1. Rye Straw (trad., arr. Anger)
Darol learned this from Matt Glaser. The day we recorded it we altered the form to try to get the sections to fit and flow together.
This melody sounds like it may be a hybrid someone created by assembling ideas from four different tunes.
Darol Anger - fiddle, Mike Marshall - mandolin, Tony Trischka - banjo, Todd Phillips - bass fiddle
2. Train on the Island
Tony knew one version, Scott knew another. We just slapped them together - now there is yet another!
Tony Trischka - banjo, John Reischman - mandolin, Scott Nygaard - guitar, Todd Phillips - dog house bass
3. Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie
This one sounds a little more western, probably just from the way we did it. It was originally a folk ballad about burial at sea.
Tim O'Brien - fiddle. Mike Marshall - mandolin, Tony Trischka - banjo, Scott Nygaard - guitar, Todd Phillips - acoustic bass
4. Liza Jane (trad., arr. Nygaard)
We all know a few versions of this, but Scott found us this one; it's the same only different.
Tony Trischka - banjo, John Reischman - mandolin, Scott Nygaard - guitar, Todd Phillips - bull fiddle, Stuart Duncan - fiddle
5. Midnight on the Stormy Deep (trad., arr. Anger, Marshall, Phillips)
We all knew this through Bill Monroe, and it seemed like a perfect candidate for reinterpretation.
Darol Anger - fiddle, Mike Marshall - mandolin, Todd Phillips - bass
6. Sugar in the Gourd (trad., arr. O'Brien)
Tim's show piece with Tony: fiddle and banjo, the old-time staple.
Tim O'Brien - fiddle. Mike Marshall - mandolin, Tony Trischka - banjo, Scott Nygaard - guitar, Todd Phillips - acoustic string bass
7. Down in the Valley to Pray
This is a traditional spiritual. I wanted to make it almost chant-like, gritty.
Scott Nygaard - guitar, Stuart Duncan - fiddle, Tony Trischka - banjo, Todd Phillips - bass
8. In The Pines (T. Phillips, based on trad.)
I adapted this version based on the traditional melody. Because we do it as an instrumental, I wrote the intro and bridge sections to vary the form and to expand the melody some.
Mike Marshall - mandolin, Darol Anger - fiddle, Scott Nygaard - guitar, Tim O'Brien - 2nd fiddle, Todd Phillips - string bass
9. untitled (trad., arr. Trischka)
Tony reports this as being the first transcribed and published banjo piece, taken from an unknown black street musician from Elmira, NY, by Frank Converse in (or before) the 1850s.
Tony Trischka - banjo
10. Spotted Pony
Laurie tried to describe this tune and the chords onto my answering machine. I remember she said "D-D-D" a lot.
Laurie Lewis - fiddle, Mike Marshall - mandolin, Tony Trischka - banjo, Todd Phillips - bass
11. I Truly Understand
Scott brought this one to the recording. We heard a version of just fiddle and vocal. The tune goes back to someone named Short Buckle Roark, also Bruce Molsky.
Mike Marshall - mandolin, Scott Nygaard - guitar, Tim O'Brien - fiddle, Todd Phillips - bass, 12.
12. Whistlin' Rufus
Another Darol selection, obviously! He tears it up. And check out Mike's mandolin style rhythm guitar.
Darol Anger - fiddle, Tony Trischka - banjo, Mike Marshall - guitar, Todd Phillips - string bass,
13. In the Willow Garden
I wanted to do this because I love minor chords and 3/4 time.
Stuart Duncan - fiddle, Tony Trischka - banjo, John Reischman - mandolin, Scott Nygaard - guitar, Todd Phillips - bass
14. Sally Ann
This features the Big Old-Time Band, or the Big-Old Time Band. This is the two fiddle extravaganza finale, with harmonies by Darol Anger, and everyone having a good ol' time.
Tim O'Brien - lst fiddle, Darol Anger - 2nd fiddle, Tony Trischka - banjo, Mike Marshall - mandolin, Scott Nygaard - guitar, Todd Phillips - bass
Arranged and produced by Todd Phillips
Executive producer: Neal Hellman
Recordings engineered by: Tom Size, Mark Slagle, Mike Marshall, Jim Nunally, Donivan Cowart.
Recorded at: Tomland Studios, Gatorland, and The Truck.
Mix engineer: Tom Size.
Disc mastered at Sienna Digital by Rainer Gembalczyk.
Photography: Paul Schraub
Design: Lynn Piquett
Special thanks to Joe Weed, Kaila Flexer, Sylvan Music, Barry Phillips.
Tim O'Brien and Todd Phillips use Fishman Transducers.
Todd Phillips uses D'Addario strings
Tim O'Brien appears courtesy of Sugar Hill Records.
Mike Marshall and Darol Anger appear courtesy of Windham Hill Records.
Tony Trischka and Laurie Lewis appear courtesy of Rounder Records.
