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Peat & Barley are Bill Mitchell, on the hammered dulcimer, and Becky Ross on the fiddle. Bill has been playing the hammered dulcimer since 1992, and Becky, classically trained on violin, took up playing Celtic fiddle music in 1991. Bill and Becky have been playing together, as Peat & Barely since 1996.

I usually listen to music most at work, and I have recently started listening to their On the Brink album. I find it quite soothing at times, especially the first track, Prince Charles. It is like a balm, healing the rough edges of my day. After that, the second track, Miss Spence’s Reel, gets my toes tapping slightly, bringing a wee smile to my face, and a pleasant greeting to my lips, should a customer just happen to walk in at that moment.

The entire album goes to and fro, flowing from soothing, all the way to being slightly mischievous, and back again, as most Celtic music does.

This album is wonderful as background music, non-distracting, but pleasing to the ear.

The track lineup is as follows:

* Prince Charles
* Miss Spence’s Reel-Sleep Soond ida Moarnin’-Willowfjord
* Harper’s Waltz
* Rakes of Mallow
* Haste to the Wedding-Swallowtail Jig-Blackthorne Stick
* Wantoness Forever-Tae Dautan Me-The Auld Man’s Mare’s Dead-Peat Fire Flame-Glenburnie Rant
* Covewood
* Holborn March-Mairi’s Wedding
* Wedding in Ennis
* Poached Pork Chops-Spootiskerry-The Easy Club Reel
* Bonnie at Morn
* Flowers of Edinburgh-Jackie Tar-Off to Livermore

This Peat & Barley CD, along with others, is available at CDBaby, or through the Peat & Barley website. http://www.peatandbarley.com/

Like a fine Scotch whisky, Peat & Barley’s music is complex, inviting and always goes down smooth. The interplay between Bill Mitchell’s hammered dulcimer and Becky Ross’s fiddle – trading melody, rhythm and harmony – draws the listener into the ebb and flow of the music in a centering and refreshing way.

Widely-regarded for their stylish arrangements of traditional Celtic tunes, the duo have performed at various Celtic and Scottish festivals, and community concerts, as well as Mt. Vernon and the Smithsonian. They frequently are hired for weddings and private parties and also play at restaurants and wineries. They continue to delight listeners  with their new CD release, Silver Lining, an engaging mix of traditional Scottish and Irish tunes.

Bill is a self-taught player and was inspired to play after his first experience of hearing a hammered dulcimer. He is particularly noted for his strong accompaniment skills that incorporate the full range of his hammered dulcimer from the shimmering sparkle of the highest treble notes to the depth and power of the lowest bass notes. He is also a composer of tunes in the Celtic style. Several of his pieces are included on each of Peat & Barley’s CD recordings.

Becky was classically trained on violin as a child and began playing again after discovering Celtic fiddle music. She is known for the rich tone of her playing and her sensitive emotional connection to the music, whether that is a sorrowful Scottish lament, a majestic march or a driving reel. She is a long-time Board Member and Treasurer of Potomac Valley Scottish Fiddle Club, a nonprofit group promoting Scottish fiddle music. Becky also plays regularly for Scottish and English country dancing and teaches Scottish fiddle lessons.

For more information on Peat & Barley, visit their website here :  http://www.peatandbarley.com/

For a sample of their music, their CD’s are available at CDBaby.