Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Staff
Renowned Canadian fiddle champion Scott Woods will be flipping into the Napanee Lions Hall April 26 for a toe-tapping night of tunes in support of Lennox and Addington’s Seniors Outreach Services.
A five-piece band will join “The Flippin’ Fiddler” for a night of Branson-style family entertainment with a mix of old time fiddle, country, western swing, country gospel, instrumentals, vocals and step dancing. The stop in Napanee is part of their 16-night Fiddling Up A Storm tour through Ontario.
“The Fiddling Up A Storm theme is kind of a fun one,” said Woods. “We’re going to play some tunes where the fingers might be flying on a fiddle or guitar like a hurricane or twister might be. But we’re also going to play some tunes that more resemble the calm before the storm. Some plaintive melodies. It’s just a real fun show to put together.”
Woods is no stranger to the Napanee area having most recently visited two years ago as part of his Christmas concert tour.
Anyone who caught that show can expect a different act this time around.
“Every time we go out on tour we have a brand new show,” said Woods. “I try really hard to make sure they see a brand new show. It’s a different theme, different jokes, different costumes, different schtick.”
Though the tunes are different, Woods says the core concept of family-friendly entertainment stays the same. Of course one thing that remains the same is the part of the show where he does a somersault while playing the fiddle, which earned him the Flippin’ Fiddler monicker.
“I actually tried to take it out of the show about 12 or 14 years ago,” Woods said of the somersault trick. “It was a Christmas run, and I thought ‘everybody’s seen me do this stupid somersault 100 times, I don’t need to do it anymore.’ So we did the first show on the tour without it. Then everyone came up to me after the show and said ‘what are you dong? You’re not done. Where’s the somersault? We brought all our friends and told them you were going to do the flip.’ So I said ‘OK’ and went back on stage and did it. I just kept it in there because everyone wants to see it.”
Another staple to his show is his trick of walking on a barrel, while fiddling.
Joining him on stage will be his sister Kendra Norris, a multi-instrumentalist and three time Canadian Duet Fiddle champion, Steve Piticco, Canadian Country Music Award winner and Guitar Player of the Year, Peter Sisk, Bill Carruthers, Canadian Country Music Award Winner and Drummer of the Year, and 13-year-old step dancer Leo Stock.
Tickets for the show are $25 for adults, $10 for children six-12 and free for anyone under the age of five. They’re available now at L&A SOS and Gray’s IDA. The show starts at 7 p.m.