There are a lot of things about fiddling that people in these parts love, but there鈥檚 going to be more to love with the show that will be coming to town on May 15. The Scott Woods Band will be stopping in Yorkton, Humboldt, Melfort, and Lashburn during their annual nationwide tour.
The main man, Scott Woods, performs a trick fiddling routine that includes acrobatic somersaults and walking on a barrel, which has earned him the nickname, 鈥淭he Flippin鈥� Fiddler.鈥� During this year鈥檚 tour, they鈥檒l be performing a show called Fiddling in the Key of Eh.
鈥淲e鈥檙e taking a look at different fiddling styles we call Canadian,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he fiddlers that came to Canada brought the fiddling traditions of their home country. Each has its own unique style. It can be the same tunes, but the way they鈥檙e played is different. It鈥檚 kind of like a dialect.鈥�
Woods, who is from Ontario, and his band have been traveling back and forth across Canada for the last ten years. While he鈥檚 the lead member now, the band itself was inherited from his father, despite having three older siblings.
鈥淲e all play fiddle, but I guess I showed the most interest, so he passed the torch to me,鈥� said Woods. 鈥淗e saw the potential and wanted to give me the experience, so I was very lucky.鈥�
After handing the band down to his son, the senior Woods retired to the background and became their soundman. He also did all of their bookings right up until he passed away on at the end of 2003.
鈥淲e came home and missed one show for the day of the funeral and then we were back on the road the day after,鈥� said Woods. 鈥淗e booked that tour; he wouldn鈥檛 have wanted us to miss a show for any reason.鈥�
Woods鈥� first tour was in 1986 and has since played various types of events at different venues. In 1998, he became the musical director of Memories of Don Messer鈥檚 Jubilee, which continued for the next seven years in a large circuit across Canada. It wasn鈥檛 until 2006 that he decided to take his band on the same circuit, but a smaller scale.
Their shows, he had decided, would be all old-time fiddling in a variety show with singing, dancing, jokes and silly anecdotes. They provided that as a service to different churches, charities, and clubs that were raising funds for their activities. Eventually, Woods and his bands became a traveling act.
鈥淲e usually go from northern Ontario to the Prairies and then go generally north off Trans-Canada, up through Humboldt, Melfort and Prince Albert to Lloydminster and Edmonton,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ometimes we go further north past the Prairies to聽 Grand Prairie, to the interior of B.C., and then come back east and drop down to Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Swift Current, and Regina. Then we make our way more south with a stop at Manitoba.鈥�
Despite the seeming glamour that goes with driving across the country in a bus with a band, Woods says it鈥檚 not all it鈥檚 cracked up to be. They have to haul all their gear and CDs and sleep on the bus with each other every night.
His mother, who used to play piano and help do all the traveling work with Woods鈥� father, has since retired. Now, Woods鈥� wife has taken over some of the responsibility.
鈥淢y wife is our manager and she does all of the bookings, marketing and logistics and deals with all of that stuff,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a full-time job in the office for her. Our two girls are gone to college now, but it鈥檚 not ideal when I鈥檓 gone for seven weeks at a time.鈥�
It鈥檚 the same with any of his band members as well. When they鈥檙e gone seven, eight, or nine weeks at a time, something as simple as opening the pool or cutting the grass becomes a chore. Sometimes they have to hire someone to do it. Oftentimes, this also means missing special moments with the family.
That being said, Woods is like any other musician who chooses that type of life: he does it because he loves it.
鈥淔or me, the best part is when we hit the stage. Those two hours, that鈥檚 the drug that every musician craves; that high from being on the stage, seeing the audience respond to your music, the energy that鈥檚 between the band members, especially when you鈥檙e doing a really good show,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 some connection. You don鈥檛 speak, but you communicate across the stage and (the other members) know what it means. That鈥檚 very unique and heard for someone who鈥檚 never had that to understand the connection between band members.鈥�
Woods also says that because this show is all about Canadiana fiddling and things, there are some nostalgic and patriotic moments.
鈥淭here will be couples in their 80s who have been married for years and they鈥檒l grab each other鈥檚 hands in the front row. That鈥檚 immediate justification 鈥� when you鈥檙e doing something really exceptional and the crowd is responding, they鈥檒l whistle or clap. That鈥檚 the drive that every musician will tell you about. All the long nights, no sleep and lugging gear and all the years of practice, it鈥檚 all worth it for that feeling on the stage.鈥�
Scott Woods and his band will be performing on May 15 at the Humboldt Royal Canadian Legion Hall. Tickets can be purchased at Center Stage Music, Kemway Lanes or at the legion itself. If tickets aren鈥檛 sold out by the day of the show, they can also be purchased right at the door. Anyone out of town can purchase tickets by calling their office at 1-855-726-8896.
