Natalie Padilla is among the most versatile young fiddlers on the roots music scene today. Where most specialize in one style – bluegrass, old time, contest, western swing – Natalie plays all of them well, as demonstrated on her new solo project, Fireweed, which releases on Friday, September 6.
Padilla got started with fiddle as a very young girl in Montana. Her mom, Nancy, an award-winning Texas-style fiddler, taught her the ins and outs, and Natalie was winning competitions by the time she was 6 years old. Throughout her youth she also studied classical violin, and graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Northern Colorado in 2011.
Now she shares her knowledge with others on the faculty of UNC Greeley in their new Folk & Bluegrass studies program.
Fireweed is a collection of 16 songs and tunes Natalie has written, performed with a cast that includes Ben Winship, Chris Coole, Scotty Meyer, Forrest Gibson, Carter Bancroft, Nate Williamson, Rick McCracken, and several others. The various tracks encompass all the styles she has mastered, giving any lover of fiddle music plenty to enjoy.
Padilla agreed to share this number from the record with our readers here at Bluegrass Today, one that she says came to her on the way home from a show.
“I wrote this song in the car driving back home from a Colorado mountain gig. At first I was thinking about how I don’t sing any songs in the key of G, but if the notes were in the correct range it wouldn’t matter. I came up with a little melody that fit my voice then proceeded to fill in the lyrics about a fictional couple that live apart. The stubbornness and name of the female character is inspired by my parents’ dog, Jenny.”
Fireweed is available for pre-order wherever you stream or download music online, or on CD directly from the artist.
Folks near Boulder or Denver can attend a CD release party in Longmont, CO on Friday evening at the Altona Grange Hall, starting with a cocktail hour at 6:00 p.m., with the show at 7:00. There will be a square dance following Natalie’s performance.
