Album Notes

At the heart of this acoustic four piece group is the song-writing talents of fiddler and multi-instrumentalist Shannon Saunders and the rare musical kinship she shares with her sister Julie on rythym guitar and banjo player Cam Salay.

Pushing the boundaries of traditional music, including bluegrass, celtic and gospel, Shannon Saunders and the Splinters is a band to watch on the alt-country scene.

The songs on the band's debut CD The Yellow Book are thoroughly modern but steeped in tradition and played with bluegrass instrumentation.

With the exeception of Gordon Lightfoot's ethereally transformed The Way I Feel, all of the songs on the album were written or arranged by Shannon Saunders.

Unlike the standard chord progressions commonly heard on trad albums, Shannon branches out, borrowing from various musical influences.

On the title track The Yellow Book as well as The Tiger and the Panda, Shannon explores the jazzy side of bluegrass, not unlike Sam Bush or Bela Fleck.

Her strong Celtic sensibilities shine through the flawlessly executed Haste to the Wedding set with special guests Geoffrey Kelly (Spirit of the West) on whistles and Tom Landa (The Paperboys) on guitar.

Although raised on bluegrass and country music, both Shannon and Julie were classically trained on the violin.

The melodic ornamentation of classical music is readily heard on the instrumental piece The Hammer/Toss the Feathers.

The tune also highlights Shannon's talents on the cello, one of the seven instruments she plays.

Not only does Shannon push the boundaries of bluegrass through her musical arrangements, but also in her vocal stylings.

in Stark contrast to the high registers like Emmylou Harris or Alison Kraus, Shannon's low, smoky voice, enchanced by Julie's harmonies, lends haunting depth to lyrics ranging from heartache, to trust in love, to a Steinbeck-like attentiveness to the landscapesshe has covered in her six year tenure on the road with The Paperboys.

The album's closing track, Angel, allows Shannon and brother Travisto explore their gospel roots.

Beginning in the southern Baptist, acapella style, the song provides the perfect closing compliment to richly woven, eclectic and energetic mix of tunes.

Recorded over two months at the family farm, in Kelowna, BC, and engineered by Travis Saunders with sister Cheri on backing vocals, the album has a comfortable, relaxed and intimate sound.

Special guests, including Hanz Araki on flute, Andrew Burden on stand-up bass, and Ed Sewell and Kossi Dom on percussion, add to the "off the floor", jam session feel of the recording.

At 27, with both a JUNO and a West Coast Music Award for her accomplishments in the Paperboys, and while most musicians her age are scratching beats and sampling other artists, Shannon Saunders is creating her own unique, acoustic sound.

Bringing together traditional tunes with modern songwriting Shannon Saunders and the Splinters are redefining the boundaries of acoustic music and introducing it to a whole new generation of listeners