folklore

Spencer & Rains: Weird Tunes of Old Texas

Richard Gordon

Howard Rains and Tricia Spencer performing for the BFOTM in Newark, DE, 10/10/14 (photo by Todd Denton)

Howard Rains and Tricia Spencer performing for the Brandywine Friends of Old-Time Music in Newark, DE, 10/10/14 (Photo by Todd Denton)

The day after they played a knock your socks off concert in Newark, DE, and just after they led a fiddle workshop in Oxford, PA, for seven enthusiastic fiddlers, one enthusiastic banjoist, and one totally outclassed mandolinist (me!), Howard Rains and Tricia Spencer were gracious enough to spend some time with the WVUD microphones. We had a lot of fun talking with each other–and Tricia’s laugh is infectious!

Howard and Tricia did a great job at the workshop–demonstrating tunes, talking about what they did in the tunes, how Tricia seconds, what’s “hard” about the tunes and so on. I was very impressed how they shared their craft with all of us. After a lunch break, Howard and Tricia very generously granted us an interview. (If you listen to our conversation carefully, in the background you’ll hear some of the workshop participants and a bunch of other musicians jamming away downstairs while we recorded the interview upstairs at Pete Peterson’s and Kellie Allen’s house.)

We talked about their being Texas (Howard) and Kansas (Tricia) fiddlers and about the tunes they like to play. Keeping old tunes alive and understanding how they’ve changed over time is very important to both of them. How did some of those Appalachian tunes make it out to Texas and Kansas? We talked about the “dance fiddle” tradition and the “contest fiddle” tradition which is now more common in places like Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma. They had some really interesting things to say about how tunes and traditions move around and about how, if you play the old fiddle tunes, you’re keeping the memory of those old fiddlers alive. And you’ll love the story they tell about Tricia’s grandmother’s guitar.

During the interview, they played three twin fiddle tunes for us that may well end up on their next CD, Spencer and Rains: The Old Texas Fiddle Volume II–tentatively subtitled “Weird Tunes of Old Texas.” And the three tunes they played for us were just that–weird and wonderful!

We also played their version of “Say Darlin’ Say,” from their CD The Old Man and the Old Woman. As Howard says at their website, “I sez to Tricia, ‘Everybody does that song!’ So she sez to me, ‘Then let’s do it our own way.'” I’m glad they did. I love how Tricia introduces the vocal harmony.

That’s enough talk. Listen to the interview linked below, and get your hands on some of their music!

The Interview

Howard Rains and Tricia Spencer
(Recorded live 10/11/14; originally aired 11/11/14; host: Mandorichard), 31:36, 30.3 MB.

The Music

The following music is heard in this episode of The Music Room:

  • Artist / Song / Album (or note) / Label (or source) / Date / Notes
  • Howard Rains and Tricia Spencer / Sally Johnson / WVUD’s The Music Room / from the playing of Duck Wooten / 2014
  • Howard Rains and Tricia Spencer / Chicken Reel / WVUD’s The Music Room / from the playing of Barry Ponder / 2014
  • Spencer and Rains / Say Darlin’ Say / The Old Man and the Old Woman / self / 2014
  • Howard Rains and Tricia Spencer / Wolves in the Wood / WVUD’s The Music Room / from the playing of Duck Wooten / 2014

“Ask Walt and Clare. They’ll know that tune!”

Richard Gordon

Walt Koken and Clare Milliner

Walt Koken and Clare Milliner have been playing music together for a long time, and both have a ton of tunes stored away in their memory, Clare’s collection of notebooks, and in a variety of recorded media. Both are accomplished fiddlers, Walt’s a great banjo player, and they have even been known to break out in song every now and then.

It was a great day for traditional fiddlers and those interested in American folk music when Clare and Walt decided to transcribe and edit their notes into The Milliner-Koken Collection of American Fiddle Tunes. The book contains transcriptions of over 1400 fiddle tunes, including written notation for “how that particular fiddler played that tune on that particular day,” sources, alternate versions, and lots more great information.

During our interview, Clare tells some great stories about the tunes you’ll hear her and Walt play. And don’t miss Walt talking about what got him started with this kind of music when he played in bands such as The Highwoods String Band and The Fat City String Band.
The Milliner-Koken Collection of American Fiddle Tunes

They also talked about Larry Warren’s Slippery Hill website (slippery-hill.com), where Larry has researched and posted source recordings for the Milliner-Koken collection and for many of the other important collections of American old-time fiddling.

Currently, Walt and Clare play in The Orpheus Supertones with Pete Peterson, Kellie Allen, and Hilary Dirlam. All the Supertones share their music graciously and willingly and host some of the best music sessions in the Delaware Valley. In addition, Walt, Clare, Pete, and Kellie appeared last year on WVUD for a July 4 jam during the Roots program. All the Supertones are official Good Guys ™–promoting traditional music wherever they go!

For more information about Walt and Clare’s music and to order some of their recordings or the Collection of American Fiddle Tunes, visit Mudthumper Music.

The Interview

Milliner-Koken Collection Interview (illustrated with three fiddle tunes!) (Recorded 11/03/13; original broadcast date: 01/21/14; host: Mandorichard). 29:59, 28.8 MB.

The Music

The following music appeared on this episode of The Music Room:

  • Artist / Song / Album (or note) / Label (or source) / Date / Notes
  • Clare Milliner and Walt Koken / The Hog Went Through the Fence Yoke and All / The Music Room / WVUD / 2013 / Source: Luther Strong
  • Clare Milliner and Walt Koken / Falls of Richmond / The Music Room / WVUD / 2013 / Source: Edden Hammons
  • Clare Milliner and Walt Koken / Hogs and Sheep Going to the Pasture / Just Tunes / Mudthumper Music / 2003 / Source: Burl Hammons