SONG PREMIERE: Natalie Padilla Offers Excitable Old-Timey Fiddle Tune With “Goose”

Born into a family of acclaimed roots musicians, Natalie Padilla was immersed in fiddle and violin music at a very young age. She has grown into a musician of astounding depth and breadth, as well as a performer and educator fluent in a wide variety of genres.

Natalie initially studied Texas-Style fiddle under the tutelage of her mother, award-winning fiddler Nancy Padilla, and began winning contests at the age of 6. She was named Montana State Pee Wee Fiddle Champion and soon went on to become National Small Fry Fiddle Champion at the National Old Time Fiddler’s Contest (1994), National Young Adult Fiddle Champion (2015), National Twin Fiddling Champion (2015), Rocky Mountain Regional Grand Champion (2015), and RockyGrass Fiddle Champion (2015).

Steeped in the traditions of Old-Time, Bluegrass, and Texas-Style Fiddle music, Natalie also has deep roots in classical violin. In 2011, after winning several prestigious student awards, she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Northern Colorado.

Natalie has continued to explore her love of classical music and has performed with the National Repertory Orchestra, Breckenridge Music Festival, Colorado Music Festival, Colorado Bach Ensemble, Boulder Philharmonic, Fort Collins Symphony, Sphere Ensemble, and was Associate Concertmaster of the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra for 6 years.

Building on her Old-Time roots and her rich background in classical music, Natalie has devoted herself to creative roots music in recent years.

In 2015 she founded the original new acoustic band Masontown and has since been composing and singing for the group, as well as playing fiddle and clawhammer banjo. Masontown has played extensively throughout the mountain west, released a debut EP in late 2015, followed by a full length album In This Time in 2017, and took runner up at the acclaimed RockyGrass band competition in the summer of 2016.

Natalie has also performed in every setting from intimate house concerts to Red Rocks Amphitheater, touching on nearly every form of fiddle music imaginable. She has recorded in a variety of settings around the country, and shared the stage with such revered talents as Peter Rowan, Frank Solivan, Pete Wernick, Caleb Klauder, Eli West, Elephant Revival, and many more.

Throughout her deep and diverse musical career Natalie has always been a devoted educator, and has maintained an active studio of private fiddle and violin students since her early teens. She has also been in demand at fiddle and violin camps around the country, teaching for several years at the Montana Fiddle Camp, Fiddle and Flute Weekend Getaway, Brian Wicklund’s Fiddle Pal Camp, and Midsummer Days String Camp, among others.

On September 6th Natalie will take her sound in yet another direction with the release of her solo album Fireweed. Today Glide is excited to premiere “Goose”, the opening track on the album. Inspired by the “infectious morning energy” of a “very excitable terrier named Goose”, the song blends old-timey fiddle and banjo for a slow building instrumental composition that feels rich and layered yet also has a sitting around the campfire sense of loose spontaneity. This is a rollicking and lively fiddle tune, which is a proper musical interpretation of the dog that inspired it. 

Natalie describes the process behind the song:

“I’ve been playing fiddle music my whole life, but oldtime music specifically didn’t catch my interest until about 10 years ago. I can’t say there was an event or anything specific to encourage the new hobby, it just sort of happened and I’ve enjoyed learning the intricacies of this unique style ever since. One of the best parts about old-time fiddle music for me is the ‘cross-tuning’ and how it makes the instrument ring differently and shape tunes in a distinctive way. I wrote ‘Goose’ in the tuning AEAE, or what is commonly referred to as ‘cross A’.”

LISTEN:

For more music and info visit nataliepadillamusic.com.

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