New Dangerfield is the highly anticipated Black string band supergroup that brings together Afrofuturist fiddler Jake Blount with composer, songwriter, and old-time banjo player Kaia Kater, bluegrass banjo iconoclast Tray Wellington, and powerfully versatile bassist Nelson Williams.
“I put together New Dangerfield originally to collaborate with other Black artists that I feel are constantly breaking barriers with their music,” says Tray Wellington. “It quickly became apparent, though, that this is a project that roots music wants and needs. As we continue to make strides individually in our careers, it influences the music we make as a group. Having a joint goal of further stating roots music is for all people, and with each of us having different backgrounds, it makes for a magical and truly individual sound to add to the Black string band tradition. Working from a shared place of love for Black string band music and culture, we’re developing new sounds and new ideas that keep these traditions fully grounded in the present while steeped in shared history.”
The group takes their name from Dangerfield Newby, one of five recorded Black abolitionists among John Brown’s raiders who died while taking part in Brown’s infamous raid on a federal armoury in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859. New Dangerfield’s debut single, “Dangerfield Newby” is out today (Free Dirt Records) and pays homage to this historical figure by reconfiguring a traditional fiddle tune – ‘Dangerfield,’ learned from fiddler Eddie Bond, also known as ‘Old Sport’ – and deftly rearranging the number to canonize Newby’s revolutionary sacrifice. By taking a traditional instrumental tune and turning it on its ear, the band demonstrates the unique prism through which they make music and synthesize these age-old folkways. Each of these four powerful artists has risen to carry the torch for the ancestors who first built this music, but have been forgotten and erased today.
Stream New Dangerfield: https://lnk.to/new-dangerfield
New Dangerfield on Tour
Sunday, April 28 – MerleFest, Wilkes Community College, Wilkesboro, NC
Thursday, July 11 — Sunday, July 14 – Winnipeg Folk Festival, Birds Hill Provincial Park, Winnipeg, MB
Saturday, August 3 — Monday, August 5 – Canmore Folk Festival, Canmore, Alberta
Saturday, August 10 – Blue Waters Bluegrass Festival, Waterfront Park, Medical Lake, Washington
Sunday, August 11 – Blue Waters Bluegrass Festival, Waterfront Park, Medical Lake, Washington
Thursday, August 15 — Sunday, August 18 – Green Mountain Bluegrass & Roots Festival, Hunter Park, Manchester, VT
Friday, September 20 – Bourbon & Beyond, Kentucky Expo Center, Louisville, KY
Sunday, September 22 – Freshgrass – Mass MoCA, Mass MoCA, North Adams, MA
More: https://newdangerfield.band/