THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND
The Crooked Fiddle Band formed in Sydney, Australia, in 2006, the year that Pluto was demoted to a dwarf planet (although that had nothing to do with us). The band features Jess Randall on violin, vocals and nyckelharpa (plural: nyckelharpor – check one out on your spare Swedish 50 kronor banknote); Gordon Wallace on guitar, bouzouki and cittern; Mark Stevens on double bass; and Joe Gould on drums, vocals and percussion.
The Crooked Fiddle Band mix blasts of fiery folk with the intense atmosphere and detail of post- and prog-rock, resulting in a multi-layered, complex and ecstatic hybrid they call 'chainsaw folk'.
The band’s first two albums were recorded by studio legend Steve Albini (Nirvana, The Pixies, Gogol Bordello) at his notorious analog-only Chicago studio, Electrical Audio. The long awaited third album, Another Subtle Atom Bomb was recorded locally in Australia with a digital setup, allowing the band to combine the precision learned recording live to tape with the ability to be more experimental in the studio.
Given the heavy subject matter, they wanted the album to have an upfront sound too, enlisting rock engineer Clayton Segelov, who has worked with Georgia Maq (Camp Cope), Justice for the Damned, Shady Nasty, sleepmakeswaves and many more. To give the album extra grit, the band devised an analogue fuzz box, recording the double bass through an amp with a snare drum in front, its wires rattling, to create a buzz-saw effect, heard throughout the entire album. The acoustic guitar and bouzouki were also re-amped through a cranked Fender ‘68 Custom Vibrolux to add some gainy tube warmth.
Live, they are at home in the theatre of Sydney's Opera House, festival headline stages like the London Olympic Arts Festival, Woodford, Falls and Peats Ridge, as well as cult underground appearances at Tasmania's Dark Mofo, Germany's Fusion Festival, and the UK's Shambala. Supports include Shellac, The Beards, The Jezabels, Lunasa, Afenginn, Closure in Moscow and many more.
Jess Randall - violin, nyckelharpa, vocals
Gordon Wallace - guitar, bouzouki, cittern, mandolin
Mark Stevens - double bass, mountain dulcimer
Joe Gould - drum kit, percussion, vocals, vibraphone