Edinburgh Tradfest: The Onlies

“This is high-octane old-time fiddling and picking, but they know how to slow it down too, focusing on the beautiful vocals of Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno (who also perform as Viv & Riley). And I’m not the only one noticing. Fiddler Sami Braman is touring with Willie Watson now, and fiddler Leo Shannon just joined up with Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy. This is Gen Z trad, full of spit and vinegar, eager to leave their mark on the tradition.” - Songlines

The Onlies is a longstanding collective of young friends defining a powerful new generation of stringband music. Described as “the best old-time stringband out there” (Songlines), they “make old-time music sound fuller and richer and more dense than most bands of a similar ilk.”(Bandcamp Daily).

Multi-instrumentalists and vocalists Sami Braman, Riley Calcagno, and Leo Shannon formed The Onlies in Seattle as young kids, bringing in celebrated guitarist/singer Vivian Leva 10 years later. “ Their fourth album, You Climb The Mountain ,marks 20 years as a band. It was recorded by Grammy-winner Joel Savoy and powered by the unmistakable bass groove of Nokosee Fieldsas it takes listeners on a climb up no ordinary mountain. If it sounds like a volcanic journey, it is—with fiddles, banjos, guitars, bass, autoharp, harmonium, electric guitar, and two to four-part vocal harmonies, in a generous 15 tracks including a cameo from Bluegrass legend Alice Gerrard.

The Onlies have earned first place at the Appalachian Stringband Festival in Clifftop, WV, and are currently Artistic Directors of Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, Wash., one of the largest and most venerable fiddle festivals in the country. As individuals, they are members of Viv & Riley, Willie Watson (Sami), and Bonnie "Prince" Billy (Leo). As influential fiddler Bruce Molsky says “all four of the Onlies are shining stars. Together, what impresses me most about them is that they’ve grabbed this old music we all love by the reins and dragged it into the 21st century.” Indeed, you can hear their joy and decades of playing with one another in every note.

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