Joe Newberry and April Verch dig into “Blessing On The Wing”
By WTJU
Date: 03/20/2026
Time: 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Joe Newberry and April Verch will stop by Sunset Road this Friday afternoon to go track by track through their latest album, Blessing On The Wing, which is releasing that very day! The recording blends fiddle, guitar, banjo, and two singular voices to celebrate the seasons that pass and the things that mark that passage – the natural world, traditions, and love. Blessing On The Wing stands ready to shine a light on the blessings all around us.
Known around the world for his clawhammer banjo playing, Joe is also a powerful guitarist, singer and songwriter. The Gibson Brothers’ version of his song “Singing As We Rise,” featuring guest vocalist Ricky Skaggs, won the 2012 IBMA “Gospel Recorded Performance” Award. With Eric Gibson, he shared the 2013 IBMA “Song of the Year” Award for“They Called It Music.” A longtime guest on A Prairie Home Companion, he was a featured singer on the Transatlantic Sessions 2016 tour of the U.K., and at the Transatlantic Session’s debut at Merlefest in 2017. In addition to his work with April Verch, he plays in a duo with mandolin icon Mike Compton. He also plays and teaches at festivals and workshops in North America and abroad.
Before launching her professional career, April was the first woman to win both the Canadian Grand Masters and Canadian Open Fiddling Championships. In 2000, she formed “The April Verch Band,” and together they have toured the world, performing in 18 different countries. She has released 14 solo recordings to date, receiving JUNO, Canadian Folk Music and Independent Music nominations and awards for several of those releases. She has also released an instructional stepdance DVD, a book of original fiddle tunes, and a Canadian Fiddle tune teaching method for Mel Bay. Verch was one of 6 fiddlers who represented the Canadian fiddle tradition to the world at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, as part of a segment called “Fiddle Nation” featured in the Opening Ceremonies.
‘Blessing on the wing’ is Newberry and Verch’s 3rd album release since they joined forces in 2016. With this, the pair take a decidedly stripped-down, unassuming approach which finds them not only having a hand in the writing of each of these offerings (save one) but also playing all the instruments between them. Naturally, they’re responsible for all the vocals as well, both individually and in tandem. Despite being almost all new compositions, the tunes and songs on the album have a distinctly traditional sound, and indeed, their hope is that many of the songs and tunes here will ‘enter the tradition’ and become jam session favorites.
