The Fretful Porcupine - Cellar Sessions (Download)

The Fretful Porcupine is a collaboration between saxophonist Kevin Gosa and violinist/mandolinist Jake Armerding.

Unabashedly tossing into the mix every genre that has ever inspired them, the sound of the group is a sort of "roots chamber music."

Like so many instrumental ensembles, the group incorporates a list of styles and idioms in creating its own; what is uncommon, however, is the musicality that results when these two musicians begin weaving tones together.

"It's a brotherhood," Armerding states. "A brotherhood of notes."

"The music began, and I'd never heard anything like it," writes Jenni Simmons (The Curator, NYC) at an April 2010 performance in Houston. "Whatever you call it, I loved it."

Their recording debut, the Cellar Sessions, is the result of an initial pooling of their respective musical libraries. An original composition, a snapshot of an impromptu blues jam, a classic tune by fiddle patriarch Vassar Clements, and two traditionals: all Porcupined.

1. Lonesome Fiddle Blues (Clements)
2. Whisky Before Breakfast (p.d.)
3. The Porcupine Shuffle (Armerding/Gosa)
4. The Water Is Wide (p.d.)
5. yeah [whatever] (Armerding/Gosa)

Tracks are high-bitrate 320kbps Non-DRM MP3 files.

Windows users note: requires WinZip or compatible unzipping software to extract. WinZip can be found here for free.