"...an elegant tapestry of sound ...sprightly, sensuous, sunny, entrancingand wonderfully evocative."
- The Washington Post
listen to MP3clips:
Wayfaring Stanger (vocal)
Black Bear's Picnic (instrumental)
The Cuckoo (instrumental)
Al & Amy are an award-winning performing arts ensemble.
They create new music for a new generation with a brilliant convergence of Celtic and American stylings.
The
Southern Appalachian Mountains come alive in this recording of original
compositions and traditional mountain melodies played on Acoustic
Guitars,Mandolin, Celtic Harp, Banjo, Fiddle, Irish Bouzouki, Fretless
Bass, Vocals and Percussion.
TRACK LIST
1. Land of the Sky 2:58
2. Black Bear's Picnic 4:16
3. Shady Grove 4:39
4. Across the Blue Mountains 4:11 ( vocal)
5. Bobcat in the Brambles 3:03
6. Sunny Day 3:08
7. Pretty Polly 4:00
8. A Walk in the Woods 4:20
9. Western Highlands 3:30
10. Wafaring Stranger 4:33 (vocal)
11. The Cuckoo 2:42
12. Swannanoa 4:44
13. Ryan's Rambles 4:05
14. Trillium Waltz 2:33
total time: 53:06
LINER NOTES
The
music in this collection was inspired by the beauty of the Southern
Appalachian mountains. We both grew up near the foothills and
escaped here whenever time allowed. We are so thankful now to be living
amid these mountains year-round. What a gift it is to experience this
magic together, to be amazed anew each day in this land of lush
enchantment.
1. Land of the Sky (Al Petteway)
In the early 1900's, Asheville, North Carolina began to be known as "The
Land of the Sky." This popular moniker was used to entice tourists to the
region and is in use to this day.
2. Black Bear's Picnic (Amy White)
A playful & funky jig dedicated to the fine black bears who visit us on
occasion. We wish we could offer these amazing bears and their fine
woodland friends a safer home. It is always a thrill to see big wildlife.
But their sightings are also a reminder that we are surely encroaching on
their habitat - and are doing so at an alarming rate. We are grateful to
the many land owners in this region who are doing their best to protect the
environment by converting their acreage into conservation easements and
sanctuaries.
3. Shady Grove (Trad. Arr. - Al Petteway)
There are at least four similar melodies that go by the name Shady Grove and
all are popular in the southern Appalachians. The melody used here is from
an old tune called "Mattie Groves" which first appeared in print in the
early 1600's. The ballad appears as a traditional tune in southern
Scotland, England and America. We tried to give it a little flavor from each
of these places in our rendition, starting in Scotland and ending in the
southern Blue Ridge..
4. Across the Blue Mountains (Trad. Arr. - Al Petteway & Amy White)
We first heard this performed by The Muses, an Asheville a capella group
that includes Gail Forsyth, a Scottish singer and Judy Rhodes a seventh
generation native to the western mountains of North Carolina. Judy told me
about a book on Buncombe County NC called "The Heart of the
Alleghanies", published in 1883. It is possible that this ballad cam
from this region and is referring to the local mountains and valleys.
The name Alleghany is from an Indian word meaning 'fine stream'. Many
folks throughout history
have referred to the Appalachians as the Alleghany Mountains but most
scholars use the name given to the chain by Spanish explorer Hernando
Desoto who was lost in the southern Blue Ridge in 1540 and had some
run-ins with the Apalachee Indians.
5. Bobcat in the Brambles (Amy White)
I suppose a bobcat wouldn't be quite as pleased to be in the brambles as
this melody would suggest, but I couldn't resist the alliteration. This
here is a happy happy tune.
6. Sunny Day (Amy White)
Sunshine is good for the soul. This tune feels like a sunny day to us -
joyous and likely to inspire an impromptu dance.
7. Pretty Polly (Trad Arr. - Al Petteway & Amy White)
Ballads are a great musical tradition in the Appalachians and some of the
more popular ballads have dozens of variations in both melody and lyrics.
Pretty Polly is one of the oldest English "Broadside" ballads. It was first
published in the early 1700's and has since become an American
standard. We have always loved the haunting quality of this ballad and
couldn't resist
putting our own spin on it.
8. A Walk in the Woods (Amy White)
First performed at a song circle on our wedding day, we revisited this tune
to honor the forest of our new home. Nothing refreshes the spirit like a
walk in the woods. I love how the interplay of our guitars sounds like a
conversation among friends as they walk through the forest... 'look at this
amazing wildflower'...'did you hear that beautiful bird call?'
9. Western Highlands (Al Petteway)
With a landscape so like the highlands of Scotland, it is easy to see why so
many Scots migrated to this region. Their influence is evident everywhere,
from the names of the towns along the range, to the music that took root and
flourished here.
10. Wayfaring Stranger (Trad. Arr. Al Petteway)
This popular Appalachian spiritual is said to have origins in an old Irish
folk song. It is one of the most famous southern spirituals and appears in
'The Sacred Harp,' a compilation of 'shaped note' songs first compiled in
1844 by Benjamin Franklin White. Many of the songs in this collection can
be traced to earlier Ballads, Jigs, Marches, and love songs with Celtic
origins.
11. The Cuckoo (Trad. Arr. - Al Petteway & Amy White)
The Cuckoo has its roots in early Scotland. As with most of these tunes, a
number of variations of the melody and lyrics have appeared throughout
history. This version was inspired by the banjo playing of Appalachian
native Hobart Smith on a 1942 field recording made by Alan Lomax on behalf of the Library of Congress.
12. Swannanoa (Al Petteway)
A popular interpretation of the name, "Swannanoa" is "beautiful." We live
in the Swannanoa Mountain range which overlooks the Swannanoa Valley
where our favorite folk music camp takes place every summer. This camp,
"The Swannanoa Gathering," is what first brought us to Western North
Carolina. The setting of the Gathering is so beautiful. We cherish the
music and the friendships it has inspired.
13. Ryan's Rambles (Amy White)
In honor of many things - especially our fine guitars and our fine luthier
friends, for which many of our cats are named. One of our cats is named
Ryan and she is quite the character. We like to imagine what one of her
adventures would sound like. Perhaps a bit like this.
14. Trillium Waltz (Amy White)
A gentle melody inspired by the guitarist Andrew York and the wealth of
spring wildflowers that bloom on our mountain. The Trillium is
three-petaled wildflower native to our region. -Bold yet delicate and
fitting for a waltz.
All
compositions & arrangements by Al Petteway and/or Amy White (BMI)
Recorded & mixed by Al Petteway at Fairewood Studios, Fairview, NC
Mastered by William Wolf, Wolf Productions, Inc., Falls Church, VA
Graphic design by Amy White, Fairewood Studios, Fairview, NC Cover
photograph by Al Petteway & Amy White Interior photographs by Amy
White, artist photograph by Al Petteway Vintage postcards from Al &
Amy's collection of very fun stuff
Instrumentation
Al: Acoustic Guitar, Banjo, Irish Bouzouki, Fretless Bass, Vocals &
Percussion
Amy: Acoustic Guitar, Celtic Harp, Mandolin, Vocals & Percussion
Joe Ebel: Violin
Al & Amy play guitars by Kevin Ryan, RainSong & Larry Sifel
Amy's mandolin is by Weber, her ashiko drum is by Dale & John
Gardner Al's bouzouki is by Stefan Sobel, stringed instruments are
strung with Dean
Markley & D'Addario Strings and are outfitted with McIntyre Pick-ups for live performance
Capos were provided by G7
Big bear-hug thanks to our very fine family, friends & fans, the folks at
Maggie's Music, Doug & Darcy Orr, Peter & Susanne Collins and
the Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation
Artist Info: www.AlandAmy.com
Booking Info: www.LoydArtists.com
