Dauntless have reached the finals of Battle of The Folk Bands 2025. The competition will be held at Celtic Connections on January 18th in the Drygate Brewery at 1pm. Why not come along and join in the fun?
We asked Connor of Dauntless a few questions about the band.
Tell us about your band
Dauntless is a new and exciting group in the trad scene. Combining the talents of three fantastic musicians, Dauntless uses music from all eras of traditional music, primarily focusing on both 18th century fiddle music and original compositions. They seek to combine these influences into a consistently interesting and authentic listening experience. Their dynamic repertoire ranges from foot-stomping, groovy tunes to poignant, thought-provoking meditations that will enchant any audience.
Dauntless’ members have been playing together informally in different groups for the past few years, however now is the time for them to form the trio together. Individually, each member of Dauntless is an extremely accomplished and talented musician, so their joining of forces is set to officially shake the scene in the best way possible.
Who are the band members
Connor Civatte (Fiddle): Originally hailing from North Carolina, Connor has just recently graduated from RCS in Glasgow. With 19 years of playing experience and a focus on using his fiddle as an instrument of storytelling, Connor’s gritty and soulful playing draws on a wide variety of influences from Niel Gow to Duncan Chisholm to Black Sabbath.
Josiah Duhlstine (Cello): Josiah grew up in Mesa, Arizona, where he was introduced to folk music through fiddler Taylor Morris and the after-school program for high-schoolers, the Gilbert Town Fiddlers. Josiah moved to Glasgow in 2018 to study both classical and traditional cello at the RCS and is equally comfortable leading tunes and providing rhythmic accompaniment. Josiah has worked with members of the Silkroad Ensemble and regularly collaborates with all varieties of singers and instrumentalists in Scotland.
Rory Carter (Bodhran/Mandolin): Rory is a multi-instrumentalist who has been playing mandolin and bodhran for five years and is inspired by the playing of Martin O’Neill and Mike Vass. He is originally from Limekilns, Fife and now is in fourth year at the RCS. One of his compositions was featured in the RCS Celtic Connections concert in 2024 and he is looking forward to new, even bigger projects this year.
What are you hopes and aspirations for the band?
We have all admired various performers when we were younger and can point to performers that made us want to pursue music. That is the greatest compliment you can receive as a musician, and we want to take on that role for others – to be the reason they wanted to play music or learn an instrument. It is a truly life-changing experience and welcoming more people into the trad world would be an amazing thing. We approach our tradition with respect and seek to not only play, but potentially host workshops as well to further spread our love of music.
Musically, our goals would be to bring more 18th century tunes to the forefront of the Glasgow scene. So much of this repertoire is overlooked and there are some truly incredible pieces of music that are just asking to be played. Simultaneously, we will continue to explore our own musicality through original compositions that are all influenced by our unique backgrounds and individual styles and juxtaposed with the traditional styles of these older tunes.
Check out the band’s website.
The winners will receive a day in the GloWormRecording studio and a performance at Celtic Connections 2026. Battle of The Folk Bands is a Hands Up for Trad project. Read about the organisation and join our weekly Scottish music information email here.
If you would like to support the work of Hands Up for Trad you can do here.
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