Album Notes

Oregon songwriter, folksinger and multi-instrumentalist William Chico Schwall brings the ears and experience of years of playing and singing a wealth traditional folk music to the making of new music that renews traditions for our times. He has fiddled for grange Hall dances, sung at political rallies, directed folk music camps for kids and played banjo with orchestras. Chico's original songs are heartfelt and literate. His guitar wanders a maze of tunings and his original tunes on banjo, mandolin and fiddle build uniquely on older forms as they head for new places. He's a passionate singer and an innovative player. "When I was a kid at recess time I'd go over to the place where the older kids did the high jump and the pole vault in gym class. There were two hollow metal posts set in the ground with holes drilled in them for the pegs they used to hold the bar at various heights. When the wind blew those posts were like two giant randomly tuned fluts, singing as the wind blew across the holes. I could sit in the sand pit and listen to them until the teacher called me in off the playground. Always changing, always beautiful. I'm surprised everybody wasn't over there listening."