Party for Paddy-The Weeds

Join the Weeds in celebrating St. Patrick’s month with Party For Paddy. This West Coast up and coming ensemble is prepared to take you on a musical journey which begins and ends in ancient Ireland. While rooted in the Irish tradition, our trip will ‘cross the pond’ into the United States where these three accomplished instrumentalists will explore folk seasonings from Appalachian mountain hollers to occasional hints of modern jazz. The performance will also weave in cutting edge modern Celtic compositions from the trio. Hailing from Carmel, California, the Weeds consist of fiddler John Weed (Molly’s Revenge/New String Project) and sons, Tyler Weed (Mandolin, Irish tenor banjo, guitar) and Evan Weed (Celtic harp, piano, melodica). Watch the folk process unfold as John enjoys a musical conversation with two of the next generation’s rising stars. Hearing sophisticated arrangements of driving Irish jigs, reels, and slower heartfelt selections, you’ll leave uplifted, knowing the future is in good hands as Weeds Trio raises your spirits, honoring this tradition with a vital, new voice.

John Weed, fiddler for Molly’s Revenge and New World String Project, has spent the last 30 years immersed in various fiddle styles. With an affinity for folk traditions, John’s exploration has emphasized Irish, Scottish, Swedish, and Old-Time fiddle. While he holds a bachelor’s degree of music from CSU Chico, the musical education that charted his path began through a long series of Irish sessions. There, he learned the nuance of aural passing of melodies and the tradition of conversing in a deeply musical manner. John’s passion for the vital expressiveness of the session lead to performing across the United States and internationally. In addition to being a full time performer and instructor, John is currently on faculty at Palenke Arts, a multicultural arts organization in Seaside, California.

Tyler Weed was raised in a musical family. His journey began on guitar which quickly led to earning money backing his father on fiddle. He then discovered flat-picking melodies while also developing a passion for jazz. This allowed him to be equally comfortable playing in the old-world fiddle styles as well as using swing-accompaniment on Irish melodies.  World Strides Heritage Festival presented Tyler with first-place Maestro Solo Guitar award in Anaheim, Ca. 2022. Heavily influenced by Bay Area mandolin great Marla Fibish, Tyler developed nuanced traditional Irish tunes on mandolin — picking patterns for the different dance tunes, tone projection, and styling, which continues in his playing today. Tyler represented the next generation of mandolin players at his performance at 2023 San FranciscoInstrumental Festival of Mandolins. He has since journeyed into the world of tenor banjo. His banjo style can be characterized by ornate, percussive triplet stylings with a driving, yet hypnotic groove.

Evan Weed is the youngest in the Weeds musical clan. Like Tyler, Evan grew up on the road, accompanying his father’s touring bands to festivals, performing arts centers, house concerts, and many fiddle camps. During the pandemic, Evan completely immersed himself in a world of practice on piano, Celtic harp, jazz drumming, and Latin percussion. In addition to playing harp and melodica in John Weed’s Celtic Teen Band “The McMonarchs”, Evan worked tirelessly on piano. Evan won a position in the nationally ranked SFJazz High School All Star Big Band, becoming only the third eighth grader in four decades to be selected. Evan was later presented SFJazz Education Award spring 2024, voted on by his peers and directors for superior dedication, attitude, and musicianship. Evan’s original composition, “Ask The Professor”, was recently featured in the SFJazz winter concert after Evan arranged and orchestrated for the 19 piece big-band. Evan recently became a 2025 National Young Arts Winner in the categories of composition and jazz piano.