We are proud to announce our new release, “Hand Me Downs” (Burning Wolf 004 - ©2006). The Reed Island Rounders offer up another helping of great old-time tunes and songs. Along with our trademark banjo & fiddle duets, you will find a haunting fiddle solo, the requisite murder ballad, a handful of fun string band songs, a soothing waltz, and a unique variety of fiddle tunes learned from our old-time predecessors. Add to these ‘hand-me-downs’ our rhythm-driven mountain dance tunes, and you’ll be on your feet and looking for a partner. The fiddling style of Betty Vornbrock has been called pulsing, gritty, and vigorously delicate. She blends all this with Diane Jones’ forthright and relaxed clawhammer banjo playing on tunes they both love from sources they both respect. Billy Cornette’s solid guitar work and interwoven bass runs tie it all together for a great band sound. Vocals run the gamut from solo ballad to 3-part harmony, with Diane generally in the lead. The addition of a stand up bass (Mark Rose) on 6 tunes, and the flatfooting rhythm of Michelle Belanger on the final medley, serve to enhance the texture of this recording. As an era closes on the elder mountain musicians who learned within their families and communities, we are indebted to them for passing along their tunes and techniques. We hope our renditions honor this gift.The Band: The Reed Island Rounders are known for their variety of Old-Time music. From the foot-stomping dance tunes of the Blue Ridge to romantic waltzes, and beyond to dark and lonesome mountain tunes or a chilling ballad, they evoke the soul of Appalachian life. They have been playing together since 1993, when fiddler Betty Vornbrock and guitarist Billy Cornette formed a band to compete at local fiddlers’ conventions. Diane Jones has added her banjo and vocal talents to the band. They have found a mutual love for the Old-Time music of West Virginia, Kentucky, NorthCarolina, and SW Virginia, where Betty & Billy make their home.More recordings and performance/booking info available at:www.reedisland.com/RIR/rounders.htm