Nathan Gourley and Laura Feddersen are a pair of midwestern fiddlers (he from Wisconsin, she from Indiana) who migrated east and met at a pub session in East Durham, New York. That started a musical partnership that ended up based in Massachusetts and, so far as I can tell, is still going.

They recorded just once, 2014's Life is All Checkered, which features Feddersen on fiddle, Gourley on fiddle and guitar, and guest Brian Miller on guitar and bouzouki. The arrangements are simple and straightforward, the perfect palate cleanser for anyone who's overindulged in overproduced Celtic variants that have flooded the market.

Don't get me wrong, I love the many variations that have grown popular in the Scots/Irish/etc. field in recent years, but sometimes it's imperative to step back and refresh yourself with something a little more basic. This is a stripped-down recording, just a couple of folks with stringed instruments, playing familiar tunes. It's not exciting or new, but it's comfortable and sincere, and I will never get tired of this sort of recording. Put Life is All Checkered on repeat and you won't soon feel the need to change the music.

Well done!

[ visit Nathan Gourley & Laura Feddersen online ]