1. Vortex / Twisted – K. O’Neill & F. McVicar / K. O’Neill & J Gastineau-Hills. I started with a zouk groove, Fiona added a polka, then James layered a strathspey on top of it. Why do we do this to ourselves? K
2. Thou Bonnie Wood O’ Craigilea – R. Tannahill ( 1774-1810) lyrics/ J. Barr (1779-1860) tune. There is a strong cultural connection in Australia to this song, although most of us don’t know it. It was the air of this song that Christina McPherson adapted to Banjo Patterson’s lyrics to create the first version of “Waltzing Matilda”.
3. Leonie’s Pancakes – J. Gastineau-Hills. The pancakes are delicious, but better still is hearing Leonie in the kitchen with our children as she passes on the secrets of this much-loved family recipe. J
4. The Tea Set: Anyone for G? / 2nd Brew – F. McVicar / J. Gastineau-Hills. We are a band that love drinking tea, so of course we had to write tunes to celebrate!
5. Ye Jacobites – R. Burns (1759-1796). An anti-war song, the singer is pleading with the Jacobites to stop their warring, as it is the ordinary people who lose their children in the fighting. A universal theme thought history, still relevant today.
6. Lochaber Badger/Maggie’s Pancakes/A Pennyworth of Straw – F. Morrison/S. Morison/trad. Two modern classics and a trad gem.
7. Remembering the Cloud Factory – F. McVicar. Written in memory of my friend and inspirational force in Asturian folk and traditional music, Ígor Medio. Sadly missed. F
8. Dearest Lassie O – Anon (lyrics)/Kejafi ( arrangement). These words were originally published in the Sydney Gazette in 1836, with the instruction they be sung to the Scottish air Kelvin Grove; we’ve used that as our starting point to arrange this song. It expresses the aspirations of early immigrants to the Colony of NSW, many of whom significantly improved their station in life.
We acknowledge that these gains came at the expense of First Nations peoples, something that as a nation we are still grappling with.
9. Sunday Morning Slips – F. McVicar. On lazy Sunday mornings, when it is lunchtime before you know it, you need a slip jig for two violas and harp. F
10. Lifeboat Mona – Peggy Seeger. Our society owes much to those who are prepared to put their lives at risk to help others trouble, sometimes with tragic circumstances. This song describes a disaster which occurred off the east coast of Scotland on 8th December 1959.
11. Fighting Off Clouds/ Air Again/ Every Third Stroke – F. McVicar / J. Gastineau-Hills/ J. Gastineau-Hills. How do we cope with the emotions and stresses of life in a pandemic? We write tunes of course: our well-being set.
12. Thèid Mi Dhachaigh (I will go home) – trad. I first heard and loved this lullaby on the recording by Talitha McKenzie. I have played the air ever since, including at my Granny’s funeral, but finally plucked up the courage to start learning and singing in Gàidhlig ( Scottish Gaelic) only in recent years. Is fheàr Gàidhlig bhriste na Gàidhlig sa chiste. F
Kejafi 