Cotton Daisy Backstep

 

Helena Triplett Faust - Banjo/fiddle/vocals

Naomi Middleton        - Guitar/vocals

Nick Bollinger             - Bass/vocals

 

Guest Artists

Eddy Abraham            - Fiddle

Liz Merton                   - Dance Caller

Sylvia Carlyle              - Clogger

 

Old-time music and dance from the Appalachian Mountains.

 

Helena Triplett Faust

Born in the States, raised in New Zealand, Helena learned to play banjo from her father, Luke Faust in New Jersey and then completed a banjo apprenticeship with Dwight Diller, renowned West Virginia Banjoist. She stayed on in West Virginia and spent many years learning banjo and singing from old field recodings and live purveyors of the old-time tradition. Helena was a member of the award winning old-time band 'The Raincrows' with then husband, fiddler Jimmy Triplett and has performed and taught banjo and ballad singing and played for dances around West Virginia and North Carolina.  Back in New Zealand Helena continues her unwavering dedication to old-time music with shows, dances and teaching.

 

Naomi Middleton 

Memories of her mother singing to her when she was little was the beginning of Naomi’s interest in traditional music.  She has been playing and singing and writing songs for many years but in recent times she was inspired to turn to old-time music.  To pursue this interest to a higher level she made several trips to North Carolina to study old-time guitar at Mars Hill College.  She met and learned from many other musicians in the States and has been influenced by some of the earliest recordings of old-time groups such as the Carter Family and the Skillet Lickers.

 

Nick Bollinger

Nick grew up with music, as a child listening to his dad singing from The Fireside Book of Folk Songs and his grandfather playing bass with the national orchestra. Then as a young feller,  Nick would spend his pocket money buying and listening to Beatles records. Over the years Nick has become a well respected musician and has been a member of a number of bands. This includes playing rhythm and blues with 'The Pelicans’ and ‘Rough Justice,’ and jug band music with the iconic kiwi band ‘The Windy City Strugglers.’ With Cotton Daisy, Backstep he has moved back towards the roots of his musical experiences.   

 

Cotton Daisy Backstep

Helena and Naomi began playing together during the ‘Up the Mountain’ tour supporting Andy Fitzgibbon, a visiting  fiddler from West Virginia, in the band ‘Sawmill’ in 2014. The same year they taught old-time banjo and guitar and performed at the Midwinter Holler in Te Horo, NZ.  Later in 2015 they met Nick Bollinger at one of their shows - he was that guy stomping away in the front row with a massive grin.  He was invited to play a show with them and has been a part of the group ever since. Local fiddler Eddy Abraham, and expert appalachian clog dancer Sylvia Carlyle often join the group to play/dance a few rollicking tunes in a show. In order to provide a fuller experience of the Appalachian traditions the group have teamed up with talented caller Liz Merton (from 'The Jimmies') and are now playing square dances in the local area. 

 

Cotton Daisy Backstep  not only perform the traditional music of Appalachia, but have been including original songs written by Helena and Naomi. With Helena's music being so forged in the tradition, her own songs are said to be indistinguishable from the old genre and every bit as good, while Naomi's songs bring in a wistful country flavour.

 

Cotton Daisy Backstep have been steadilly building a following of dedicated old-time enthusiasts and dancers as they perform at local venues and square dances around the Wellington region.