Crooked Still
Higher Ground – Showcase Lounge 
South Burlington, Vermont
May 20, 2010 –Thursday

Source: 4 Mic Matrix 
Averlux SMK-H8K cardiod > Beyer MV-100 + Sennheiser 441 > UA-5 > Korg MR-1 DFF [1 Bit/2.8mhz]
Rate Conversion: AudioGate to [24/96]
Mastered in WaveLab 6.0 with iZotope Ozone 4 dithered to [16/44.1] with r8brain
Recorded by Bill Koucky and Casey Coniff

Aoife O’Donovan - Lead Vocal, Guitar, Ukulele
Dr. Gregory Liszt – Banjo
Corey DiMario – Bass
Brittany Haas - Fiddle
Tristan Clarridge – Cello 

Guest: 
Sarah Jarosz – Vocals on tracks 9 & 10

** 16 Bit **

1.	Tuning
2.	Henry Lee
3.	Cold Mountains
4.	Calvary
5.	Ain’t No Grave
6.	When First Unto This Country
7.	Distress
8.	– Enter Sarah Jarosz – 
9.	Half Of What We Know
10.	Locust In The Willow
11.	Little Sadie
12.	Oxford Town > Cumberland Gap
13.	Sometimes In This Country
14.	You Got The Silver
15.	I’m Troubled
16.	You Were Gone
17.	Railroad Bill
18.	Thanks and Band Intros
19.	The Golden Vanity
20.	Crowd
Encore: 
21.	Lovesick Redstick Blues

Time: 79:37

CD Release Tour for “Some Strange Country”

Sarah Jarosz Solo Opened



CD Review	by j. poet

Crooked Still continue to redefine the parameters of bluegrass and progressive folk 
with their unique take on the old-time music they love. The tunes on Some Strange 
Country are mostly traditional, but the band infuses them with a subtle bluegrass 
virtuosity, chamber music attitude, and solos that often sound like they were 
borrowed from classical music. With Aoife O'Donovan's luminous vocals, Tristan 
Clarridge's dark, energetic free-form cello, the unclassifiable five-finger banjo 
picking style of Gregory Liszt, Brittany Haas on the five-string fiddle, and 
Corey DiMario's jazzy approach to the standup bass, you have a band that's 
ready to think, and play, outside of the box. The arrangements on Some Strange 
Country are warm and mellow; the tunes glow like the embers of a late-night 
summer fire infusing the air with a comforting smell of hickory smoke. 
Aoife O'Donovan's voice is the focal point of the album, delivering the songs 
with the understated virtuosity typical of the best folksingers. She lets 
the stories she's singing unfold on their own, revealing again their timeless 
beauty. Liszt's dexterous double-time banjo plays off against Clarridge's 
measured cello lines to add tension to the opening verses of "The Golden Vanity." 
Then they pick up the tempo to imply the frantic swimming of the sailor who's 
being left behind by his shipmates. "Henry Lee" uses a melody that's a variant 
of "Katie Cruel" for a tale of jealousy and murder, favorite subjects of 
traditional mountain ballads. O'Donovan's matter-of-fact delivery makes the 
song even more harrowing. Leadbelly used "I'm Troubled" as the basis for his 
most famous song, "On Top of Old Smokey." Crooked Still return it to its 
mountain roots with a slow, measured version that features Liszt's banjo, 
Haas' fiddle, and Clarridge's brooding cello. The band's originals are fit 
neatly in with the traditional songs, sounding just as timeless. O'Donovan's 
"Half of What We Know," the lament of a lover left behind, uses images of 
the natural world -- wilting roses, storms, deserted beaches -- to paint a 
bleak picture of a lost love. Clarridge's moaning cello and Liszt's propulsive 
banjo add to the song's distressing air. O'Donovan, Clarridge, and Haas 
contribute "You Were Gone," another tale of star-crossed lovers marked by 
moody cello, weeping fiddle, and sparse banjo. The band adds a subtle bluegrass 
bounce to its measured performance of the Jagger-Richards oldie "You Got the 
O'Donovan's bluesy wail here is the album's most emotional moment.