Canadian fiddle champion Scott Woods and his band bringing Christmas Hoedown to Stratford and Ailsa Craig

Canadian fiddle champion Scott Woods and his band are bringing their Christmas Hoedown show to Stratford on Dec. 14 and Ailsa Craig on Dec. 16.

By Galen Simmons, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Local fiddle fans and those who enjoy Christmas music or a good, old-fashioned variety show will have two opportunities next month to catch Canadian fiddle champion Scott Woods and his band perform their Christmas Hoedown.

With shows scheduled for St. Michael Catholic Secondary School in Stratford at 2 p.m. Dec. 14 and the Ailsa Craig Recreation Centre, just half an hour down the road from St. Marys, at 7 p.m. Dec. 16, the Christmas Hoedown promises two hours of toe-tapping family fun sure to set the holiday season off on the right foot.

“It’s been really well-loved; everyone just gravitates to it,” Woods told the Independent during a pit stop on the Alberta leg of his cross-country Christmas Hoedown tour. “We started on Nov. 1, which is really quite early for a Christmas show. I was worried it was the day after Halloween; people might not be ready to get into the Christmas spirit. But actually, it was the opposite. The crowds have been great and they absolutely love the show, and they go home singing “Jingle Bells” and all their Christmas favourites.

“The show that we build is a real variety show. You don’t have to be a fiddle fan by any means or a country music fan. That’s sort of the flavour that the Christmas music takes when we present it, but it’s certainly a Christmas show – a family variety show. … There’s some fast, fun stuff, costumes, lots of humour and some serious Christmas stuff as well with songs and an inspirational story. There’s really something for everybody, even the kids.”

To help bring this show to life, Woods is backed by a stellar group of artists including his sister, Kendra Norris, on piano, fiddle and vocals, three-time Canadian open step-dancing champion, drummer and fiddle player Leo Stock, Canadian Country Music Awards Guitar Player of the Year Steve Piticco on guitar and vocals, and renowned husband-and-wife bluegrass duo Nadine and Gary Boles – Nadine Boles on acoustic guitar and vocals and Gary Boles on bass and vocals.

Woods says each member of the band brings something unique and entertaining to the show, from Stock’s lightning-fast feet as a world-class step dancer to Nadine Boles’ hauntingly beautiful vocals that bring depth to Christmas favourites.

And while the show is reminiscent of a traditional Christmas concert, there are newer elements that highlight the multitude of talents of the artists on stage.

“Our musical arrangements are pretty retro, they’re pretty old time. We dress with matching outfits on the stage like old-time bands used to back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, and we still incorporate high-tech. We have a great sound and lighting system, and we have GoPro cameras on the stage and big-screen projection so you can see Leo’s feet up close and personal on the big screen while he’s dancing, and Steve’s fingers while he’s playing guitar, and my fingers when I’m playing fiddle. We have other visual images that enhance the songs and the stories we’re telling.

“It’s a real fun, kind of retro but modern approach to Christmas music,” Woods said.

For more information and to purchase tickets for the Stratford show, visit scottwoods.ca/event/stratford-on-christmas-hoedown/. For more information and to purchase tickets for the Ailsa Craig show, visit scottwoods.ca/event/aisla-craig-on-christmas-hoedown/.