Yid Vicious Band Bios

the band

Greg Smith clarinets

A Madison native, Greg has engaged in an ever-widening variety of styles throughout his musical career. He has been the bass clarinetist in the Madison Symphony Orchestra since the early 1970's, performs with the Capitol City Concert Band, plays hot Dixieland with the Avenue Sizzlers, and with the Reptile Palace Orchestra, delves into the mysteries of Balkan lounge rock (whatever that is). He is also a charter member of Madison’s Salsa, Merengue and Bachata specialists, Grupo Candela, and performs regularly with the area’s newest (and perhaps only) Western Swing band, the North Country Drifters. Greg joined Yid Vicious in 2002 to salve an inner need to play music in minor keys.

Daithi Wolfe fiddle

David was a Suzuki violin brat way back in the bad old days starting in Ann Arbor in 1968. After visiting Ireland in 1983 he changed his name to Daithi (pronounced Dahee) which is Irish for David and changed his violin into a fiddle. He has played Celtic music in Madison for about 19 years, first with The Drones, then Far From Home, next The Authorities, and now with The Currach (every Friday at the Brocach from 5:30-7pm). Daithi actually hates music, but he figures being in a band makes him look cool. When not playing music, Daithi plays at being an early childhood education advocate, marathon runner and all-around rabble rouser. His wife Sandy is a trapeze artist and carpenter. His older daughter Mairead is a stilt-walking fiddler. And younger daughter Fiona is an expert tree climber and violinist. Daithi's favorite Yid Vicious tune is "Sadegurer Husidl". Trivia tidbit: Matt and Daithi are the only original members of the band still hanging on...

Geoff Brady percussion

A native of Pontiac, MI, Brady plays drums (and occasionally theremin) with Yid Vicious and other Madison bands like the Active Percussion Duo, Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Gomers, Executive Tea Set, Yammer, and the Theramones. He also plays solo occasionally, writes a little, and teaches sometimes. Brady is hard at work on his forthcoming one-man show, “Me, Me, Look at ME: A One-Man Show”, and is very happy to be married to YV’s hornist, the unflappable Kia. He is also the keeper of the Yid Vicious Blog.

Kia Karlen horn

Born and raised in Madison, WI, Kia took over the Yid Vicious horn duties in 2002, and recently tamed a feral accordion that Geoff captured in the wild. She performs with the Con Vivo Chamber Ensemble, Capitol City Band and Madison Savoyards, and plays bass with local rock outfits including Yammer and the Theramones. With husband (& YV drummer) Geoff Brady, Kia has scored experimental music for silent film screenings, staged sock puppet tributes to the great philosophers, and unleashed any number of performance oddities upon an unsuspecting public. Kia works at the Madison Children’s Museum, where she often figures out ways to do this sort of stuff for a steady salary.

Melissa Reiser saxophones

Saxophonist Melissa Reiser left the relative comforts of a music teaching job (Luther College) to broaden her horizons: yes, she went back to grad school, like anyone eager to avoid signing up for the real world would do. With a masters in ethnomusicology (world music) now under her belt, Melissa has decided to keep going so that she can subjugate college kids to the sounds of places they can't find on a map. Her most recent venture involved camping in the sands of the Sahara, squashing scorpions, and attending nomadic raves while researching Tuareg music festivals in northern Mali. Melissa plays / has played in the Afro-pop band Kweku Ananse and the Sweet Vibrations, the big-band Ladies Must Swing, the Milwaukee-based contemporary ensemble Present Music, and classical venues such as the Milwaukee Symphony and the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra

Matt Appleby guitars & bass

Matt was a founding member of Yid Vicious way back during the first Clinton administration. After heading to the twin cities for a time in the late 90’s, he finally found his way back to us. Matt plays balalaika with the UW Russian Folk Orchestra, and lends his talents to local outfits such as Shakey and the Theramones, and bears a passing resemblance to Optometri bassist Alexei Alexov. Matt’s return has literally doubled the ethnomusicologist content of the band.

Dave Spies tuba

Dave has been tearing up the Wisconsin music scene ever since returning to Madison in 2003 after a 12-year tour featuring the rocky coasts of New Haven and the flooded plains of Denton, Texas. When not appearing with Yid Vicious, Dave holds down the fifth chair in the Madison Jazz Orchestra, plays with the Racine Symphony Orchestra, and solos and waves a stick with the Madison Brass Band. Rumor has it that he also has been heard with the Willson Tuba Quartet and has performed with the Milwaukee Symphony and the Iowa Brass Quintet. When he's not playing, he's sleeping, teaching for Marian College, and maintaining a close working relationship with library materials.

And The Rest!

Members of the Yid Vicious extended family make frequent appearances with the band in the Madison area. Our bevy of hot second-cousins includes vocalist Anna Purnell, trumpeter emeritus Bob Jacobson, and dance leaders Kim Caisse, Steve Weintraub, and Michael Kuharski. Please inquire if you are interested in booking a mega-Vicious big band version for your party or event.

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