Meet Me in the Music

Meet Me in the Music. Can there possibly be a better title for an album of old tunes and songs from Kentucky, West Virginia, and Virginia that make you want to dance, wander mountain paths, or enjoy a drink or two at the pub? Part of the enthusiasm comes from the musicians themselves, Erynn Marshall and Chris Coole. Erynn's energetic fiddlin' to songs like "And the Cat Came Back", and "Maggie Meade/The Darker the Night" brings a smile to my face and I can't keep my fingers or toes from tapping along the tune. Chris' own banjo composition "Copper Run" is one that I particularly enjoyed of him playing solo, reminding me of a sunny yet rainy day, listening to raindrops on a tin roof, and feeling good.

One of my favorite songs from this album is "New Orleans." She includes in the linear notes that it is an old war song she learned from Melvin Wine, a well-known West Virginia fiddler. The tune starts with a contemplative banjo melody which opens into the singing of the fiddle's contemplations. Erynn notes that the song is related to "Shady Grove," another song I have much enjoyed.
Another tune which struck a chord with me is "Queen of the Earth, Child of the Skies." After referring to the linear notes once again, I find that it is "a slow march version of a popular Irish tune called 'The Blackbird' that goes even farther back as an English ballad." Again, the West Virginia fiddlers Erynn has learned from has also influenced my taste, since this tune's version hails from Edden Hammons. When I first heard this song I envisioned the Appalachian mountains full of green trees, twisting ivy, tall grasses and wildflowers swaying in a late summer breeze, much like I'd imagine a Queen of Earth would be doing. Meanwhile, in the clouds and on a breeze, a child-like spirit tip-toes from mountaintop to mountaintop in a playful manner, a smiling and happy mountain nymph maybe. I might just make some piece of artwork to attempt to match the beauty of this song.
Two other songs I love on this album are both composed by Kentucky fiddler J.P. Fraley: "Winds of Shiloh" and "Maggie Meade." This "spooky" song, "The Winds of Shiloh", is definitely eerie when heard by a lone fiddle on a late Saturday afternoon as the sun sets in the mountains of eastern Kentucky, like I did one day when we stopped for a visit in Owingsville on our way to a music festival outside Morehead. The added stroll of Chris playing his dreadnought guitar and guest Andrew Downing playing bass gives a "walk through the woods" feel to the tune. Just make sure it is a haunted path you're traveling when you're listening to this song; it just won't feel right otherwise. "Maggie Meade" is a tune I will always remember because I have a clear image, and favorite photo (pictured above), of Erynn recalling a part of the tune as we were driving to Morehead. When I hear this tune I imagine a barmaid working hard, but teasing her patrons as she glides and flirts. Something is mysterious and haunting about her, like one of Odysseus's sirens. At each crooked turn in the tune, a wink, smile, and sly gesture accompanies it as she weaves her spell over the drunken patrons. Then the song segues into "The Darker the Night" which picks up the mood and starts the rowdy party of rough-housing and mischievous follies. It is true, old-time fiddle and banjo tunes strike up my imagination that paints itself continuously as the tune progresses and turns more crooked.

I highly recommend a visit to their website: hickoryjack.com
Also, here's an article link about Erynn and Meet Me in the Music:
Merriweather Records Ltd.: Artist bio and press releases