Pratie Heads - press reviews
About Rag Faire:
Rag Faire (Skylark Productions) is the first recording in 18 years by Durham musicians Jane Peppler and Bob Vasile, who performed together as the Pratie Heads from 1981 to 1988. This welcome release extends their earlier music and reflects interests derived from individual endeavors since that time.
"Pratie" is an Irish word for "potato," a tuber that was domesticated in Peru and adopted by the Irish and most of the Western world as a dietary staple. The name Pratie Heads reflects the cultural eclecticism of the music that's performed beautifully on "Rag Faire."
With Peppler on violin, viola and concertina, and Vasile on guitar and bouzouki, the CD ranges across a textured musical landscape that includes selections from the British Isles, Bulgaria and Mexico as well as originals (Peppler's "The Frozen Girl" and Vasile's "Bagira's Walk" and "Rosehill Reel"). Instrumental virtuosity, vocal solos and duets establish diverse moods and atmospheres on this musically interesting and lyrically entertaining album.
Whaling ships and sailors, with their dangerous and peripatetic lives, populate five of the album's 18 tracks, including the '60s folk favorite, "Lord Franklin." Vasile's rich baritone imparts a light and celebratory mood to "Jamestown Homeward Bound," and Peppler's electric soprano transforms a whaling expedition aboard "The Bonny Ship the Diamond" from a perilous venture to a thrilling adventure.
Jack Bernhardt
Raleigh New & Observer
Raleigh New & Observer
About the material now included on the 2-cd set called Early Fare:
"The Pratie Heads were their state's premiere performers of British Isles traditional music ... they have made some of the best Celtic, English, and early American folk music available in recorded form. They have picked beautiful, uncommon songs to play, have thoroughly researched tunes and texts to produce the best possible versions, and have lovingly and impeccably arranged them. And still it emerges as spontaneous, joyful music - it's a rare gift they have. ... Peppler's voice is a clear soprano wonder with a feeling of intense but controlled wildness that she may owe to her training in Slavic and Balkan singing ... as amazing on fiddle as she is singing, [with] great tone on the slower tunes and real speed on the quick ones. My suggestion is to buy a copy of each tape, and then make a dub of each. Put the originals away in a cool, dark place and play the dubs. That way, when you've worn out your copies, you can repeat the process without having to pay for more tapes. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Steve Winick
Dirty Linen Magazine
Dirty Linen Magazine
Flowers of the Forest is a comestible concoction of tunes and songs, a gourmet platter of guitar and fiddle collaborations garnished with a blend of melt-in-your-mouth vocals. Crispness and clarity of tone are primary Pratie objectives, successfully realized on this recording. There is no blurring of notes, even on the whitewater instrumentals ... As a singer, Peppler is ideally suited to the traditional medium. Her voice, a ringing soprano with a wide range, gives the impression of formal training yet is completely free and spontaneous. Her years with the Balkan singing group Laduvane instilled in her a sense of voice which few possess ... The title track is a stunning, phantasmic ballad made multi-dimensional by a midnight-in-the-woods harmony."
Spectator Magazine
Raleigh, NC
Raleigh, NC
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