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Our Catalog: Appalachian Roots & Branches |
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The hills and hollows just west of our Shenandoah Valley home are filled with some of the richest and oldest traditional music in America. In addition to these long musical bloodlines, there is great contemporary music being born with each generation as well. You'll find a healthy dose of timeless and timely mountain sounds here. |
Our Catalog Pages |
More About Our ArtistsRandy BarrettThe Bog Wanderers Debra Cowan Michael DeLalla Tabby Finch Michael Fitzgerald Linda Hickman Madeline MacNeil Andrew McKnight Oxymora Keith & Joan Pitzer John Rickard The Unfortunate Rakes wild carrot Wolf Creek Session |
 "lies somewhere between the worlds of
folk and bluegrass and the disc
is brimming with the righteous anger of classic American protest songs"
"a moving and well-done musical
concoction that successfully bottles the verbal rage against the
machines gobbling up Appalachia's mountaintops in search of coal" Listen to "Voices of Appalachia" segment with Julia "Judy" Bonds Listen to "Keepers of the Mountains" by Elaine Purkey Listen to "The Most Beautiful Place in the World" by Mary Anne Hitt Listen
to "Company Town" by Andrew McKnight |
FM-1040 Moving Mountains: Voices of Appalachia Rise Up Against
Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining, Compilation CD of songs
and stories dedicated to raising awareness about the devastation of
mountains and communities in the coalfields of southern and central
Appalachia , CD only (2004)
Our first-of-its-kind environmental advocacy project includes 13 songs from various artists as well as 6 interviews with local residents, compiled by lifelong musician and activist Jen Osha. Moving Mountains features songwriter and occasional West Virginia Public Radio host Kate Long, guitarist and songwriter Mike Morningstar, and venerable fiddler Vasser Clements as well as tracks from two of our own at Falling Mountain, singer/songwriters Andrew McKnight and Keith & Joan Pitzer. Most of the proceeds from Moving Mountains go to non-profit organizations helping mining communities threatened or destroyed by MTR, including the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition and Coal River Mountain Watch. We hope you'll help us with this important social justice issue and add another great Falling Mountain title to your personal collection. |
| Tabby Finch |
 Listen to "The Moving Cloud/Lads of Laoise" Streaming MP3 |
FM-1024 Cloud Cover, Celtic, with a World-Beat
flavor CD/cassette (1997)
Tabby's hammered dulcimer, Celtic harp and piano are woven among stellar arrangements of traditional pieces that span the musical spectrum from Ireland and Scotland to South America. Many notable guest artists are featured: Carlos Arrien (Rumisonko), Seth Austen, Joe DeZarn (Mighty Possums), Ralph Gordon (everybody!), and Jesse Winch (Celtic Thunder). Their instruments include fiddle, mandolin, panpipes, Andean flute, guitar, cello, bass, and all kinds of percussion. Tabby attributes much of the success of this music to the musicians themselves. Because most of the tracks were recorded live in the studio, they maintain a concert-like energy throughout the album. The harp, played in so many cultures, provides continuity on this album, as does the unique sound of the hammered dulcimer, an ancient and haunting instrument. Tabby incorporates them in an exciting variety of ensemble settings, moods, and rhythms. |
| Madeline MacNeil and Ralph Lee Smith |
 Listen to "Waterbound" Streaming MP3 |
FM-1045 Across the Blue Ridge: Songs with the Mountain Dulcimer,
traditional Appalachian classics, CD only (2006)
Across the Blue Ridge: Songs with the Mountain Dulcimer reunites two truly legendary figures in the world of traditional song. Madeline MacNeil is known far and wide for her soaring, gorgeous voice and stellar dulcimer playing. Folklorist and musician Ralph Lee Smith has researched and collected traditional songs for decades, starting in the late 50's during his days in Greenwich Village amidst such luminaries as Dave Von Ronk, Jean Ritchie and Alan Block. Across the Blue Ridge brings these two old friends together to share some of the best known songs of the Appalachian hills, ranging from their raucous "When Are You Coming To See Me" to Ralph's plaintive reading of "Who's Going To Shoe Your Pretty Little Foot" to Maddie's now classic rendition of "Shenandoah". They are joined by guitarist Michael DeLalla on many of the pieces. |
| Keith & Joan Pitzer |
 Listen to "Living Out There" Streaming MP3 "Keith & Joan Pitzer, alone and
especially together, are fine
singers... his vocals will remind listeners - just a tad - of Gordon
Lightfoot.... great guitar work, solid vocals... with fine originals
like Keith's 'Living Out There' " |
FM-1039 West Virginia Serenade, elegantly rustic
collection of 12 originals and 3 traditional Appalachian and Celtic
folk songs framed by life high in Appalachia. CD only (2004)
West Virginia Serenade is a warm, intimate look into the Pitzer's world tucked into the folds of the Mountain State's hills. Keith's incisive songwriting covers a wide swath of emotional landscape, celebrating a deep connection with nature and the places, people and times he and Joan have known. The 15 tracks include 3 traditional tunes, 3 fine instrumentals, and "Do Still Waters Still Run Deep", their award-winning tune in the 2002 Mountain Stage NewSong Festival performing songwriter contest. The rich vocal blends, fine flatpicking and elegantly understated adornments of whistles, mandolin and bass frame a spellbinding lyrical and musical meditation on Appalachian beauty: an audio tour through a special place for solace and reverie. |
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FM-1033 The Long Journey, debut recording of
original and traditional American and Celtic folk music. CD/tape
(1995)
After 4 children and 2 decades of playing together, the duo released their debut recording The Long Journey, a collection of original and traditional songs grown from many years of writing and playing music. The CD features 9 originals and 3 traditional tunes ("Silver Dagger", "Wagoner's Lad" and "Star of the County Down"). |
| John Rickard |
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FM-1023 The Simple Life, songs and stories from
Short Hill Mountain, chronicling the lives of mountain folk and
Appalachian ways cassette only (1997)
Singer and songwriter John Rickard has spent a half century living in the shadow of Short Hill Mountain in northwestern Virginia. His songs reflect both the charms and the hardships of Appalachian living, and the progress that inevitably and inexorably comes to the mountains. From the reverential recounting of an old man's life in the title track and the heartfelt preference for the simple pleasures of rural life ("I'd Rather Be Fishin'") to the side-splitting misadventures on a squirrel hunting trip gone awry ("When The Squirrels Came to Dine"), John's warm baritone and engaging humor fill his stories with life and love. Each song is well framed with just the right touch of mandolin, banjo or fiddle. John's blues and rock musical roots provide a solid anchor to a delightful production. |
| Wolf Creek Session |
 Listen to "Shady Grove"/"Julia Delaney" Streaming MP3 "combines jaunty instrumental work and
pleasing vocals on mostly
traditional fare...think Irish-American jam band...the arrangements
sparkle ...sure to please fans of both Appalachian and Celtic music" |
FM-1041 Between Two Shores, the quartet's exciting
debut bridging the common roots and branches of Celtic and Appalachian
music CD only (2004)
Wolf Creek Session's debut Between Two Shores delivers a refreshing blend of traditional Appalachian songs and music deeply rooted in Celtic influences. Cuts like "Shady Grove"/"Julia Delaney" and "Bonnie Ship The Diamond"/ "Fermoy Lasses" are fine examples of their crafty arrangements, rich vocal harmonies, and the melding together of the music from these cultures. Included in this eclectic mix of traditional tunes that spans Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, Cape Breton and Appalachia are some stellar contemporary folk songs: johnsmith's "Appalachian Rain", the late Dave Carter's "I Go Like The Raven" and the beautiful slow air "Bygone Days" by Eileen Ivers and Brian Keane. From high-energy jigs and reels to their more modern musical descendants, Wolf Creek Session skillfully and tastefully honors the cultures and heritage that lie Between Two Shores. |