Katie & Liz Davis are sisters (hence the same last name.) Once upon a time, Katie was born with a fiddle in her hands, which proved less difficult than when Liz was born exactly two years later with a cello in hers. In the early nineties, the girls' mom Kira, a folk harpist, let them gig with her at Bar Mitzvahs and Renaissance Festivals in Maryland. What started out as a casual family hobby eventually grew up, moved to Utah, and named itself FiddleSticks. Lately, Katie and Liz have expanded their musical vocabulary to include more Old-time, Bluegrass, and Jazz influences, while still staying true to their Celtic roots. This album highlights the new techniques and ideas that we've been playing around with. We hope it fits your fancy. – Liz & Katie

Here’s the set list. If you want to know more, the "liner notes" are included at the end of this message.

Ampersand

1. Waddle Waltz/Jenny Dang the Weaver 2. Little Maggie 3. Ha Ha/My Darling I'm Fond of You 4. O May 5. Jack Be Nimble 6. Grandma Betty's 7. Aftermath of the Pumpkin Wars 8. Bonaparte's Retreat 9. Xanny Boy 10. Johnny Has Gone For A Soldier 11. Three Little Jiggies Went to Market 12. Whole Lotta

HOW TO ORDER:

CD RELEASE PARTY

Of course, the best option is to forget about the mail and come to the source! We’ll be having our CD Release Party February 3 at the new Noni "Paradise Stage" in Provo. Free of course, but we hope you won’t be able to resist taking home a few CDs! Here are the details:

MORE ABOUT THE NEW CD "AMPERSAND"

Here are the liner notes with info about the tunes.

1 _ Waddle Waltz (Liz and Katie Davis); Jenny Dang the Weaver (Traditional): Millie, the youngest member of our family, is one year old. She doesn't exactly walk--she waddles. We don’t know who Jenny Dang was or what she wove, but the reel’s pretty good, and it highlights Liz's mysterious cello chopping technique.

2 _ Little Maggie (Traditional): The fabled Little Maggie is a troublesome girl, and that really appeals to us. We learned this off of a Bob Dylan CD, but Bob didn't write it. You will hear the dulcet sounds of Jake Armerding's voice and mando in this tune.

3 _ Ha Ha (Liz and Katie Davis): This tune is a piece we wrote mushed with "My Darling I'm Fond of You" that we learned from our mom. If you listen carefully, you'll hear why we call this tune "Ha Ha."

4 _ O May (Liz Davis): Liz wrote O May while she was supposed to be taking notes in English class, one fine high school day. Liz's personal life did not inspire this song.

5 _ Jack Be Nimble (Liz and Katie Davis): Jack IS Nimble. But is he quick? Based on the many key changes you'll hear in this piece, we'd say, "yes."

6 _ Grandma Betty's (Katie Davis): Grandma Betty is the coolest. Katie wrote this when she was eleven. Ten years later, we STILL play it, with a little extra "chop."

7 _ The Aftermath of the Pumpkin Wars (Katie Davis): Katie thought this tune needed a weird name. As Magritte would say, ce n’est pas un titre. Cat is playing piano in mostly "Cape Breton" style. Cape Breton is nice small place up in Canada, where they make really really good music. Better than anywhere else.

8 _ Bonaparte's Retreat (Traditional): Bonaparte DID retreat, in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. And Civil War soldiers used to play this as a subtle death wish to the opposing side.

9 _ Xanny Boy (Liz Davis): Xanny Boy is our three year old brother who is full energy. He loves to sing and dance with us. Currently, he acts as our chief ukulele player."

10 _ Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier (Traditional): There are lots of versions of this song out there in Music World. We have recorded this tune before, in its more traditional Irish variation (called Shule Aroon) but in arranging this American version we’ve opted for a more jazzy feel.

11 _ Three Little Jiggies Went to Market (Traditional): Everyone needs an Irish jig set. These are Billy McCormick’s, the Connaughtman’s Rambles, and Calliope House.

12 _ Whole Lotta (Liz and Katie Davis): Liz wrote the chords to this beautiful song. The title of the tune is an abbreviation of a saying our mom used to recite, which will not be recited here. Our mother Kira passed away 8 years ago, but we try to keep her useful yet colorful sayings alive. For a list of some of these folksy aphorisms, look for the hidden link on our website.