Don Julin Acoustic Quartet

Plays Fractured Fiddle Tunes

The Don Julin Quartet featuring Joe Wilson (dobro), Tom Knific (bass), and Hayes Griffin (guitar) takes listeners through a genre-bending instrumental journey that includes hints of bluegrass, jazz, Latin, funk, film score, and even a bit of baby boomer rock. For this concert, they will play selections from the album "Fractured Fiddle Tunes" along with some surprises.

My latest album, Fractured Fiddle Tunes, is a collection of reimagined traditional fiddle tunes. I have taken liberties with melodies, harmonies, rhythms, and forms to present them in a different light. But don't be afraid—it also sounds good.
Don Julin

Press photos

Music

Don Julin

mandolin, mandola

Don Julin, author of the best-selling "Mandolin For Dummies" (Wiley 2012) and creator of Mandolins Heal The World (an online mandolin school), has developed a reputation for being one of the most eclectic mandolin players/teachers on the scene today.

Don has released over 20 CDs of original music and played on countless others. His original compositions appear in many network and cable television programs. Recent clients include HBO, NBC, Showtime, Bravo, National Geographic Explorer, and more.

His 2024 release, Fractured Fiddle Tunes, is a collection of re-imagined traditional fiddle tunes.

Julin was instrumental in launching the career of bluegrass phenom Billy Strings. The duo Billy Strings & Don Julin toured the USA in a mini-van (2013-2015), playing over 500 shows to bluegrass fans, young and old alike. The duo recorded two CDs (Rock of Ages 2012) and (Fiddle Tune X 2014).

Joe Wilson

dobro

Joe Wilson is probably best known for playing with longtime Michigan favorites, "Steppin' In It". With "Steppin' In It", Joe has played many of the nation's top concerts and festivals, including the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Wheatland, Blissfest, Old Settlers Festival, The Woody Guthrie Festival, Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour, and Live at Mountain Stage. Joe has been a full-time member of "Steppin' In It" since 2000. Over the years he's been lucky enough to play gigs with Wayne Hancock, Bill Kirchen, Billy Strings, and many others.

In 2016, Joe started working on the "Dobro School", a collection of dobro instructional videos. Joe's instructional website dobrojoe.com has earned him a place among the top online dobro instructors.

Hayes Griffin

guitar

Hayes Griffin is a musician, teacher, and YouTuber from central Ohio. A graduate of Denison University and New England Conservatory, Hayes spent over a decade touring internationally with acts like Canadian fiddler April Verch and progressive bluegrass band Newtown. Featuring Hayes on guitar, Newtown's 2016 album Harlan Road debuted at #8 on the Billboard Bluegrass Charts.

In 2020, Hayes released his first solo project, Midwestern Swing, an album dedicated to the sounds of American country and Western Swing music from the 1930's, 40s, and 50s. The album snagged the #1 spot on the Local Spins Hot Top 5  for 2020, charting in the Top 5 for 3 months straight.

That same year, Hayes began a weekly YouTube series on the playing of electric mandolinist Tiny Moore. Since then, Hayes' channel has evolved to include weekly videos on bluegrass guitar, Western Swing, music theory, and mindfulness. 

These days, Hayes spends his time teaching lessons, recording YouTube videos, and serving his growing community of online students in his Guitar Club.

Tom Knific

bass

Tom Knific has performed with many of the great jazz and classical artists of our time on tour and on record. They include Gene Bertoncini, Billy Hart, Randy Brecker, Michel Legrand, Dave Brubeck, Fred Hersch and Joe Lovano. Performing on five continents, he and Eric Marienthal co-led the "Dream Band" with Toots Thielemans, Kenny Werner and Harvey Mason in the first live interactive jazz concert on the internet from Seoul Korea.

Tom is professor of double bass and director of jazz studies emeritus at Western Michigan University, and is a visiting professor at The China Conservatory, Beijing. He has also taught at the Interlochen Arts Academy, Michigan State University, Cleveland Institute of Music, and has presented over 200 hundred master classes worldwide. He received the 2016 Musical America Top Professional and Innovators award and received the 2004 Down Beat magazine Achievement in Jazz Education award.

Tom has written dozens of works in a variety of idioms and is published by Editions Delatour, Paris, and ISB Publications, Dallas. He is heard on over 30 CD's including four solo projects. Tom is past president of The International Society of Bassists. 

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