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MELFORT 鈥� Scott Woods and the Scott Woods Band are coming to Melfort to set the boards alight with toe-tapping old-time fiddle music.

The famous group and fiddle legend himself will hit the stage at the Melfort United Church Saturday, May 18 at 7 pm for one night only.

Woods, who studied classical violin from age four, is a multitalented instrumentalist.

Playing drums, bass, piano, guitar, saxophone and clarinet, Scott is a multiple winner of the Canadian Open Fiddle Contest, the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Championships and a Canadian Fiddle Entertainer of the Year.

Known affectionately as the 鈥淔lippin鈥� Fiddler鈥�, Woods earned the nickname 鈥� and notoriety 鈥� from his signature trick fiddling routine doing somersaults and walking on a barrel all the while, playing nonstop.

Taking time out of his extensive touring schedule to talk to Yorkton This Week about an performance in Yorkton the day before he comes to Melfort, Scott gave a sneak preview of what to expect, as well as some fun stories from throughout his storied career.

鈥淚 started playing violin when I was four. I was the youngest of four kids,鈥� Woods said.

鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 wait to join the rest of the family because Dad played fiddle, and his dad played fiddle.

鈥淚t goes back three or four generations on my dad鈥檚 side; and my mom鈥檚 side, her grandfather was a quite a well known fiddler that goes back five or six generations.

鈥淚n fact, mom and dad met because dad had an old time dance orchestra and in 1956, they needed a new piano player.

鈥淗e hired my mom as a young teenager and had to call my grandmother and ask permission for my mom to go and be able to play music with this band.

鈥淔our or five years later, they got married and four kids came along, so we all joined the family band.

鈥淕rowing up, we all studied classical violin and piano because my parents knew the technique of legit classical music was so critical to be able to play well. To play in time, and play in tune. That was so important to them.

鈥淭hen, as a reward for practicing scales and studies and that sort of stuff that otherwise might be boring to a four or five year old starting out, dad would teach us fiddle tunes,in the style of Don Messer.

鈥淭hey always had Don Messer鈥檚 radio programs on first, and then his television program. That鈥檚 pretty much the same for most fiddlers across the country.

鈥淭hey鈥檇 say, 鈥業 learned this tune off of Don Messer鈥檚 fiddle program, and I think you should play this one,鈥� so it was a lot of fun to learn in the old style.鈥�

This year, Scott promises, is an exciting, fresh show with a bevy of talented musicians with faces both familiar and new.

鈥淭his show, this year, is a brand new show. It鈥檚 called 鈥楩iddlin鈥� Around鈥�.鈥�

鈥淓ach year, we travel across the country. Our fans are very loyal, so I always try very, very hard to make sure they see something significantly different than what they saw last time,鈥� Woods explains.

鈥淪o, 鈥楩iddlin鈥� Around鈥� is a fun show; it is a show that is kind of tongue in cheek in a lot of cases. We have a lot of silly stuff that happens, we鈥檝e got some costumes, my sister does a little mini rural comedy routine, and there鈥檚 lots of corny jokes in the show anyways. We have some things that happen, without giving away too much of the show -- you don鈥檛 want to spoil it! -- but there are some really fun aspects to the show.

鈥淭here are times we bring it right down and be serious. We talk about bullying and some of the current, relevant issues in today鈥檚 society with respect to the traditional country -- how some of these songs, Coat of Many Colours, is an example [of that], from Dolly Parton of years ago.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a show that has a real variety, and you don鈥檛 have to be a fiddle fan or a country music fan.

鈥淪o, we鈥檝e got myself and my sister Kendra. She plays twin fiddles with me, and there鈥檚 five of us altogether.

Woods is quick to share the spotlight with his fellow musicians, all incredibly accomplished in their own right.

鈥淜endra also plays piano and covers the bass, for parts of the show with the left hand on the piano and we have Steve Piticco playing the lead guitar.

鈥淣ow, Steve, is known as the 鈥楾elecaster Master鈥�. He鈥檚 hung out with people like Merle Haggard, and he鈥檚 backed up Dolly Parton, and he鈥檚 backed up, over the years, Gene Watson. Learned from the best. He鈥檚 been on the road since he was 15 years old playing music professionally, so he鈥檚 just a real pro.

鈥淎nd then we have young Leo Stock. Leo is 14 years old, and he is a great fiddler 鈥� a champion fiddler, a great singer. He鈥檚 also known as good ol鈥� 鈥淪paghetti Legs鈥� because he is a champion step dancer. Ottawa Valley style step dancing! So he puts on his dancin鈥� boots and comes out front, and shows us some of his fancy footwork a few times through the show. He is a true entertainer.

鈥淎nd this year, we鈥檝e added Naomi Bristow, and Naomi is Canada鈥檚 Yodelin鈥� Cowgirl. She is only 21 years old, but she鈥檚 got ten CDs to her credit already. She鈥檚 recorded with Vince Gill and and some of the big national stars, and is a regular on RFD-TV down in Nashville, and was on Canada鈥檚 Got Talent, one of the finalists there. She鈥檚 just a real, seasoned pro. It鈥檚 a real treat to have her on the stage and she鈥檚 just a real sweetheart.鈥�

Woods is also known for his trademark physicality.

鈥淚 always seem to get asked if I鈥檓 still doing the trick fiddling,鈥� he chuckles, 鈥渙r if I鈥檓 too old to do it, and I am not too old yet! Haven鈥檛 eaten too many cookies, but sometimes the church ladies have a little reception for us and we鈥檒l have some cookies, tarts, a piece of pie or something in. As much as I like that stuff I generally say no, and the reason for that is I鈥檒l have to do a somersault the next day.

鈥淚 play behind my back, and under my legs, and I do a front running somersault. That鈥檚 where I got the name 鈥楾he Flippin鈥� fiddler鈥�. Then I鈥檓 going to walk on a barrel and play 鈥楻oll Out The Barrel.鈥� I鈥檝e been doing it since I was about 10 or 11 years old, and it鈥檚 just kind of a fun spot of the show and one of the few carryovers from each year. We always do some trick fiddling.

鈥淭he routine changes sometimes from year to year, but the concept of doing the trick fiddling is at the end of the show.

Asked how one would start training for a physical regiment of trick fiddling, Woods chuckles.

鈥淲ell, see, years ago, in the fiddle contest circuit, I mean everything was fiddling, right? But the guys took it very seriously. Rudy Meeks, Graham Townsend, and Marty Moore and those guys were competing against each other. They hated each other鈥檚 guts when they were on the stage!

鈥淣ow, mind you, they鈥檇 go out and they would jam, and play tunes and have a drink and have fun together, but they really took it seriously to be known as the Canadian Fiddle Champion. It was a big deal. So, to try and break some of that tension in the contest part, the organizers of some of the competitions would come up with this idea of, 鈥榃ell, we鈥檒l just throw the rulebook away, and all the trick and fancy and novelty fiddling, you can do pretty much whatever you want.鈥� So, Al Turney, and King Ganam, and Sleepy Marlin used to come up from the US and do some tricks with his fiddle, all these guys. So, I just kind of watched them and learned and copied a lot of their stuff. I added the barrel, and I added the front running somersault, but some of them did some different tricks. They鈥檇 throw their bow up in the air and catch it. They would turn the fiddle upside down and play it. Or they would play it on their head or some darned thing.

鈥淚 did do a handstand, or, a headstand, really. I鈥檇 have to have somebody hold my feet up, because I couldn鈥檛 put my hands down because I need them to play the fiddle. It鈥檚 just silly stuff that you come up with.鈥�

鈥淣ow, we鈥檙e touring all across Canada, and we鈥檙e often in the States. We had a run in the southern U.S. earlier this year. Quite often we do a fair bit in the midwestern US; the Dakotas, Minnesota, Colorado, Illinois, those places. The last two years we鈥檝e been going to Europe as well. We鈥檙e kind of taking Canadian fiddle music and spreading it around the world as much as we can.

鈥淭he main thing about the show is we try and build it so it鈥檚 a show for the entire family. You don鈥檛 have to be a fiddle fan or a country music fan. It鈥檚 like a Vegas show. We put many smoke and mirrors and lights because, you know, it鈥檚 a travelling show 鈥� set up and tear down every day to a different venue, but it鈥檚 a big production, too.

鈥淲e have a big backdrop that we put up, pipe and drapes, and we have GoPro cameras up on stage [with a] live feed, and there鈥檚 visual images as well. It鈥檚 quite a big looking production.

鈥淏ut it鈥檚 general, variety show entertainment. Anybody could come, and we get lots of compliments from people who say, 鈥榊ou know, I heard it was a fiddle show and I didn鈥檛 really want to go, because I don鈥檛 really like fiddle music. But I came because somebody bugged me and I said okay, and I came 鈥� and I really loved it.鈥�

Scott Woods and the Scott Woods Band will perform at the Melfort United Church on May 18 at 7 pm.