Richie Stearns (the Horse Flies) and Rosie Newton (the Duhks) are a dynamic duo performing music rooted in the Americana tradition. With their memorable original songs and entrancing, nostalgic harmonies, Richie and Rosie take the fiddle/banjo combination to new levels as they continue to expand the boundaries of tradition.
Before joining forces, Richie earned himself a name with genre-bending band the Horse Flies and collaborations with Natalie Merchant and Donna the Buffalo. Having performed internationally with legends like Bela Fleck, Pete Seeger, David Byrne, Billy Bragg & Wilco, and Joan Baez, his career spans decades. When their paths crossed in the Ithaca old-time scene during Rosie’s freshman year, Richie & Rosie began touring together as members of the Evil City String Band, and were eventually drawn to pursue this more intimate duo project. Richie and Rosie blend traditional and contemporary sounds, outrageous punk banjo, powerful evocative fiddle with beautiful vocal harmonies. Richie, is an innovator of 5-string banjo much loved for his “mantra-groove spooky-banjo style Rosie is a ferocious fiddler who’s work spans many musical styles.
