Watch SCYTHIAN’s Paste Session at Suwannee Spring Reunion

By Brad Wagner  |  May 5, 2025 | 11:36pm
Music Features SCYTHIAN
Watch SCYTHIAN’s Paste Session at Suwannee Spring Reunion

Paste Studio “On The Road” rambled on to the Suwannee River for the 7th Annual Suwannee Spring Reunion at Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park, halfway between Jacksonville and Tallahassee. The Spanish moss-draped oak and cypress trees provided a rich environment to capture a series of sessions on the festival grounds in the “Alan Lomax field recording” style. 2024 was a tough year for the Suwannee community after losing festival co-founder Randy “Big Cosmo” Judy, who passed away in spring 2024, and having to cancel the 2024 Suwannee Roots Revival due to Hurricane Helene. But festival director Beth Judy brought the festival roaring back into fighting shape in 2025, hosting a massive four-day party across half a dozen stages, late night campground pickin’ parties (looking at you, Slopryland!), kicking off the weekend with Big Cosmo’s Celebration of Life. Please enjoy this Paste x Suwannee session below, and a dozen other unique sessions to come!

Full Session

SCYTHIAN took us on a musical journey to both sides of the Atlantic, performing their unique blend of songs rooted in Celtic, Eastern European and Appalachian traditions. The band formed in the Shenandoah Valley, and credit their musical ancestry to a variety of cultures far beyond the Virginias. First up is “The Fight” from their 2022 album Roots and Stones, featuring Alexander Fedoryka on lead vocals, his brother Danylo Fedoryka on background vocals, and bassist Ethan Dean rounding out the vocal trio.

“The Fight”

Although Alexander trades fiddle for electric guitar on the next tune, it still has the most Celtic vibe of the session. I hear some Dropkick Murphys’ gang-vocal style, a bit of Shane MacGowan’s folk punk streak, and a hint of guitar tone reminiscent of “I Melt With You”-era Modern English, all of these elements adding to a sum greater than the equal of its parts. This one is brand new and will likely be called “Shut The Front Door” when the studio version is recorded and released.

“Shut The Front Door”

The Fedoryka Brothers grew up on Ukrainian folk music and bluegrass, a combo that becomes evident in the last instrumental song of the set. Even though the song is called “Bulgarian Suite,” named after the Balkan country in Southeast Europe, the song carries the lamenting quality of the melodies heard across the broader Eastern European fiddle tradition and Balkan folk music.

“Bulgarian Suite”

Endless gratitude to festival director Beth Judy and her whole team at Suwannee Spring Reunion. Beth’s love and dedication to the music shine through every level of this festival. Special thanks to Erin Scholze for connecting the dots and the campfire hangs! Stay tuned for more Suwannee x Paste sessions on the way!

 
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