About the Band

Housetop is a harmony singin’, swingin’ string band quartet based in Southern Vermont. The group consists of Naomi Morse on vocals, fiddle and mandolin, Erica Morse on vocals and upright bass, Anna Patton on vocals and clarinet and Peter Siegel on vocals, guitar and mandolin.

Housetop performs a lively, quirky program of swingy, bluesy, old time American music. Much of Housetop’s repertoire is from the 30s and 40s – a high point of American song writing as performed at the time by stars like the Ink Spots, The Boswell Sisters, Fats Waller, and Fred Astaire. It was a time of great musical craftiness: close harmonies and clever, concise lyrics. It’s also the music with which entertainers strove to sing and dance the people’s cares away, and there’s an undertone of hard times, treading the line between sincerity and satire. In the irreverent spirit of Vaudeville, Housetop makes these songs their own, along with whatever else scratches their itch, including jug band tunes, songs penned by Bob Wills, Dan Hicks, the Roches, and their own originals. They round out their program with hot instrumentals: Peter and Erica set the groove for Anna and Naomi’s wild renditions of raggy fiddle tunes and little-big-band breaks.

Bios

Anna Patton

Anna Patton is a third generation singer, musician and arranger of jazz vocal harmonies. An accomplished, versatile clarinetist, Anna tours regularly with the dance band Elixir and other combos, delighting audiences with her command of numerous genres, her soulful style and her stunning musicianship.

Peter Siegel

Peter Siegel is a mainstay of the traditional dance scene of the Pioneer Valley, as well as a composer and nationally-known singer-songwriter. His unique brand of “space age vaudeville” features hip-hop, finger style blues, fiddle tunes from Ireland, Quebec, New England, Appalachia, swing, funk, and country songs with lots of yodeling.

Naomi Morse

Naomi Morse is an expressive soprano and a fiery, lyrical fiddler whose rhythmic Vermont style sparks with French Canadian and southern old-time influences. She has performed throughout the US and in Europe, and sings professionally in New York City.

Erica Morse

Erica Morse is an expert singer, rendering jazzy harmonies with her rich, clear tone. Drawing on a musical background of intensive study of the viola de gamba and cello, these days she can often be seen thumping out a lovely big fat tone on the upright bass. A resident of Brattleboro, Erica moonlights as a teacher at Marlboro Elementary.