Spotlight on...Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki

Author: Justine Katzenbach

Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki '08 has infiltrated the Middlebury College rock music scene with a new and unconventional sound - the fiddle. Tirrell-Wysocki, a joint Theatre and English major from Canterbury, N.H. has performed in folk concerts around New England since he was a child. Now, bringing his traditional folk background to the College music scene, Tirrell-Wysocki accompanies James Riley '08.5 on guitar, Brian Harris '08 on bass and Max Obata '09 on drums, in the popular new group Dawn's Basement. Don't miss their upcoming show on Nov. 11th in Pearson's Lounge.



The Middlebury Campus: The fiddle is such a unique sound. What originally drew you to learning this particular instrument?

Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki: I made a deal with my parents when I was eight: they would allow me to stop taking classical piano lessons if I picked up another instrument. Some fiddlers played for a square dance at my school, and I was so taken by the relaxed, have-a-good-time attitude so important to fiddle music that I knew this was going to be my instrument. Within a few weeks, I was taking lessons at the fiddler's house, a little cabin in the middle of the woods with no running water. It was perfect.

TC: Has the fiddle always been an integral part of your life? When did you first begin playing and how has your musical career grown?

JTW: Soon after I started taking lessons, my teacher and her fiddling husband were kind enough to let me start playing gigs with them. At first I was compensated in maple milkshakes, but gradually I began making money and establishing a reputation for myself in the surprisingly extensive fiddling community of N.H. After a couple years of lessons, I discovered the glory of Irish music and began playing solo gigs in that genre, but still returned to the dance scene whenever possible. It was a great opportunity for me to meet lots of interesting and eccentric people and you could certainly say it has been an integral part of my life since my first lesson.

TC: You are currently playing in the band Dawn's Basement. How does a traditional folk instrument affect the sound of a rock band?

JTW: Strangely, for sure! That's part of why we're excited about our sound. With a ten-year background in Celtic music, it's almost impossible for me to break out of that mindset completely, so even if I'm taking a solo in a song like "Freebird" or "My Girl," it has an unavoidable Celtic flavor. Since that flavor creeps into anything we play, our more familiar rock and funk songs are enhanced and made more interesting, at least in my opinion, by the Celtic feel. It also works the other way around. Take your typical Irish fiddle tune, possibly centuries old, and add a guitarist who grew up on Phish, Radiohead and Dave Matthews, then add a bass player with a strong background in funk and rock. Top it off with a drummer who is versatile enough to jam on just about anything, and you get a new interpretation of the fiddle tune that is much more exciting and accessible to people who may not be familiar with the traditional style.

TC: What are some past accomplishments that make you most proud?

JTW: I've played gigs that range from three-year-old birthday parties to governor's inaugurations to nursing homes. I think the most satisfying have been the occasions where people from several generations were enjoying the music together. When you can look out and see little kids dancing next to college students, young parents and middle-aged and elderly couples, it really makes you feel like you're reaching people in an important way. However, playing for a party-crowd of peers and friends is a real blast, and I think those have been my favorite shows.

TC: What attracts you most to folk music and to the folk music culture?

JTW: The laid-back attitude. I have a great deal of respect for people who play in orchestras and read complicated music note for note, but I could never do that. I love the freedom of fiddle music and I take advantage of it by rarely playing a tune the same way twice. Plus, I believe there is an inherent beauty in Celtic music that I've never felt to such a degree in any other genre.

TC: What are the biggest challenges face fiddlers?

JTW: Aside from our instrument having no frets and an annoying tendency to squeak at the worst times, the fiddle is a rare instrument in mainstream popular music. Fiddlers who want to play for a mainstream audience have to break out of the traditional folk mold, which many people would pass over without a second thought. When you start replacing electric guitar solos with electric fiddle solos, people start to realize just how versatile the instrument is.

TC: Is music merely a hobby or do you plan on pursuing it professionally?

JTW: I cannot think of a better way to make a living than rocking out with your friends and getting paid for it. I intend to pursue my career in music as far as it will take me. A musician for whom I have a lot of respect introduced me to this George Bernard Shaw quote, "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."