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Sweet Gatherings

August 1995



Cover photo: Susan Forbes Hansen


I
n this follow-up to her first album, Amy diversifies both her material
and instrumentation, drawing further on her Western influences yet including songs from writers on both sides of the Rocky Mountains. Rob and Bonnie Willows Quist penned "This House of Memories," an ode to the Quist family homestead in Northern Montana. "Edgar Griffin--1918" is a haunting song written by old friend Walkin' Jim Stoltz about an inscription he found carved on a tree high in the Uintah mountain range backcountry of Utah. "Goin' Back to Texas," an old Carson J. Robison tune, adds a bit of lively Texas swing to the mix. Sarah Elizabeth Campbell's thoughtful "Geraldine and Ruthie Mae" and the poignant Tim O'Brien/Patrick Alger tune "Time to Learn" add a pensive touch. The album ends on an upbeat note with Native American singer-songwriter Bill Miller's "Forever Ride." The project features several noted guests from acoustic music circles, among them Northern Lights' Jake Amerding on fiddle, Howie Burson on clawhammer banjo and Christina Muir on harmony vocals.

     "This album gave us all a chance to stretch out a bit, musically speaking," Amy says. "We've got Matt (Nozzolio) playing lap steel, Kevin (Lynch) playing autoharp, guest bassist Jim Whitney bowing the bass on 'One More Day.' Plus lots of other guest musicians like Joe Grieco on piano, Howie Burson on clawhammer banjo, even some cello and steel drums. I was able to add another female voice to mine with Christina Muir's wonderful harmony vocals. And of course what Jake (Armerding) does on that fiddle is amazing!! Whereas my first album, Northern Girl, was like "hey we've got a band, let's make an album!", with Sweet Gatherings I wanted to create a musical gathering of sorts, both with the musicians and the songs I chose."



"The album is a fine collection of songs, most of them the works of relatively unknown Western writers. As with the earlier album, the synergy created by the combination of Amy's compelling but tender vocals and the band's obvious musical rapport, makes for a first rate album by a group that...has established itself as an important presence on the New England music scene."   -- Folkfare Magazine

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"She's surrounded herself with some great musicians and chosen some terrific songs...Gallatin is a masterful song selector. The songs are all of the same spirit and seem as if they are delivered from the heart of someone who longs for the wide-open skies..."   --Folk Notes, New Britain Herald

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"Sweet Gatherings is an exquisite collection of well-chosen songs performed beautifully by this acoustic band. Stillwaters shimmers throughout, its chemistry evident as they slip forward into solos or pull back to join an undercurrent...Gallatin's bell-like soprano voice rings clearly above the lively instrumental arrangements."   --Pop Scene, Meriden Record-Journal


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"The black and white pictures that grace SWEET GATHERINGS, the new CD by Amy Gallatin & Stillwaters, hint at what the listener is about to enjoy.
You’ll find a number of songs harkening back to gentler days out West. Gallatin’s clear and silvery vocals are ably backed by a band that knows how to evoke yesteryear in our present.
SWEET GATHERINGS is a collection of covers that makes one feel like you’re soaking up the atmosphere in a tiny Western saloon on a not-too-crowded Thursday night. Most bands issuing their own discs nowadays don’t specialize in covers. One should remember that “cover” is not always a bad word. If not for the efforts of Gallatin and company, it’s safe to say that a lot of these great songs would miss a number of markets.
In other words, what’s wrong with preserving and highlighting songs that deserve it?
Although (she is) presently living in New England, you can sense how much of the Montana and Idaho spirit Gallatin has come to know from years of singing in those regions.
Great songs, simple but elegant production, and the nuance of sensitive interpretation should make SWEET GATHERINGS a winner with anyone who cares about the beauty of acoustic music."

~George Francis Maida, The Electric Croude, WCVE-FM. Richmond, VA



Personnel:

Amy Gallatin
- lead vocals, rhythm guitar, harmony vocals

Kevin Lynch- mandolin, guitar, autoharp, harmony vocals
Matt Nozzolio - Dobro, lap steel, harmony vocals
Tara Rickart - acoustic string bass

...with Special Guests:

Steve Brechter
- banjo
Jake Armerding - fiddle
Christina Muir - harmony vocals
Howie Burson - clawhammer banjo
Joe Grieco - piano
Johnny Montagnese - percussion
Rachel Finn - cello
Arthur Lipman - steel drums
Jim Whitney - acoustic string bass

Song List:

1 - Mathew
2 - I Will Always Wait For You
3 - Geraldine and Ruthie Mae
4 - West Texas Wind
5 - One More Day
6 - Train To Avalon
7 - This House Of Memories
8 - Appaloosa
9 - Edgar Griffin - 1918
10 - Goin' Back To Texas
11 - Late Night Radio
12 - Time To Learn
13 - Forever Ride


Out of print and no longer available.
     
Amy Gallatin & Stillwaters
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