Hurdy Gurdy -
Ryan Kurczak is the hurdy gurdy player. He spent many years in Asheville, NC playing mandolin and learning Irish music at Jack of the Wood, and has an earlier history playing guitar in a Led Zeppelin tribute band. While in Asheville, Ryan also spent time in the band Noonday Feast, with Marilia Trevisani and Linda Go. Ryan fell in love with the drones of the gurdy and the magic it makes about a year before leaving in Asheville in 2017. Professionally, Ryan is an author, the host of The Kriya Yoga Podcast, Vedic Astrologer and a meditation teacher. He is also host of the Hurdy Gurd Cafe Podcast, where he interviews the world's top Hurdy Gurdy players and luthiers.
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-hurdy-gurdy-cafe/id1524517142
Nyckelharpa -
Claire Sweeny Hails from Morgantown, WV. She has been playing the fiddle since the age of 6, and more recently has begun playing the nyckelharpa. She enjoys playing and listening to Scottish and Irish Traditional Music. She is a shepherdess (of real live sheep) and an amateur metal detectorist.
What is a Nyckelharpa? http://www.nyckelharpa.org/about/what-is-a-nyckelharpa/
Claire and Ryan met through Craigslist. We were both looking for a cellist to play Irish music, and then we settled for each other. We spent about 2 years playing as the band Autumn Equinox with bass player Dave Riggs. We recorded a lovely CD as Autumn Equinox and introduced West Virigina to the Hurdy Gurdy and Nyckelharpa.
The Mud Larks formed during a party before a house concert in Asheville, North Carolina in the Autumn of 2022. After playing some fantastic sets of tunes with guitarist Sean Sutherland, we decided to become a long distance trio. Now you'll find us at various music houses, amphitheaters and festivals through the Appalachian Mountains on the East Coast of the United States.
Our sound features the soul stirring, intertwining drones and sympathetic strings of the hurdy gurdy and nyckelharpa. We provide a powerful wall of sound that can hammer you with its density or swallow you whole with its depth and space. Our music offers a combination of mixed time signatures, traditional Celtic tunes, original Hurdy Gurdy and Nyckelharpa compositions, and howling arrangements to incite despair, joy, and celebration.
Copyright © 2024 The Mud Larks - All Rights Reserved.
Powered by GoDaddy
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.