An all-star cast creates fresh versions of some of America's most beloved folk songs.

If the search for reason had an end, and it hired a band, it would be a small army of old-time fiddlers on horseback. -Patrick Brayer

River of Time, River of Music

In my life between the cracks as an art/folk musician, I’ve always dealt with the metaphor of traditional music as a river connecting the present with our parents, grandparents, and on back. It’s a good metaphor because you can just about tease it to death. In that spirit, I’ve been moved to try to bring some old songs a ways downriver. You’re probably familiar with most of them. They are so strong as purely musical entities that they can take just about any kind of setting and not lose their identity. They are timeless and almost completely independent of style. Each of the songs has, after intense musical reflection, suggested a setting, which seems to preserve its beauty and reveal other facets of its character. And when other artists of this rank bring their talents to bear on them, we realize why they’ve never gone away.

Our working metaphor for this recording has become the tune “O Shenandoah!.” The narrator is, in the North American tradition, moving on, moving West. S/he leaves a home made sacred by a river loved beyond all constraint of reason: the Shenandoah. Now, if you know your geography, you know that the Shenandoah is a small river. Human-size, unassuming. It runs, not even to the sea, but through the Shenandoah Valley north into the Potomac, near, in fact, where George Washington threw that famous silver dollar. The Shenandoah Valley is indeed one of the most beautiful in the world, a sweet southern valley with forests and small farms. A quiet, settled place. But our narrator is bound to leave this friendly lover, traveling west and seeking fortune, good or ill, out across the wide, and no doubt dangerous and unpredictable, Missouri River, the Gateway to The West. And we all know about the things that happen out West.

From distilled reportage to pure musical flight, these songs speak directly to matters of deep immediacy and relevance: love, poverty, despair, joy, death, after-death. Nobody wrote them; everybody wrote them. Singing them is experiencing cultural geology. They’ve been alternately worn smooth and built up again and again, polished to mirrors, so we see ourselves in them. They are truly emissaries from upriver, reminding us of who we are and where we come from. Pointing us in a direction.

Are you going upriver or down?

Notes by Darol Anger

Headwaters: Shenandoah
...Welcome to a trip down a river of music from our past, at home in our future.

Sung by Jane Siberry
Violin, octave mandolin, cittern: Darol Anger
Piano: Philip Aaberg
Fretless bass: Michael Manring

While Roving On A Winter’s Night
This beautiful old ballad incorporates some of the classic themes of thwarted love, fidelity, responsibility, and escape. It also is a great example of the magical art of duet singing, as exemplified here by John and Dar, and by my source for this version, Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin. The first verse sets a perfect scene, which suggested to me a small town with midnight church bells ringing in the distance.

Sung by John Gorka and Dar Williams
Violin, octave mandolin: Darol Anger
Weissenborn Kona guitar: David Lindley
Nylon five-string banjo: Bela Fleck
Baritone guitar: John Jennings
Electric bass: Victor Wooten
Synth schmear: Philip Aaberg and Darol Anger
Percussion: Joe Craven

Rise Up, Shepherd, And Follow
An Afro-American spiritual, as Stanley Crouch might insist. The great African musical tradition of call & response informs this piece, as it has informed just about every aspect of modern music. The piece indeed rises up for a while and dances, a holy state in many American traditions.

Violin: Darol Anger
Resophonic guitar: Jerry Douglas
Guitar: Russ Barenberg
Piano: Barbara Higbie
String bass: Todd Phillips
Traps: Aaron Johnston
Synth schmear: Philip Aaberg

The Water Is Wide
One of the most beautiful metaphors of love is developed in this popular folk song. As our world expands, the water grows very wide indeed.

Sung by Tim O’Brien
Violin, octave mandolin, schmear: Darol Anger
Mandolin: David Grisman
Fretless bass: Michael Manring
Five-string banjos: Bela Fleck
Baritone guitar: John Jennings
Percussion (talking drum, dumbek, the big drum): Joe Craven

Hard Times Come Again No More
The only tune here written by a famous guy, this Stephen Foster song was suggested by Willie. Foster adapted it from a traditional song he heard as a child in a nearby Black church. The sentiment of the lyrics will, to batter a hoary old sentiment, always be with us.

Sung by Willie Nelson
Violin: Darol Anger
Mandolin: David Grisman
Guitar: Willie Nelson
Piano: Philip Aaberg

La Ville Des Manteau
A Cajun ballad dating back to Napoleon, with a melody that can only be described as archetypal. The Old French lyrics describe Napoleon conquering a town whose residents show little respect for him. Michael Doucet learned this tune from Edius Naquin, one of the oldest members of his musical community, whose rendition was so antiquely uneven that it was almost impossible to play it with him. “La ville des Manteau, ah oui, grand Dieu, c’est assez belle...” Let’s drink more!

Sung by Michael Doucet and Darol Anger
Fiddles: Michael Doucet
Octave violin, more fiddles: Darol Anger
Cittern, guitar: Mike Marshall
Piano, synth schmear: Philip Aaberg
Bass: Victor Wooten
Triangle: Joe Craven
Drum kit: Aaron Johnston

Pretty Polly
One of the oldest English “broadside ballads”(ca. 1726) to have an independent life in America. Found in the first book of ballads compiled in England, and in the repertoire of most folk singers and bluegrass groups, the tonality wavers scarily between mixolydian and dorian. Sadly, we still see this old story every night on the evening news.

Sung by Mary Chapin Carpenter
Violins, Ferrington violin, cello, octave mandolin: Darol Anger
Guitar, baritone guitar: John Jennings
Cicada bass: Edgar Meyer
Bird violin: Tracy Silverman

Are You Tired Of Me, My Darling?
Starting out as a piece of popular music from the mid-1800s, this near-perfect song found a permanent home in the repertoire of country, bluegrass and folk artists and has been a favorite for vocal duets, with the Louvin Brothers and Jim & Jesse finding harmonies which approach satori. The antique lyrics in their stately agony are expressive beyond and between the lines.

Violins, octave mandolin, bouzouki flangs: Darol Anger
Oboe: Paul McCandless
Guitars: Mike Marshall
Five-string banjo: Tony Trischka
Bass: Todd Phillips
Percussion: Joe Craven and Darol Anger
Synth schmear: Barbara Higbie

Oh, Death
A grisly reminder of universal mortality. A rare anti-spiritual, and therefore somehow characteristic in the American vein of spasmodically staring reality full in the face. Probably from the Afro-American tradition, it spread quickly to all branches of the folk tree. Mavis said Pops knew about the tune and it was old.

Sung by Mavis Staples
Octave violins, Ferrington violin, Papoose guitar: Darol Anger
Weissenborn Kona guitar, heel & toe: David Lindley
Mandocello: David Grisman
String bass: Todd Phillips
Big Bag of Junk: Joe Craven

Shenandoah: A Quiet Place/Golden Slippers

Chinese violin, Zeta violin, octave mandolin: Darol Anger
Piano-like electric slab: Philip Aaberg
The Nashville Lumberyard: Vassar Clements, John Hartford, Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan, Tim O’Brien, Matt Glaser, Darol Anger

Talk About Suffering Here Below
A brilliant prayer of comfort in hard times. Religion has always attempted to deal with an unfair and suffering world and this hymn offers lush hope in the chorus as the verses contemplate the stark pain of life here below.

Octave mandolin, guitar, pencil guitar: Darol Anger
Arco and pizzicato bass: Edgar Meyer
Celtic harp: Barbara Higbie
Hammer dulcimer: Tony Elman
String Quartet: Darol Anger, David Balakrishnan, Drew Tretick, Barry Phillips

Down In The Willow Garden
The ballad as journalism. Built on the classic armature of somebody did something to somebody for love, this song deals with a specific bloody incident, somehow peculiarly American, involving financial fantasies, unrequited love, murder, guilt, and retribution. Somehow this all fits humankind’s natural terror of the bass clarinet.

Ferrington violin, clank guitar: Darol Anger
Whistle, bass clarinet: Paul McCandless
Guitar solo: David Grier
Fretless bass: Victor Wooten
Accordion, synth schmear: Barbara Higbie
Percussion, shakers, pots & pans: Joe Craven

To The Sea: O Shenandoah!
One of the greatest songs of our western diaspora, and a tale of two rivers symbolizing the old and new American heart. Here further developed by Jane Siberry as a tale of devotion, an oath of fealty, a love song to a river, and an archetypal passing on of song to the next generation...

Sung by Jane Siberry
with Hallie Skye Veninger-Switzer
Violin, octave mandolin: Darol Anger
Piano, synth: Philip Aaberg
Steel pans: Andy Narell
String bass: Todd Phillips

Thanks to all the musicians for their brilliant and inspired contributions. Words cannot express how generously these artists gave of their spirit, ideas and talent to bring these magisterial tunes once again to life. Particular thanks to Barbara, Phil, Mr. Irie, Chapin, Jane, and Matt for even further ‘beyond the call’ activities on this project’s behalf.

Thanks
Bob & Bob & Pat at Six Degrees for unbelievable support and visionary ideas; Willa Rabinovitch whose belief in me exceeds my own and who kept so many things together; a special mention for Mr. Appel who pulled many other things together; Mr. Duskis for saying, “Hold that thought!!!”; Pat Berry for grinning while worrying; Stephen Hart for digging this concept deeply; Andy and the Narell family for food & fellowship; Tom & Helen Holzen for opening their home and studio to me; Todd Phillips for the idea of a “hillbilly hot tub” project; Bob Zachary for his tact and deft handling of various complicated vectors; Yvonne Staples and Jon Cooper for hanging in there; Danny Ferrington for that Thing; George Gruhn and Takoma Guitars for that other Thing; Susan Davies and Mark Schecter for short notice pianoage; Sam Bush and Leo Kottke for further inspiration and spiritual uplift; John Hartford for the name Nashville Lumberyard; Jim Nunally for equipment rescue and The Key of C!; Amy Stenberg for the tape of the tune I didn’t know; Lisa at Clarysage; Mark Rothbaum (yeah!), Joni Foraker and Fleming Tamulevich for their organizing prowess; Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin for their versions of Roving and Queen Of The Earth, which inspired the versions here; Pat Brayer for his verbal fireworks; Dawg for a higher education and his mention of Oh, Death in 1976; Marsh Leicester for showing me in 1972 what country music was all about; and my friends for enduring my endless babbling about a project which seemed, at times, infinite.

This record is for Willa.

Darol Anger plays on Thomastik strings and uses Crown GLM-100 microphones and Lloyd Baggs pickups in concert. Philip Aaberg plays a Yamaha CFIIIS concert grand piano whenever he possibly can.

Jane Siberry appears courtesy of Sheeba Records
Mary Chapin Carpenter appears courtesy of Columbia Records/Sony Music Inc.
Tim O’Brien appears courtesy of Sugar Hill Records
John Gorka appears courtesy of Red House Records
John Jennings appears courtesy of Vanguard Records
Dar Williams appears courtesy of Razor & Tie Records
Edgar Meyer appears courtesy of Sony Classical
Bela Fleck appears courtesy of Warner Brothers Records
Victor Wooten appears courtesy of Compass Records
Todd Phillips appears courtesy of Sugar Hill Records
Michael Doucet appears courtesy of Rounder Records
David Lindley appears courtesy of Pleemhead Records
David Grisman appears courtesy of Acoustic Disk
Jerry Douglas appears courtesy of Sugar Hill Records
Willie Nelson appears courtesy of Island Records
Mavis Staples appears courtesy of herself

All compositions traditional, arranged by Darol Anger, and published by Fiddlistics Music (BMI) except "Hard Times Come Again No More" (traditional); "Oh, Death," arranged by Darol Anger and David Lindley, published by Fiddlistics Music/Neuoleum Music (BMI) and "To the Sea: O Shenandoah!" arranged by Darol Anger and Jane Siberry, published by Fiddlistics Music (BMI)/Wing-It Music (SOCAN)

PRODUCED BY DAROL ANGER
Executive producers: Bob Appel and Robert Duskis
Production coordinator: Willa Rabinovitch
Recorded at Fiddlistics Studio, Oakland, CA;
Bias Studio, Springfield, VA; Reaction Studio, Toronto, ON;
Hinge Studio, Chicago IL; Brad Hartman Studio, Nashville TN; Spark Studio, Emeryville, CA; Tom & Helen Holzen’s house, Nashville; Mobius Studio, San Francisco, CA; Live Wire Studio, New York City, NY;
and the musicians’ homes.
Engineers: Roland Gare (Fiddlistics & Holzen residence);
Jim Nunally (Fiddlistics); Jim Robison (Bias); David Travers-Smith (Reaction); Brad Hartman (Brad Hartman); John Vigran and Kent Carter (Spark); Steven Miller (Live Wire); Craig Bauer, assisted by Steve Johnson (Hinge); Oliver DiCicco, assisted by Christian Jones (Mobius).
Mixed at Egghead Studio, Berkeley, CA,
by Stephen Hart and Darol Anger.
Mastered at Rocket Lab, San Francisco, CA, by Kenneth Lee.
Illustration by Greg Couch
Photograph by Jay Blakesberg
Design by Aldo Sampieri

We find ourselves...drawn into the company of musicians who appear to have the ability to listen to history as sung in their own blood. -Patrick Brayer