Bands
High-Strung Strummers
The High-Strung Strummers is a high energy duo that specializes in the old-time dance music of Appalachia, and the performance of Anglo-American ballads that found their home in that region. Lead vocalist Sarah Jane Nelson is a multi-instrumentalist who has been playing traditional music for folk festivals, New England contra dances, and other regional events for over a decade. She is a music journalist and has recently completed a book on Ozark songcatcher Max Hunter of Springfield, Missouri. Her favorite gigs are for library audiences. Cathy Mason is a highly accomplished fiddler and music instructor who has spent more than thirteen years studying Southern fiddle music with the masters of that tradition. Together, Cathy and Sarah have been finalists at the popular Lowell Banjo & Fiddle Contest, and they delight audiences with the rich harmonies and rhythmic accents of their “twin” fiddling. Recent and upcoming appearances include the Lowell Fairy Festival, an Arlington house concert, Rogers Memorial Library, Newton Farm Day and the Folk Song Society of Greater Boston house concert and workshop.