Roger Gold and Mara Shea (formerly Mara Beamish) started playing for contra dances in the mid-90s. They quickly acquired a following of enthusiastic dancers and listeners who wanted a CD--and then more CDs. ELFTONES(1998) is their first album, now in its second printing. It was followed by two more: MIST-COVERED MOUNTAINS, an album of waltzes; and THE MOON AND SEVEN STARS, an album similar in format to the first album, ELFTONES, but recorded 3 years later, as they settled more in their own sound.
Listeners frequently describe The Elftones' music as "amazing, beautiful, energizing" and "I can't believe two people are making all that incredible music--it sounds like 5 people up there!" Roger and Mara do much more than play all the notes really well. Both guitar and fiddle play equal roles, and balance each other--this is not a typical fiddle-with-guitar-backup kind of recording! Fiddle and guitar are partners, and the music becomes all the richer for that partnership.
Roger lives in Swannanoa, NC, where he works as a luthier and guitar teacher. Mara lives in Raleigh, NC, where she teaches violin and fiddle. Spare moments find them traveling throughout the US to play for dances, workshops, and concerts. Mara also plays for Scottish and English country dances across the US and Canada.
Check out the artist's website:
http://www.elftones.com
Track List:
1. The Silver Spire / Tam Lin / Dinky's
2. Reel de Montreal / Grumbling Old Man
3. Father Kelly's / Flying Home to Shelley / Swinging on a Gate
4. Elftones March / The Wizard's Walk / Millbrae
5. Sitting in the Stern of a Boat
6. Quarry Cross / Marcel Martin
7. Morrison's / Opera Reel
8. Miss Susan Cooper / Puff Adder Reel
9. My Darling Asleep / Rose in the Heather / The Moon and Seven Sta
10. Devil in the Kitchen / High Road to Linton
11. The Shuttle Through the Shed
Suggested CDs:Other Genres:
Listeners frequently describe The Elftones' music as "amazing, beautiful, energizing" and "I can't believe two people are making all that incredible music--it sounds like 5 people up there!" Roger and Mara do much more than play all the notes really well. Both guitar and fiddle play equal roles, and balance each other--this is not a typical fiddle-with-guitar-backup kind of recording! Fiddle and guitar are partners, and the music becomes all the richer for that partnership.
Roger lives in Swannanoa, NC, where he works as a luthier and guitar teacher. Mara lives in Raleigh, NC, where she teaches violin and fiddle. Spare moments find them traveling throughout the US to play for dances, workshops, and concerts. Mara also plays for Scottish and English country dances across the US and Canada.
Check out the artist's website:
http://www.elftones.com
Track List:
1. The Silver Spire / Tam Lin / Dinky's
2. Reel de Montreal / Grumbling Old Man
3. Father Kelly's / Flying Home to Shelley / Swinging on a Gate
4. Elftones March / The Wizard's Walk / Millbrae
5. Sitting in the Stern of a Boat
6. Quarry Cross / Marcel Martin
7. Morrison's / Opera Reel
8. Miss Susan Cooper / Puff Adder Reel
9. My Darling Asleep / Rose in the Heather / The Moon and Seven Sta
10. Devil in the Kitchen / High Road to Linton
11. The Shuttle Through the Shed
Suggested CDs:Other Genres:
- WORLD: Celtic
- FOLK: Traditional Folk
- TYPE: ACOUSTIC