Gabe Witcher

Gabriel Witcher (born June 11, 1978) is a Grammy award-winning American multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, and arranger, best known as a fiddle player and singer. He is a founding member of the string ensemble Punch Brothers. Witcher and his fellow Punch Brothers won the 2019 Grammy for Best Folk Album and were named Affiliate Scholars of Oberlin Conservatory in 2014.

Gabe Witcher
Witcher in 2007
Witcher in 2007
Background information
Birth nameGabriel Witcher
Born (1978-06-11) June 11, 1978
GenresProgressive bluegrass, bluegrass, Americana, Rock
Instrument(s)Violin, guitar, drums, mandolin, bass, vocals
Years active1984–present
LabelsNonesuch

History

Gabe Witcher began his performing career in 1984, at the age of six, at the Strawberry Music Festival in Yosemite when he was invited on stage by Bill Monroe to perform a duet in front of a workshop crowd. Later that day Witcher, along with his father, were invited to perform three songs on the main stage in between acts. This launched the formation of "The Witcher Brothers" which performed throughout the southwest United States for 25 years.

In 1993 Witcher contributed original compositions to the soundtrack of the Dom DeLuise-led cult classic The Skateboard Kid. Many of these pieces he performed with his band, Trashkittens. This includes a music video rendition of the electric guitar–driven "Hard to Find", which ends the film. [1]

In 1995 Witcher was asked to join the "Laurel Canyon Ramblers", led by veteran bluegrass/country musician, Herb Pedersen, after their original fiddler, three-time National Fiddle Champion Byron Berline, moved from Los Angeles to Oklahoma. He was with them for four years and appeared on two albums with them.

In 1999, Witcher joined Béla Fleck's "The Bluegrass Sessions: Tales from the Acoustic Planet, Vol. 2" tour (filling in for fiddler Stuart Duncan) with Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Bryan Sutton and Mark Schatz. In 2002 Witcher joined Jerry Douglas' band and was a regular member until the formation of Punch Brothers in 2008.

Witcher spent 2005 working with Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina on the Loggins and Messina "Sittin' In Again" tour where he played Fiddle, Mandolin, Dobro, Percussion and sang.

In 2010, he joined the Dave Rawlings Machine for two weeks of tour dates. The lineup consisted of Rawlings, Gillian Welch, two members of Old Crow Medicine Show, and Witcher.[2]

He performed with Eve 6 on the Horrorscope tour (2000–2001) performing bass and backing vocals, allowing Max Collins more mobility onstage. He also performed on the track "Anytime" from the 2001 film Out Cold.

Witcher has appeared on film & television scores including as The Good Dinosaur, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, Inside Llewyn Davis, The Hunger Games, Brokeback Mountain, Cars, Toy Story, True Detective, Nashville, Better Call Saul, Sons of Anarchy and many others. He co-produced music with T Bone Burnett for the television shows Nashville and True Detective.

Witcher has 1 Grammy win and 10 Grammy nominations: 6 nominations with Punch Brothers and 4 Grammy nominations as a producer: 2017 Best Bluegrass Album for Noam Pikelny's Universal Favorite, 2017 Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge Mount Royal, 2015 Bluegrass Album of the Year for Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe, and 2013 Bluegrass Album of the Year for Noam Pikelny's Beat the Devil and Carry a Rail, which also won "Album of the Year" at the IBMA Awards in 2014. He has also appeared on records by Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Beck, Willie Nelson, Neil Diamond, Fiona Apple, Shania Twain...

Witcher has written arrangements for Elton John, Kronos Quartet, Punch Brothers, Rhiannon Giddens, Boston Pops, San Francisco Symphony, l'Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne, North Carolina Symphony, The Secret Sisters, Nashville, and True Detective.

Witcher composed and arranged music for Red Dead Redemption 2 and was music director and conductor for the live performance of the score at the Red Bull Music Festival in Los Angeles in the Spring of 2019.

Personal life

On September 15, 2013, Witcher married actress Mary Faber and has 2 sons.[3]

Music Director

Sara Bareilles: Saturday Night Live, Ellen, Good Morning America, The Late Late Show w/ James Corden, The Talk, "Amidst The Chaos" Album Release Tour (2019)

The Music of Red Dead Redemption 2: Red Bull Music Festival Los Angeles (2019)

Kennedy Center presents: American Acoustic w Chris Thile – All Star Jam (2016)

Another Day, Another Time: f/ the music of Inside Llewyn Davis – Los Angeles (2013)

Discography

Punch Brothers
Year Title Label
2008 Punch Nonesuch
2010 Antifogmatic Nonesuch
2012 Who's Feeling Young Now? Nonesuch
2013 Ahoy! Nonesuch
2015 The Phosphorescent Blues Nonesuch
2015 The Wireless (EP) Nonesuch
2018 All Ashore Nonesuch

Jerry Douglas
Year Title Label
2006 The Best Kept Secret Koch

Laurel Canyon Ramblers
Year Title Label
1996 Blue Rambler 2 Sugar Hill Records
1998 Back on the Street Again Sugar Hill Records

Credits

Albums
† Grammy Award Winner ^ Grammy Award Nomination
Artist Project Role
Paul Simon So Beautiful or So What Fiddle
Stranger to Stranger Fiddle, Vocals
Eric Clapton Old Sock Fiddle
Elton John Wonderful Crazy Night Arranger, Conductor
Willie Nelson The Great Divide Fiddle
Neil Diamond Dreams Fiddle
Beck Return of the Grievous Angel Fiddle
Shania Twain Now Fiddle
Rosanne Cash The River & the Thread † Fiddle
Fiona Apple/Jon Brion So Sleepy Fiddle
Emmylou Harris Return of the Grievous Angel Fiddle
Merle Haggard Chicago Wind Fiddle
John Denver All Aboard† Fiddle
Bette Midler It's the Girls! Fiddle
Punch Brothers/ VariousArtists Another Day, Another Time Fiddle, Vocals
Dierks Bentley Up on the Ridge ^ Fiddle
The Chieftains Voice of Ages Fiddle
Eddy Mitchell Heros, Jumbalaya Fiddle
Johnny Hallyday Rester Vivant Fiddle
Travis Tritt The Storm Fiddle
Lee Ann Womack Something Worth Leaving Behind Fiddle
Dwight Yoakam Dwights Used Records Fiddle
Sara Watkins Young in All the Wrong Ways Producer, guitars, Fiddle, Arrangements
Rhiannon Giddens Tomorrow Is My Turn Fiddle, Violin, Guitar, Arranger (Strings, Horns)
Phoebe Bridgers Stranger in the Alps Violin
Noam Pikelny Noam Pikelny Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe ^ Producer
Noam Pikelny Beat The Devil and Carry a Rail^ Producer
Jerry Douglas The Best Kept Secret ^ Fiddle, Strings
Chris Thile How to Grow a Woman from the Ground ^ Fiddle, Vocals, Arranging
The Secret Sisters Put Your Needle Down Fiddle, Violin, Arranger (Strings)
Chris Hillman The Other Side Fiddle
Tom Brosseau What I Mean to Say Is Goodbye Fiddle

Film
º Academy Award Winner for Best Score

^ Academy Award Nominee Best Original Song

! Golden Globe Nominee Best Original Song

† Grammy Award Winner Best Original Song
Title Composer Role
The Peanut Butter Falcon Gabe Witcher, Jonathan Sadoff, Noam Pikelny, Zach Dawes
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs Additional Music Fiddle
The Good Dinosaur Mychael & Jeff Danna Fiddle
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 Additional music Composer
Toy Story^! Randy Newman Fiddle
Cars † Randy Newman Fiddle
Cars 3 Randy Newman Fiddle
The Princess and the Frog Randy Newman Fiddle
Inside Llewyn Davis T Bone Burnett Fiddle, Vocals
The Hunger Games James Newton Howard Fiddle
Brokeback Mountainº Gustavo Santaolalla Fiddle
Babelº Gustavo Santaolalla Violin
Charlie Wilson's War James Newton Howard Fiddle
This Is 40 Jon Brion Fiddle, Violin
Kingsman: The Golden Circle Henry Jackman, Matthew Margeson Fiddle
A Million Ways to Die in the West Joel McNeely Fiddle
Wild Hogs Teddy Castellucci Fiddle
The Homesman Marco Beltrami Violin
Robin Hood Marc Streitenfeld Fiddle
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie Andy Paley Fiddle
Nights in Rodanthe Jeanine Tesori Fiddle
Soul Men Stanley Clarke Fiddle
The Dukes of Hazzard Nathan Barr Fiddle
Without a Paddle Chris Beck Fiddle
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins David Newman Fiddle
The Best Of Me Aaron Zigman Fiddle
Bridge to Terabithia Aaron Zigman Fiddle
Christmas Cottage Aaron Zigman Fiddle
Flicka Aaron Zigman Fiddle
The Wendell Baker Story Aaron Zigman Fiddle
The Notebook Aaron Zigman Fiddle
Mater and the Ghostlight Bruno Coon Fiddle
Bigger, Stronger, Faster* Dave Porter Fiddle
Venom James L. Venable Fiddle
The Cave Reinhold Heil Violin

Television

^ Emmy Nominated

Title Selection Role
True Detective Season 3 Score Recordist, Additional Music, performer
True Detective Season 2 Score Violin, Electric Violin, Electric Bass
True Detective The Angry River Composer, Arranger (strings), Violin
Nashville Nothing in This World Will Ever Break My Heart Again^ Co-Producer (w/ T Bone Burnett), Arranger (Strings, Background vocals), Violin
Nashville Ho Hey Co-Producer (w/ T Bone Burnett), Guitar, Fiddle, Mandolin
Nashville Used Co-Producer (w/ T Bone Burnett), Arranger (Strings, Background vocals), Fiddle
Nashville Consider Me Co-Producer (w/ T Bone Burnett), Arranger (Strings, Background vocals), Fiddle
Nashville We Are Water Co-Producer (w/ T Bone Burnett), Arranger (Strings, Background vocals), Fiddle
Nashville Looking for a Place To Shine Co-Producer (w/ T Bone Burnett), Arranger (Strings, Background vocals), Fiddle, Mandolin, Keyboards
Nashville Hanging on a Lie Co-Producer (w/ T Bone Burnett), Arranger (Strings, Background vocals), Fiddle, Mandolin, Keyboards
Nashville Stomping Ground Co-Producer (w/ T Bone Burnett), Arranger (Strings, Background vocals), Fiddle,Mandolin,
Nashville Gun for a Mouth Fiddle
Nashville Tough All Over Fiddle
Nashville Let There Be Lonely Keyboards
Better Call Saul Score Violin
Sons of Anarchy All Along The Watchtower Fiddle
Legends of Tomorrow Score Fiddle
Justified Score Fiddle
Turn: Washington's Spies Score Fiddle
Party of Five Score Violin
King of the Hill Score Fiddle
Crossing Jordan Innocent When You Dream Fiddle
Heartland Score Fiddle
Point of Honor Score Fiddle
Texas Rising Score Fiddle
Bonnie & Clyde Score Fiddle
Hatfields & McCoys Score Fiddle
Sarah Silverman Show Score Fiddle
News Radio Score Fiddle
Just Shoot Me! Score Fiddle
Worst Week Score Fiddle
Curious George Score Fiddle
Berenstain Bears Theme Song Fiddle
Three Moons Over Milford Score Fiddle
Any Day Now Score Fiddle
George and Leo Score Fiddle
The Lazarus Man Score Fiddle
Dilbert Score Fiddle

Live Television
Artists Show
Punch Brothers
Punch Brothers w/ Steve Martin
Dolly Parton
  • 78th Academy Awards Show
Beck and Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson and Lee Ann Womack
Willie Nelson

Bands/Tours
Dates Artist Role
(2006–2023) Punch Brothers Fiddle, Vocals, Drums
(2014) Steve Martin and Martin Short Fiddle
(2012) Paul Simon Fiddle
(2010) Dave Rawlings Machine Fiddle, Guitar, Vocals
(2006) k.d. lang Fiddle, Guitar
(2005) Loggins and Messina Sittin' In Again Reunion Tour Fiddle, Mandolin, Dobro, Percussion, Vocals
(2002–2008) Jerry Douglas Band Fiddle
(2000–2001) Eve 6 Bass
(1999) The Bluegrass Sessions f/ Béla Fleck, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Bryan Sutton, Mark Schatz Fiddle
(1995–2000) Laurel Canyon Ramblers Fiddle
(1984–2008) The Witcher Brothers Fiddle, Vocals

References
  1. "Trashkittens - "Hard to Find"". Youtube. digitald410. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  2. Ratliff, Ben (June 3, 2010). "A Duo's Switch in Roles Is Made in Harmony". The New York Times. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
  3. "Mary & Gabe's Wedding Website". Retrieved December 16, 2015.
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