Extended Digital BookletExtended Digital Booklet

1. The Heart Is A Hollow Thing (A. Blied) 3:34

2. Big Wave (M. Sonstenes) 2:43

3. Please Take Me Home (S. Bremer) 2:59

4. Let It Go (M. Sonstenes) 3:53

5. Insa and Liam’s Jig/Stones In My Pocket (M. Sonstenes) 4:05

6. Reuben’s Train (Trad) 3:31

7. Hushabye (A. Blied) 3:37

8. Lucknow (S. Bremer) 3:02

9. Drink It Down (S. Bremer) 3:02

10. Sail Away Ladies (Trad) 3:39

11. May (S. Bremer) 4:12

12. What Goes Up (A. Blied) 3:38

All tracks 9except 2, 5, 8, 11 5.

1. The Heart Is A Hollow Thing (A. Blied) 3:34

2. Big Wave (M. Sonstenes) 2:43

3. Please Take Me Home (S. Bremer) 2:59

4. Let It Go (M. Sonstenes) 3:53

5. Insa and Liam’s Jig/Stones In My Pocket (M. Sonstenes) 4:05

6. Reuben’s Train (Trad) 3:31

7. Hushabye (A. Blied) 3:37

8. Lucknow (S. Bremer) 3:02

9. Drink It Down (S. Bremer) 3:02

10. Sail Away Ladies (Trad) 3:39

11. May (S. Bremer) 4:12

12. What Goes Up (A. Blied) 3:38

All tracks 9except 2, 5, 8, 11 5.

The Sweet Lowdown:Amanda Blied: guitar, lead vocals (1, 6, 7, 10, 12)Shanti Bremer: banjo, guitar (12), lead vocals (3, 9)Miriam Sonstenes: fiddle, lead vocal (4)

Guest Musicians: Sam Howard: bass (2, 3, 6, 11)-Adrian Dolan: mandola (8), viola (12)

Credits:Produced, engineered, and mixed by Adrian Dolan (www.adriandolan.com)Recorded at Fiddlehead Studios (Mayne Island, BC) and Marlborough Studios (Victoria, BC)Mixed at Marlborough Studios and Baker Studios Ltd.Mastered by Joby Baker (Baker Studios Ltd.)Photography by Matt Miles, except Cover photo by Amanda Blied and Moon photo by Miriam Sonstenes Paper collage by Shanti Bremer Design and Layout by Wendy Wall (Off the Wall Design), Barbara Pedrick and Amanda Blied

The Sweet Lowdown:Amanda Blied: guitar, lead vocals (1, 6, 7, 10, 12)Shanti Bremer: banjo, guitar (12), lead vocals (3, 9)Miriam Sonstenes: fiddle, lead vocal (4)

Guest Musicians: Sam Howard: bass (2, 3, 6, 11)-Adrian Dolan: mandola (8), viola (12)

Credits:Produced, engineered, and mixed by Adrian Dolan (www.adriandolan.com)Recorded at Fiddlehead Studios (Mayne Island, BC) and Marlborough Studios (Victoria, BC)Mixed at Marlborough Studios and Baker Studios Ltd.Mastered by Joby Baker (Baker Studios Ltd.)Photography by Matt Miles, except Cover photo by Amanda Blied and Moon photo by Miriam Sonstenes Paper collage by Shanti Bremer Design and Layout by Wendy Wall (Off the Wall Design), Barbara Pedrick and Amanda Blied

The Instruments:

Amanda plays a 1974 Martin D28 and a 2005 Vintage Bourgeois.

Shanti plays a 1997 Golden Era Deering banjo, and an early 1900s open back Lyon and Healy banjo.

Miriam plays a 1954 Roth violin and a German bow, c. 1950.

The Instruments:

Amanda plays a 1974 Martin D28 and a 2005 Vintage Bourgeois.

Shanti plays a 1997 Golden Era Deering banjo, and an early 1900s open back Lyon and Healy banjo.

Miriam plays a 1954 Roth violin and a German bow, c. 1950.

1. The Heart Is A Hollow Thing (A. Blied/SOCAN)

“I think you are wrong to want a heart. It makes most people unhappy. If you only knew it, you are in luck not to have a heart.”  The Wizard to the Tin Woodman in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

I want to hear you singNever clip your wingsWant to hold your headWant to break the bed

But the heart is a hollow thing It beats and beats and breaksAnd beats and beats and breaks again

Sticks and stonesOh, hollow bonesBird take wingFly high and sing

Chorus

Lost your strideAgainst the tideIn the wind and rainAll broken again

Chorus

Sticks and stonesOh, hollow bonesBird take wingFly high and sing

Chorus

2. Big Wave (M. Sonstenes/SOCAN)

Crossing from Quadra Island to Vancouver Island on a stormy winter day, we experienced a terrifying moment when a big wave came right over the bow of the ferry and our car. We’re happy to be here today, playing a tune about it!

2. Big Wave (M. Sonstenes/SOCAN)

Crossing from Quadra Island to Vancouver Island on a stormy winter day, we experienced a terrifying moment when a big wave came right over the bow of the ferry and our car. We’re happy to be here today, playing a tune about it!

3. Please Take Me Home (S. Bremer/SOCAN)

Changing seasons, and a happy change of heart.

Please take me homeI don’t need my old home anymorePlease take me homeYou’re the one that I adoreYou’re the one that I adore

Hard times don’t mean a thingThere’ll be times like this and times like that againBut loving you goes on and onI’ll love you more as the days grow long And when they turn around I’ll love you that much more again

Summer days fall awayGo to a dark and quiet place where I can playSongs of knowing you are mineThat your with me and I’m with you all the timeBy you I’ll take the longest night, the winter too in stride

Please take me homeI don’t need my old home anymorePlease take me homeYou’re the one that I adoreYou’re the one that I adore

3. Please Take Me Home (S. Bremer/SOCAN)

Changing seasons, and a happy change of heart.

Please take me homeI don’t need my old home anymorePlease take me homeYou’re the one that I adoreYou’re the one that I adore

Hard times don’t mean a thingThere’ll be times like this and times like that againBut loving you goes on and onI’ll love you more as the days grow long And when they turn around I’ll love you that much more again

Summer days fall awayGo to a dark and quiet place where I can playSongs of knowing you are mineThat your with me and I’m with you all the timeBy you I’ll take the longest night, the winter too in stride

Please take me homeI don’t need my old home anymorePlease take me homeYou’re the one that I adoreYou’re the one that I adore

4. Let It Go (M. Sonstenes/SOCAN)

This song came to me after visiting old haunts with a dear old friend.

It’s been a long time Since I walked through this old townAll the streets shine brighterThere’s an unfamiliar soundOh I can’t walk slow enoughTo make the moment lastAll that’s left here now falls awayThere’s nothing of the past

It’s a long wayTo the placesThat we used to knowAll the empty roomsAnd the hoursWaiting by the phoneWhy can’t we let it goWhat you and I both knowWhy can’t we let it go

Hey old friend of mineWon’t you walk a ways with meOn these crowded streets Where we used to run so freeFor every grain of sand There’s a tear that I have criedLet’s forget all the sad timesStay with me a while

Chorus

There’s a moon tonightSee the way it shines for youThough you’re far, far awayI know you see it tooWalk along the shoreAnd throw a stone for meCast away all your troubleSomeday you will see

4. Let It Go (M. Sonstenes/SOCAN)

This song came to me after visiting old haunts with a dear old friend.

It’s been a long time Since I walked through this old townAll the streets shine brighterThere’s an unfamiliar soundOh I can’t walk slow enoughTo make the moment lastAll that’s left here now falls awayThere’s nothing of the past

It’s a long wayTo the placesThat we used to knowAll the empty roomsAnd the hoursWaiting by the phoneWhy can’t we let it goWhat you and I both knowWhy can’t we let it go

Hey old friend of mineWon’t you walk a ways with meOn these crowded streets Where we used to run so freeFor every grain of sand There’s a tear that I have criedLet’s forget all the sad timesStay with me a while

Chorus

There’s a moon tonightSee the way it shines for youThough you’re far, far awayI know you see it tooWalk along the shoreAnd throw a stone for meCast away all your troubleSomeday you will see

6. Reuben’s Train (Traditional)

The words we sing come mostly from Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley’s version on “The Original Folkways Recordings of Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley,” a two CD collection that is one of my favourites. On that recording they call it Old Ruben. - Amanda

Well old Reuben built a trainAnd he put it on the trackHe run it to the Lord knows whereAnd it’s oh me, oh Lordy myGonna run it to the Lord knows where

Well you should have been up townWhen I heard the train go downYou could hear that whistle blow a hundred milesAnd it’s oh me, oh Lordy myYou could hear that whistle blow a hundred miles

Chorus

Well I’ve been to the eastAnd I’ve been to the westNow I’m going where them chilly winds don’t blowAnd it’s oh me, oh Lordy myI’m going where them chilly winds don’t blow

Chorus

Well the longest train that I ever sawIt was ninety-nine coaches longAnd the only man that I ever loved He was on that train and gone

Chorus

5. Insa and Liam’s Jig/Stones In My Pocket (M. Sonstenes/SOCAN)

The jig is dedicated to my wonderful niece and nephew who live in Germany, and the reel is inspired by my habit of collecting small, round, colourful stones on Dallas Beach, my favourite place in Victoria.

7. Hushabye (A. Blied/SOCAN)

A lullaby for hard times.

Hushabye and hushabye Baby go ahead and cryHushabye and hushabye Baby go ahead and cry

And give your tears to the waterShe will carry them awayAnd give your fears to the waterShe will carry them away

Chorus

Look how the rain is fallingSo hard tonightAnd this old city is all cut throughIn ribbons of light

Chorus

Look how the snow is fallingSo hard tonightBut this old river is still flowingUnder a blanket of ice

Chorus

7. Hushabye (A. Blied/SOCAN)

A lullaby for hard times.

Hushabye and hushabye Baby go ahead and cryHushabye and hushabye Baby go ahead and cry

And give your tears to the waterShe will carry them awayAnd give your fears to the waterShe will carry them away

Chorus

Look how the rain is fallingSo hard tonightAnd this old city is all cut throughIn ribbons of light

Chorus

Look how the snow is fallingSo hard tonightBut this old river is still flowingUnder a blanket of ice

Chorus

8. Lucknow (S. Bremer/SOCAN)

Named after a city in India I visited several years ago for a friend’s wedding.

8. Lucknow (S. Bremer/SOCAN)

Named after a city in India I visited several years ago for a friend’s wedding.

9. Drink It Down (S. Bremer/SOCAN)

Inspired after watching a documentary on water rights and the impending shortage of this precious substance. Living in the Pacific Northwest, I have been privileged with an abundance of water my whole life.

Soothe meThe bottle’s in the back where I can’t reachI can’t reachSoothe me The rain is coming down so heavilyI can’t breath

Lay it down Your head upon the pillow and the prideYou always foundHold it close Those feelings of worth and your lackOf remorse

When the rain ceases to fall And winter doesn’t come at allAnd the taps won’t give you a glassSave us

Save us Small towns, farms and prairie homesAnd cities tooSave usThe walls are going up and I don’t trustThey’ll come back down

Asleep at night While demons stay awake and sell our rights Before we wakeAnd when we do It’s to the store and on the shelf we seeTheir good nights’ work

Chorus

Save usSmall towns, farms and prairie homesAnd cities tooSave usThe walls are going up and I don’t trustThey’ll come back down

Chorus

9. Drink It Down (S. Bremer/SOCAN)

Inspired after watching a documentary on water rights and the impending shortage of this precious substance. Living in the Pacific Northwest, I have been privileged with an abundance of water my whole life.

Soothe meThe bottle’s in the back where I can’t reachI can’t reachSoothe me The rain is coming down so heavilyI can’t breath

Lay it down Your head upon the pillow and the prideYou always foundHold it close Those feelings of worth and your lackOf remorse

When the rain ceases to fall And winter doesn’t come at allAnd the taps won’t give you a glassSave us

Save us Small towns, farms and prairie homesAnd cities tooSave usThe walls are going up and I don’t trustThey’ll come back down

Asleep at night While demons stay awake and sell our rights Before we wakeAnd when we do It’s to the store and on the shelf we seeTheir good nights’ work

Chorus

Save usSmall towns, farms and prairie homesAnd cities tooSave usThe walls are going up and I don’t trustThey’ll come back down

Chorus

10. Sail Away Ladies (Traditional)

With many versions of the words and variations of the melody, this song must be as old as the hills. I can’t remember where I first heard it… it just seems like one of those songs that’s always been there. I came to sing it in this way a number of years ago when I was living far from home, longing for the Pacific. - Amanda

Whenever I get my new house doneI’ll give the old one to my son

So don’t you weep, oh Daddy-oDon’t you weep, oh Daddy-oDon’t you weep, oh Daddy-oDon’t you weep, oh Daddy-oSail away, lady, sail away Sail away, lady, sail away Sail away, lady, sail away Sail away, lady, sail away

‘Cause there ain’t no use to sit and cryYou’ll be an angel by and by

Chorus

I’ve got a home right by the sea(Sail away, lady, sail away)And that’s the place I long to be(Sail away, lady, sail away)

Chorus

11. May (S. Bremer/SOCAN)

1. The fifth month of the year 2. expressing possibility 3. the springtime of life 4. an archaic word for maiden 5. to gather flowers in the spring

11. May (S. Bremer/SOCAN)

1. The fifth month of the year 2. expressing possibility 3. the springtime of life 4. an archaic word for maiden 5. to gather flowers in the spring

12. What Goes Up (A. Blied/SOCAN)

This song came to me after a nighttime toboggan ride on the Winter Solstice.

Blue are the midnight skiesOn those the longest nightsWhen up the hills we goRide snow back down

Snow lit the night like dayDay broke above blue lakesGlaciers they shone like goldBehold the sun

I’ve heard we’re spinning ‘roundThat’s why the sun goes downAnd what goes up must fall back down again

So just like Jack and JillWe’ll go back up the hillJust to ride right back down Again like friends

And when the daylight breaksSleep shall us overtakeThese hills will shine like goldBehold the sunShines for everyone

And I’ve heard we’re spinning roundThat’s why the sun goes down,And what goes up must fall back down again

12. What Goes Up (A. Blied/SOCAN)

This song came to me after a nighttime toboggan ride on the Winter Solstice.

Blue are the midnight skiesOn those the longest nightsWhen up the hills we goRide snow back down

Snow lit the night like dayDay broke above blue lakesGlaciers they shone like goldBehold the sun

I’ve heard we’re spinning ‘roundThat’s why the sun goes downAnd what goes up must fall back down again

So just like Jack and JillWe’ll go back up the hillJust to ride right back down Again like friends

And when the daylight breaksSleep shall us overtakeThese hills will shine like goldBehold the sunShines for everyone

And I’ve heard we’re spinning roundThat’s why the sun goes down,And what goes up must fall back down again

We are so grateful to the many people who made it possible for us to record this album. We would especially like to thank Adrian Dolan for his skill, humour and kindness, and the Iredale-Gray family: Meg, Jennifer, Peter, and Adam for allowing us to make this recording in the most beautiful setting we could imagine.

We would also like to thank Joby Baker, Sam Howard, Matt Miles, Barbara Pedrick, Jeff and Connie Bremer, Wendy Wall, Dan Pedrick, Kim Tipper, Dave Cahill, Don McDougall, Heather Doyle, Mike Brooks, Anne Louise Genest, Jeff Dill, Garrett, Genevieve Charbonneau, Zev Roman, Pete Reid, Kelly Warren at Pressing Media, our friends, family and fans, everyone who lent their support to this recording project, and of course, anyone who has ever taught us a tune or a song!

We are so grateful to the many people who made it possible for us to record this album. We would especially like to thank Adrian Dolan for his skill, humour and kindness, and the Iredale-Gray family: Meg, Jennifer, Peter, and Adam for allowing us to make this recording in the most beautiful setting we could imagine.

We would also like to thank Joby Baker, Sam Howard, Matt Miles, Barbara Pedrick, Jeff and Connie Bremer, Wendy Wall, Dan Pedrick, Kim Tipper, Dave Cahill, Don McDougall, Heather Doyle, Mike Brooks, Anne Louise Genest, Jeff Dill, Garrett, Genevieve Charbonneau, Zev Roman, Pete Reid, Kelly Warren at Pressing Media, our friends, family and fans, everyone who lent their support to this recording project, and of course, anyone who has ever taught us a tune or a song!

Made with love in Canada.CP2012 The Sweet Lowdown. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, copying or rental of this recording is prohibited by law. Thank you for purchasing our music and supporting independent musicians and songwriters.

Made with love in Canada.CP2012 The Sweet Lowdown. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, copying or rental of this recording is prohibited by law. Thank you for purchasing our music and supporting independent musicians and songwriters.