Omar Ruiz-Lopez

Hi! My name is Omar Ruiz-Lopez. I am a Panamanian and Puerto-Rican touring musician, songwriter and educator currently living in Hillsborough, NC with my 13-year-old son. I am excited to share that I am raising funds to record my first full-length album of original songs! Check out my Kickstarter over at the l!nk in bio! I’d love your help in bringing this dream to life! #latino #fiddle #folk #songwriter #singersongwriter Video by @rebeccabransonjones 💜✨

Who is it behind this beautiful fiddle playing you ask? The Fox Fires are thrilled(!) to have Omar Ruiz-Lopez (@fiddlemar ) officially join the group on fiddle and mandolin for our debut album, and some upcoming shows through the fall. No stranger to the Chapel Hill and Nashville music scenes, Omar has played and recorded with artists including the GRAMMY-nominated band War and Treaty, Franklin Jonas, Lizzie No and Langhorne Slim, and co-written with songwriters such as Rachel Baiman and GRAMMY-nominated Melody Walker (Sierra Ferrell, American Dreaming). To say that we’re honored to have him play with us on these songs is an understatement. Most of all though, we had tons of FUN recording with Omar and the Small Pond Farm Crew. Lots of laughs, cheers, and good vibes. Follow along for more recording updates and show announcements! And thanks for supporting us! #newmusic #nc #thefoxfires

TODAY ON THE RIVER: @fiddlemar & @samara_jade_music Sunday, April 26 at 4PM Olivette Riverside Pavilion 1069 Olivette Rd. Asheville, NC Pay with cash, Venmo, or Zelle BYOB, BYOC (chair), Kids are free! *** This concert replaces Ordinary Elephant, who were unable to perform due to a broken down van. We will reschedule them as soon as possible!*** Omar Ruiz-Lopez (he/they) is a Latin-Americana artist whose music bridges old-time, Celtic, and Brazilian fiddle traditions with indie folk songwriting. A bilingual singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Omar brings classical training, emotional depth, and a cross-cultural perspective to the stage. Omar calls North Carolina home, and has been part of the Triangle music scene since 2010. Samara Jade is a forest‑frolicking folk troubadour, multi-instrumentalist, and musical seamstress who threads together earthy grooves, soul-soaked vocals, and thought-provoking lyrics into a genre affectionately dubbed “Philosopholk.” A natural-born songcrafter, Samara’s first instrument was a set of pots and pans as a toddler—and she’s been making joyful noise ever since. Drawing inspiration from jazz, blues, Appalachian roots, Broadway musicals, and the wild whispers of nature, her music dances between play and depth—offering listeners both heartfelt medicine and clever mischief. •••• #asheville #avl #livemusicasheville #ashevillefolk #ashevillenc

Excited to be joining the OnPoint Band at @whitememorialnc for their Concert for A Cause tonight in Raleigh. I have been playing with them since last year, and am grateful for the connections and community I have been getting to build with them. We are going to play a mix of contemporary and indie folk songs with a full band and a great attitude. I consider myself lucky I get to work with them on arrangements and showing up with my big ears on and making a joyful noise. I’ll be on fiddle and mandolin. The people are good and the cause is just. Sign up for free at the link and come listen tonight!

When it comes to fiddle, we all know more is more. Our guest columnist @rachelbaiman (a talented songwriter and fiddle player herself) pulled together a list of ten incredible fiddlers you may not know, even if you’ve heard their music before. From California to North Carolina, here are some players who may be flying under your radar. Watch full videos and read more about each performer on BGS at the link in our bio. 🎻 #fiddle #fiddlemusic #rootsmusic

💙 “The near land, the dear land, whatever our fate // the best land, the blest land, the Old North State” Thank you, Greensboro. I am still walking on clouds after nearly 400 of you showed up for the most loving hometown show in the whole world at @thepyrle . Thank you to my talented band — @fiddlemar @billiefeather and @colincutlermusic 💫 Thank you to Joylyn Trotter for capturing this joyful and wonderful video! I’m crying watching it back. 🥹

KICKSTARTER SUCCESSFULLY FUNDED! Thank you everyone for getting me across the finish line! It was a nailbiting past couple of weeks wondering how I was gonna get from 11% 10 days before the deadline to 111%! Now I can focus on preproduction with @rachelbaiman and where we want the album to go that best represents where I am in my process, something that reflects the change I want to see in the world and me. This record could not be possible with YOUR support, so thanks for believing in me and reaching out and showing your support during a very stressful month! If you somehow missed the deadline due to the algorithmic overlords, you can still late pledge at the link in bio for a download at least. Shows: Playing tonight (Tuesday) with @lizzie.no at @lincoln919 in Raleigh at 8 pm opening for @old97s . Friday 4/10 I’ll be at @thepyrle in Greensboro playing with @emilyscottrobinson with @colincutlermusic and @billiefeather backing her up! @jomoterrell and @lizzyross will also be singing and playing. I’ll be playing fiddle and cello and probably crying some too

Kickstarter is 94% of the way there! Thanks to the 198 backers who have contributed to help bring this project to life. Sooo close! /projects/omarruizlopez/omar-ruiz-lopez-makes-a-full-length-album-of-original-music The past few weeks have been such an affirmation for me to keep pursuing my dream of expressing myself through bringing art into the world. @nodepression mentioned my campaign in their crowdfunding radar article recently, alongside fellow @milesmusiccamp alum @rissa_hoff who also makes great music! @thebluegrasssituation and @rachelbaiman named me on a list of “10 fiddlers we know you’ll love” which just about made my day to be named alongside other fiddlers whose playing i love and respect! @elliehakanson for example is not only a killer fiddler, but also one of my dancing buds AAAND a bluegrass historian. Can’t wait to jam with some of the other fiddlers on this list again. I feel like I am picking up momentum in my personal and professional life, and it feels so good. Thanks for being on the journey with me

We’ve got 72 hours to raise $6000 in this all or nothing kickstarter campaign to fund my first solo album! There are just 3 days left at 70% of the way there, and I will either have the funds to make this album or…well, you get the picture. @rachelbaiman will be behind the wheel producing this record. @seansullivanaudio will be engineering and making things sound incredible. @ethan.yojev @harrybartlettmusic @laurhor34 are helping bring these songs and tunes to life, plus some of my Durham friends will be making some appearances. Now’s the time to contribute and help us get there if you haven’t! /projects/omarruizlopez/omar-ruiz-lopez-makes-a-full-length-album-of-original-music

Omar Ruiz-Lopez (@fiddlemar ) plays an original Afrobeat/Fela Kuti inspired tune at @artscenterlive with his awesome band @joewesterlund @sinxbass @rileycalcagno @courtneyallenc Go check out his kickstarter to fund his first record. Hopefully this one will be on it. /projects/omarruizlopez/omar-ruiz-lopez-makes-a-full-length-album-of-original-music

Kickstarter has 6 days to go and I am 56% of the way there! Thanks to everyone who has helped me so far to reach my goal! There is still time to contribute and back the project. I am getting close and time is running out to fund this record. Help me make an album of original music at the link in bio. /projects/omarruizlopez/omar-ruiz-lopez-makes-a-full-length-album-of-original-music This clip is from a live show on 3/8/26 from @artscenterlive in Carrboro, NC. I had a lot of fun getting together a bunch of material w this crew, and am grateful to them for bringing this song to life. Band: Omar Ruiz-Lopez @sinxbass @rileycalcagno @courtneyallenc @joewesterlund Video by @cotafloata5 thanks for filming! #folk #guitar #latinamericanartist #banjo #livemusic

Thanks for contributing y’all. About halfway there, 112 backers so far and only 8 days to go! I believe I can make this goal, but I can’t do it without your help.  If you need help figuring out how to do it, let me know and I can guide you through the process! Should take 2-3 minutes of your time. /projects/omarruizlopez/omar-ruiz-lopez-makes-a-full-length-album-of-original-music For some of the rewards, Katie Hayes of @newsouthpatternhouse is collaborating with me on making prints based off of my lyrics along with album art for this record. She is an amazing printmaker and pattern designer based in Hillsborough, NC. She hand carves, inks and presses all her own prints. Our kids have been going to school together since they were wee ones, and I have always enjoyed her work, even gifting some of her prints over the years to dear ones. I was delighted we started discussing the possibility of working together for this album a few months back when I was looking for artists to collab with on merch ideas for the kickstarter. She has a way of connecting her love for nature and wildlife with her technique and gift in design. I could stare at her work for hours. I’ve seen her at work in her studio and it is a whole thing, y’all. She really has got it together, and I feel aligned with her naturalist tendencies and her love for the ecosystems of the Southeastern US, an area of the world I have called home for almost 26 years. “Jet-black herons with indigo wings stalk through shallow pools; brilliant monarchs and viceroys alight on purple coneflowers; Scarlet Tanagers perch on branches surrounded by yellow blossoms. Here, the wild things outside the walls have been tamed and contained, framed and matted, but no less alive than they would be in the natural world” -Wiley Cash, Walter Magazine