Scythian is a

Celtic rock Celtic rock is a genre of folk rock, as well as a form of Celtic fusion which incorporates Celtic music, instrumentation and themes into a rock music context. It has been extremely prolific since the early 1970s and can be seen as a key foundat ...

Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...

band based in the DC Metro Area that formed in 2002. The band's name, according to the members of Scythian, means " bunch of pre-Mesopotamian barbarians who did not use forks or phonics," which they chose to describe a varying sound that encompasses everything from traditional jigs and reels to contemporary covers. The band was named after

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

nomads A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the popu ...

Scythians The Scythians or Scyths, and sometimes also referred to as the Classical Scythians and the Pontic Scythians, were an Ancient Iranian peoples, ancient Eastern Iranian languages, Eastern * : "In modern scholarship the name 'Sakas' is reserved f ...

, due to the

ancestry of Alexander and Danylo Fedoryka. Since its inception, Scythian developed from a group of street performers in

Alexandria, VA Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of downtown Washington, D.C. In 2020, the population was 159,467. T ...

, to the 2009 winner of

Washington City Paper The ''Washington City Paper'' is a U.S. alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The ''City Paper'' is distributed on Thursdays; its average circulation in 2006 was 85,588. The paper's editorial mix is focused ...

'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. The UB Post describes their sound as a mix of Celtic,

Klezmer Klezmer ( yi, קלעזמער or ) is an instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. The essential elements of the tradition include dance tunes, ritual melodies, and virtuosic improvisations played for l ...

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

Gypsy The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...

and

Rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

. The band currently comprises brothers Alexander Fedoryka (Violin/Mandolin/Harmonica/Bass/Vocals) and Danylo Fedoryka (Rhythm Guitar/Accordion/Vocals), as well as band members Ethan Dean (Bass/Percussion/Vocals) and Johnny Rees (Percussion/Drums/Vocals).

Band members

* Alexander Fedoryka: Vocals, Violin, Mandolin, Harmonica, Bass * Danylo Fedoryka: Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Accordion * Ethan Dean: Vocals, Percussion, Bass * Johnny Rees: Drums, Percussion, Vocals

Past band members

* Fritz McGirr: Drums, Percussion, Vocals * Nolan Ladewski: Whistles, Flute, Vocals, Guitar, Banjo, Mandolin, Tenor Banjo * Larissa Fedoryka: Vocals, Cello, Bass * Josef Crosby: Vocals, Violin, Bass * Tim Hepburn: Drums, Percussion, Vocals * Alexander Kuldell: Drums, Percussion * Michael Ounallah: Vocals, Percussion, Drums, Banjo * Danny Schneible: Drums, Percussion, Guitar, Lead Vocals * Andrew Toy: Drums, Percussion, Vocals * Ben-David Warner: Banjo, Violin, Viola, Mandolin, Vocals, Guitar

Josef Crosby's departure

Josef Crosby stopped appearing with the band in May 2016, and Larissa Fedoryka took over on bass. On December 13, 2016, Josef Crosby posted an explanation of his departure on his own Facebook band page. He stated that he had taken some time away to address his substance abuse issues, and moving forward he would be continuing his musical career separate from Scythian. Josef Crosby joined forces with Victor Gagnon, formerly of Seven Nations, to create Pigeon Kings in 2017. Their first show was at Celtic Fling in PA June 2017. Former Scythian drummer Andrew Toy later joined Pigeon Kings.

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 *''It's Not Too Late'', 2012 *''Jump At The Sun'', 2014 *''

Old Tin Can Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

'', 2015 *''Roots and Stones'', 2020 *''Quaranstream: The Album'', 2021

Appaloosa Music Festival

Appaloosa Music Festival Appaloosa Music Festival is an annual music festival based at the Skyline Ranch Resort, just a few miles from Front Royal, Virginia. Every year on Labor Day weekend, the festival celebrates the music of the Shenandoah Valley and related genres. H ...

is an annual music festival created by Scythian. The Festival is based at the Skyline Ranch Resort, just a few miles from Front Royal, Virginia. Every year on Labor Day weekend, Appaloosa celebrates the music of the Shenandoah Valley and related genres.

Ultramontane

In 2013, a few members of Scythian formed a new group named 'Ultramontane' in order to perform at the "March for Marriage" The concert component of the March was ultimately cancelled.

References

External links

Official Scythian Web PagePittsburgh City Paper InterviewAndrew Toy Web PageJosef Crosby's post explaining why he is no longer with Scythian
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scythian Celtic fusion groups Celtic rock groups American folk rock groups Musical groups established in 2004 Musical groups from Virginia