EXCLUSIVE EXTRA TRACKS

We're offering three exclusive extra tracks that didn't fit on "The Western Shore," available only through mollysrevenge.com or at our live shows. The download card includes an access code that will allow you to download a pipe set called "Black Sporran," a set of strathspey and polkas, and a song called "The Regular Army." If already have the card, enter your access code below. Click BUY NOW to purchase the card.

EXCLUSIVE EXTRA TRACKS: DOWNLOAD HERE

LINER NOTES

1. Black Sporran:
Black Sporran (Alexander Macdonald)/Duntroon Castle/Joey Beaton's Reel (Jerry Holland)

The sporran is the leather bag usually worn at the front of the kilt, and often used for storing the flask and other essentials. Black Sporran is a march composed in 1940 by Alexander MacDonald, a piper/fiddler native of Cape Breton. He retired from his position as Pipe Major of the Cape Breton Highlanders in 1939. Duntroon Castle was taught to John by Scottish fiddler Gabe McVarish, and is named after an infamous Scottish castle with a grisly past, now said to be haunted by the ghost of a fingerless piper. The last tune was composed by legendary fiddler Jerry Holland, in honor of a well known pianist from Mabou. This tune and the march were found in "The Cape Breton Collection of Bagpipe Music" by Barry Shears.

2. Strathpolkas:
Peter Baillie/Daley's Polka/Unknown

The unlikely combination of the Scottish strathspey and Irish polka dance forms--suggested by our producer--led to the creation of this set. The first tune is a very old strathspey found in "The Skye Collection," a manuscript of fiddle tunes first published in 1887 but subsequently out of print for many years. David learned the first polka from guitarist William Coulter who had picked it up during a trip to Dingle, Ireland, and learned the second from an unmarked cassette tape of an old session; we don't have a name for it.

3. Regular Army:
Jefferson and Liberty/Regular Army O (Ed Harrigan/David Braham)/Cordal Jig

Jefferson and Liberty was brought to us by Stu, who learned it from Oregon mandolinist Spud Siegel. As far as we can tell it's the only jig to have entered the American old-time repertoire. Apparently it went by the name Gobby-O until it was used in Thomas Jefferson's presidential campaign.

One of Pete's early favourite Irish songs was The Hot Asphalt by the Dubliners. When we started getting material together for this recording, that was a song that came to mind. Then he came across two other songs with the same melody: Let Mr McGuire Sit Down on Sean Doyle's solo release, and this version, which I heard sung by Mick Moloney and which was wriiten in the 1870s by Harrigan and Braham as part of a series of musical sketches dealing with New York's ethnic groups. There is another version of Regular Army with words about General George Crook's starvation march, which happened right after the battle of the Little Big Horn in 1876.

The tune at the end of the song is the Cordal Jig, which Pete heard on a David Munnelly recording.