Biography

RADIO PROMOTION BY Art Menius Radio
art@artmenius.com https://artmeniusradio.com

GRAMMY Award winning American Roots artists Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer join with Chinese classical hammered dulcimer virtuoso Chao Tian in this folk infused world music exploration, From China to Appalachia. Chinese and American songs are accompanied on yangqin (Chinese hammered dulcimer), gourd banjo, five-string banjo, ukulele, guitars, dumbek, cello-banjo and mandolin.

Their repertoire includes traditional Chinese and Appalachian music as well as contemporary and traditional music from around the world. Unusual combinations explore new arrangements to old music, such as “Dark Eyes.” Ukulele, yangqin and guitar create a new pallet for this Russian folk song turned jazz manouche tune. Cathy and Marcy join Chao in singing a Chinese lullaby, “Nani Wan,” and Chao easily adds her love of American old-time music to fiddle tunes and songs.

The trio, who met through Strathmore, an acclaimed D.C. area arts and education center and performance venue, have toured across the United States with their one-of-a-kind stage show that combines roots music styles from the Southern U.S., China, and around the globe. From Wintergrass Festival to the Library of Congress to universities and arts councils– plus a mega viral TikTok video – Fink, Marxer, and Tian have brought their singular combination of styles to thousands of listeners and music fans.

The much-anticipated album, From China to Appalachia, builds on that engaging and successful stage show – which received a 2024 Wammie Music Award from the Washington Area Music Association for Best World/Global Artist-Group – and demonstrates the many cross-cultural connections between and vibrant folkways behind these roots music styles. Together, the three world-class instrumentalists showcase a broad repertoire and a wide variety of instruments, including yangqin (Chinese hammered dulcimer), gourd banjo, five-string banjo, ukulele, guitars, dumbek, cello-banjo, and mandolin. Utilizing traditional songs from the U.S. old-time and string band canon as well as traditional Chinese songs (like “Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention”), the album is proof positive of the sonic, cultural, and vernacular interconnections between people from opposite sides of the world.

"Fink and Marxer have constructed every facet of their lifelong careers with community building centered – that’s how they connected with Tian, after all, when she participated in a fellowship program at Strathmore Arts Center nearby their home in Maryland. When the three began making music together, they realized the seamlessness of their musical and cultural vocabularies almost immediately." – The Bluegrass Situation

“From China to Appalachia brings together disparate musical traditions in the spirit of thoughtful inquiry and free artistic collaboration.” Greg Reisch, PhD, Director, Center for Popular Music, MTSU