Current Bands;
Rallion
Fiona Cuthill & Stevie Lawrence
Wendy Weatherby Band
Brendan McCreanor Trio
The Weaver Finches
Fiona is a fiddler from Glasgow who was classically trained by Bill Baxter (who played with the famous Halley Orchestra) and then discovered the world of folk music after leaving school. Since then, she has been involved in the ceilidh scene, playing all over the country with a variety of ceilidh bands. She also teaches fiddle at Glasgow Fiddle Workshop. "Fiona Cuthill's fiddle playing is superb" fRoots, November 2008.
She is now a member of Rallion, a four-piece folk band from various parts of Scotland, who play a mixture of traditional and more modern songs and tunes with a contemporary twist. Their trademark is their double fiddle sound. (www.rallion.co.uk/www.myspace.com/rallionband). Rallion have played at many festivals and venues all over the country and also in Europe and Canada, leaving many happy audiences in their wake. "Any head banging, heavy metal musician would envy the driving, chest thumping beat this group can pound out of their traditional instruments. Clapping and foot stomping was irresistible every time they played. They rock! " Jay Moore, Cambridge Now, Ontario, Canada."Rallion demonstrated why they are acclaimed as one of Scotland's most exciting traditional folk bands.Driven by double fiddles, guitar/cittern and bodhran, the foursome enjoyed their first visit to Canada by making an auspicious festival debut." Robert Reid, The Record, Ontario, Canada.
Fiona has also played with six-piece band Canterach, whose line up includes the Great Highland Bagpipe of Lorne MacDougall, and the vocal talents of Ross Kennedy.
Fiona has also played for several years with Borders based band, Real Time and has appeared on two of their albums - Border Skies and Another Place, Another Time.
In addition to this, she was a member of Early Music group, Whirligig, in the 1990's, with Steve Lawrence (ex-Iron Horse) and her twin sister, Jenny. This project evolved out of her love of the recorder and this instrument features prominently in the band's CDs. Whirligig have relaeased 2 CD's with this lineup on the KRL label.
Her musical relationship with Steve Lawrence has resulted in several appearances on CDs as a session musician, and now in Rallion. Steve and Fiona also appear as a duo, describing their music as contemporary, self-penned tunes on fiddle and guitar, with a touch of rock attitude thrown in for good measure! This rock attitude has resulted in Steve and Fiona supporting and playing with Prog Rock legends, Abel Ganz, and appearing on a wide range of CDs as guest musicians.
Fiona also plays currently with the Wendy Weatherby Band and The Weaver Finches, a new project with Mick MacFarlane, a great singer songwriter from Glasgow. In addition, she also plays with the Brendan McCreanor Trio, which is a fusion of Scottish fiddle with Irish Uillean pipes.
Discography;
Whirligig - Celtic Dawn (Lochshore)
Whirligig - What If A Day (Lochshore)
Steve Lawrence and Hudson Swan - Amalgamation (Lochshore)
2001 - A Musical Celebration of 550 Years of the University of Glasgow (Lochshore)
The Waverley Collection - The Clydesiders and Special Guests (Downtown Records)
Arise and Shine - A Christmas Cantata by David Mitchell (Kirkton Records)
A Taste of the Church Hymnary - (Hymn Book Revision Committee)
Stevie Lawrence - The Hidden Gem (Big Sky)
Here's Tae Lochaber, A Celebration of Scotland in Film and Music (SFF Records)
A Leap In The Dark, Acoustic and Celtic Music for Inspiration and Reflection (Zebo Productions)
Glasgow Fiddle Workshop - Pub Session Tunes (GFW)
Glasgow Fiddle Workshop - Slow Airs (GFW)
Glasgow Fiddle Workshop - Pipe Tunes (GFW)
Rallion - For No-one and Everyone (2006 - Big Sky)
Abel Ganz - Shooting Albatross (2008)
Real Time - Border Skies (2008 - Big Sky)
Judy Barker - Chanter's Weave (2008)
Glasgow Fiddle Workshop - "Best of" CD (2008)
Donald Campbell - A Piper's Tapestry (Principal of Glasgow University's personal piper, 2008)
Jayne Sarah - "Perfectly Impossible" (2008, Big Sky)
Craig Jeffrey - Don't Blow Away (2008, Big Sky)
Melrose's Very Own Drew Scott (Big Sky, 2008)
Billy McIssac - Songs for Lochaber (2009)
Rallion - One for Sorrow (2009, Big Sky)
Windnight - Windnight (2010)
Mary Kathleen Burke - Ireland I Miss You (single) 2010
Real Time - Another Place, Another Time (Big Sky 2010)
Stuart MacFarlane - Imminent Arrival (2010)
Raintown (2010) Frielance Records
One of Fiona's compositions also appears on Dans les Airs, from Quebecois band, Le Vent du Nord. The tune is featured in their song, Les Larmes aux Yeux, and is named after the band themselves.
