Denver – Spurred by his father’s love of music (who was a top-flight banjo and pedal steel player), Driessen picked up his first fiddle at the age of six. Suzuki lessons gave way to instruction and guidance from some of the genre’s most progressive and talented players, such as Darol Anger, Vassar Clements and Byron Berline. After graduating from Berklee College of Music with honors, he joined up with heavyweight songwriter Steve Earle to be the fiddle player in his Bluegrass Dukes band. Since then, he has worked with a host of other talents, including Tim O’Brien, Darrell Scott, Béla Fleck, Jim Lauderdale, Lee Ann Womack, Mark Schatz and John Doyle.

While his repertoire has a strong foundation of the bluegrass and old-time canon, Casey’s take on tradition was saturated with a jazz ethic, with aggressive doubling and quadrupling of his fiddles. Meanwhile, his funky syncopated chop of bow on strings, built on rhythmic innovations by Darol Anger, became Driessen’s most recognizable and infectious contribution to his instrument. He likes playing with drummers, but as some of his colleagues have said, with Casey in the band, you don’t really need one. Casey Driessen is a bold boundary crosser, who listens for inspiration from Tennessee to Tibet, a visionary who translates his passion for tradition and improvisation into important, new American music.

He recorded on the Walk the Line soundtrack and has garnered a 2007 Grammy nomination for his solo album, 3D, in the category of Best Country Instrumental Performance for "Jerusalem Ridge." Vintage Guitar magazine writes, "...Only once in a long while do you hear a fiddler who delivers music as fresh and innovative as Casey Driessen. He combines killer chops with unique ability to synthesize divergent musical traditions into organically satisfying modern music."

The Road Scholars, featuring KC Groves, Enion Pelta and Dave Tiller, will open the concert.

For tickets and workshop registration visit www.swallowhillmusic.org or call (303) 777-1003. Discounts are available for Swallow Hill members.

About Swallow Hill Music Association:
Helping people make music since 1979 years, Swallow Hill Music Association is one of the largest institutions of its kind in the United States as a source for folk, roots and acoustic music. With more than 2,100 members—some of whom are also volunteers—Swallow Hill provides a place to celebrate music that is rarely heard elsewhere in the Rocky Mountain Region. Three concert venues house more than 150 performances a year, featuring some of the world's great artists as well as up-and-coming new talent. The Julie Davis Music School at Swallow Hill provides a valuable and affordable extra-curricular educational resource to the community with more than 60 music instructors involved in more than 240 adult classes and 70 children's classes annually.

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