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God bless cabin fever. Thank heaven for Ohio's cold, seemingly endless winters. Were it not for those icy, cold, dreary days, Joe Lautzenheiser, 16, may never have found his passion or tapped one of his greatest talents.

And to think, Joe's mother, Barbara Lautzenheiser, said he started fiddling just on a whim one winter because of that doggone cabin fever.

"We were driving by Gatuso's and I said, 'Let's duck in there and see what they have,' " Barbara said. "We were just looking at picking up an instrument that he could play with until the weather broke. I figured he would be back to building huts and playing in the dirt and doing all the things that boys do in about four weeks or so.

"But he picked up the fiddle at 9 or 91⁄2 (years old) and he hasn't put it down."

Good thing, too. From the time he tucked that fiddle under his chin, he has been warming the ears and hearts of audiences across the area and state.

Last weekend, during the Ohio State Fiddle Competition in Nelsonville, Lautzenheiser won his age division and went on to win the Grand Champion crown, taking down far more seasoned fiddlers in the process.

"I honestly don't think I was the best fiddler there," the North Lawrence resident humbly admitted. "I can think of at least one fiddler who probably should have placed better than me. But each just has his own opinions and all the top fiddlers had different styles. It all depends on what the judges are looking for. I happened to luck out."

Those who attend the Massillon Public Library's monthly Jazz Tuesday events would beg to differ. They know there's something special — something warm and honest — about the way this kid plays.

There's a maturity to the sound. A depth that goes beyond the sheet music. And it's all in his signature style.

"I attack the tunes," he said. "I just concentrate most on laying down a solid rhythm and a danceable groove."

That fiddle of his is more than just an instrument to Lautzenheiser. In many ways, it's his voice. The soft-spoken teen doesn't want to draw attention or even be the center of it.

But when he has something to say, he'll command the attention of the entire room. He'll share is heart and speak his mind without ever saying a single word.

When he puts the bow to the strings of his fiddle, he conjures the sweetest, most melodic songs you'll likely ever hear and you can't help but stop and listen. And maybe tap your toes and clap along. There's more to the notes he plays than just a sound. There's depth, passion and honesty all rolled into the tune.

"I like both styles, jazz and improvisational," he said. "I don't really like playing classical because you can't play what you want when you want. … Music, in my opinion, is a way of communicating your emotions, what you think and how you feel."

When he's not shaping his ideas, feelings and emotions into musical notes, chances are Lautzenheiser is on his bike, pedaling along with only his thoughts and ideas. In that sense, he's kind of a free spirit. But then again, that's what music is about as well.

Although music is a big part of Lautzenheiser's life, it's probably not his greatest calling. While he'd love to get paid to do what he loves, he admits he doesn't see himself making a career of his fiddling.

"The music business these days is not what it should be," he said. "Someone with my taste in music would have a hard time really making it. Unless I really wanted to go big, fiddling won't be able to pay the bills."

In the meantime, though, he has the monthly Jazz sessions and even he has a Grand Champion title to preserve. So music, at least for now, isn't going anywhere.

"Fiddling will be something that I have always have," he said, "something that I will always love."

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Source: https://www.indeonline.com/story/news/2011/08/27/north-lawrence-teen-fancies-fiddling/65034481007/

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