Album Notes

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ABOUT THE ALBUM:
"Raise a Ruckus" - a limited-edition EP released for our family and fans prior to the release of our first Rounder Records full-length album, "She Waits for Night"

This album is currently out of print, but still available on iTunes for download!!

WHO'S IN THE BAND:
Kristin Andreassen - guitar, vocals & feet
Rayna Gellert - fiddle & vocals
Sharon Gilchrist - bass, vocals & octave mandolin
KC Groves - mandolin, guitar & vocals
Abigail Washburn - banjo & vocals

Here's what's on the disc:
1. Staggerlee - The fashion murder ballad. Staggerlee kills Billy Lyons over a cool hat. We got our version from an old recording of the Kentucky fiddler Ed Haley & from our friend Mac Benford of the Highwoods Stringband.
2. Little Annie - KC sings this special BONUS pre-release track from the Louisiana sessions.
3. Julianne Johnson -Crank 'er up Rayna!
4. Walker - Sharon's song about her granddad. She plays octave mandolin and KC adds a magical harmony. This one has been a favorite in recent live shows.
5. Keys to the Kingdom - This was the favorite track from the sold out "pink CD", so we carried it over to this project for those that didn't get a copy of Going to the Western Slope.
6. Raise a Ruckus - Our theme song. Dedicated to Garian Vigil, who always reminds us to Raise a Ruckus.
7. The Izze Jingle - Blackberry, grapefruit, clementine, pear. If I got an Izze, I ain't a gonna share!!

This is a limited edition recording and will not be re-released. It is only available on iTunes!!

Please note: This is the only Uncle Earl recording that features Sharon Gilchrist on bass & vocals. (and octave mandolin on "Walker")

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ABOUT THE BAND:
Uncle Earl plays hot old-time stringband numbers, soulful originals and mountain songs.

These five women come from different musical backgrounds and live in five different states, but they're united by a love for timeless music from the heart of rural American culture. Their energetic live performances have earned them a reputation as joyful and accessible performers, deeply respectful of tradition but willing to develop graceful arrangements that create a modern and unique sound.

Kristin Andreassen, Rayna Gellert, Sharon Gilchrist, KC Groves, and Abigail Washburn each take a turn in the spotlight - trading instruments and lead vocals with ease. From a fast fiddle tune to an a capella gospel number,
from a trio for banjo, fiddle and clogging to an old Monroe Brothers singing duet or an original ballad that sounds old as the hills, the musical range of an Uncle Earl show holds the audience's attention without fail. Audiences all
over the country have fallen in love with the "g'Earls" for their evident delight and camaraderie as they twist and twirl around the single microphone on stage.

KC Groves is the founding member of the group (which began in 2000) and a busy part of the hopping acoustic music scene in Colorado. She is a well-respected vocalist, songwriter, and instrumentalis with two solo albums to
date, and her intensive study of bluegrass music comes through in her keen harmony sense and tasteful mandolin playing.

Banjo player Abigail Washburn's soulful singing is one of the signature sounds of Uncle Earl. Recently signed to Nettwerk Records as a solo recording artist, she is about to release a record featuring her songwriting (in English and in Mandarin Chinese, which she speaks fluently). Her writing earned her a second place award in the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at MerleFest in 2004.

Fiddler Rayna Gellert, a second generation Old Time musician, never seems to run out of obscure and awesome fiddle tunes from old source recordings. Her energetic, danceable fiddling has been heard from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego, her solo records have influenced a generation of Old Time fiddle players, and she has been a featured performer at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

Kristin Andreassen is the "utility g'Earl" in the band - playing guitar, singing, playing second fiddle and clogging as needed. She has toured nationally and internationally for the past five years as a clogger and stepdancer in Maryland's Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble. Sharon Gilchrist, who recently became Uncle Earl's full-time bass player, has been playing in bluegrass bands since she was a kid in Texas. She was a member of Santa Fe, New Mexico's much-loved acoustic trio Mary and Mars, and tours currently (on mandolin) with Peter Rowan and Tony Rice in addition to her bass playing, mandolin, vocal, and songwriting contributions to Uncle Earl.