At the age of 10, when most boys are fantasizing about becoming the next famous professional athlete, Norristown native Travis Wetzel began fiddling with a different aspiration in the sleepy Pennsylvania Dutch town of Shartlesville. Located in the picturesque Blue Mountains along the Appalachian Trail in Berks County, Shartlesville was home to the Mountain Springs Bluegrass Festival, where “The Mad Fiddler” first became enamored of the small but boisterous essential folk instrument, the fiddle.
“You can hear the influence of the mountains,” says Wetzel of the instrument’s powerful draw. Under the wing of Dave Lightcap, the original “Mad Fiddler,” Wetzel cultivated his insatiable desire for mastering the fiddle. Just 12, Wetzel earned a guest spot on Berks County’s WEEU program “Spirit of Bluegrass” and completed his first radio interview with Dave Kline.
As he developed his own eclectic fiddle-playing style, Wetzel remained true to tradition but says he also “took liberties to put in my own character and color, so the music isn’t sterile.” Influenced by his Native American ancestry, Wetzel’s music also infuses Irish fiddle-playing style as well as bluegrass and jazz musicality.
“I call my music experimental. I have to throw everything in there and see what I come out with. That’s what makes it cool.” Wetzel’s unique style appeals to audiences who appreciate music fusion rooted in authenticity. From classic jazz standards to country bluegrass rhythms, Wetzel’s musical mastery is the heart of his instrumental command.
Authenticity is the core of Wetzel’s work and is as evident in his musical style as it is in his wearing his hair in a traditional Native fashion. An intonation of his Cherokee heritage, Wetzel says, “I always write music sympathetic to the Native American tradition, songs that are earthy and breathe.”
Unlike much of the mass-produced pop culture sound that permeates commercial-driven media, Wetzel’s music is a reflection of a simpler time when musicians entertained their own local communities with interpretations of daily life. “A lot of music I listen to was recorded 30 years ago,” the Mad Fiddler says of his musical influences.
Drawn to the Rolling Stones’ infamous lips sticker and the moniker “The Mad Fiddler” emblazoned on teacher Dave Lightcap’s fiddle case, Wetzel acknowledged his calling early and was immediately driven to become Lightcap’s successor.
“You can be The Mad Fiddler II,” Wetzel recollects his mentor originally noting. But after Wetzel’s first two albums, which were released on vinyl, Lightcap acknowledged that his student had mastered the craft and crowned Wetzel the new “Mad Fiddler,” minus the “II.”
As a testament to Wetzel’s exemplary skill, he has since performed at the mecca of country music, the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn., and has performed with numerous accomplished country and bluegrass artists. One such infamous figure is Congressman Ben “Cooter” Jones, who once starred in the sitcom “Dukes of Hazard” and later produced an album with Wetzel entitled “The Ghosts of Dixie.”
The Mad Fiddler’s bluegrass reach extends beyond the states. He recently toured the Netherlands and Belgium, where he “found an enthusiasm among the young people who were trying to sound like Tennessee bluegrass.”
Although he’ll miss the friends and fans he has in Pennsylvania and the occasional Norristown Zep, Wetzel is relocating to Tennessee in July to be closer to the core of the country and bluegrass music guild. With him forever will be his original ties to the region, his first fiddle which he bought at Zern’s farmers’ market in Gilbertsville.
With five albums already produced and enough new material for 20 more, an upcoming album is surely in Wetzel’s future. For now, fans young and old, new and longstanding, can catch Travis “The Mad Fiddler” Wetzel live locally at Chaplin’s in Spring City. Opening acts include friends and fellow bluegrass musicians The Lewis Brothers and Melissa Coxx.
During live performances, Wetzel “enjoys watching the reaction of the audience and responding to the weird and unexpected.” With the Mad Fiddler leading the way, Friday’s event is sure to be a mythic night infused with transcendental bluegrass and toe-tapping roots music.
Montgomery News (montgomerynews.com)
By Nicolette Milholin
Correspondent
If You Go:
Travis Wetzelwill be performing with The Lewis Brothers and Melissa Coxx
at Chaplin’s,
66 N. Main St.,
Spring City, PA,
Friday, May 22, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $12 in advance ($15 at door)
URL: http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2009/05/25/entertainment/doc4a1305dd97e72491769473.prt