Scythian (band)
Encyclopedia
Scythian is a Celtic
/Celtic rock
band based in the DC Metro Area that formed in 2002 and went full-time in 2004. Their latest studio album, "American Shanty," is the band's fourth album. The band's name, according to the members of Scythian, means "[a] bunch of pre-Mesopotamian barbarians who did not use forks or phonics," to describe a varying sound that encompasses everything from traditional jigs and reels to contemporary covers. The UB Post describes their sound as a mix of Celtic, Klezmer
, Gaelic
, Gypsy
and Rock
.
The band comprises brothers Alexander Fedoryka (Violin/Mandolin/Harmonica/Bass/Vocals) and Danylo Fedoryka (Rhythm Guitar/Accordion/Vocals) as well as band members Josef Crosby (Violin/Bass/Vocals), Ben-David Warner (Violin/Viola/Banjo/Guitar/Vocals) and Andrew Toy (Percussion/Drums). Since its inception, Scythian developed from a group of street performers in Alexandria, VA
, to the 2009 winner of Washington City Paper
's Best of DC 'Best Local Band' competition. In 2004 the band scored a brief appearance in the M. Night Shyamalan
film The Village
. The band has toured extensively on the East Coast. In 2011, Ben-David Warner began touring with Scythian, greatly strengthening their live sound. In July of 2011, Micheal Ounallah left the band. He was replaced by Andrew Toy as drummer.
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
/Celtic rock
Celtic rock
Celtic rock is a genre of folk rock and a form of Celtic fusion which incorporates Celtic music, instrumentation and themes into a rock music context...
band based in the DC Metro Area that formed in 2002 and went full-time in 2004. Their latest studio album, "American Shanty," is the band's fourth album. The band's name, according to the members of Scythian, means "[a] bunch of pre-Mesopotamian barbarians who did not use forks or phonics," to describe a varying sound that encompasses everything from traditional jigs and reels to contemporary covers. The UB Post describes their sound as a mix of Celtic, Klezmer
Klezmer
Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations...
, Gaelic
Gaelic music
Gaelic music is an umbrella term forthe folk music of the Scottish Highlands and of Ireland . It has also been used for any music written in the Gaelic languages of Scottish Gaelic and Irish. Gaelic music could thus be seen as a type of Celtic music....
, Gypsy
Gypsy style
The term gypsy style refers to the typical way East European music is played in coffeehouses and restaurants, at parties, and sometimes on-stage, in European cities. Music played in this style is known by the general public as "gypsy music"....
and Rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
.
The band comprises brothers Alexander Fedoryka (Violin/Mandolin/Harmonica/Bass/Vocals) and Danylo Fedoryka (Rhythm Guitar/Accordion/Vocals) as well as band members Josef Crosby (Violin/Bass/Vocals), Ben-David Warner (Violin/Viola/Banjo/Guitar/Vocals) and Andrew Toy (Percussion/Drums). Since its inception, Scythian developed from a group of street performers in Alexandria, VA
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, to the 2009 winner of Washington City Paper
Washington City Paper
The Washington City Paper is a U.S. alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.Founded in 1981, and published for its first year under the masthead 1981, taking the City Paper name in volume 2, by Russ Smith, it shared ownership with the Chicago Reader from 1982...
's Best of DC 'Best Local Band' competition. In 2004 the band scored a brief appearance in the M. Night Shyamalan
M. Night Shyamalan
Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan,known professionally as M. Night Shyamalan, is an Indian-born American screenwriter, film director, and producer known for making movies with contemporary supernatural plots that climax with a twist ending. He is also known for filming his movies in and around...
film The Village
The Village (2004 film)
The Village is a 2004 American fantasy-thriller film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan about a end-of-the-19th-century village whose inhabitants live in fear of the creatures inhabiting the woods beyond it. The movie was shot in a recreation of a 19th-century village outside Philadelphia,...
. The band has toured extensively on the East Coast. In 2011, Ben-David Warner began touring with Scythian, greatly strengthening their live sound. In July of 2011, Micheal Ounallah left the band. He was replaced by Andrew Toy as drummer.
Discography
- Dance at the Crossroads, 2002
- Aidan's Orbit, 2004
- Immigrant Road Show, 2007
- Scythian Live Vol. 1, 2009
- Scythian Live Vol. 2, 2010
- American Shanty, 2011