{"id":135572,"date":"2023-05-09T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-09T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/?p=135572"},"modified":"2023-05-31T20:24:12","modified_gmt":"2023-06-01T03:24:12","slug":"jamie-stillway-and-eric-skye-over-the-waterfall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/jamie-stillway-and-eric-skye-over-the-waterfall\/","title":{"rendered":"Jamie Stillway and Eric Skye Craft Colorful Flatpicking Duets for a Batch of Old-Time Tunes on \u2018Over the Waterfall\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>With <em><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/41gRIpW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Over the Waterfall<\/a><\/em>, Jamie Stillway and Eric Skye\u2019s sophomore album, this idiosyncratic guitar duo from the Pacific Northwest has crafted a colorful soundscape of quietly brilliant flatpicking interpretations of classic American fiddle tunes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/41gRIpW\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"750\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Jamie-Stillway-Eric-Skye-Over-the-Waterfall.jpg?resize=750%2C750&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-135575\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Jamie-Stillway-Eric-Skye-Over-the-Waterfall.jpg?w=750&amp;ssl=1 750w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Jamie-Stillway-Eric-Skye-Over-the-Waterfall.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Jamie-Stillway-Eric-Skye-Over-the-Waterfall.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Jamie-Stillway-Eric-Skye-Over-the-Waterfall.jpg?resize=600%2C600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Jamie-Stillway-Eric-Skye-Over-the-Waterfall.jpg?resize=125%2C125&amp;ssl=1 125w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Jamie-Stillway-Eric-Skye-Over-the-Waterfall.jpg?resize=50%2C50&amp;ssl=1 50w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jamie Stillway and Eric Skye, <em>Over the Waterfall<\/em> (Self-released)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Stillway and Skye\u2019s approach here calls to mind not just classic guitar duo work like the albums that <a href=\"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/how-to-flatpick-like-roots-legend-norman-blake\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Norman Blake<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/requiem-for-a-bluegrass-giant-bela-fleck-richard-hoover-david-grisman-chris-eldridge-and-bryn-davies-on-tony-rice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tony Rice<\/a> recorded for the Rounder label, but contemporary duets by Chris Eldridge and <a href=\"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/julian-lage-at-30-a-visit-in-san-francisco-with-the-jazz-guitar-phenomenon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Julian Lage<\/a>; the big-toned melodicism of flatpickers like Russ Barenberg and Scott Nygaard; and the chamber-jazz sensibilities of Oregon, featuring guitarist Ralph Towner.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the album, Stillway plays a sinker redwood and mahogany Santa Cruz Guitar Company 000, commissioned specifically for this project, and her partner uses his signature model red spruce and cocobolo <a href=\"https:\/\/reverb.grsm.io\/ag?query=skye-00\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">00-Skye, also made by Santa Cruz<\/a>, as opposed to the dreadnoughts more commonly heard in traditional flatpicking. With these small-bodied instruments, the guitarists bring an aching, memorable intimacy to each note and chord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Stillway and Skye\u2019s world, taste and touch trump flashy technique and tempo-pushing. Their glowing lines unfold at a pace that allows both players to shine as acoustic tone masters. Having worked together on similar traditional material for the past several years, both guitarists excel at subduing their own virtuosity for the greater good here. Together, they engineer complex but delightful arrangements of these seemingly simple tunes, like the sudden and enchanting shifts between the minor and major modes in \u201cCold Frosty Morning,\u201d among many other bright moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1290\" height=\"726\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/etUTUQvz2TY?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Throughout the recording, Stillway, heard in the right channel, makes her guitar sing. She masterfully employs dramatic legato lines, as well as moments of rhythmic clarity that instantly ground the song to its native roots. Stillway\u2019s playing is clear and expansive, as if she\u2019s reaching for the sky. It\u2019s swept along by dreamy chordal sweeps and languid improvisations, such as those on \u201cChinquapin Hunting.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Skye, on the left side, tends toward more of an earth-toned sonic palette, crafting exquisite lines and arpeggios that enhance\u2014and even challenge\u2014the melody. He employs more slurs and bends, as well as double-time picking, jazzy arpeggios, and eccentric rhythms, and he opts for a harsher pick attack, resulting a more guttural sound in many places. Skye clearly likes the grit and the gravel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1290\" height=\"726\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/n9yjqyy3Rkg?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re expecting the usual barn-burning renditions of these traditional fiddle tunes, you might be disappointed. But if you seek a world-class guitar duo that truly exalts the depth of tone inherent to the steel-string, <em>Over the Waterfall<\/em> showcases two brilliant pickers bringing a serene, lyrical spark to the ever-evolving world of 21st-century flatpicking guitar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>For reviews of more new recordings, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/albumreviews\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">acousticguitar.com\/albumreviews<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/store.acousticguitar.com\/products\/no-340-may-june-2023\" name=\"magazine\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 150px; height: 198px; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/001_340_Cover_150px.jpg?w=1290&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Acoustic Guitar magazine cover for issue 340\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"><\/a>\n<p style=\"font-family: sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 15px 0px;\">This article originally appeared in the <a href=\"https:\/\/store.acousticguitar.com\/products\/no-340-may-june-2023\">May\/June 2023<\/a> issue of <em>Acoustic Guitar<\/em> magazine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The duo has crafted a colorful soundscape of quietly brilliant flatpicking interpretations of classic American fiddle tunes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":135574,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"With Over the Waterfall, Jamie Stillway and Eric Skye\u2019s have crafted a colorful soundscape of quietly brilliant flatpicking interpretations of classic American fiddle tunes.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[885],"tags":[1650],"ppma_author":[1580],"blocksy_meta":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Eric-Skye-Jamie-Stillway.jpg?fit=750%2C531&ssl=1","authors":[{"term_id":1580,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"david-mccarty","display_name":"David McCarty","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/David-McCarty.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/David-McCarty.jpg"},"user_url":"","last_name":"","first_name":"","description":"David McCarty plays guitar and mandolin and has opened for David Grisman and Ricky Skaggs. "}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135572"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135572"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135572\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":138730,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135572\/revisions\/138730"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135572"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=135572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}