Lily Henley and Duncan Wickel are two artists at the forefront of folk music today. With influences that span cultures and continents, and strong commitments to both tradition and experimentation, Henley and Wickel both offer us music that is as melodically rich as it is emotionally resonant.
Award-winning bowed-string instrumentalist, world class musician, singer, writer, and inventor, Duncan Wickel is “A considerable talent…as persuasive in a traditional ballad as he is country fiddling or ripping through cascading classical flourishes or atonal double stops” (The Boston Globe)
In 2016 Duncan performed as a member of the Stay Human Band on two consecutive episodes of CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, including a taping of “Flashlight” with founding members of Parliament Funkadelic. Along with his band, Rising Appalachia, he was featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series. He has toured with major folk artists including IBMA guitarist of the year Molly Tuttle, Grammy nominees The Duhks, The Wood Brothers, Irish music greats John Doyle and Karan Casey, Ruth Moody, The Stash! Band, and many others.
Known for his chameleon-like qualities on the fiddle, cello, and other stringed instruments, The Boston Phoenix said “with bowing, plucking, rubbing, and tickling, he could turn the violin into a whole orchestra.” Duncan has performed at Carnegie Hall, The Lincoln and Kennedy Centers, The Grand Ol’ Opry, and the famed Biblioteca Alexandria in Egypt. He has performed and taught in over 22 countries spanning every continent on earth that is normally inhabited by humans (sorry, Antarctica).
Duncan is currently recording his debut solo record.