Somewhere beyond or behind all musical borders lies a creative terrain where bluegrass, jazz, classical, pop, and various world musics mingle, played by musicians who care more for inspiration than they do for genre. If that place has a name, it's surely the Republic of Strings, for no one knows its contours better than veteran Darol Anger and a constantly developing population of young excellent string players, including Mike Block, Scott Law & Lauren Rioux. They have created the visionary musical landscape of the Republic, exemplified by their 2 recordings, Republic Of Strings and Generation Nation, for Compass Records, and yet-to-be-titled 2010 release.

Drawing from an array of sources that includes Bluegrass, Celtic and Appalachian musics, Ornette Coleman, Scandinavian string bands, Aretha Franklin and the quartet's own members, Generation Nation documents a unique intergenerational exchange. Compelling musical textures, elegant solos and vocals all emanate from a startlingly diverse group of guests. "There's a lot of respect and love going on among the players," says Anger, "and I think it comes out in the music". One listen proves that he's exactly right.

The Republic Of Strings has appeared at major music festivals all over the US including Rockygrass, Grey Fox, and Wintergrass. They have toured extensively in all parts of the country and have developed a deep empathy that has developed among its members over nearly eight years of concert appearances, teaching residencies and informal exchanges.

Darol Anger, fiddle
Veteran legendary fiddler Darol Anger has poured everything he learned over 30 years about music into the Republic Of Strings. Violinist, fiddler, composer, producer and educator,  Anger is at home in a number of musical genres, some of which he helped to invent. He developed his signature sound through working closely with many of the world’s great improvising string musicians, among them Stephane Grappelli, Edgar Meyer, Mark O’Connor, Bela Fleck, Tony Rice, David Grisman, and Vassar Clements.
Anger has produced dozens of critically lauded recordings since 1977 which have featured his compositions and performances. His current group, The Republic Of Strings, breaks new territory for bowed string instruments and presents young talent. With the jazz-oriented Turtle Island String Quartet, Anger developed and popularized new techniques for playing contemporary music on string instruments. His groups The Republic of Strings, The Fiddlers 4, Psychograss, and the Anger-Marshall Duo feature his compositions and arrangements. His group Montreux was the original musical model for the New Adult Contemporary radio format. The David Grisman Quintet forged a new genre of acoustic string band music with Darol’s “fertile inventiveness, surprising touches and technical mastery” often in the forefront.

“Darol Anger is the sort of musician who refuses to concede that musical boundaries even exist. Surrounding himself with up-and-coming musicians of the absolute top rank, Anger has upped the ante of string-band music almost off the charts.”–Amazon.com

Mike Block, cello
Hailed by Yo-Yo Ma as the “ideal musician of the 21st Century”, Mike Block is a pioneering multi-genre cellist living in New York City. Mike is the singer, cellist and composer for the Mike Block Band, which features a unique mixture of original songs and instrumentals drawing upon multiple genres. In addition to the MBB, Mike performs with the Triboro Trio featuring contemporary arrangements of traditional and new folk music from around the world.

While studying at the Juilliard School, Mike joined Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble as its youngest member, and upon graduation in 2006, joined Mark O’Connor's Appalachia Waltz Trio. In addition to Darol Anger's Republic of Strings, Mike also plays in the Absolute Ensemble, Sirius String Quartet, and New York Arabic Orchestra.



Scott Law, guitar
Scott Law embodies the ideal of the American Guitar Master; a brilliant and versatile instrumentalist, Law has connected onstage with many of the foremost in contemporary American music - among them Phil Lesh & Friends, String Cheese Incident, Melvin Seals, Bill Nershi, Yonder Mountain String Band, Tony Trischka, Railroad Earth and many others. Scott’s alternately chiming and grinding melodic concept bears favorable comparison with everyone from the early Telecaster masters to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jerry Garcia and Clarence White while creating a style that bears his unique stamp yet freely ranges over the entire history of the steel-string guitar. Scott’s original compositions bridge pure guitar instrumentals and timeless songs that connect deeply with listeners, sparked by his rare rhythmic concision and rock solid groove.

Scott recently became an endorsing artist with Santa Cruz Guitar Company and had a great featured set at this year’s NAMM Convention in Los Angeles. Law has scored and performed music for film and television, including an original song for the CBS primetime feature "Viva Laughlin" in 2007 and scores for 2 full-length documentaries by The Columbia Land Trust and Tom's Of Maine. He is a dedicated and experienced music educator, having taught at workshops, camps, schools, festivals and private sessions throughout his career.



A rising star in the national fiddle scene, Lauren Rioux performs with Darol Anger’s Republic of Strings, Scott Nygaard and Crow Molly, and the StringNation Orkestra. A classically trained violinist and violist, Lauren discovered traditional fiddle music in 2001 at the first National American String Teachers' Association Convention. She is an excellent role model and source of useful information for classical players wishing to "cross over' into vernacular styles. Her powerful sound, vibrant rhythmic sense, fluency in old-time, Celtic and Scandinavian fiddle styles, and her tremendous personal charm add depth and interest to any ensemble. Lauren plays an active role in her native state of Maine’s music education network and served two terms as the state president for Maine ASTA. She is a highly sought teacher and workshop clinician, leading classes at Mark O'Connor's Fiddle Camps as well as National and State Conferences held by the American String Teacher's Association. Lauren lives in Maine and maintains a very active private studio of rowdy violinists, violists, and fiddlers ranging in ages from five to sixty-five years old.


R.O.S. SPECIAL GUESTS

Sharon Gilchrist, mandolin & voice
Sharon is well known for her 5 years of touring as the mandolin player for Bluegress icons Peter Rowan & Tony Rice. She got her start with the Texas-based Blue Night Express, a bluegrass band that included Martie and Emily Erwin.
In their next configuration Blue Night became the Dixie Chicks. After touring another year with them, Sharon headed for Nashville where she earned a Bachelor's Degree in Mandolin Performance from Belmont University while moonlighting with a number of Nashville-based acts on upright bass and mandolin. In 2005, she joined Peter Rowan & Tony Rice. Her vocal harmonies and mandolin picking adorn their acclaimed 2007 Rounder release, “Quartet.” Sharon has also toured with the all-girl old time band, Uncle Earl, and currently teaches mandolin at the College of Santa Fe.