Description
Download the album tracks and cover art
This fan-demanded recording is like Steve’s live shows where he weaves together original and traditional songs with instrumental tunes to share the “sweet music” of both kinds of dulcimers. While not a “dulcimer” recording, both mountain and hammered dulcimer are an integral voice to the songs and tunes.
Prefer a physical CD? Purchase a Physical CD today.
Want to play and sing the tunes? The Soaring Book is available as a digital download here.
Listen to all the tracks below:
(if you are viewing on an iPad or iPhone, click here to listen.)
1. Soaring (featured on PBS’ RoadTrip Nation and NPR’s Open Mic) (In I Celebrate Life! Book)
2. I Am A Pond (certified by CSU macrobiologist to be true and accurate in every part!)
3. Lake Ozark Blues (In I Celebrate Life! Book)
4. Uncle Jim’s Song (winner in the New Songs Contest at the Walnut Valley Festival 1998)
5. Simple Gifts
6. Another Winter’s Day in Colorado
7. Waly, Waly
8. Reluctant Busboy (In I Celebrate Life! Book)
9. (6-String) Mail Order Bride
10. Orphan Train (In I Celebrate Life! Book)
11. Noel New-Velet (In I Celebrate Life! Book)
12. Air Falalalo
13.Maquiladora (Winner in the Kansas City Songwriter’s Showcase Contest 1997)
steve@owlmountainmusic.com –
From glittering mountain and hammered dulcimer with mouth harp thrown in, to fun-loving, smile-inducing folkgrass, to soaring, John Denver-style country folk to a kicked back feet teetering on “Jimmy Buffet in Appalachia,” there’s a curiously catchy make-up to this blood-warming album–like a warm, wooly blanket thrown over the “Folk” genre. No matter which track happens to melt you and tug at your instincts, the sincerity and heart of the whole is unmistakable.” –cdbaby.com
steve@owlmountainmusic.com –
A CD of dulcimer tunes with an incredibly languid and lively spirit. “Usually when you hear a dulcimer of any kind, it is hammering out folk tunes that have been written years and years ago, and have been played thousands of times. Not so here. Most of the music on this CD is original, and it is great. utilizing his collection of beautiful mountain and hammered dulcimers (as well as guitars, mandolins, upright bass, and even coronet!), Steve rips out some witty lyrics an upbeat tunes. It is so nice to hear original dulcimer songs, and good ones at that!”
-PR, for cdbaby’s 2nd Annual Magazine Compilation.
steve@owlmountainmusic.com –
Steve Eulberg has released a very interesting folk CD titled Soaring. The main instrument on most songs is the dulcimer (either mountain or hammered). Steve blends their “sweet music,” as he calls it, with guitars, fiddles, jaw harp, banjo, penny whistles, trumpets and various types of percussion.
The point of Soaring was to create a CD showcasing Steve’s live act where he trades instruments with other musicians and together they produce a beautiful tapestry of both traditional and original songs. According to the liner notes, Steve was joined on this recording by Russ Hopkins (Blind Monks), Carole & Teresa Lundgren (Random Acts), Mike Moxcey (banjo and “songmeister extraordinaire”), Heather Wegter (harmonies) and Kevin Jones (deep baritone pipes).
I find myself enjoying the four instrumental tunes more than the other seven songs. The title track, “Soaring,” is very reminiscent of Mary Chapin Carpenter’s “Why Walk When You Can Fly?” which was actually the inspiration. The mountain dulcimer, fiddle and jaw harp work magic in this piece. “Lake Ozark Blues” is a simpler tune combining the mountain dulcimer with some percussion. The best of the instrumentals is, by far, “Reluctant Busboy,” which was inspired by Steve’s 4-year old son “who was trying to avoid his after-dinner chores,” according to the liner notes. To me, it sounds like a fine Irish jig. “Noel New-Velet” is a new take on a 14th-century French tune.
The best vocal selection on Soaring is “Waly, Waly (The Water is Wide).” Steve has the perfect voice for this old Scottish song, which tends to evoke an emotional response whenever I hear it. This is a wonderful rendition. Now, I have to say that Steve does not have the fantastic type of voice that would make you sit up and take notice, but it can be very pleasant to listen to. I would almost bet that when heard live, he sounds exactly like he does on this CD.
Soaring was released by Owl Mountain Music. The record company name is appropriate considering Steve is from Colorado. If you check out their website, you can see a few more CDs that Steve has available.
-Wil Owen, Rambles.net a cultural arts magazine
steve@owlmountainmusic.com –
“There’s a Frank Zappa album titled “Shut Up And Play Yer Guitar,” which features all instrumental Zappa. That title comes to mind after listenign to Fort Collins singer-songwrite and multi-instrumentalist Steve Eulberg’s latest release on Owl Mountain Music, Soaring. In this case, however , it would be more like “Play Yer Mountain Dulcimer.” It isn’t that the vocal songs Eulberg mixes in with the instrumental tracks on Soaring don’t have their appeal. It’s just that Eulberg is such a fine instrumentalist that the vocal material tends to pale in comparison.
Just like Zappa, Eulberg has a sense of humor that comes through in his lyrics. Songs such as I Am A Pond and (6-String) Mail Order Bride rely heavily on clever rhyming and unusual turns of phrase while expressing definite values. Not all of Eulberg’s vocal pieces on Soaring are humorous or dependent on world manipulation for effect. Another Winter’s Day in Colorado and Orphan Train are both finely crafted songs that touch the emotions.
Others, however, take on an almost old-timey naivete that revels in rhyming narratives that reveal as much about the character singing as it does about the song’s subject. The instrumental work, such as the excellent opening track on Soaring, is a different story–shimmering, clear and clean. Eulberg produces some of the finest acoustic instrumental recordings in the region–a music that goes beyond words.
But, as Eulberg points out in the liner notes, this release was meant to provide the same balance of instrumental and vocal material that he presents in his live shows. The stuff on the goofy side, however, may be a delight when an audience is there to react, but it is something else again when the listener is experiencing it solo. For my taste, I’d rather delve into the mystery of Eulberg’s instrumental music when I’m listening at home and save the songs for later. But just like Zappa, that’s not all there is to Eulberg as an artist. So okay, a couple of goofy songs aren’t too hard to swallow. ”
-Tim Van Schmidt, Riff Magazine
steve@owlmountainmusic.com –
“Very good playing, and very thoughtful songwriting. I resonated with your choice of topics, and appreciated your using music to express these sorrowful and blissful parts of human experience.”
–Bonnie Carol, Colorado dulcimer builder and player
steve@owlmountainmusic.com –
“I really enjoyed [Soaring]. I[m sure your fans will love it.”
–Russell Cook, Masterworks Dulcimers
steve@owlmountainmusic.com –
“Steve’s new 13 track, 56 minute cd is a combo of instrumentals and melodic pop/easy listening island tunes. Carefree. Even when he speaks of testing atomic weapons in ‘Uncle Jim’s Song,’ you never worry about anything. The mandolin helps.
Though for me, the real blistering presents come in the form of ‘Simple Gifts’ played on the Hammered Dulcimer, a beautiful piece of work, only enhanced by choice of instrument. One of the standout tracks.
Steve plays almost every sound you hear, with the exception of some fiddles, banjo, mouth harp, etc. Quite a talented guy. He’s been working on this album for the last year and a half, getting his soft and spicy guitar work just right, crafting the mellow vocals into a James Taylor house, built with pride.
Good cd to brighten a day off even further.”
–Ben Ohmart, Muses Muse Music Reviews
steve@owlmountainmusic.com –
“…a wonderful record…immediately impressed with the variety of traditional instrumentation used from track to track. The performances are all very strong and create a tapestry of sounds that weave together seamlessly..” –TAXI custom critique
steve@owlmountainmusic.com –
“Thanks so much for sending us the [Soaring!]. We have enjoyed listening to it.”
–Lynn and Catherine McSpadden
steve@owlmountainmusic.com –
“Most of all we love those mournful Irish-style ballads and the sweet comforting sound of dulcimer and jew harp played by S. Eulberg. He’s everybody’s favorite here. A great musician and storyteller.”
The most requested numbers are: Simple Gifts, the sad Uncle Jim’s Song; Another Winter’s Day; OrphanTrain; Waly, Waly; Noel New-velet and Reluctant Busboy.”
–Miroslow Desperatc, Institute of Technology Radio, Czestochowa, Poland