Evento

Valley Rising

Valley Rising was formed in Geneseo NY in 2021, initially as the duo of singer/songwriter Michael Scott Smith and vocalist Piper Wadsworth. We soon became a trio when violinist Chris Murphy joined the group. Then slide guitarist Mike Brown entered the fold.

Valley Rising performs many diverse musical styles: folk, 60s pop, jazz, songs from the 1930s, and original music by Michael and Piper, anchored by the instrumental offering of Chris and Mike. Somehow, it all comes together, and audiences are delighted.

Individual bios:

Michael Scott Smith. A veteran of over 50 years of performance as a solo artist and in groups, he recorded three albums with The Band of Brothers, performed with Pete Seeger at the Clearwater Folk Festival in the early 1980s, shared a stage at the Turtle Hill Folk Festival with the late singer/songwriter Michael Peter Smith (Rolling Stone once called him the greatest songwriter in the English language), and written hundreds of songs. He is an expert finger-picking and flat-picking guitarist as well as vocalist and storyteller.

Mike Brown. A Grammy-nominated producer, engineer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and founder of Temperamental Recordings. Mike specializes in performing on vintage instruments, sometimes more than one at a time using looping technology. He is a gifted songwriter and vocalist. In 2011 his studio was featured on American Pickers on the History Channel. He is very active as a solo performer, touring throughout the Northeast. Valley Rising is very excited whenever Mikes schedule allows him to perform with them and are just as excited to bring him to the Palmer. In Valley Rising, Michael chiefly plays one of his vintage slide guitars.

Piper Wadsworth. A talented vocalist with an ethereal voice that enchants audiences - whether she is harmonizing with Michael or featured as vocalist (often one of her own compositions). That said, Piper is no stranger to the Blues

Chris Murphy. An amazingly talented violinist since early childhood, Chris brings amazing improvisational abilities to every song. He performs on a vintage 1902 violin that sounds every bit as sweet as you can imagine. Chris also performs with the popular group Groveland Station and is a much-sought-after accompanist.