I got to know the fiddling of Mark Tamsula a while back, and today received an email from Mark bringing this new recording to my attention - so I thought I'd share: With one or two exceptions these were all new tunes to my ear. And they were all done with exceptional musical finery. The bass captured the drive of the music, and showed up in all the (sample) recordings at a consistent, appreciable level that did not fade into the sound mist or interfere with the cadence of the band. Your fiddle was snappy, precise, assertive where it needed to carry a fast piece, and poetic on waltz music. The banjo pushed the tunes forward – as though the five-string player was placing his hand on the backs of each musican and pressing them forward to keep in charge of the beat. It brought me back to Clifftops long ago – especially David Winston’s clawhammer that found a way to charge ahead with the sound and feel of a steam driven locomotive. The guitar, fife, and accordian all added up to a find band recipe for great old-time music. Here’s the link to their new album, STRAIGHT FOURS: snappinbug.com/store/product/s...fours-cd/
Really enjoyed the sound samples from this album. The balance between the fiddle and banjo feels especially good — energetic without sounding crowded. A couple of the waltzes had that old-time atmosphere that instantly reminded me why I keep coming back to this style of music.
These folks made a good showing at Breakin' Up Winter this year. Good show and a very interesting presentation on PA fiddle tunes and the history of the fife in that substyle.
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