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LP
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VHF 165LP
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"Second VHF solo LP from the Pelt/Black Twigs mainstay, following 2022's acclaimed Evening Measures. April is Passing builds on the striking solo Hardanger-style fiddle performances on the previous LP to take the music even further out, with deep drones and extended techniques defining a vocabulary that is Americana-adjacent, but a unique and special sound that Mike is pursuing almost alone. Joined on selected tracks by Cara Gangloff's Sruti and Kaily Shenker's sonorous Cello, the all-original, all-live performances are resonant with both overt melody and a cloud of thick string overtones, whether on the more upbeat tunes like 'Ironto Dancer' or the epic 11+ minute LP closer 'Helen's Song.' 'September Air' is a mournful slow build, the fiddle embroidering a minor-key melody over the drone of the Surti box and a low cello counter point. 'A Fallen Palace of Snowville' is a solo performance where the additional sympathetic strings of the hardanger fiddle are strongly heard as a ghostly accompaniment, as Mike's elegant melody switches back and forth from minor to major. 'Helen's Song' closes side 2 with a complex, ever-changing swirl of melodic and harmonic invention, with Mike's keening, languorous bowing leading the way through multiple moods and sounds."
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LP
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VHF 157LP
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"First solo LP in a decade from long-time Pelt/Black Twigs/Eight Point Star leader, presenting a remarkable program of solo Hardanger and octave fiddle music. Evening Measures is a bold and unique statement, a direct and disarming individual expression of a musician's inner thoughts and inspirations. Like some of Mike's work in other projects, this ricochets back and forth across the line between the most traditional and the most 'out' music, blending drone, melody, and the pure tactile sensation of acoustic string music into a personal sound. A set of all-original compositions (save the traditional 'Wild Geese Chase'), Mike's playing is languorous and expressive, with the sympathetic strings of the Hardanger-style instrument ringing out on some cuts like multiple players. The album touches on a variety of styles, keeping things fresh for the entire playing time. 'The Other Side of Catawba' is a deeply psychedelic and immersive cloud of hovering string sound, reminiscent of some of Pelt's more gentle explorations. 'New River Suite' (some of which appeared in group versions by Eight Point Star on a PBS documentary about Appalachia's New River) is a keening set of themes that have the memorable melodies of established traditional repertoire but are all completely new. 'Wild Geese Chase' is a rugged and wild slash through a well-known fiddle standard. 'Halfway From Shawsville' rounds things out with a lovely tribute to Mike's Virginia town."
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