A Canadian and US National fiddle champion, Shane Cook leads a joyous and diverse musical journey through fresh original fiddle tunes and songs on Be Here for a While, the debut album from his band, Shane Cook & The Woodchippers. After first premiering the music of their debut album with The International Symphony Orchestra, the band has since toured Be Here for a While across the U.S., Scotland, Germany and Canada, including at Celtic Colours in Cape Breton in 2024 and Celtic Connections in Glasgow in 2025. The band and album received Canadian Folk Music Award nominations for Instrumental Group of the Year and Traditional Album of the Year.
Shane Cook & The Woodchippers rely on their deep foundation in the traditional music, song and dance of Ontario for the core of their sound, while also drawing on styles as broad as Celtic, bluegrass, folk and swing. Their superbly crafted compositions and arrangements are a modern, exhilarating approach to fiddle tunes, song and dance.
Joining Shane are Emily Jean Flack (Leahy) on vocals, piano and dance, Joe Phillips (London Symphonia) on vocals and double bass, and five-time national step dance champion, Kyle Waymouth (Ashley MacIsaac) on guitar, tenor banjo and dance. Says multiple Grammy nominee, Claire Lynch, “Shane offers up death-defying, acrobatic fiddle precision, soaring through tunes from his beloved Ontario with impeccable clarity.”