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No Strings Attached has added yet another gem to their long list of recordings with Old Friend's Waltz, release #13, lucky for us. This Virginia based group of friendly, lively guys mix it up like no one else. The recording is Celtic in flavor but characteristic of the band's ability to perform any style of music with the folk instruments they choose to perform with. Celtic traditional, "Dunmore Lasses/Julia Delaney" begins this cd. If you're not a Celtic fan, just hang on for track two. Gershwin's "Oh Lady Be Good", one of my all time favorite hammer dulcimer jazz standards comes right on in and even includes a way cool bass break. It just gets better as it goes. There's also an adventurous version/medley of "Cluck Old Hen/Wheel Hoss". There's a tie for my favorite track 11, " Walking in the Air" , the theme song from the animated movie, The Snowman, and the band's own Randy Marchany's title song, "Old Friend's Waltz" paired with "Roscommon Reel". Listen for slide bouzouki on the last cut, a true country romantic classic, "I'm a Hog for You". - 2003 Walnut Valley Festival Program From the WV program, September, 2000
Fans of the fiddle tune played on hammered dulcimer with taste and excitement will have no trouble finding what they need with this recording. This CD is a media modernization for No Strings Attached, yet "modernization" is an unusual term to describe the content of "In the Vinyl Tradition." Previous releases from 1984 (the Isle of Laneghans) and the 1985 (Traditional Music of the Future) are combined on the CD. The core of the ensemble, Wes Chappell, Suzy Gorsline, Pete Hastings, and Randy Marchany remained the same from both records and bass players changed from Russell May to Bob Thomas with no change in the color of the group's music. - Walnut Valley Press
This is foot-tapping music with a kick. No Strings Attached takes songs from a variety of sources and produces a mixture of old-timey, jazzy, blues, swing, Irish, and traditional, resulting in a remarkably listenable CD. A piece by Jay Unger, "Vladimir's Steamboat" combines hammer dulcimer, harmonica, bass and bouzouki, in an instrumental that really sets the tone of excellence for this CD. This band is unpredictable in their arrangements, too. The second cut, "Under the Apple Tree," a traditional Russian folk song, drifts in to a hot swing number "Rot Club Swing," featuring the hammer dulcimer with an incredible bass thrown in. Another characteristic of No Strings Attached is their wide selection of instrumentation. "Waltz of the Jewel," written by band member Randy Marchany, includes a synthesizer, as well as guitar, bass and hammer dulcimer, and "Spirit Feel," with a jazzy feel, includes a piano and a slide bouzouki. "Flor de Santa Cruz," in a Spanish vein features a Slinky (you remember the toy?). They do out of the ordinary music, too, like "Manha du Carnival" from the movie Black Orpheus, and a Portuguese fandango, "Tras O Monte" which morphs to a number Randy wrote in honor of a 300 person jam at the Augusta Heritage, "Mariachi Meltdown". No Strings Attached has a CD that should keep everyone happy, no matter what your musical taste. All in all, Bellinzona belongs in everyone's library. - Walnut Valley Festival
Discography
Old Friend's Waltz, 2003
In the Vinyl Tradition, Vols. 1, 2, 2001
Bellinzona
Blue Roses
Coffee at Midnight
Take 5
Dulcimer Dimensions
Traditional Music of the Future
Isles of Langerhans
Photos
Bio
No Strings is superficially a traditional string band focusing on instrumental arrangements, but they consistently stretch the boundaries of string music beyond traditional concepts. The Washington Post accurately described them as "one of the more adventurous string ensembles today." While their recordings feature traditional acoustic music, they also incorporate material by Dave Brubeck, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, the Chieftains, and Bill Spence, as well as their own originals. The eclectic brand of music they play and their exciting stage personae --think Cirque du Soleil and you're close-- has allowed them to open for such artists as Mary Wilson and the Supremes, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Nickel Creek, Doc Watson, Stephen Bennett, Tommy Emmanuel, the Dixie Chicks, Turtle Island String Quartet, John Hartford, and John McCutcheon. They have played in European venues such as Cardiff Harbour Festival, (Wales), the Pontardarwe Festival (Wales), the Cork Dulcimer Festival (Ireland), Folk Club Zuriche (Switzerland) and in U.S. venues ranging from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and CBS TV's Morning News program to major festivals such as the Walnut Valley Festival (Kansas) and the Pacific Rim International Music Festival in Los Angeles, California. They wrote and performed the original theme song for the PRI radio show "World Cafe". On stage, they typically dance the tango with their instruments, parody old rock and roll bands, clog while playing old-time tunes, and sometimes use the slinky (yes, the old toy) as a percussion instrument. The band members don't cite strong folk music influences. Bassist Bob Thomas comes from the jazz, rock, and bluegrass worlds and is one of the vocalists in the group. He takes his role as "bassist" to heart, playing acoustic bass, bass clarinet, and bass saxophone, with the goal of "owning a bass instrument from every instrument family." Wes Chappell is the other vocalist and the multi-instrumentalist of the group. His background is rock and roll, but he plays in a variety of styles. Jim Crawford's expert guitar playing has brought a new dimension to the NSA sound. He's also a noted videographer. Randy Marchany, who plays the hammer dulcimer and keyboards, was trained as a classical pianist. So, given their varied backgrounds, perhaps the band's selection of material isn't all that unusual. This variety of styles is one of the cornerstones of their appeal. Some of the awards the band has received for its albums include nominations for the NAIRD INDIE awards for "Best Album - String Music Category" in 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990 and 1992. Their 5th album, "Take 5" won the Indie award for Best Album in 1988.
Source: MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide
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