Orpheus Supertones brings together the skills of Walt Koken on fiddle and banjo; Clare Milliner on fiddle; Kellie Allenon on guitar and Pete Peterson on banjo and guitar. Bound to Have a Little Fun has 21 foot-tapping tunes with roots firmly in the hills of Pennsylvania, specifically the Appalachian "old-timer" style of fiddling.

The group's members have a heap of experience and interest in the genre, having played separately and jointly on many ventures. The cover has a brief summary of the history of each tune, and the wealth of tradition does not weigh down the lively songs. Not being a die-hard fan of this particular style, I found the tracks eventually became a bit routine, but I stand ready to acquiesce to more learned fans' admiration of individualities I have not perceived.

On a multidisc player, randomly interspersed with other music, this would be an enjoyable good old knees-up, but on the whole, it's for the old-timer fandom out there, who do not need to read my uneducated ramblings to know that this is a fine collection of traditional songs, lovingly collated and expertly played. This is a grand example of American traditional folk music, which should be kept -- not only alive, but most definitely kickin'!

by Jenny Ivor
Rambles.NET
31 March 2007