Today we’d like to introduce you to Trae McMaken.
Hi Trae, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I live and work near the shores of Lake Huron where I write and fiddle and watch my livestock munch grass. I’ve had a varied career as a traveling storyteller and folklorist, a fiddler and singer, but these days I much prefer to stay put, write, research, farm, and play tunes with friends.
I have a bit of a dual artistic identity as an author and a musician.
Over the years I have released multiple books across genres (15 titles at last count), including Rosin for Breath: Reflections of a Travelling Fiddler (2012) and many fantasy novels such as the ongoing multi-book Dwarves of Ice-Cloak series, which takes place in my original fantasy universe, the Wellspring World. I continue to write voraciously, and I am thankful to have a following of readers who look forward to my new releases. Despite my extensive background as a musician, I am probably most well-known as a fantasy author. I love when readers from around the world reach out to tell me about their experiences reading my work. I don’t consider myself to have fans, but books I have written <i>do</i> have fans, and that is exciting.
Growing up on the Michigan-Ontario border, I imbibed varied styles of fiddle playing including Irish, Scottish, Quebecois, Ontario Old Time, and Michigan Old Time. I meld these styles into a dynamic creolized language of fiddling that reflects the diverse traditional heritage of my home region.
I formerly taught as an adjunct professor among the faculty of the Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Program at East Tennessee State University. During my time in Tennessee, I delved into Southern American traditions as a fiddler and clawhammer banjoist. Yet my continued passion is for the music of the Great Lakes, where I am one of the few remaining practitioners and tradition bearers of the region’s musical trove. I was awarded the title of Michigan State Old Time Fiddle Champion in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
My project www.michiganfiddle.com aims to help preserve and promote Michigan’s fiddle traditions. With so many of the older folk and traditional musicians now gone or passing away, it is more important than ever to preserve our musical traditions. I have two master’s degrees focusing on various aspects of folklore studies and I have contributed to a number of folklore projects over the years beyond the contents of michiganfiddle.com
When touring, my performance career included a wide variety of venues such as historical sites, workshops, festivals, camps, outdoor education programs, schools, libraries, television, radio, and many dances. Though no longer actively touring, I can still be seen in concert from time to time in the Great Lakes region.
A graduate of East Tennessee State University’s Master in Storytelling degree program, I studied the ethical and spiritual foundations of historical storytelling as well as folk traditions. I was featured by the Partnership for the National Trails System in their Magazine Pathways Across America for my work as a historical storyteller and musician recounting the 18th century Battle of Kings Mountain with the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail and the Overmountain Victory Trail Association.
My album (now quite old!) <i>For the Long Winter Nights </i>focused on the fiddle and song traditions of the Great Lakes and also incorporates some of my original numbers. In 2012, I collaborated on master cittern player Jospeh Sobol’s album Citternity: Celtic Cittern and Beyond (2012), which also features Martin Hayes, Laurence Nugent, John Williams, and others. I performed on Ricky Hilton’s album Forever (Live), released in 2015, and on The McMaken’s debut album, Sleep Easy (2009). For many years, I have focused on live musical performance rather than recording, because it is when playing music live with friends before an audience that I experience the most musical joy.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My struggles included the difficulty of raising a family as an artist, leading me to become a registered nurse to help provide for loved-ones while pursuing the arts in what time I had left available. While this may appear to be disappointing (not being able to pursue arts full time), the experiences I’ve had as a nurse have deepened my artistic expressions, and having a solid job allows me to pursue the arts for the joy of creativity and not as a business.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am known primarily for two things:
1. I am a fiddler/musician who specializes in the traditional music of Michigan and the Great Lakes. I bring storytelling and traditional music together to give people a glimpse into folk traditions that have nearly disappeared. I studied as a folklorist and created the website www.michiganfiddle.com to help preserve the fiddle music of Michigan.
2. I am a fantasy author with multiple titles released, best known for my work The Dwarves of Ice-Cloak. I might be best known for realism in world-building.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
A resistance to quitting, the ability to focus for long periods, and being a goal-oriented creative.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.traemcmaken.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traemcmaken/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/traemcmaken
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@traemc
- Other: http://www.michiganfiddle.com
