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By Dale
McGarrigle, Of the NEWS Staff
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Dale Not Fiddlin’ Around For more than a decade, the Lewiston teen has taken her violin playing in two widely divergent directions. For the past five winters, she’s been a violinist in the Bates College Orchestra, conducted by Bill Matthews. But from spring through fall, she’s a fiddler, appearing as a solo act at about 25 percent of the Old-Time Radio Gang’s New England shows as well as headlining her own bluegrass quartet. Brown said that she finds the precision of classical more difficult than the spontaneity of country fiddle. “With classical, you have to read the sheet music and do what it says,” explained the 18-year-old in an interview at her Lewiston home. “You have to play everything like your partner, because if you don’t, someone will hear it. “In fiddle, you don’t have to play the same way every time,” she added. “It gives you a lot more freedom.” It’s not every senior that has already recorded two CDs (1999’s “Bowing the Strings” and last year’s “Just Taking Notes”). But then, not every high school musician has the willowy blonde’s talent. “She’s among the top two or three fiddlers in New England,” opined John Rock, bass player for the Old-Time Radio Gang and a longtime friend of Brown’s. “For her age, she’s an incredible performer,” agreed Allan “Mac” McHale, the Old-Time Radio Gang’s leader. That’s because Brown has been playing from a young age: “I don’t really remember when I started. I just picked it up one day, and I liked it.” She credits her grandfather, who played accordion and harmonica, for her passion for music.“I heard a lot of music from him, and I loved to listen to music when I was little,” she recalled. Shortly after she developed an interest in violin, Brown began taking classical lessons (“I’ve had so many teachers, it’s hard to remember them all.”) She’s now studying with Ronald Lantz, second violinist for the Portland String Quartet. Lantz said that while Brown has a burgeoning fiddle career going, continuing classical training has been beneficial for her. “It’s kept mechanics and technique sound, and her playing sharp,” he said. “She’s quite a lovely player, well above average as a classical student.” Rock agreed with Lantz about the value of Brown’s classical training. “She’s meticulous,” Rock said. “She studies music theory and has formal training. When she plays a tune, there’s no second-guessing. The timing and intonation are impeccable.” Brown said she hasn’t gotten any attitude about her country leanings from her classical peers. “They all have been really supportive,” she said. “I know there are some that are snobbish about fiddle music, but I haven’t run into them yet.” Brown “slowly wandered off into the fiddle part of things,” and studied for several years with Don Roy of Gorham, whom she calls “my mentor.” By age 10, she was performing with the Maine French Fiddlers, and would go on to tour New England and Louisiana with them. It was around this same time when she met Rock, when both were playing at the same New Hampshire venue. “She impressed me big time,” said Rock, who played on Brown’s first CD. “She was 10 years old, and was entertaining a crowd all by herself. She was amazing.” Rock recommended Brown as a supporting act to McHale about four years ago, and the veteran bandleader is glad to have her on board. “She’s a great guest,” McHale said. “She’s well-liked by the public, is very easy to work with, and very talented. People always request her back.” Brown has benefited from touring with such veteran musicians. “I learn a lot from them,” she said. “They’ve been around awhile, and tell me stories about where they’ve played and who they’ve met. It’s interesting to hear all those old stories.” Both Rock and McHale credit Brown’s family, father, Dean, mother, Trish, and brothers, Daniel, Keith and Christopher, for much of her success. (Daniel, 14, plays mandolin in her bluegrass band, which also includes bassist John Saucier and flat-top guitarist Lincoln Meyers, both from New Hampshire.) “She’s a great person, and she’s fortunate to have a wonderful family, who support her in everything she does,” Rock said. “They’re good, wholesome, down-to-earth people.” “She’s an incredible person, with very strong family ties,” McHale added. “She was very well brought up.” Brown has been home-schooled since first grade, which she said gives her greater flexibility when it comes to her music. She practices at least an hour a day. College looms for Brown, who wants to pursue a musical career. She knows her collegiate instruction will be in classical music, but she plans to keep playing fiddle as well. She isn’t sure what school she’ll be attending yet, but she plans to remain in Maine. “I know it’s a hard career to try to follow,” she said. “I’ll have something to fall back on. I enjoy working with computers, so I’ll try to do something with that.” When she’s not performing, what does Brown like to do? “Just hanging out with friends, stuff normal teen-agers like to do,” she said. |
