We are an acoustic duo who write and perform original songs, traditional ballads and instrumentals that combine Celtic music, blues and a variety of other musical influences from around the world.  We first met in 1978 at a festival in Alberta, and met again when Dan moved to Newfoundland in 2002. Since then we have been collaborating as performers, recording artists and educators.  We recently released our third CD, a collection of live tracks recorded while on a house concert tour in 2015.  

 

Our debut CD, Tanglecove: 30 New Canadian Fiddle Tunes, was released as a book of sheet music as well as a sound recording. The CD was nominated for Best Instrumental Album of the Year at the 2013 MusicNL awards, while the book has been distributed to the schools in our province as a provincial learning resource, and is nationally distributed by Long & McQuade.

 

Our second recording, Facing the Flame, is an ambitious collection of thirteen original songs, linked in theme and imagery.   The songs trace a strong arc, through time and space, connected by theme, but diverse in style.   The recording explores musical styles that range from Greek rhythms, reggae rockers and blues to folk ballads.   These are "Songs of Wonder and Experience," stories told from a mature perspective.

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In 2015 TANGLECOVE completed a multi-week cross-Canada tour with train transportation generously provided by ViaRail through the Artists Onboard program. We performed in Toronto and Winnipeg, then travelled west for a Home Routes tour of Southern Alberta and Saskatchewan.    This tour and the recording and launch of our second CD, Facing the Flame were supported by ArtsNL and the City of St. John's.

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Our third CD, Home Roots: Tanglecove on Tour, recorded during that tour, was launched in St. John's in November, 2017.  That month we embarked on a second successful Home Routes concert tour of rural Ontario.   We continue to explore new musical dimensions, and we are hoping to perform in the United Kingdom, Europe and across Canada in the future.   We recently  performed and met with international buyers in the Export Ready showcases in St. John's during MusicNL Week.

 

As solo artists, and with various groups, we have previously performed in North America, in Europe and at two world's fairs (Expo 86, Expo 92) and individually we have appeared at international events as representatives of Canada. Touring has taken us across Canada and through Europe, the United States, Australia and Latin America.  We both been featured performers at many Canadian and international folk festivals.

 

Dave Panting is an accomplished performer who plays instruments of the mandolin family, bouzouki, guitar and bass.   As well as touring and recording with the seminal Newfoundland folk group Figgy Duff, Dave Panting is a longtime member of Rawlins Cross and the Irish Descendants, and is widely recognized as one of the leaders in the revival of Newfoundland folk music.  He is a respected composer and music producer who appears regularly as a solo artist, as a member of the St. John's based Greek project Forgotten Bouzouki and as a seasonal instructor at the Vinland Music Camp in Gros Morne National Park, an annual event devoted to maintaining the folk arts of Newfoundland and Labrador.

 

Dan Rubin plays violin, viola, bouzouki, mandolin and guitar.  As a young musician, he trained in classical composition before moving into folk and world music. He has performed over the years with a series of musical groups, including the folk quartet Flying Mountain, the world music trio New Earth and the East Coast folk trio Atlantic Union. Since arriving in Newfoundland, Dan has been active as an artist manager and concert promoter.  He has produced and recorded albums for Canadian acoustic artists including Ed Kavanagh, John Cossar, Atlantic Union and Ariel Rubin. 

 

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