The Gold Rush
We initially tried to do some rip-snorting fiddle tunes at a furious pace, but quickly realized that we just can't play that fast. We settled on this slower version of The Gold Rush thinking that perhaps we could get through it without too much embarrassment. We're not certain about our success there, but it turns out the tune is actually a lot of fun to play at a slower tempo - plus it provides opportunities for us non-speedy types (i.e. old farts) to try some things we wouldn't ordinarily have time to do. However, when we listened back to the finished product, we could hear Skip still trying to speed it up in spite of it all.

Skip Staples - guitar
Mike Maddox - guitar
Jim Green - mandolin
Tom Williams - bass

Bonnie Girl
Written by Mike Maddox, Bonnie Girl is evocative of Mike's Sheltie, Bonnie, who passed away in the fall of 2000. As is Mike's usual practice when writing tunes, he blatantly ripped off part of it (in this tune, the opening figure from Blackberry Blossom). In his own words, "If it's good enough for Norman Blake, it's good enough for me." Bonnie Girl emerges as a pretty little tune that's really fun to play. We tend to jam on it from time to time. Hope you enjoy it. It doesn't do justice to the real Bonnie - she was quite a girl.

Mike Maddox - guitar
Skip Staples - guitar
Jim Green - mandolin
Tom Williams - bass

I Don't Know What Makes You Happy
We hesitated to submit this one because it's just silly, but we have no shame. Those of you who know us have surely realized that by now. Skip wrote it one afternoon this past winter and played it that same evening for his wife Leslie. After listening carefully, Leslie insisted that if he ever played the song for anyone else, he must state clearly that it is not about her. When Mike's wife, Jackie, heard the song and Leslie's required explanation, her only comment was. "Not about you two? Yeah, right!" Skip sings the verses and everyone joins in on the chorus. We don't really expect to hear this song on the radio, but hope springs eternal.

Skip Staples - guitar, vocals
Mike Maddox - guitar, vocals
Jim Green - mandolin, vocals
Tom Williams - bass, vocals

All songs were engineered by Mark Cimerra and recorded at Sonic Wave Studios in Raleigh, NC. Special thanks to our friends Jim Green and Tom Williams for lending us their time and talent for this project.