Pat Simmonds submitted this review.
Another record out of New England is the duo 5 Mile Chase, featuring fiddler Django Amerson and guitarist-singer Brian Miller, again trawling the rich Irish American heritage so abundant in the Northeast United States.
What I liked immediately about this release is the comfortable way these lads stick jigs and reels alongside modern songs like Richard Thompson’s “Waltzing’s for Dreamers,” as well as the standard “The Bonnie Light Horseman,” although the emphasis is on the tunes. There are 12 pieces in all. The first selection surprises with a version of “George White’s Favourite” in D, followed by the great reel “The Flooded Road to Glenties” by Jimmy McHugh, and a brazen nod to Kevin Burke and Gerry O’Beirne with a doubled fiddle in “Trip to Cullenstown.”
There’s a sense of care about this album, with a relaxed pace and no pretension. Any guitar and fiddle duo playing Irish music in North America immediately draws comparison to Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, but thankfully these lads avoid the “imitator” label, sounding more like Mary Custy and Eoin O’Neill’s early albums. The tones are warm, and the balance for the most part is even and consistant. The artwork is in keeping with the overall mood, rainy day grey. I can feel myself heading off to the high stool as I write …
There are a couple of questionable issues. Do we need another rendition of “Out on the Ocean” or “Tobin’s Favourite,” good tunes that they are? The inclusion of that set seems at odds with the obvious quality of the other tunes. Other workhorses like “Over the Moor to Maggie” are transposed to flatter keys, giving them a very relaxed quality, as opposed to the Formula One session screamers they often are.
I would imagine that the next CD from this duo will be very good indeed, given that they will have tucked in a few loose corners here and there and tightened up the overall sound. This is the first traditionally oriented CD that I’ve come across with a tune dedicated to ice hockey.
(self released, 2003)
