“Decosimo digs into the ancient sounds of the Appalachian mountains, treating old ballads and traditional songs with care as he filters them through his own experimental instincts. The results are sublime and strangely heartening.” - Bandcamp Daily / Best of Country
“Each tune is like the tip of an iceberg. Joseph’s a marvelous fiddler. And he’s a beautiful singer.” - No Depression
“Decosimo’s sound has a haunting quality that lends the old songs he chooses to interpret a certain magic.”- KLOF
10 Best New Albums from Around the World (January/February 2023 - Songlines
A leading interpreter of the fiddle, banjo, and song traditions from the Appalachian South, Joseph Decosimo has introduced audiences around the world to the beauty and vitality of the region’s music. "Joseph is like an astute jazz artist, with his perspective substantiated by a fundamental sense of melodic direction and delicate purpose. He knows melody like nobody else,” observes Jake Xerxes Fussell. A student of the last master traditional musicians in his home region of Tennessee, he draws on a well of creativity and repertoire to create spacious interpretations that connect audiences to the music’s transcendent beauty. Joseph also works outside of the traditional music world, collaborating with fellow Durham, NC artists Hiss Golden Messenger, Wye Oak, Jake Xerxes Fussell, Elephant Micah, and others.
His 2024 trio release Beehive Cathedral on Dear Life Records has garnered critical attention from Bandcamp Daily, KLOF, and Songlines among others. New Commute listed it among its 2024 Albums of The Year. Of the new record, Irish fiddle luminary Martin Hayes writes, “Beehive Cathedral is a sonic delight, a beautiful blend of Old-time soundscapes and more. This is a hypnotic recording that is grounded, subtle and refined.”
Selected Performances:
Kilkenny Arts Festival, Kilkenny Ireland
Haapavesi Folk Festival, Haapavesi, Finland
Dorrigo Folk and Bluegrass Festival, NSW, Australia
National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellows Concert, Sidney Harman Hall, Washington D.C.
Garth Newel Music Center, Hot Springs, VA
Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, Port Townsend, WA
Wheatland Festival, Remus, Michigan, September 2019
Nimble Fingers Bluegrass and Old Time Festival, Sorrento, BC, Canada
University of Chicago Folk Festival, Chicago, IL
International Bluegrass Music Association Festival
Hiawatha Traditional Music Festival, Marquette, MI, July 2017.
Minnesota Bluegrass and Old Time Festival, El Rancho Manana, MN
Friends of American Old Time Music and Dance, Gainsborough, England
Berkeley Old Time Music Festival, Berkeley, CA,
California Bluegrass Association Father’s Day Festival, Grass Valley, CA
Austin String Band Festival, Austin, TX