Album Notes

The old-time spirit of The WIYOS mirrors that of the
medicine shows of the 1920's and 30's, when black
and white musical traditions mixed liberally and
genre distinctions didn't exist between blues and
country, ragtime and gospel, or swing and hillbilly
music. Accordingly, The WIYOS write songs that are
equally influenced by music from the Blue Ridge
Mountains and New York City, mixing the more
urbane sounds of Django Reinhardt, the Gershwin
brothers and Fats Waller with the unrefined country
fervor of Gary Davis, Doc Watson and Skip James.
The WIYOS make music that will transport you back
to an era when vaudeville performers were skilled
entertainers as well as accomplished songwriters
and instrumentalists. In this "pre-war" American
culture, music was made for personal enjoyment
and community gatherings - farmers, miners,
teachers, salesmen, preachers, gamblers and
traveling artists sharing songs on front porches and
in town squares for the pure pleasure of making
music with their hands and hearts.