THE BAREFOOT BOYS: With Boots On

The Barefoot Boys

With Boots On

© 2000 The Barefoot Boys

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Traditional folk songs and ballads, with instrumental medleys and square dance tunes on guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, concertina, and both mountain & hammered dulcimers.

tracks

1 Liberty/St. Anne's Reel (Instru.)
2 Shawneetown
3 Squash Hollow/Angeline the Baker (Instru)
4 Sonny's Mazurka/Jimmy Allen (Instru)
5 Travelin' Man
6 Frosty Morn Medley (Instru)
7 Bill Cheatham/ Barefoot Boy With Boots On
8 Cuckoo's Nest/Red Hair Boy (Instru)
9 Waterbound
10 Soldier's Joy/ Ragtime Annie (Instru)
11 Juberju
12 Morpeth Rant/June Apple (Instru)

notes

Rich Bala (vocals, guitar, mountain dulcimer) and Tom White (fiddle, banjo, mandolin, concertina, hammered dulcimer) have been performing together as "The Barefoot Boys" since 1992. They play a diverse mix of mountain ballads, square dance tunes, instrumental medleys, sea songs, irish jigs & reels, and novelty songs. Their name and the name of their first recording both come from an old lumbercamp song, "The Barefoot Boy With Boots On"! Here's what some folks have to say about them and their recording:

"Truly talented performers! I recommend them to anyone who enjoys great music and good times."- Judy McMillan, Richmondtown Concerts, Staten Island, NY

"(Tom & Rich) have created a recording of classic traditional tunes played expertly that may serve as an inspiration to many future players. This music is highly accessible."- SingOut! Magazine, Spring 2001 Issue

"A cheerful blend of bluegrass and old-time music.... tasty arrangements resulting in a much more diverse sound than one might expect from a duo!"- Dirty Linen Magazine, Oct/Nov '01

"A very interesting recording, to say the least! This music is relaxing and crafty, and most of all, authentic!"
- Rhythm & News Magazine, Nov. 2000

reviews

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  • Out standing in their boots...
    author: Dave Hofstatter; Utility Instrumentalist; Barkhamsted, CT Land T

    It's a rare album I find that rocks me as much as this one. I play most of the instruments that Tom White plays on this album plus a few others, in a young band that plays some similar music to collect donations for a local land trust, so I can appreciate the skill he has with each as well as the polished performances of the duo. It is apparent that they have been playing music together for a long time because the arrangements are tight and interesting without getting too fancy. In some medleys they replay the starting tune and those that follow as the ending of the series, and they have selected compatible tunes for these medleys. Some are played at lightspeed yet each note remains clean and distinct, in part no doubt thanks to the simplicity of duets. (Do I hear a second fiddle or other instrumental part on some tracks, added in afterward?) I've only listened to the album perhaps six times, but have never been so enthusiastic about one so early in the relationship. Further, I've never found an album containing so many songs on one disk that my band is likely to add to its repertoire. That songs with historical, regional, and cultural value are collected and preserved herein adds another special layer of significance to this fine set and talented duo. I'm looking forward to hearing other work by them, and am pleased to see that they play locally a lot at better venues, as a team and individually. Rich Bala also appears to do some storytelling, certainly mining the rich oral histories of the Hudson Valley and surrounding areas.

  • Out standing in their boots...
    author: Dave Hofstatter

    It's a rare album I find that rocks me as much as this one. I play most of the instruments that Tom White plays on this album plus a few others, in a young band that plays some similar music to collect donations for a local land trust, so I can appreciate the skill he has with each as well as the polished performances of the duo. It is apparent that they have been playing music together for a long time because the arrangements are tight and interesting without getting too fancy. In some medleys they replay the starting tune and those that follow as the ending of the series, and they have selected compatible tunes for these medleys. Some are played at lightspeed yet each note remains clean and distinct, in part no doubt thanks to the simplicity of duets. (Do I hear a second fiddle or other instrumental part on some tracks, added in afterward?) I've only listened to the album perhaps six times, but have never been so enthusiastic about one so early in the relationship. Further, I've never found an album containing so many songs on one disk that my band is likely to add to its repertoire. That songs with historical, regional, and cultural value are collected and preserved herein adds another special layer of significance to this fine set and talented duo. I'm looking forward to hearing other work by them, and am pleased to see that they play locally a lot at better venues, as a team and individually. Rich Bala also appears to do some storytelling, certainly mining the rich oral histories of the Hudson Valley and surrounding areas.

  • author: CD Baby

    Traditional folk songs and ballads, with instrumental medleys and square dance tunes on guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, concertina, and both mountain & hammered dulcimers.

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