A Tiny Concert That Led to Big Things
Gaelynn Lea is a classically trained violinist and singer-songwriter from Duluth. She is known for her experimental, ambient take on fiddle music steeped in Celtic tradition, which incorporates a looping pedal. She was born with brittle bone disease, a congenital disability that has led her to play the violin upright, like a cellist. Gaelynn won NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest in 2016, a competition including more than 6,000 musicians across the country. She submitted an original song, “Someday We’ll Linger in the Sun,” a unanimous favorite among the contest’s six judges–Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys and The Arcs, Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe of Lucius, Son Little, NPR’s Robin Hilton and Bob Boilen.
She has collaborated with many notable Minnesota musicians over the years, including Alan Sparhawk (from the band Low), Charlie Parr, and Billy McLaughlin. Her friendship and partnership with Sparhawk led to the creation of the band The Murder of Crows in 2012 and the record Imperfecta. Working with Gaelynn, Alan helped shape her sound by using the JamMan Express loop pedal and encouraging her to envision a solo career for herself.
Since winning Tiny Desk, she has toured nationally and abroad. But, recently, she made her way back to Minnesota for the last leg of her 2018 “Winter Escape” tour.
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