Each September, my band Fire in the Glen can usually be found performing at the Covenanter Scottish Festival in Quarryville, Pennsylvania. Sharing the stage with us most years is the powerhouse duo of singer/guitarist Charlie Zahm and fiddler Tad Marks but, alas, this year their schedule prevented them from coming. Hired to replace them in the lineup this year was the Chivalrous Crickets, a band based in eastern Pennsylvania, central New Jersey and New York City, that it was my pleasure to hear (and hear of) for the first time. Founded in 2018, the band is made up, according to their website, of "siblings, partners and friends."

Their newest recording, No Pence to Spend, features the following lineup of musicians: Ben Matus on pipes, tenor whistle, recorder, vocals and bassoon; Bradley King on vocals, bass and cello; Fiona Gillespie on vocals, whistles and bodhran; Genevieve King on fiddle and vocals; Paul Morton on guitars, banjo, theorbo, vocals and harmonica; and Spiff Wiegand on accordion, bass and vocals. According to the band's kickstarter page, which raised funds for this album, the Crickets hail "from backgrounds of traditional Celtic, American old time, and early classical music," and "we love these musical traditions, we love smashing them together in crazy combinations, we love the history of these songs and what they tell us about the exchange of culture, we love to perpetuate by writing our own lyrics and melodies, and we love to share this passion with the world."

The album begins with "Six Pence to Spend," a lively lyrical round of sorts that begins a sequence stretching through the remaining tracks; "Four Pence to Spend" is track four, "Tuppence to Spend" is track 12, and "No Pence to Spend" concludes the proceedings at track 18. The songs are, at their root, the same, but each version (with each reduction in available cash and, consequently, the mood of the singers) changes its vocal style, instrumental arrangement and tone dramatically. It's a neat little gift to listeners.

Other cool tracks include "Charmaine's Fancy/Sloat's/White Gladys," "Allison Gross," "Willie's Lady," "Father Neptune," "House Carpenter" and "Mingulay."

The music here is lively, fun, and beautifully arranged. The band is polished, blending disparate sounds seamlessly. And the variety of vocal combinations and well-tuned harmonies add spice to the sound as well. This is a talented group that clearly enjoys the music!

My only complaint is the lack of liner notes. What's the background of the music presented here? Is it all traditional, or are some pieces original to the band? Details, please!

As complaints go, that's fairly minor. I really enjoyed No Pence to Spend and hope to cross paths with this band again soon.

[ visit the Chivalrous Crickets online ]