Roberta Rast: Fiddle, Backing Vocals
Roberta Rast, World Champion fiddler, hails from Boise, Idaho, where she grew up in a family full of accomplished fiddlers. Roberta joined The Killdares in 2002 and has since elevated the band’s sound to a new dimension with her precision and creativity. Roberta has competed on the prestigious fiddle competition circuit since the age of 5, and has won numerous awards and competitions for her incredible style and technical ability, including: 1st Place at the 2004 World Fiddle Championship (Crocket, TX), Six-time National Fiddle Champion (Weiser, ID), 1st Place at the 2005 Grand Masters Fiddle Championship (Nashville, TN)…and has performed twice on stage of the world-famous Grand Ole Opry! Roberta lives in Dallas, TX, plays custom-made 5-string fiddles and is an active member of the Texas Old Time Fiddlers Association (TOTFA).
NAME – Roberta Rast
FROM – Born and raised around Boise, Idaho…now living in Dallas, TX
INSTRUMENT – Fiddle, backing vocals
FAVORITE BANDS – Alison Krauss, Nickel Creek, Coldplay, R.E.M., U2, Collective Soul, Asleep at the Wheel, Bob Wills, George Strait, Vince Gill, etc.
FAVORITE FIDDLERS –
Texas Style: Terry Morris, Benny Thomasson, Wes Westmoreland
Celtic: Alasdair Fraser, Hanneke Cassel, Liz Carroll, Natalie MacMaster, Martin Hayes
Other styles: Johnny Gimble, Svend Asmussen, Casey Driessen
FAVORITE COLOR – Plum
FAVORITE KD SONG TO PLAY LIVE – John McKenzie’s Fancy/The Kitchen Piper
FIRST WORDS THAT COME INTO YOUR HEAD – Seriously?
FIRST SONG YOU LEARNED ON FIDDLE – Boil the Cabbage
NICKNAMES – Ro
FAVORITE FILM(S) – Love Actually, A Mighty Wind, Best in Show, Annie Hall, Music and Lyrics, Elf, Office Space
FIRST GIG (watching) – George Strait…that’s when I decided I needed to practice more
BEST GIG (watching) – Dixie Chicks…that’s when I decided I wanted to be in a band
BEST GIG (playing) – House Of Blues Dallas for our Secrets of the Day CD release
FIRST ALBUM OWNED (On vinyl) – I don’t remember owning any vinyl…but my first CASSETTE tape was George Strait
FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM – Go Mavs!
5 PEOPLE YOU WOULD INVITE TO DINNER IF YOU COULD – Conan O’Brien, Steve Martin, Oprah, Alison Krauss, and Zooey Deschanel
FAVORITE FOOD – Sushi
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE AS THE FIDDLER OF THE BAND? Continue being the intonation police for the betterment of all ears. I’ve never had the luxury of frets to tell me if I’m in tune or not… so my ear is a blessing (and a curse when it comes to playing with finicky bagpipes). Also, I am known as the “mighty re-arranger” of the band…keeping my bandmates on their toes at all times.
FAVORITE QUOTE – “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something”-Thomas H. Huxley (1825 – 1895)
