To buy the new album
Tripping Maggie
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"Sometimes it seems like Irish fiddling is played with the wrist, and Scottish fiddling with the shoulder. The bow drives across the strings, thick and throaty, creating a pulsing sound that feels more of muscle than tendon. The McKassons, a vibrant young Scottish band from Seattle, play like that. On their new CD, "Tripping Maggie," they thunder through jigs'n'reels one moment; then dazzle with a compositional sophistication that is cinematic, transporting, and tantalizingly modern. Brooke McKasson sings with a breathy, in-your-ear mezzo. Cali McKasson's keyboards are dynamically percussive and evocative; and her brother Ryan has fiddled with everyone from Beck to Bjork."
~ The Boston Globe
Fiddles that pulse with electric energy; violas that hum like the plaintive croon of cicadas; banjos that sing like springtime incarnate: Seattle-based McKassons arent your average fiddle band. One of the genres fastest rising talents, the McKassons create evocative soundtracks for adventures in distant lands and stories yet untold, and their latest album, Tripping Maggie, is yet another enchanted effort. From the theatrical sweep of the title track, to the reflective piano of The Gates, to Brooke McKassons bittersweet vocals on If I Should Fall Behind, The McKassons bring a distinctly American sensibility to traditional Scottish folk, composing songs that have the feel of Celtic music blended with the spirit of folk rock and bluegrass.
United by their affection for Celtic folk, the McKassons are playing to packed houses and festival crowds all over the nation. Featuring Ryan McKasson (fiddle, viola), his sister Cali McKasson (piano), his brother-in-law Matt Jerrell (drums, percussion), and his wife Brooke McKasson (vocals), the McKassons are a family with impressive individual achievements. Ryan claimed the National Scottish Junior Fiddle Championship in 1995 and went on to become the youngest National Scottish Fiddle Open Champion in 1996. He has shared the stage with artists Elvis Costello, Beck, Bjork, Gavin Friday, and composer Phillip Glass, among others. Cali has performed with fiddle greats Alasdair Fraser, Andre Brunet, Laura Risk, and Hanneke Cassel, while Matt has worked with renowned percussionist Johnny Rabb, who has drummed with Deana Carter, SheDaisy, and Tanya Tucker. With their energy, innovation and craftsmanship, as warm as a handshake and boisterous as an Irish pub, The McKassons offer something fresh and unique to both the Emerald City and the landscape of independent music.
It takes more than technical skill to create an authentic Celtic sound, and the McKassons produced these songs with fiery passion and soothing warmth. Just take a listen to Ryan McKasson's scorching fiddling on "Tripping Maggie" and "Mudrats"; they create the most exhilarating high and kick in the arse, the equivalent of downing several bottles of hard ale simultaneously. The group rocks without sounding rock. You have to think that, back in the day, Celtic folk musicians shook the shacks with as much two-fisted punch as the McKassons do. Throughout the album the fragile piano playing of Cali McKasson (yes, they are a family unit) lovingly calms the thunderous attack of her bandmates, especially on "The Grapevine," "Bonnie George Campbell," and "Tripping Maggie." The group's chemistry leaves me in awe; each functions as an intergral part of the band, providing rich colours.
~ Whisperin and Hollerin
