Album Notes

The Stragglyrs\' \"National Insecurity\" rips our government\'s bankrupt, unconstitutional policies and the endless Iraq war. \"Waitin\' for the Sun to Go Down,\" \"How Long?\" and \"The Decider\" are cautionary tales that are tempered by musical exhortations to do something to bring us to a brighter day: \"At the Zoo,\" \"If You Don\'t Step Up,\" \"Feed Everyone,\" \"If the World Won\'t Rock\" and \"Take It Back.\" \"National Insecurity\" is a folk-rock album that is current and timeless. The middle stretch of the CD is just plain fun: beachy, folkie, country numbers to help you temporarily escape the oceans of red ink, blood and greed that are enveloping our once-great nation.

The Stragglyrs\' core line-up is:

Chris Purdum - vocals, bass, rhythm guitar, ukulele, trombone
Bill Mishler - vocals, drums, harmonica
Tom Thompson - vocals, lead and rhythm guitars

Joining them on this album are:

Jim Braly – Synthesizer, Track 14; rhythm guitar and vocals, Track 15, also co-writer of 8 & 13
Mike Fitzgerald – Electric guitar, tracks 3,4,6,10,11,16
Tim Purdum – Lead vocal, rhythm guitar, and songwriter, Track 6
Alan Purdum – Recorder, tracks 7,9,16
Autumn Rose – Banjo, tracks 2, 13
Hank Van Buren – Lead acoustic guitar, track 1; 12-string acoustic guitar, track 5
Kristen Ramsey – Trombone, Track 6

Based in San Jose, the Stragglyrs, have been playing and recording all-original material since 2000 in Northern California, with an ensemble approach to writing and playing their music.