Pete's Posse - "In the Country of the Iroquois"

The Posse plays an original of Pete's, a tale of "Guns, Germs and Steel". Samuel de Champlain's foray into North America and meddling in Native American's affairs. Recorded live at Beehive Production Studios, Saranac Lake NY - October 2015. For more visit www.petespossevt.com & www.beehivepro.com

"IN THE COUNTRY OF THE IROQUOIS"

The fleur-de-lis of King Henri
Above the walls of Tadoussac was waving
Les Voyageurs knee-deep in furs
Were drunk upon the docks and misbehaving
The big bateaux did come and go
The ocean, gulf and river navigating
While swift canoes brought sober news
From the country of the Iroquois

The Montagnais and Huron braves -
Champlain had won their trust by honest dealing
Algonquins too in friendship grew
They thought his dreams their fortunes were revealing
With Pont-Grave he did parlay
Concerning his commission soon expiring
Just one last chance for Nouvelle France
In the country of the Iroquois

Iroquet and Ochasteguin
The smoke wreaths of their council intertwining
This Frenchman bold their stars foretold
His spirit, his 'orenda' brightly shining
He never ceased to talk of peace
While war upon the enemy pursuing
With weapons fierce their hearts to pierce
In the country of the Iroquois

Two phases of the moon above
Champlain this land between did go exploring
He set his traps and drew his maps
While men and boats lay waiting at their mooring
And then by night with stars to light
The darkness, and with paddles scarcely sounding
On up the lake their course to make
In the country of the Iroquois

A morning light rose on the sight
The Mohawk host a piney shore defending
The arquebus it raised the dust
And in a flash proud chieftains met their ending
Above the shore, a muffled roar
The spirits on the mount were heard lamenting
"All things are strange, the world has changed..."
In the country of the Iroquois

c 2015 Pete Sutherland
p Epact Music, BMI
All Rights Reserved

About the Posse:
Vermont’s own trad roots power trio, Pete’s Posse, is composed of acclaimed musician Pete Sutherland (fiddle, piano, banjo, melodica and vocals), his talented protégé Oliver Scanlon (fiddle, viola, mandolin, foot percussion and vocals) and the uber-dynamic Tristan Henderson (guitars, mandolin, jaw harp, foot percussion and vocals). Twin fiddles in tight, wild harmony over high-powered guitar and pounding footwork with mandolin, clawhammer banjo, jawharp and rocking keyboards adding their voices to the mix. Songs and tunes, old and new, lyrical and driving: that’s the multi-generational heart and mind of PETE’S POSSE, at work and at play.

Pete’s Posse is three generations of musicians who have come together to create their own electrifying sound they call “multi-generational roots music.” In 2013 Pete and Oliver, building on a long-time mentor/mentee partnership, asked Tristan to join them to play a contradance, and a match was struck! Gig by gig their chemistry grew, and the Posse quickly developed a reputation for being an innovative, driving, sought-after, can’t-keep-your-feet-still power trio.

Within a year of their first performance, their self-titled album was out, and days later they were off on a nine week, 48-gig, 11,000 mile U.S. tour. It was on this odyssey that they began to add more vocals to the mix in a major way, expanding not only the dance floor experience, but also their desire for concerts. Their second album, “Down to the Core” was released in July 2015, a pure distillation of their first national tour. With it they attracted the attention of festival promoters and concert series large and small, as well as finding themselves much in demand for contradance weekends in the Northeast and beyond.

The Posse continues to engage audience members of all ages with their distinct and expansive energies, and their intuitive feel for one another’s playing. Being a restlessly creative bunch of self-styled ‘rehearsal addicts’, there are always new songs, dance sets, and concert arrangement in the works! So if you’ve heard them at a house concert or danced with them until 1 AM at a festival, you know there’s always a new favorite to listen for. The steady flow of powerful uplifting energy across the age gap is the engine that drives Pete’s Posse, and it shows no sign of letting up!

Related categories: • Celtic

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