Old-Time Herald: A Magazine Dedicated to Old-Time Music
Volume 11, Number 6 August - September, 2008
Reviews
Chadwell's Station: Fiddling on the Frontier
"This wonderful CD is an attempt to answer the question: What did fiddlers sound like in the years before 1840, along the frontier? Sound recordings would not be invented for another 40 years or so. The question is important to Chris Wig and Whitt Mead because they work as reenactors and they want to get it right.
"'Getting it right' means going back to whatever written sources exist, in this case the collections on the Hamblen family (father and son, 'arranged and copied' by grandson) and Knauff's piano arrangements of fiddle tunes from 1839. These are supplemented with tunes learned from recordings of older fiddlers such as Hiram Stamper and Marcus Martin. In the Galax area, we don't know what Green Leonard (1810-1892) sounded like, but we know that Emmett Lundy learned from him, and we have recordings of Lundy. Similarly, Stamper and Martin also learned from earlier fiddlers.
"This CD is a sequel to Lost Indian: Fiddling on the Frontier, reviewed in the Old- Time Herald (Vol.10, No 6), which was Wig and Mead's first collection of tunes from this time. On that CD, standard tunings were used, and a fretted gut-strung banjo was used for most tunes. Here, the fiddle is tuned low, and a gut-strung banjo again is the usual accompaniment. (Thanks for giving tunings for each instrument, in addition to the rest of the excellent liner notes!) The sound is more primitive but probably more authentic.
"Of the 22 tunes on the CD, there are 11 solo fiddle, two solo banjo, and the rest fiddle-banjo duets. They're all good. Some are familiar, especially to those of us who bought recent Marcus Martin or Hiram Stamper reissues; many more are heard here for the first time. Tunes new to me included the untitled tunes from the Hamblen Collection, 'Drummer Boy of Waterloo,' and others. On the frontier, tunes switched from one instrument to another, depending on what was available. Tunes which I know from hearing fife and drum bands included 'White Cockade' and 'Peter Francisco;' most Old- Time Herald readers will know the latter from the Fuzzy Mountain String Band [of the early 1970s]. It would be easier to say that where wasn't a tune on this CD I didn't enjoy.
"To have these tunes brought to a new generation is wonderful! We owe Chris and Whitt a debt of gratitude for making this CD.".................................................................................................................................. Pete Peterson
Nashville Old-Time Stringband Association News
CD Review, Chadwell's Station: Fiddling on the Frontier (Yodel-Ay-Hee 071)
August, 2008 Issue
"For several years I have been a fan of Christian Wig, an accomplished old-time fiddler and banjo player from Mechanicstown, Ohio. I also count myself as a friend and fan of Whitt Mead, another fine old-time fiddler and banjo player from Waynesville, Ohio. These two men are longtime friends and have often collaborated in the making of old-time music.
"Back in 2006 Christian and Whitt, along with Joe LaRose and Laura Lewis, published a CD entitled Lost Indian: Fiddling on the Frontier (Yodel-Ay-Hee 064). In Lost Indian Christian and his friends recorded some of the more well known old-time tunes and did them with an eye on the earlier, more original forms. Now Christian (fiddle and banjo) along with Whitt Mead (banjo on nine of the tunes) has come out with a second CD depicting early-American music, Chadwell's Station: Fiddling on the Frontier.
"The word 'frontier' in these titles refers to America prior to 1840, when the frontier started, more or less, with the Appalachian Mountains and extended, perhaps, little farther than the Mississippi River. It's the frontier of the American Revolution and just beyond, when the Wilderness Road ran through Cumberland Gap and provided an opening to westward expansion. In fact, the title Chadwell's Station is taken from an early outpost used by settlers as they moved along this trail.
"This time, tunes are more obscure…names like 'Cumberland Gap' and 'Cotton Eyed Joe' are familiar. Still, the tunes behind the names are more elusive, more primitive than their modern cousins. Most of the tunes, like 'Pride of America,' 'White Cockade,' and 'Gaston' are, however, new to many of us. They are drawn primarily from the Hamblen Collection, one of the few collections of frontier fiddle tunes, but some come from the works of Hiram Stamper, Marcus Martin and other sources. It must be noted that the fiddles and banjos used on this CD are all dutifully equipped with gut or perlon (ersatz gut) strings, since steel strings were not available until the late 1800s. These strings give the entire CD a uniquely mellow tone.
"Chadwell's Station stands highly recommended to anyone who loves old-time music. Christian's fiddling is calm, tasteful, and precise, as is his banjo work, and Whitt's banjo follows Christian's lead perfectly. I have thoroughly enjoyed the CD and have added several of its tunes to my 'must learn' list. Most importantly, it has broadened my understanding and appreciation of truly old old-time music.".....................................................................Phillip Sparks
"You have harvested a great crop of tunes from the rich bottom soil, and play them with heart, soul, and understanding. It's a treat to listen to you."............................................................................................ ..........Lisa Ornstein
"I really appreciate you sending your new CD, which is amazing both for the music and the great packaging. I plan to play it on my radio show soon and often.".....................................................................................................Wayne Erbsen
"Second volume of 'Old Time Fiddle & Banjo' from Wig and Mead, an attempt to recapture the repertory of the eastern frontier prior to 1840. Lots of great old archaic and unusual tunes with extensive notes, tunings, the works in a 14-page booklet and beautiful trifold digipak."..................................................................................Chris Reitz at Elderly Instruments
"Great work - the whole package is great, cover and everything. If anyone has ever captured the true sound of the frontier, you have."........................................................................................................ Susan Lawlor of The Itinerant Band
County Sales, Floyd VA
"From the notes to this nicely packaged album we see that Wig and Mead's purpose here was to find and preserve a representative group of fiddle tunes that went back to the country's frontier days (the late 1700s-early 1800s). They avoid getting too scholarly while yet providing a lot of good information on these tunes, many of which come from the Hamblen Collection of tunes played by David R. Hamblen, a fiddler who was born in Cumberland Gap in 1809. Source fiddlers referred to in this collection (in addition to Hamblen and his son) include Hiram Stamper and Marcus Martin, and tunings for both fiddle and banjo are included for each of the 22 tunes. Wig and Mead….for the most part have concentrated on the more obscure pieces -- they do a commendable job on SPECKLED APRON, WHITE COCKADE, YOUNG EDWARD, POMPEY RAN AWAY, BIG TENNESSEE etc. in this nicely done, informative and very listenable collection.".............................................................................................................................................................David Freeman
