The unique acoustic sound of the Aaron O’Rourke Trio is sure to have
audiences standing on their chairs hoping to get a closer look! The
same original sound that has captured the attention of festival
producers has also garnered many new fans from all over Florida. Their
music is filled with energy and youth while being delivered with
passion and the experience of Aaron O’Rourke (mountain dulcimer),
Mickey Abraham (mandolin), and Mike Snelling (bass fiddle). The group
is well rehearsed, with mood evoking arrangements -- the Trio’s sound
often has the effect of quieting an audience, allowing everyone to hear
their subtleties, nuance, and tone.
Aaron’s innovations with the dulcimer have, in a very short
time, gained the attention of an entire dulcimer community. After
becoming one of the headlining names at many dulcimer festivals
including the Suwannee Dulcimer Retreat and Davis and Elkins College
Dulcimer Week, Aaron logically took his music beyond dulcimer
gatherings to major folk/rock festivals. To many mountain dulcimer
players, Aaron is the one to bring the 3-stringed instrument out of
folk obscurity, and into the fast-paced world of new acoustic
pyrotechnics. To others, Aaron’s performances always reveal a tasteful,
well-composed musician, not a dulcimer side show.
Florida’s new-grass visionary, Mickey Abraham, and
Tallahassee’s acoustic bass icon, Mike Snelling, are no strangers to
creative acoustic music. They have been the backup band for both
acoustic legend Larry Rice and champion guitarist Allen Shadd -- both
were also founding members of the instrumental new-grass group,
Panhandle String Band, a regionally renowned unit known for their
complex instrumental arrangements. The PSB has performed at almost
every major new-grass festival in the state; Magnolia Fest, Suwannee
Spring Fest, Down on the Farm, Gamble Rogers Fest, and of course The
Florida Folk Festival to name a few.
Just wait until you hear the Trio play Aaron’s upbeat
original song, “Insomniac” or their grooving interpretation of the
old-time classic, “Turkey in the Straw.” Mike’s smooth bass lays the
perfect foundation for Aaron and Mickey, who are both lively and
interactive soloists. These three musicians have joined forces to bring
a new light to folk music -- when you hear the Trio you are reminded
that there is new music yet to be explored.
