3D LINER NOTES

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enjoy life,
time is precious.
enjoy art and music,
it is all that you see and hear.
dream. imagine. create.
discover your soundtrack.
see you somewhere,
-casey-

THE TRACKS

1. Sally In The Garden 4:23

Trad.; Arr. by Casey Driessen (C-String Tunes, ASCAP)

Jamey Haddad: Drums/Percussion
Viktor Krauss: Bass
Jerry Douglas: Dobro
Tim O’Brien: Bouzouki
CD: Fiddles/Programming/Electric Sruti Box

i’ve been enchanted with this tune ever since i heard mark schatz play it on his banjo. the melody stuck in my brain before i picked up the fiddle.  i’d also like to think this melody had something to do with my wife falling in love with me.

2. Gaptooth 4:35

Casey Driessen, Béla Fleck, Bryan Sutton (C-String Tunes, ASCAP/Fleck Music, BMI; Admin. by Bug/Deepwood Music, BMI)

Jamey Haddad: Percussion
Viktor Krauss: Bass
Béla Fleck: Banjo
CD: Fiddle

i was inspired by the renderings of riley baugus on a traditional number called Cumberland Gap. wondering if it originated in ireland, i morphed the melody into a jig. i brought it to the acoustic trio where béla fleck and bryan sutton added their touch.

3. The Confusion Before Dreams 4:51

Casey Driessen (C-String Tunes, ASCAP)

Jamey Haddad: Percussion
Viktor Krauss: Bass
Tim O’Brien: Bouzouki
CD: Fiddles

i’m reminded of the time just before i fall asleep, where the strangest things seem to happen, and i know it’s strange.  and then i sleep and the strangeness ceases.

4. Sugarfoot Rag/Freedom Jazz Dance 5:39

Walter L. Garland & Vaughn Horton (Cromwell Music Inc., ASCAP) in medley with Freedom Jazz Dance -by Eddie Harris (Seventh House Ltd., BMI); Arr. by Casey Driessen (C-String Tunes, ASCAP)

Jamey Haddad: Percussion
Viktor Krauss: Bass
Darrell Scott: Electric Guitar/Harmony Vocals
CD: Fiddles/Lead Vocals

i grew up with my dad playing western swing on his pedal steel. he taught me this as an instrumental when i was just a lad. years later, tim o’brien showed me the lyrics out of an old country roundup issue.  i couldn’t resist the quirkiness….as we all know, one good dance deserves another.  matt glaser is responsible for planting the seed of the e.harris selection as a fiddle tune.

5. Jerusalem Ridge 5:40

Bill Monroe (Bill Monroe Music, BMI); Arr. by Casey Driessen (C-String Tunes, ASCAP)

CD: Fiddles/Maestro
Jason Lehning: Programming

a classic bluegrass fiddle tune learned from listening to kenny baker. some say he wrote it and Bill took credit.  this number was a platform for some serious exploration during in college…i’ll say no more.  the outro is the beginning of a new tune, unfinished and untitled as of this recording.

6. 2 A.M. 4:27

Casey Driessen (C-String Tunes, ASCAP)

Viktor Krauss: Bass
Jerry Douglas: Dobro
CD: Fiddles/Mandotar

i wrote the chords to the first part instead of going to bed one night. then while laying in bed a night later in a state of drift, i imagined the melody. then, under the spell of jet lag during the a.m. hours in Beijing, the second part materialized while i lay in bed.

7. Snowflake Reel/Done Gone/Cheyenne 3:28

Trad.; Arr. by Casey Driessen/Trad.; Arr. by Casey Driessen/Bill Monroe (Unichappell Music, Inc., BMI)

Jamey Haddad: Drums
CD: Fiddle

they all got one thing in common, B-flat.  the Irish, if i can generalize, like to string tunes together, so i figured i’d give it a try with a few american tunes i enjoy. it’s been a dream of mine to do a fiddle/drums duet.

8. Cliff Dweller’s Slide 6:36

Casey Driessen (C-String Tunes, ASCAP)

Jamey Haddad: Drums/Percussion
Viktor Krauss: Bass
CD: Fiddle

this is the first tune that the album core of Jamey, Viktor, and myself ever played together. there were no rehearsals for this record. you can hear us meet one another as it develops. the slide? just listen to the bridge part that makes the cliff people want to get up and shake it.

9. Footsteps So Near 3:49

Nick Forster & Tim O’Brien (Howdy Skies Music/Universal Music Pub. Group, ASCAP); Arr. by Casey Driessen (C-String Tunes, ASCAP)

CD: Fiddles/Vocals

this used to be a waltz that the bluegrass band hot rize played. for you psychoanalysts out there, this rendition came to me while on a family vacation to Disney. i’m still trying to figure out why songs of murder are attractive to play and sing.  it’s sort of like watching an accident….or law & order.

10. Lady Bowmore 3:52

Casey Driessen (C-String Tunes, ASCAP)

Jamey Haddad: Drums/Percussion
Viktor Krauss: Bass
Jerry Douglas: Lap Steel
CD: Fiddles

i wrote it and later realized the first part comes from “you’ll find her name written there,” a bluegrass singing standard. since it’s sort of a cross between an old time fiddle tune with scottish ancestry and a crooning high lonesome bluegrass song, i’ve named “her,” lady bowmore.

11. Country Blues 5:25

Trad.; Arr. by Casey Driessen (C-String Tunes, ASCAP)

Jamey Haddad: Drums/Percussion
Viktor Krauss: Bass
Darrell Scott: Electric Guitar/Harmony Vocals
CD: Fiddle/Lead Vocals

old, old tune brought out of the mountains by Dock Boggs. after so many years, the lyrics are still timeless…love, fortune, misfortune, liquor, temptation, and death.  we all got low down on this song and tuned down our instruments for just a bit more grit and growl.

12. Good Boy Blues 2:56

Casey Driessen (C-String Tunes, ASCAP)

Linus Nagel-Driessen: Vocals
CD: Fiddle/Mandotar

one take. totally live (the mandotar was a live loop). he sings the blues with such emotion you’d think he’s mistreated, but i swear to you, he’s spoiled rotten. at times, i have to make him leave the room so i can practice. what a natural.

CREDITS

Produced by Jason Lehning
Recorded January 2-February 1, 2006 at The Sound Emporium, Nashville, TN
Additional recording by Matt Mangano at Lousy Cushion, Nashville, TN & The Compound, Nashville, TN
Engineered and mixed by Jason Lehning at The Compound, Nashville, TN
Assisted by Zachary Dycus
Mastered by Jim Demain at Yes Master, Nashville, TN

i thank…

my wife, molly. you make everything in life easier. i will fiddle while you knit.

my family: parents, tom & karen for your encouragment and example;  my sisters bridget & regina and my brother arthur for your uniqueness and individuality;  john & rosalia petricka, eugene & katherine driessen for my giant and supportive extended family; linus, tammy, & loretta.

the musicians directly involved in this record: jason lehning, jamey haddad, viktor krauss, jerry douglas, tim o’brien, darrell scott, béla fleck, and jim deMain.

john silakowski: for your generosity and talent in making a fiddle that inspires.

my closest friends in the universe – may we continue to figure out life together: luke bulla, matt mangano, pasi leppikangas, brian schreck, justin thompson, carrie luz rodriguez, erin vulgamore, hanneke cassel, hans holzen, chris joerger, noah small, david nokken, and abigail washburn.

artists not directly involved in this record but directly involved on my journey to today: matt glaser, darol anger,  judith edelman (my first road gig), matt flinner, ben winship, lex price, chris and sally jones, steve earle, dennis crouch, dirk powell, john doyle, mark schatz, jared tyler, jeremy timmons, fred carpenter, yale strom, jim lauderdale,  dr. michael rogers, john ray, tom & helen holzen, and mark o’connor’s fiddle camp.

my chicago/northern IL brothers: noam pikelny, tim dishman, jason littlefield, steve rosen, gus friedlander, chip covington, nelson mandrell, ed walsh, doug knecht, and andy hatfield.

those facilitating the completion of this record: bev paul, kim fowler, steve fishell, darcie sontag, tasha thomas and the rest of the sugar hill team, kevin welk and the welk music group, kyle lehning, david crowe, jamie cheek, jay williams, john deaderick, and casey wood.

the places i’ve visited in the world that have left a lasting impression: Ireland, Scotland, England, Finland, Denmark, and China.