Songs From the Mountain, released on Rounder in 1998, is a collaboration among Dirk Powell, Tim O'Brien, and John Herrmann, three musicians steeped in old-time Appalachian tradition. Powell, a Kentucky-rooted multi-instrumentalist who studied ethnomusicology before turning to performance, brings deep historical understanding to the material without letting scholarship weigh down the playing. The trio drew on ballads, banjo tunes, and modal fiddle pieces from the southern mountains, performed with the unhurried conviction of players who treat the repertoire as living rather than archival. 'Mole in the Ground' and similar selections show the group's instinct for the strange, knotty corners of the tradition. The album's spare string-band textures would later resonate widely as Civil War-era acoustic music reached new audiences. Songs From the Mountain stands as a quietly influential document of old-time music made by performers fluent in its oldest layers.
Tracklist
- 1 Mountain Air Medley 5:02
- 2 Cluck Old Hen alt version 2:34
- 3 Raleigh and Spencer alt version 2:43
- 4 The Blackest Crow alt version 3:20
- 5 Stobrod's Tune 2:07
- 6 When I Die I’ll Live Again alt version 2:18
- 7 The Drunkard's Hiccups (Jack Of Diamonds) 3:15
- 8 Backstep Cindy 2:40
- 9 Wayfarin' Stranger 4:25
- 10 Skillet Good And Greasy 2:22
- 11 Mole in the Ground Source Recording 3:01
- 12 Claire Dechutes 2:56
- 13 Cherokee Trail / Glory In The Meeting House 2:08
- 14 Bow Down 2:56
- 15 Lost John alt version 2:32
- 16 Fair Margaret And Sweet William 2:22
- 17 Hard Times (Come Again No More) alt version 3:44
- 18 Angel Band alt version 2:15
