EJ OUELLETTE & CRAZY MAGGY: Rock the Bow 5.0

EJ Ouellette & Crazy Maggy

Rock the Bow 5.0

© 2007 E.J. Ouellette (783707239408)

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Fiddle-driven rock band.

notes

EJ Ouellette & Crazy Maggy

Led by EJ Ouellette on fiddle, guitars and vocals, Crazy Maggy rocks the roots of traditional fiddle music by blending ancient melodies with new arrangements, contemporary lyrics, and soulful grooves.

Ouellette is bringing fiddling into a new light. With respect and love for traditional music, EJ & Crazy Maggy are defining a new genre of music -- RAD/TRAD -- by blending traditional fiddle music with radical new arrangements and contemporary lyrics and influences. The result is a mesmerizing sound that rocks audiences with its energy and invention.

The Boston press has called Ouellette a “Celtic fiddle master,” with “a keening, propulsive edge, merging the jubilant and the plangent in a single verse.” A lifelong musician, EJ picked up the fiddle later in his career, fiddle being one of many instruments he has played professionally. He started his band, Crazy Maggy, while fusing his rock skills with his roots in Irish, French Canadian and Cape Breton music.

EJ & Crazy Maggy's blend of ancient melodies and syncopation, combined with a modern rhythm section, pop sensibilities and arrangements, attracts music lovers of all ages and backgrounds. The band’s tribal jams, known as “Maggy moments”, always bring down the house.

“We play ‘the tunes’ and then we jam. We suck the marrow out of every bit the tune has to offer,” says EJ.

Maggy music is showcased on the band’s debut CD, “Rock the Bow 5.0,” which features Ouellette on fiddle, vocals, guitars and mandolin.

Selected quotes:

Steve Morse of the Boston Globe:

“Ouellette is a Celtic fiddle master, but he has also pushed this group in exciting new directions. Dips into Jean Luc Ponty-style jazz and Celtic/world-beat fusion are some of the offshoots of this powerful band, which plays with precision and passion.“

Daniel Gewertz of the Boston Herald:

“EJ Ouellette & Crazy Maggy was a delightful electric fusion surprise. Fiddle and sax lead a fearless band. A stylish fiddler, Ouellette exhibits a keening, propulsive edge, merging the jubilant and the plangent in a single verse.”

Bruce Menin of the Newburyport Current:

“Ouellette and Crazy Maggy are among the most prominent practitioners of Rad-Trad, fusing traditional values and forms to modern, nay "radical" sensibilities… The combination of sax and fiddle is a revelation and a dream. The music itself achieves what Ouellette sets out to do. It marries the rootedness of tradition with the urgency of the outward edge… The band rocks.”

reviews

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  • lively and fun
    author: a too-sane Maggie

    I like traditional Celtic music a lot. I enjoy what some modern musicians are developing from its influence. This CD is something I like to spring on unsuspecting friends and family -- it wins them over too. I'm not a trained music critic, but I know what I like, and this is terrific fun to hear (and dance to). I hope to see more CDs from this group. They make me wish I lived closer to Boston.

  • Wonderful CD
    author: Kat

    I saw EJ Ouellette and Crazy Maggy at the Peddler's Daughter and instantly fell in love. What got me the most was, I could tell they LOVE what they do, and that is a complete seller for me. Sax and fiddle had me dancing until I couldn't dance anymore. The CD has done the same! Thanks again!

  • The combination of fiddle and sax is a revelation and a dream.
    author: Bruce Menin - Newburyport Current

    Ouellette and Crazy Maggy are among the most prominent practitioners of Rad-Trad, fusing traditional values and forms to modern, nay "radical" sensibilities. There's a lot of bottom here, guaranteed to get your legs moving and toes tapping. The combination of fiddle and sax is a revelation and a dream. The music itself achieves what Ouellette sets out to do. It marries the rootedness of tradition with the urgency of the outward edge. There is balance in the arrangements, the harmonies are workable to terrific, and the instrumental competence is of a very high order. The band rocks. If you can walk away from the opening track without two-stepping, this album isn't for you. But you'll be awfully lonely out there. The rest of us will be dancing our tails off. -- Bruce Menin

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