Liam Purcell has announced a change in his touring group, Cane Mill Road, involving a fiddle swap at the end of this year. Sam Stage is heading out and Ella Jordan heading in.
Purcell launched this group while he was still in school, even before he started high school, playing mandolin and singing lead. They generated a great deal of attention for their modern sound and creative playing and arrangements, and were named Momentum Band of the Year by the IBMA in 2019. They now have four album to their credit, and are moving towards touring full time in the summer of 2024.
Currently, with Liam on mandolin, Cane Mill Road consists of Rob McCormac on guitar, Jacob Smith on bass, Colton Kercher on banjo, and the departing Stage on fiddle.
Purcell explained a few details about the switch.
“I’m thrilled to announce that our friend Ella Jordan will be joining the group and taking over the fiddle position full-time. She is an outstanding instrumentalist, vocalist, and creative mind. Though she is originally from Texas, I first met Ella around the festival scene during her time at Berklee College of Music. We reconnected a few years ago during Galax Old Fiddlers Convention and wound up going for a trail ride after discovering she was a top-notch equestrian. I feel lucky to call her a friend and can’t wait to be on the road together (or trying to catch up to her on horseback)!
Sam Stage, who has held down the fiddle spot over the last two years, has been an integral part of the band’s development and sound. As we sat down to look at tour dates for the coming years, Sam and I slowly realized we were staring down a gap between the amount of touring coming in, and the amount of time he was able to leave from school at Berklee. Given that we are moving to a full-time tour schedule after my graduation in May, and Sam has a few years of study remaining, we both felt like it was the right decision to take things in a new direction. Not only am I thankful for Sam’s outstanding playing, writing, and professionalism, I’m very excited for everything he will accomplish in the future, at school and beyond!
You’ll begin to see Ella on stage with us in January, but for now give her a great big welcome!”
Jordan will continue to perform as a member of Mile Twelve until the end of this year.
You can find out more about Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road online.
