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By Katrina Margolis
Hometown Weekly Reporter
For fans of Irish culture, March is a mecca of events, opportunities, and offerings. One of these such events was offered at the Walpole Public Library on Saturday. Stanley & Grimm, a Celtic duo, played at 1:00 p.m. for any and all who were available to come. Sponsored by the Friends of the Walpole Public Library, the duo played a collection of traditional music, including jigs and reels. Nikki Engstrom, fiddler, and Sean Brennan, singer and guitarist, created a “musical journey through a bounty of fiddle tunes and ballads of all origins, alongside modern tunes and songs they have composed.”
The name Stanley & Grimm comes from the makers of Engstrom’s fiddle and bow, fiddle maker and inventor of the Stanley steam engine, F.O. Stanley and Grimm, respectively. The pair have played throughout New England at concerts, house parties, pubs and festivals. They met and played together at local sessions on Cape Cod, they made their debut as Stanley & Grimm at the 2005 Cape Cod Celtic Festival. Since then, they have recorded three albums, which are available for download on iTunes, Amazon, and Rhapsody. Engstrom is an award-winning fiddler and teaches workshops at festivals throughout the year, as well as teaching more than 30 private students. Brennan has been playing in pubs for years. Both are accomplished songwriters, and the duo has recorded their own songs on their CDs.
Their performance at the Walpole Library was nearly packed, and audience members stumbled in throughout their performance as they heard music from the hallway. The two have a clear musical chemistry, and their banter and rapport with both the audience and one another made for a jovial and engaging performance.
