.
Dispatch Details
Event Notes: | Also on the bill: Ever-Lovin' Jugband |
Ticket URL: | Click here |
Ticket Price(s): | $30 |
Venue Link: | Click here |
Venue Zip: | N1H 3K8 |
Venue City, State: | Guelph, ON |
Venue St. Address: | Silence Sounds, 46 Essex St. |
Venue: | Banjofest Guelph 2020 |
Concert Start Time: | 8:00 PM |
