Album Notes

Jigs, reels and waltzes; stories of false love, faraway places and fierce pride; The Unfortunate Rakes bring all these and more to their performance of traditional music from Ireland, Scotland, England, Brittany and even Canada, tracing the far-reaching influences of Celtic music. The dynamic Celtic trio, comprised of Michael DeLalla on guitar, bodhran and vocal, Chas Fowler on tin whistles, pipes and flutes, and Bruce Wilkin on fiddle, tenor banjo and vocals, have steadily become one of the mid-Atlantic region's premiere Celtic groups.

In the late 70's, three college students met at Shenandoah Conservatory. They quickly found that they shared a common interest in the music from Celtic lands, and started meeting in their own kitchen sessions to play this wondrous collection of tunes from Ireland, Scotland, and beyond. The sense at the time, as now, was not one of beginning, but of timeless continuation. Thus began the odyssey known as The Unfortunate Rakes.

Over that span of a quarter-century they have brought their music out of the kitchen to concert halls, festival stages and the occasional pub, not to mention three recordings. To celebrate their silver anniversary, a live-concert recording seemed appropriate, as The Rakes have come to thrive on the energy flow between the stage and their audiences.

"Rakes Alive!" captures their signature sound in the immediacy and energy of the concert hall, where the electricity flowing between the trio and their audience is palpable. "Rakes Alive!" presents over an hour of music, including nine pieces never before recorded by the Rakes.