One evening last summer, I was crossing over the river when I heard the unmistakable sounds of Dan Stacey’s fiddle wafting across the water. I sat at a picnic table below his open window and enjoyed the toe-tapping tunes for a few minutes before heading home. I could happily have listened for hours. That’s the thing about Dan’s playing: he gives the impression he could play forever without losing any of the obvious joy he takes his music. He is a natural-born performer.
The call to perform came at the early age of seven. Growing up in Stratford, Dan’s sister was competing as a step dancer, and it wasn’t long before Dan joined in.
“She got to go places through her dancing – like Mitchell!” Dan laughs. “I wanted in on some of that action!”
Learning to play violin was a natural progression for the nine-year-old Dan. He’d been surrounded by fiddle-music for years, and it just made sense to start lessons. After learning the basics with instructor Margaret Loft, Dan went on to study under Karen Reed and finally Victor Pasowisty as he developed his style of Canadian ‘Olde Tyme’ fiddle playing. Dan demonstrated a natural affinity for the instrument: from the age of seventeen, he’s been self-taught, picking up new tunes largely by ear in live sessions and by listening to recordings.
“It was like I lived a double-life,” he recalls. “I played alto saxophone in the high school band, and was heavily into sports like track and hockey, but I never played fiddle for anyone at school. And I kept the step-dancing pretty under the radar.”
Dan laughs without a trace of bitterness. “One time when I was about twelve, I was on the ice at hockey practice talking with a buddy. Another player body-checked me out of the blue, yelling ‘Take that, tap dancer!’ I said, ‘I’m not a tap dancer – I’m a STEP dancer!’ It was funny. I guess I didn’t want anyone thinking I was a sissy or something.”
Dan continued making the rounds of the competitive step dancing and fiddling circuit for eight years around both Canada and the United States. After graduating, he began studies in Business Administration at Wilfred Laurier University, but it just didn’t click and he decided to take a year off. Dan landed up in the nation’s capital teaching fiddle at the Ottawa Folklore Centre. While working in Ottawa in 1995, he had a life-changing experience at an Ashley MacIssac concert.
“Man—that was real performing! It was a definite eye-opener. I’d never thought of fiddle playing as having such pure entertainment value before. It showed me a whole new approach to music.”
There can be no doubt that Dan’s travels have influenced and informed his musical personality. He found a lot of inspiration while working as a building manager at a Whistler resort—‘the best job ever’. He met people from all over the world as he enjoyed the perks of unlimited free snowboarding, and played gigs with folk bands like The Paperboys.
“But they liked hiring hot chick fiddlers, so I was a bit out of luck sometimes!”
Returning to finish his business studies held little appeal. What spoke to Dan’s heart was the idea of being a professional musician. As he puts it: “Why work your way up the banking system when you can saw on a box of wood with four strings on it?” Indeed, it’s this playful attitude to life that makes Dan such fun to be around. Sitting in his funky apartment filled with bright retro furniture and graphic throw rugs, I can’t imagine him being happy in the conservative Bay Street world.
He’s never looked back.
Dan’s seen a lot more of the world than Mitchell! He’s played gigs of all sizes all over North America, Europe and Japan. From small-scale barn dance venues to a live audience of fifty thousand for the Olympic torch ceremony in Salt Lake City, he loves every moment of his varied career. Toronto audiences may recall the 1998 Mirvish production of ‘The Needfire’ in which Dan strutted his stuff as both fiddler and step dancer, earning him a Dora Mavor Moore nomination for ‘Outstanding Choreography’. He’s a long-running fixture on the tour circuit with groups like New York’s Celtic rock band Seven Nations (with whom he’s toured every state but Hawaii), Cherish the Ladies, and the high energy step and fiddle group The Step Crew of which he’s a proud founder.
Stratford music lovers can easily find Dan. He regularly performs at Molly Bloom’s, and busks downtown throughout the warmer months. Busking is rewarding and fun, but playing in the street presents unique challenges.
“It’s a great testing ground for trying out new stuff,” he says. “But if you can hear another busker, you are much too close!”
Touring will take him on the road to both coasts throughout March, but he’ll be right back fiddling on local stages upon his return. On April 6th, Dan will take part in the 11th Annual Stratford Perth Museum's Innkeepers' Dinner at Knox Church. A silent auction accompanies the 6:00 p.m. start, and tickets can be purchased at ‘Music’ in Sebringville.
What’s next for Dan Stacey? More recording means he can reach a wider audience with his music and there are exciting new releases on the horizon. Dan’s got a sweet home studio set up in his hip digs, and is working on several new projects. Watch this space! But you don’t have to wait to get your eager mitts on his tunes: Dan’s self-produced album ‘Crank It’ is a lively collection that may well inspire outbursts of impromptu step dancing in your living room. To find out more about his recordings, upcoming gigs, and future plans, visit Dan Stacey’s website.
Fiddlin' around with Dan Stacey
article by Ruth Barrett, photos by Elizabeth Davidson
