The evening opened up with Mountain Duo on stage, playing & singing several tunes while people finished dinner.

It turns out Katie Fedoryka of Mountain Duo is married to Alex Fedoryka of Scythian. They shared their story of how they met right here in Bethlehem, PA during Musikfest! It’s this type of stories that really hit home and make people fall in love with bands and the especially the people who share their music with us.

I first saw Scythian perform at Levitt Pavilion last Summer and loved their performance. Many great acts come through on a regular basis. I looked up the information on YouTube as well as, on the internet. I listened to a few songs, and I was hooked and looking forward to when they came back into the area.

The energy that I felt last Summer during their performance, I felt once again last night at Musikfest Cafe as well as everybody in the audience.

Right from the start of the first song, audience participation was in high gear, as people left their seats and headed to the center of the stage. They were dancing and singing along to nearly every song. These were the true fans that have been following this group for over 10 years. Guests were dancing on the sides as well as in their chairs.

My feet were tapping the floor as much as everybody around me.

I loved how the band was very animated on stage jumping and spinning and also very versatile with instruments. Larissa Fedoryka played an instrument which I have never seen before, and I had to visit their website to look it up. It was an electric cello, an amazing instrument, and a very beautiful sound when played. Larissa also sang a solo; she has a beautiful voice, al in all this family is very talented, to say the least!

As the evening was winding down, the high energy that Scythian brought forth was still in full effect! They continued to share stories of where their origins came from. Talking about their gypsy influences within their family, family members traveling back to the Carpathian Mountains and traditional Ukrainian music.

Few more highlights of the evening:

Nolan singing “Danny Boy” hushed the entire audience.

Fiddle & Flute Duel, very cool!

“Sweet Maryann”, the crowd swayed and sung along.

Alex Fedoryka commented that PA has a strong following with Scythian and it’s true with the high spirits that surged through the crowd tonight.

His 2018 Resolution: Play the Keystone State more often!

I didn’t want this evening to end and my Final Call to Artsquest:

Bring Scythian back to Musikfest 2018!!!