A single note plays for what seems an eternity, wavering in the ear of the fiddler. She tunes, walking the stage at the Katharine Cornell Theatre to greet each band mate, seeking perfect pitch. The guitar player entertains the audience with an anecdote. “It’s close enough for pop music,” declares the mandolin player. The fiddler surrenders.

— Matt Nichols

Then there is a count-off and music explodes off the stage. The hammered dulcimer sends quick, bright sparks. The mandolin pushes the music’s momentum to a powerful peak while the fiddle soars into it like a bird cutting through a gale. Then there’s the cello, powerful and rolling, providing the landscape on which the other instruments dance. Waves of melody fill the air. Then seamlessly the music comes to a halt and the hall fills with applause.

— Matt Nichols

It’s a foggy, drizzly Thursday night in Vineyard Haven and this is a performance by the Bee Eaters. Tashina Claridge is on the fiddle; her brother, Tristan on the cello; Dominick Leslie plays mandolin and Simon Chrisman the hammered dulcimer. Their music merges with the Island setting and provides a great sound track to the night.

— Matt Nichols