When I was a kid I was exposed to a multitude of different music, often artists my classmates had never heard of. I would mention attending a Pete Seeger concert and, if I was lucky, I would get corrected “Bob Seger.” As a result, in high school I was confused when, at a school show choir concert, a student came on stage with an electric fiddle. I wasn’t surprised by the fact that a fiddle was incorporated into the piece, but that not only did an electric fiddle exist, but that somebody my age played one. Now of course, she didn’t simply just play the fiddle. She was a violinist.
While I enjoyed the peaceful melodies of certain pieces every so often, I was never a huge fan of classical music. As I grew up my musical tastes began to change, but so did music itself. The violin was no longer played only in classical pieces. Electric guitar was added to the mix, and otherwise classical pieces grew into pop music. One artist whose violin compositions drew me into appreciating the instrument is Lindsey Stirling.
Originally appearing on America’s Got Talent in 2010, Stirling’s hip-hop violin compositions and dancing was acclaimed, but not enough to get her through the final rounds. Instead of giving up though, she began making YouTube music videos for her songs, ultimately taking the #8 spot of top-viewed YouTube video in 2012 with her song “Crystalize.”
Since this time, Stirling has released three full-length albums, including her latest Brave Enough. On each album, Stirling incorporates hip-hop, electronica, and pop, ranging from the mystical lullaby Shatter Me to Arena, a hip-hop dance violin composition whose music video features a steampunk dance/fight club. On her latest album, Stirling includes more vocal accompaniment from fellow musicians than in the past. Artists such as Christina Perri, ZZ Ward, and Rooty enhance the already haunting instrumental pieces, even making them radio-worthy were FM radio smart enough to notice her music. If you have seen Disney’s latest remake of Pete’s Dragon, you may even recognize Something Wild, which features Andrew McMahon. Whether you are seeking steampunk, pop, dance, or contemporary, Brave Enough is worth a listen.
You can check out all of Stirling’s music videos, including Lang Lang’s rendition of Danny Elfman’s Spiderman theme with her accompaniment, on YouTube.
On a side note, if you are in or near the Toledo, Ohio area, be sure to check out Oddmall Hallowondrous at the Seagate Convention center this weekend. If you’ve heard the Geek Watch One crew talk about this on the show during the week, you know you’ll catch everyone there, along with other sweet art, crafts, cosplay, and podcasts.