Album Notes

Rose in the Heather is an energetic blend of Irish, bluegrass and old-time American traditional string band music, played on very traditional instruments - fiddle, guitars, bodhran and upright bass. This CD is all instrumental, and about half the tunes are Irish and the other half American.

****** NEWS FLASH ******
WE NOW HAVE A NEW CD! If you like this cd, please also go over and listen to our newest cd, Mountain Road. It has the same joyous instrumental energy, and it also has five amazing songs. If you like this cd, I promise - you'll like our new one even better!
****** www.cdbaby.com/roseheather2 ******

Comments we have heard about this cd:
*This is great driving music! (But you have to be careful to keep an eye on the speedometer...)"
*I bought your CD for my wife and she really likes it a bunch, but our daughter fell in love with it and now my wife doesn't get much of a chance to listen to it. (We may need another copy.)"
*It matches a surprising number of moods. If I turn the volume up and listen to it in the morning, I feel energized and the kids and I bounce around the house. If I turn the volume low and sit down with my husband in the evening, it's really relaxing."
*I never get tired of it. I leave it in my car, set the CD player on "repeat" and listen to it all the time. (This was from our realtor, who also says that she plays it for all her clients who ride in her car to go view houses.)
*I like to play it for my kids. They enjoy it a lot, and I don't get tired of it, either."


It was hard to choose which four tunes to sample, but it's easy to talk about why we like them:

* Sean Ryan's Polka may be our favorite tune of all. Yes, every Irish band plays it (listen for it in the steerage scene in "Titanic") but that's because it's a great tune! Our version has a little extra bounce in it. (Is there any truth to the rumor that Julie and Mike named their two sons "Sean" and "Ryan"?)
* Behind the Bush in the Garden: A happy, fun little jig. It just feels good to play.
* Little Liza Jane is very American, in a major key, with lots of attitude.
* Over the Waterfall is one of our tunes that features Chris. The combination of bodhran and flatpick guitar is unusual, but we think it sounds great.



In their natural habitat, Rose in the Heather can be found playing for wedding receptions, non-smoking pubs, and various music festivals around the Portland, Oregon area.

Here is some mildly fascinating information about the people who make up Rose in the Heather:

Julie Samudio (center photo) plays the fiddle. She played classical cello for over 25 years in various orchestras during high school and college, including Portland Youth Philharmonic, but always loved traditional music (occasionally driving roommates barking mad with excessive "Irish Rovers" exposure.) The conversion to fiddle was a sudden one - her mother died, she inherited an old violin that had been in the family for an unknown number of years, and she decided to learn to play it. Thanks to her near-manic energy level, musical abilities, and coaching from Randal Bays and Eddie Parente, she has developed her own musical style that is clear, expressive, and very energetic.

Mike Samudio (2nd from the right) is the rhythm guitarist. He has played traditional and contemporary folk music since the 60's. Mike also is the sound and recording engineer. He did all the recording and all the mixing for this CD, which means that he listened to each tune well over 75 times. (It says a lot that Mike still listens to this CD just for fun.) Mike & Julie have been performing together for seven years, and traveled to Ireland in 1998 to study at the Willie Clancy Summer School of Traditional Irish Music.

Chris Huey (far right) has over 35 years of bluegrass, flatpicking, and folk guitar experience. His flatpick leads and counter-melodies add to Rose in the Heather's unique American flavored Irish sound. (Listen for him especially on the "Over the Waterfall" sample.) Chris' brain is a phenomenal repository of tunes- he can play just about anything after hearing it once, and he knows all the words to almost any tune that was even a little popular during the 60's. If you're at one of our pub gigs, wait til near closing time and make a request!

Curt Erickson (2nd from the left) Although Curt is pictured on our CD with his electric bass, he now plays the upright bass (unless we're scheduled to play on a stage the size of a postage stamp.) He's a convert from rock and roll with many years of experience on the bass guitar. His bass lines add energy and a solid foundation to the group's sound. (He also knows more musician jokes than anyone I've ever met. And most of them are even pretty funny!)

John Parrott (far left) plays bodhran (Irish lap drum) in a style that is not just solid and clear, but is also clever, inventive and musically sensitive. John's beautiful baritone voice isn't heard on this CD, but we're working on a new one in which he will be featured prominently.

In our live shows, look for:

Lisa Colgrove, multi-percussionist and vocals. In addition to Lisa's natural ability with any kind of percussion, she's a very talented graphic artist. Lisa plays the conga, bodhran, bongos, wood block, and anything else she can get her hands on.