The Rabble Rousers String Band Rat Race Ever since the end of the 20th century (the days of the Highwoods, the Tompkins County Horse Flies, and the Fat City String Band), Ithaca as been one of the northernmost outreaches of Southern mountain old-time music. Turning the corner on a new century, a new generation of fiddle, bass, banjo, and guitar players are making their mark. Now we have The Rabble Rousers String Band, and they've just released Rat Race, a solid recording of traditional arrangements and original songs. Bret LeBleu, Steve Selin, Darin Trass, and Jason Zorn perform early 20th-century old-timey songs and original pieces with a heavy dose of rural influence. This is straight-ahead, driving Southern fiddle music. The Rabble Rousers' connection to the old-time lineage is clear from their arrangements of such standards as "Shortenin' Bread" and "Indian War Whoop." Their ability to take that tradition and move within shows in seven original song tunes by Trass and Zorn. Trass, particularly, has a solid and irreverent touch with songs like "Fremont Blues," a slow two-step with the lyric, "I've got the devil on line one, while God waits on hold." Rat Race has a heavy dose of rural influence, but reaches out to the old-time music lover living in town. These songs bridge the gap from the mountains to the city. The journey is a whole lot of fun.