He will play Waynesville on Jan. 14, 2001. I'll fight you for a seat. Molsky, a teacher eager to share his art, has stepped into the shoes of the great masters who preceded him. He has taken the music to a higher level of intensity without losing the delicate touches, and he plays every song as if it is the last he will ever play in his life. His music is a rush of exhiliration one minute and a stately waltz the next, interspersed with bow-burning breakdowns and touches from outside American borders.
Every solo has something to say.
Molsky isn't just a great old-time musician. He is a great musician who just happens to play old-time music. Molsky has a continuing interest in connecting many forms of traditional music, but has immersed himself most deeply in the world of old-time fiddling. Not bad for a Bronx, N.Y., native who was educated at Cornell and worked as a mechanical engineer for more than 20 years. Molsky's first instrument was the guitar and his first heroes were Mississippi bluesmen Fred McDowell and John Hurt.