Notorious Folk

Years at Winfield: 

Lauded as "sparkling" and "exhilarating” Notorious Folk musicians Eden MacAdam-Somer and Larry Unger present a thrilling musical experience in genres that span many continents. With Eden on fiddle and vocals and Larry on guitar and banjo, their music lights up the hall with rhythm and sonority. Their performances are always new and exciting, featuring traditional American, Celtic, and Eastern-European tunes and songs, swing, blues, classical music and the group’s original compositions. Notorious has been a featured ensemble at such festivals as Walnut Valley, Falcon Ridge, Wheatland, Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, Eastbourne International Festival, the Savannah Folk Festival, Pinewoods, and the Augusta Music Festival. Notorious has also performed at the Kennedy Center of Washington D.C., on the Evening Under the Stars Concert Series at Southshore Conservatory of Hingham, Massachusetts, and for the Multi-educational Cultural Center for the Arts of Houston, Texas, and frequently dedicates time to performances and educational programs in schools. The band has also toured extensively, across the entire East and West coasts of the United States, to Alaska, and England. In addition to solo concerts, Notorious frequently works with orchestral ensembles, performs for folk and swing dances, teaches workshops, and participates in musical film collaborations.

At home in the worlds of both classical and popular music, Eden MacAdam-Somer is one of the most exciting and versatile young violinists performing today. She has been a featured soloist with symphony and chamber orchestras, jazz and swing bands, bluegrass, DAWG and American folk groups. Eden is also well versed in the music of other cultures, including Irish music, Gypsy music, Sephardic music, and European music from the Medieval and Renaissance periods. She has been a guest artist at the Aspen and Beijing International Music festivals, soloist at Texas and Wimberly jazz festivals, performer at Texas and St. Louis Renaissance fairs, and has appeared on numerous recordings in folk, rock, jazz, and classical genres.

Larry Unger has been a full time musician since 1984 and has presented a diverse range of musical performances at dances, festivals, and concerts across the United States, Canada, France, Scotland, Denmark, and Sweden. He has played guitar, banjo, and bass with many top contra dance bands, including Reckless AbandonUncle GizmoBig Table, and the Reckless Ramblers, and has accompanied such fiddlers as Judy HymanElke BakerRodney MillerAlasdair FraserMatt GlaserRalph Blizard, and Lissa Schneckenburger. His solo concerts include a wide variety of music, including fingerstyle blues and slide guitar, rags, and oldtime banjo tunes as well as melodies played on a handful of unusual instruments including banjo-guitar, fretless banjo, and piano-harp. Larry's original waltzes and fiddle tunes have been played and recorded by musicians around the world. He has a great breadth of understanding of traditional music to complement his considerable technical proficiency and enjoys telling stories about the origins of his music and the people who taught him.