Graham Nicholas / The Medusa String Quartet
With the release of his 4th full length album Black Creek (2023), Graham Nicholas has created an emotionally resonant world inhabited by troubled and love-hungry characters. Never alienated for their insecurities, his characters are instead respected by the empathetic voice of an honest songwriter. The new album finds Nicholas honing in on his concise form of storytelling and refining his irreverent sense of humour. Coupling his John Prine & Gordon Lightfoot narrative style with a backing band that hearkens back to the likes of The Band, Nicholas’ songs have found the right balance of warmth and grit. Listed by Now Magazine as one of their “2018 Toronto Musicians to Watch”, He has also shared the stage with the likes of Ron Hynes, Russell DeCarle, Catherine MacLellan, Old Man Luedecke, Del Barber and Daniel Romano.
Touring in support of his latest album release.
Medusa
Medusa is a chamber-folk band that blends the Western string quartet with Polish knee fiddles, Greek lira, and Swedish Nyckelharpa. We weave together Eastern European, Scandinavian, Celtic, and Middle Eastern sounds to create something entirely new.
One of the most misunderstood figures in mythology, Medusa has been known for her frightful ugliness, and her lithifying gaze. In fact, Medusa was wrongfully punished and cast out for being the victim of a violent act.
The instruments we play, in addition to violin, viola, and cello, are traditional bowed fiddles that were rejected for centuries in their home countries of Poland and Sweden, their sounds considered too ugly for polite audiences.
Our band was formed during the pandemic, a time when the whole world was forced to stop, look within, and shed old skin. Instead of a snake-haired Gorgon, we see Medusa as a symbol of vision, power, and inclusivity, and a source of inspiration for anyone who has been denied their true self.
Medusa is Georgia Hathaway (they/them, violin), Lea Kirstein (she/they, viola, cello), Marta Solek (she/her, Polish knee fiddles, Greek lira, cello), and Saskia Tomkins (she/her, Nyckelharpa, violin).
https://www.sisterhoodofmedusa.com/
