About Wild Roots

A very young Rowe first fell in love with music while listening in on his parents’ cocktail party jam sessions from the top of the stairs in his pjs. At the ripe old age of 10, he was invited down to play drums and washtub bass, and he’s been playing music ever since. His father was an accomplished jazz pianist and vocal arranger, and his work with acapella groups gave Rowe the keen sense of vocal harmonies which are at the heart of his music today. Later, Rowe was influenced by the music of the late sixties and seventies including Dylan and the Byrds, The Beatles, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Joni Mitchell, The Band, and the Grateful Dead. Nowadays he listens to an eclectic mix of folk and acoustic music as well as jazz, celtic, traditional and old time. Rowe began playing guitar and harmonica and writing his own songs in college, and he picked up the mandolin upon returning to the Upper Valley in 2006. His tunes often reflect his craft as a storyteller, embellished by thoughtful arrangements and rich harmonies.