I remember getting in an argument years ago with another ethnomusicologist about whether there was an Irish-American music tradition. Their argument was that the Irish music communities of places like Boston and New York were just transplanted musicians from Ireland and there wasn't any innovation. My argument was that there was a distinct Irish-American tradition but that the research hadn't been done or published enough to prove it. Well, thank goodness that the wonderful band, Pride of New York, chose to skip the stuffy academic papers and instead just play the hell out of their favorite tunes, all learned from Irish and Irish-Americans in New York and bearing a distinct rough-neck American stamp. Dr. Squeeze has returned for a guest blog about this CD from Pride of New York that we've been listening to and loving.

Guest CD Review by Dr. Squeeze
 

Pride of New York.
2010. Compass Records.

If you like your music straight up traditional and you think of sections of Brooklyn and the Bronx as westernmost Irish counties – then you will truly enjoy Pride of New York. Featuring past All-Ireland senior champions Joanie Madden, Brian Conway, Billy McComiskey and Brendan Dolan, the son of legendary piano accompanist Felix Dolan, this new CD brings to life the essence of what it means to be Irish in America.

All four artists were born in New York and were mentored, influenced and inspired by other great Irish players living in New York such as: Martin Mulvihill, Martin Wynne, James “Lad” O’Beirne, Jack Coen, Joe Madden, Paddy O’Brian, Sean McGlynn, Andy McGann and others. As Joanie Madden says: “You always hear talk of the Sligo style, the Galway style, and the Clare style but I definitely think there is a New York style”. This collection of jigs, slip jigs, reels, hornpipes and marches offers us a glimpse into the rich Irish music scene of New York past and present: from all night sessions in legendary pubs to rollicking community Ceili dances. Their sound is tight and joyful with a distinctive bounce that harkens back to the great Ceili Bands of the past. There are no egos on this recording,just great master musicians playing a tribute to past masters of the style and the tradition. The blend of flute, fiddle, box, and piano is seamless and the music flows like a good glass of porter: thick, hearty, wholesome, and invigorating. Drink up!
 

BUY PRIDE OF NEW YORK'S ALBUM

Sample Tracks:

Pride of New York Hornpipes: A great favorite of early Irish players in America, the Irish hornpipe is a lilting, bouncing tune that used to be a favorite choice for showcasing stepdancing skills. Chief Francis O'Neill was a great hero of Irish-Americans. His life story could be a Hollywood story, as he left Ireland at a young age sail the world, then traveled from San Francisco to Chicago where he settled into the police force as a champion crusador against corruption and graft. He loved Irish music and would often hire police officers on the basis of their musical talents! A job interview for Chief O'Neill would like involve a bunch of tunes in his office!

Taylor's/Chief O'Neill's Favorite/The First Light of Day

Pride of New York Reels: As Irish music moved from the dancehalls to the concert stage, the beat of the music became more and more subtle and tricky to find, with the result that little Irish music today is great for dancing. Pride of New York breaks this mold with a set of reels that swing and crank like the music used to in smoky dancehalls across the East Coast.

Kings of the Clans/Dan Breen's/The Steeplechase

Here's a rundown of a few of our favorite songs from the past few months. Songs we just can't get out of our hands, and that we find ourselves listening to again and again. Enjoy, and thanks to all the artists for so graciously giving us permission to stream these songs.
 

Sarah Lee Guthrie & Family: Take Me To Show-And-Tell

Sarah Lee Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie's daughter, has created a wonderful family album of fun, folky songs. Growing up, my father was an elementary school music teacher and I have many fond memories of singing along to folk songs with my classmates. This CD has more of a family feel, like a fun campfire singalong. The best sign this CD works is that my daughter, Kora (almost 5 yrs old) loves singing along to her favorite song: Take Me to Show-And-Tell.  Here's her review:

Kora Léger:  You know why I like this song? Because it's not true. And it's funny. My favorite parts is when she says "Don't bring that spider back to school". I wouldn't take a bear to school. Only teddy bears. And no bringing a SPIDER to school. It might bite you! I also like the Rainy Day song ("Bright Clear Day"). It makes me happy.
 

 Buy Sarah Lee Guthrie & Family's CD, Go Wagaloo:

The Mighty Ghosts of Heaven: Hawthorne Gals

Though the term freak folk has been bandied about a lot, I think that The Mighty Ghosts of Heaven actually fit the name. They have an uncommon talent for mining the deepest, weirdest, creepiest strata of old-time music and pulling up freaky gems of songs that will delight any true folk music fan. I was introduced to them via one of their first albums, Werewolf, and I greatly appreciated all the influences I heard milling about on that CD: field hollers, Lomax recordings, breathy old fiddle solos, wearied voices and sore feet. Great band.

We've been loving this amped-up, juggy folk ditty from their eponymous CD, "Hawthorne Gals". It was written by Gus Smith and Kati Claborn, the lead singers and founders of the band. Hawthorne Street is kind of the heart of Portland's particular brand of hobohemia, so I can't tell if this is an anthem to how annoying skinny hipster girls are in NE Portland, or just how many of them there are. Or maybe I'm reading too much into it. In any case, we sure like this song!
 

Buy the Mighty Ghosts of Heaven

Turns out that The Mighty Ghosts of Heaven broke up a year or so ago. Lead singer Kati Claborn left to become part of the popular indie-pop band Blind Pilot. But evidently, co-founder Gus Smith has started an offshoot, entitled Mighty Ghosts and is planning to release a new CD in Nov. 2010. Details to follow. Meanwhile, here's a look back at one of their freakier numbers:

The Mighty Ghosts of Heaven: Lady Margaret

The Macrae Sisters: Am I Born to Die?

The Macrae Sisters are a force of nature in the Northwest's old-time scene, partially because of their cheerful charisma, but mainly because of their insane musical talents. Marian Macrae is a lightning-quick fiddler, and one of those fiddlers who's so adept that you can't follow their music visually. In other words, I can't see what she's doing when she fiddles, it's simply too complex. Joanna Macrae is their rock-solid guitarist and singer (and webmaster), while Gabrielle Macrae is a firebrand of a banjo player. I've attempted to keep up in some late-night jams with these ladies and was quite happily defeated by not only their superior musicianship, but their top-shelf partying skills. Lately they've added honorary sister Sophie Vitells (one of the best fiddlers on the West Coast). There's no stopping them now.

Am I Born to Die has become a bit cliched in the old-time scene, mainly thanks to its use in the movie Cold Mountain. But that's a shame, since the original song is a spine-chilling tale of sorrow and loss. The girls bring it back to the source and bring some of that old-time holy fire to the song.

Buy the Macrae Sisters' debut CD, Old Sledge:

And since the first track only showed off their beautiful harmonies, here's an instrumental cut from the album. Just fiddle and banjo, and listen to that intricate and weaving interplay between the two.

The Macrae Sisters: Glory in the Meeting House

Bonsoir Catin: Un Bouquet de Camelias

This all-women band of Cajun musicians thoroughly enchanted me with this soft ballad. I've been writing a lot about the next generation of Cajun and Creole musicians and have been remiss not to mention Bonsoir Catin's wonderful, folkie take on Cajun song. Whereas most bands coming out of Louisiana are mainly dance-focused and play the brash, joyful dancehall music that we know so well, Bonsoir Catin focuses on the folk traditions at the heart of the music and pull out a softer side. Even more importantly, they are writing songs in this vein. As the Cajun language slowly disappears, it becomes harder and harder to find Cajun French songwriters who can write about Cajuns' lives today.

Un Bouquet de Camelia was written by Kristi Guillory, lead singer and accordionist. It was inspired by a father's letter to his dying daughter, promising to bring her a bouquet of camelias, the flowers she used to give him, to send her off from this world. I wish I could understand Cajun French better, since this song sounds like a heart-rending ballad. Though Bonsoir Catin can tear up a Louisiana dancefloor as well as any other Cajun band, I'm just so glad to hear another side to the music and culture that I've come to love.

Buy Bonsoir Catin's CD, Vive L'Amour:

The September issue of the Victory Music Review is up online, and features three CD reviews from Devon @ Hearth Music.  We're reprinting them here with some audio so you can have a listen to the music. Be sure to check out this months Victory Review, though. There's a nice article by Wes Wedell on folk music marketing, an intriguing article by Hank Davis on peace activism and music, a review of the No Depression Festival by bluegrass mandolinist Eli West, and more! Plus lots of CD reviews.

And did we mention that Hearth Music scored the cover article this month? All thanks to a remarkably candid interview with young Cajun fiddler Joel Savoy. Check out the Next Gen Folk column to read the interview.

Betsy Branch and David Kaynor: Midnight in Montague

2010. self-released/Available on CDBaby and iTunes
 

Ace contra dance fiddlers Betsy Branch (from Portland, OR) and David Kaynor (from Massachusetts) have come together to record a simple, subtle album of contra fiddling from both coasts. As a contra dance fiddler myself, I’ve long pushed for more contra music for listening. Some of the best folk bands around play for contras, and though they make great dance music, this is also music that could easily be listened to and enjoyed outside of the dance. So it’s wonderful to find a new release from two masters of the music.

Contra fiddling is a mish-mash of different musical traditions. Basically, whatever tradition piqued the fancy of folk revivalists was eventually added into the contra dance repertoire. Of course, some traditions work better than others. French-Canadian, for example, is like crack for contra dancers, while old-time music can be difficult to dance to. Over the years, a unique style of fiddling developed for contra dances throughout the US. Based on Celtic fiddle traditions, contra fiddling has a loping feel, with a lot of upswing in the bow and light syncopation for the dancers. It’s a smooth and beautiful style of fiddling that has a surprising amount of power.

Betsy Branch is one of the best contra fiddlers on the West Coast and David Kaynor is one of the best contra fiddlers (and callers) as well, so this CD is a wonderful introduction to the music of the contra dance. The album itself is pure twin fiddling. No guitars or anything, and you don’t need em with music this sweet! Betsy and David switch off the lead, each one riding harmonies underneath the melody and supporting the beat. It’s a cool sound and very organic for the world of acoustic music making. They dip into popular folk traditions that often show up at contra dances: French-Canadian reels, haunting Swedish fiddle melodies, the smooth tone of old-timey dance tunes, and nice original tunes. Betsy and David play wonderfully at dance tempo (actually quite fast), but shine and shine on the slower melodies and especially the final waltzes that close the album. Take a break from the dance, and sit back to enjoy this great new entry in the all-too-small pool of contra fiddle recordings.

Try Betsy Branch and David Kaynor for a buck on iTunes! I highly recommend the final pair of waltzes on the CD: “The Sunday River Waltz” and “Midnight in Montague”. The twin fiddle interplay between Betsy and David on these waltzes is beguiling and something I’ll be studying closely. For a more upbeat tune, go for the first track of two classic French-Canadian reels, “Reel de Gaspe / Célina”. It’s hard to go wrong here, though, so sample away!

[Review by Devon Leger]

The Sunday River Waltz / Midnight in Montague: Betsy Branch & David Kaynor

TO BUY THE ALBUM:

The Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra: The Blanche Album

 2009 self-released
 

It’s a cardinal rule that bands that sound great onstage often cut terrible studio recordings, and bands that sound amazing in the studio can leave you cold onstage. Case in point: The Be Good Tanyas sound gorgeous on CD. I bought each of their albums and played them over and over. Yet they’ve consistently given the worst performances I have ever seen. Completely devoid of emotion and connection, I even watched lead singer Frazey Ford answer a cell phone call onstage in the middle of a set. Blew my mind.

So I’m pleased to be able to report that the new CD from The Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra, The Blanche Album, is that most rare of records: a studio CD that manages to capture the fun of their high-energy onstage performances. They refer to their music as “gypsy-ska-folk-grass”, and unlike most other bands with eclectic roots like this, they actually pull off the different influences. They alternate between a Spanish flamenco groove in the opening track “Granada Part 2”, a rumbly hillbilly bounce on “Family History”, and a dark, droning indie-stringband vibe on “Home on the Water”. Pretty much every track sounds different from the next, so there’s plenty of fine music to discover here. The Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra is based out of Victoria, BC, but hopefully they’ll be able to get out more to the Northwest for touring. If you get a chance, catch them live! But their new CD is a solid introduction to their eclectic “world-grass” sound and a fine example of their wide musical wingspan.

Try a track on iTunes: For a buck, you can get a great introduction with the song “Home on the Water”. Anchored by rock-solid fiddle and accordion and a gentle twanging guitar undertone, this songs rolls along at a great pace and features soft, but edgy vocals and harmonies. If you like this track, pick up the opening track as well, “Granada Part 2”, for a taste of the band’s more worldly vision.

[Review by Devon Leger]

Handful of Luvin’: Life in Between

2010, self-released, Available at CDBaby!

I must confess that I have tried very hard to dislike Handful of Luvin. It’s the name. I just can’t deal with the name. Handful of Luvin’ sounds like a Whitey-McWhiterson blues band from the Midwest. And yet no matter how much I try to dislike them, I have completely failed. I think it’s impossible not to like this band. I booked them at Folklife when I was working there because their music sounded like so much fun, and I see that they were booked last year at Bumbershoot, which is pretty unheard-of for a Seattle-based folk rock band these days. I can only guess that Bumbershoot’s booker fell in love, just as I did, with their hopeful, bouncy blend of American folk rock with laid-back summer festival vibes.

Their new album, Life in Between, has a great polished sound and was clearly well produced. Lead singer, David John, has an engaging voice, mimicking Jamaican riddims on one track and belting out alternative folk anthems on the next. Their lyrics are solid and uplifting. I think of them as a folk-reggae version of a jam band without the jamming. Or maybe an alt-rock band made up of hopeful folkies. Hmmm, clearly this is a difficult band to label. That’s because unlike so many bands that fit into easy categories, Handful of Luvin’ is paving their own way and playing music that they like first. In an industry that has turned youth rebellion into a billion dollar corporate business, this is incredibly refreshing. That’s also why you can’t label them. They have a classically trained violinist leading the band. They move between soft, sweet acoustic songs and raucous electric guitar jams. They include an audio track from British philosopher Alan Watts on their CD. They play county fairs and indie festivals. All they care about is making good music. They’re exactly what this jaded town needs.

Try Handful of Luvin' for a buck on iTunes! If you’re looking for beautiful acoustic music, try the track “Lazy Men”. It’s a laid-back song with a nice, rolling acoustic guitar backing. For the full-bore band sound that everyone’s falling in love with, try “Born Lucky”. Or try ‘em both. And toss in “Breadcrumbs”. It’s only a couple bucks!

[Review by Devon Leger]
 
Breadcrumbs: Handful of Luvin'

 
TO BUY THE ALBUM:

We're proud to welcome the first guest blog from our friend and self-professed hillbilly banjo picker, Clayton Kelly Walter.  This blog is a review of the debut CD from old-time wunderkind Frank Fairfield. We'll let Kelly tell you about it, but please note that Frank is playing a killer show with Blind Boy Paxton and Baby Gramps THIS SATURDAY NIGHT (07/31/2010) at the Columbia City Theater.

THE REAL DEAL

by Clayton Kelly Walter

The real deal. I hear that a lot these days; especially when people tell me about some new old time band they like. “So-and-so is the real deal” or “their/his/her sound is the real deal”. After decades of hearing this type of comment, then actually experiencing the bands, I somewhat bitterly shake my head, or if in a crotchety mood, might roll my eyes. It’s not that I don’t want it to be true; I really do...but it rarely ever is.

So many times I’ve wanted to raise both of my arms, palms extended, and holler, “They are *not* the real deal! They’re wearing work clothes to play at a concert! No real old time musician would wear anything but their Sunday meeting clothes to play for their neighbors! Haven’t you ever been to the South?” this or some related comment usually directed at the laundry list of affectations many bands tote around proudly like boy scout merit badges.

Another comment that really gets me is, “They/he/she sound/s just like they were ripped right out of a 78 R.P.M. record!” Well, anybody that’s reading the reviews on the wonderful Hearth Music blog probably has a cd(or twelve) of 78 R.P.M. transcriptions, so you tell me…is there, if you were alone and free to admit it unpunished, one such band that you can think of? I suspect not.

The only musician today that I now feel accomplishes this in full is Frank Fairfield. His self-titled cd on the Tompkins Square label is the rarest of the rare; a new old time album that sounds profoundly old time. His guitar picking, his fiddling, his banjo playing, his singing…all are so genuine and so rustic, so raw and so…real. I had to stop everything that I was doing and sit, and stare, and listen.

At moments I felt like I was listening to a Dick Justice recording, or Frank Hutcheson or Blind Willie Johnson backing up Leadbelly’s singing…is that Emmet W. Lundy playing that fiddle? The tracks have the honesty of field recordings, mostly due to natural blend of influences in Frank’s playing, but also in the relaxed recording atmosphere of the album. There’s a natural feeling to everything that Frank Fairfield plays. A mesmerizing sense of immediacy; one doesn’t want to turn away, for fear of missing what comes next. The blues permeates every song on this album, yet it is rooted in that rural white country sound.

He looks the part, as well; Youtube has a number of his videos, and I’ll be danged if he doesn’t come off like a young Clarence Ashley. He’d blend right in to the Skillet Lickers or an old timey medicine show hawking magical tonics. He has the relaxed country vibe of a guy like Charlie Poole. I’ve yet to hear him live, but by all accounts this isn’t a show that he puts on…the Frank Fairfield on the record is the one and the same Frank Fairfield that you might meet on the street.

The “real deal”, if you will…
 

"Call Me a Dog When I'm Gone": Frank Fairfield LIVE on KEXP

"Rye Whiskey": Frank Fairfield LIVE on KEXP ("I think everything's just as it should be")

BUY THE CD:

Whew, the 2010 Northwest Folklife Festival was a rush and we're exhausted from four days at the nation's largest community arts festival! 

To fill in on the blog, our good friend, and author, Zach Hudson, has kindly sent a guest CD Review of one of our favorite recent CDs: a Cajun twin-fiddle release from Linzay Young (of the Red Stick Ramblers) and Joel Savoy (Marc Savoy's son and founder of Grammy-nominated Valcour Records).  

Joel's coming to Seattle with old-school Cajun accordionist Jesse Lege on July 2, so check out our website for that concert.
 

Linzay Young & Joel Savoy
2009, Valcour Records
Review courtesy of Zach Hudson

Innovation and modernization helps keep a musical tradition fresh and alive; no one disputes that, but there are times when even roots music needs to go back to its… er… roots. That’s what Linzay Young and Joel Savoy have done on their new self-titled release. They take Cajun music back not only before drum kits and electric basses, but before the accordion. How’s that for old school? Before the one-row accordion got popular in Cajun music, it was all up to the fiddle, often two of them, and that is what Linzay and Joel have channeled. The French lyrics are sung in the perfectly unpolished voices natural to the music. The tunes are simple, authentic and straight from the heart, and the bayou.

Madame Young

For such a back-to-the-basics album, the thirteen tracks are amazingly diverse. They include twin fiddle, fiddle and guitar, fiddle and voice, and vocal harmony. Fast and slow, in major and minor keys, the tunes are interesting and unique, and seem to cover every mood of traditional Cajun tune I can think of. Each is fresh, but firmly part of a tradition.

The Wedding March

I have nothing against the accordion, but without it, the fiddles and voices are allowed some room to really express the subtlety of Cajun music. Linzay and Joel are both technical geniuses, but their album captures the honest simplicity that makes Cajun music what it is.

Hearth Music Note: Thanks to Zach Hudson for the review and Joel Savoy at Valcour for permission to stream the music. Support Cajun roots music by buying the CD and spreading the word!

Also: check out this cool video of Linzay Young's prodigious cooking talents:

 

A few weeks back we did a blog about folk prophet Sam Amidon's new CD, I See the Sign. We've been fans of Sam Amidon's music since way back with his first CD, a solo outing of traditional Irish fiddling. He proved there to be a subtle interpreter of trad/folk music, but in subsequent albums has roamed farther and farther afield. Now he's left the Irish fiddling to his cracker-jack contra dance band, Amidon, Alderson, Murphy, and focused on dark American folk ballads that he reworks to suit his mellow, unadorned singing and sparse, empty soundscapes. Joining with Icelandic label, Bedroom Community Records, for this last two albums, his music is aided by the haunting arrangements of labelmates Nico Muhly and recordist/producer Valgeir Sigurdsson.

Set of Reels: Amidon, Alderson, Murphy
[Amidon on fiddle, Keith Murphy on guitar]

Wild Bill Jones: Sam Amidon (from the album All is Well)
[We've heard countless covers of this song, but Amidon completely reinvents it]

Hearth Music Interview w/Sam Amidon:

I caught up with Sam via the interwebs this week and got to ask him some burning questions that I've been wondering ever since I first started listening to his music. I found his answers to be as elusive as his music, neither revealing too much nor too little, and reveling in simplicity.

Hearth Music: What are your first musical memories?

Sam Amidon: Well my dad played trombone in a group called the Brattleboro Brass Band who played New England fiddle tunes on trombones, trumpets, tuba, saxophone, piccolo. They rehearsed in our living room sitting in a circle; as a 2 year-old I would wander into the middle of the circle and fall asleep. The first concert I went to was the David Moss Dense Band - David Moss was a downtown avant-garde composer who worked with John Zorn in the late '70s and lives in Europe now. He spoke in tongues and banged on things.

HM: How has your parents' relationship to the folk music revival influenced your music? How have you moved beyond the ideas and concerns of 1960s folk musicians? Or have you?

SA: Well my parents were not so much coming out of the 1960s folk revival as they were the 70s version, which was less about Pete Seeger or Bob Dylan or a coffee shop. They were more into the community aspects of folk music - folk dancing, harmony singing & shape-note singing, kid's singing games and dances, fiddle tunes, not so much performing for an audience as playing music with people. That's what I grew up with and what I'm doing now is influenced by some aspects of that in terms of the source material, but in a way it's more like the 60's thing where I'm a guy playing guitar and banjo on a stage.

HM: How has the music of your family influenced you? Your siblings and parents all play, and it seems like your family is very tight musically. How has this affected the way you play music?

SA: They all love music and I have gotten to sing with them since I was little and also we love to listen to music together and talk about it. Like my dad gave me Bitches Brew when I was 14 and my mom loved the Talking Heads and would put it on to clean the house to when we were kids.

HM: What does folk music look like to you in our digital age? How has the internet changed the way people interact with folk and traditional music?

SA: I think the main change was when the radio appeared and you no longer needed actual musicians in front of you to hear music, and you had a recording you could refer to of a song instead of just your memory. Everything else has stemmed from that.

HM: Why do you return to old folk songs as your muse? Are you looking for something in them?

SA: They are mysterious and so you are always trying to figure out what they are really about!

You Better Mind: Sam Amidon w/Beth Orton (from the new CD, I See the Sign)
[traditional folk song]


HM: Can you tell me about the process that went into the really creative arrangements (orchestral and otherwise) on the album?

SA: First I reworked the songs myself, writing a new guitar part or changing the chords or the melody or whatever needs to happen; then I brought those to Iceland with my friend Shahzad Ismaily and we started recording the songs with Shahzad playing bass, percussion, electric guitar, moog synthesizer, and all kinds of other crazy sounds; then we went away and Nico came and did his beautiful arrangements of strings brass and woodwinds, and then I came back with Beth and she sang some stuff, and then Valgeir and I spent some time carving space out of all the sounds Nico and Shahzad had made, and then Valgeir worked his magic which is that he takes so many sounds and puts them into a garden, a sound garden, like a Soundgarden. And that was it!

How Come That Blood: Sam Amidon (from the new CD, I See the Sign)
[Simple, creepy folk song, but check out the dense arrangements!]

HM: -Who do you play with on tour? How would you recreate the sounds of "I See the Sign" in a live performance, or would you?

SA: I mostly just play solo, but when I get the chance I have Shahzad or Thomas Bartlett or Nico play with me. They are people who I don't have to tell them what to do and if I did they would probably do something else anyway.

HM: Have you gotten any shit for your interpretations of these songs? Folk music snobs can be pretty opinionated!

SA: Nobody has ever complained to me about that.

HM: Name a few traditional musicians who have influenced you. Other musical influences?

SA: Paul Brady, Arto Lindsay, Tony Conrad, Arthur Doyle, The Horseflies, Tommy Peoples, Sachiko M, Nightingale, Sam Bartlett.

HM: How has the "indie" music world accepted your music? Despite the connections to indie music, all the music you record is deeply rooted in traditions.

SA: I think they like it because they think it means that I am "authentic." Also a lot of indie people these days are highly educated about people like Dock Boggs and Roscoe Holcomb and shape note music, sometimes more so than the folk scene people.

HM: Name one kind of music you hate. Can't stand. Totally annoys you.

SA: Professional music.

Check out this strangely compelling video of Sam's live performance of the classic "O Death":