An evening with the Sami Braman Band

TICKETS COMING SOON

Focal Point Friends of Old-Time Music is pleased to present the debut performance of the Sami Braman Band at Focal Point. Known for her work with longtime Pacific Northwest string band, The Onlies, and as touring/session player for Willie Watson, Braman celebrates the fiddle with a playful journey that draws upon traditions from Appalachia to Ireland, Cape Breton to Norway, and beyond. Her recent album of original fiddle tunes, aptly named for the myriad fiddling styles Braman nimbly “rivets” together, Riveter pulses with an old-time groove throughout, and Braman’s sheer joy in playing her instrument rolls off it all in waves. Coming from within a musical tradition where fully original works are the exception, Braman sets herself apart—and her compositional chops are undeniable. Listening to “Train in the Wilderness” one can almost glimpse a steam train just as it rounds a bend somewhere deep in the Appalachian Mountains, while “Rogue River” evokes the image of surging whitewater carving its way through a lush Pacific Northwest forest. Yet listening to Riveter or seeing Braman’s band in performance one will discover music that is not your ordinary old-time fare: In her playing, Braman experiments with unconventional fiddling textures and rhythms that anything less than a virtuoso would fall short of pulling off. She excels in these moments, and in doing so, pushes us to imagine what traditionally inspired folk music can be. For this very special evening, she’ll be joined by her band, featuring Allison De Groot on banjo, Emily Mann on bass, and Wila Frank on guitar.