Gypsy Meltdown - Unleashed Liner Notes

Tom Busby’s − Prius Envy (Colleen Reed) − Pull the Knife and Stick It Again …4:34

We learned the first of these driving jigs from the Irish band, Solas. Colleen wrote the second tune when we all became Toyota Prius owners. The third jig probably refers to the evil Hag of Balla in Irish folklore. If you stab her with a knife, she will beg you to pull it out and stab her again to finish her off. It’s a trick, however, because the second stab actually restores her back to life so she can take her revenge!
Bus Stop (Anita Anderson) − The Bus Driver (Larry Unger, BMI) − Dancing at Lughnasa (McGuinness/ Whelan Music) …5:37

Larry Unger wrote The Bus Driver to go with Bus Stop, a perennial favorite of contra dance musicians. We learned the third tune from fiddler Laura Lengnick.
Old Maid of Galway − Sporting Paddy …2:59

With inspiration from recordings by Liz Carroll, Wild Asparagus, and Lunasa, Colleen and Keith set out to put their own stamp on these traditional tunes with finishing flourishes from Kathy.
Blackberry Winter (Al White) …3:37

A beautiful waltz that we learned from Laura Lengnick.
SqueeGee Rag (Kathy Frey Kerr) − Old Joe …3:01

SqueeGee Rag was written for concertina Squeezer, Jim Besser and multi-instrumentalist Geezer, Ritchie Schuman. Old Joe comes with a tip o’ the hat to the playing of Rodney Miller and to the Wisconsin band, Last Gaspé.
Scully Casey’s − Seanamhac Tube Station (John Carty) − Eman Acnuck - Tar Road to Sligo …6:13

Our version of Scully Casey’s (aka Palm Sunday) is influenced by Lunasa, a great Irish band. Colleen heard George Marshall of Wild Asparagus play Seanamhac Tube Station and missed out on getting him to record it for her when his concertina was stolen. The third jig is more correctly spelled Eamonn a’ Chnoic (Ned of the Hill), named for the 17th century Irish rebel Eamonn O’Ryan, who was considered a hero by some and a bandit by others. The tune is also known as Bryan O’Lynn. The last jig honors Colleen’s Irish grandfather from Sligo.
The Vortex (Concertworks Music, ASCAP) − Rainy Night in Montague (George Reynolds) …4:22

Ruth Ungar toured the DC area with her hot band, The Mammals, in 2004. After we heard her play her new tune, The Vortex, we requested it at every gig they played that weekend so we could commit it to memory. We learned Rainy Night in Montague from a Peter Siegel recording.
Trip to Dingle (Blackbox Music) − Coral Riff (Epact Music, BMI) …4:19

Colleen discovered these irresistible tunes during a dance week at Pinewoods Camp in Massachusetts. Thanks to Mark Roberts for recording them for her. Trip to Dingle comes from Irish accordionist Alan Kelly, and Pete Sutherland penned Coral Riff.
Diane’s Waltz (Larry Unger, BMI) …2:55

Keith and Leigh commissioned this waltz from Larry as a gift to their dear friend Diane Leatherman. Diane passed away on January 7, 2006 after a long struggle with cancer. Diane was very proud of this waltz, listened to this recording frequently, and even performed it herself at a church talent show. While relaying her experiences from her ordeal to a friend just days before she died, she said “I’m seeing music and colors all over the sky.”
Larksinam Jig (Liz Donaldson © 1991) − Glen Echo Jig (Larry Unger, BMI) − Dinky’s Reel …5:05

Washington, DC area pianist Liz Donaldson wrote the first tune as a thank you to the band “Lark in the Morning” when they invited her to sit in. Glen Echo Jig, written by Larry to celebrate decades of contra dancing at the DC area park, is a favorite tune of ours that we play often with the Glen Echo Open Band. Dinky’s is always a crowd-pleaser.
Mariposa (Floating Bridge Music) − Raccoon Ate the Snake (Laura Lengnick) − Cat Peed on the Snake (Gypsy Meltdown) …4:45

The first tune comes from Jeremiah McLane, accordionist extraordinaire from Vermont. A raccoon had a chew-fest on the audio cables (i.e. snake) in Glen Echo Park’s Spanish Ballroom, inspiring Laura to write the second tune. We wrote the last one after a gig when we discovered that a friend’s cat had peed all over the audio cables. What an aromatic evening!
Tuttle’s Groove …2:42

A well-known traditional Irish reel gets some laid-back treatment.