Sometimes it seems like Irish fiddling is played with the wrist, and Scottish fiddling with the shoulder. The bow drives across the strings, thick and throaty, creating a pulsing sound that feels more of muscle than tendon. The McKassons, a vibrant young Scottish band from Seattle, play like that. On their new CD, "Tripping Maggie," they thunder through jigs'n'reels one moment; then dazzle with a compositional sophistication that is cinematic, transporting, and tantalizingly modern. Brooke McKasson sings with a breathy, in-your-ear mezzo. Cali McKasson's keyboards are dynamically percussive and evocative; and her brother Ryan has fiddled with everyone from Beck to Bjork.

~ The Boston Globe

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a classic on our hands. The McKassons, a little-known Celtic folk band from Tacoma, Washington, has recorded the Album of the Year. Who would've thought that a group performing traditional Irish and Scottish folk music in the Pacific Northwest could outdo their European peers.What makes the McKassons so impressive is the intensity of their performances.

It takes more than technical skill to create an authentic Celtic sound, and the McKassons produced these songs with fiery passion and soothing warmth. Just take a listen to Ryan McKasson's scorching fiddling on "Tripping Maggie" and "Mudrats"; they create the most exhilarating high and kick in the arse, the equivalent of downing several bottles of hard ale simultaneously. The group rocks without sounding rock. You have to think that, back in the day, Celtic folk musicians shook the shacks with as much two-fisted punch as the McKassons do.Throughout the album the fragile piano playing of Cali McKasson (yes, they are a family unit) lovingly calms the thunderous attack of her bandmates, especially on "The Grapevine," "Bonnie George Campbell," and "Tripping Maggie." The group's chemistry leaves me in awe; each functions as an intergral part of the band, providing rich colours.

The cover of Bruce Springsteen's "If I Should Fall Behind" has the distinction of topping the Boss himself. Brooke McKasson's unguarded emotions give Springsteen's words a sensitive, moving touch it never had before. Given a Celtic makeover, "If I Should Fall Behind" is a stunningly pretty remake. The track builds up with drama and precision; the musicianship is air-tight and transcendent.On this album, only their second, the McKassons define magic. And the wizardry these lads create do not involve any trickery. They are the real deal, blessed with abundant creativity, a heart full of soul, and fiddles, pianos, cellos, violas, banjos, and percussion that'll haunt your dreams.

~ Whisperin and Hollerin

With fiddling that sizzles and swirls through the air and evocative piano, the McKassons give Celtic folk music a contemporary touch without sacrificing the classic qualities of the genre. Deeply respectful of the music's Scottish and Irish origins, the McKassons walk unafraid in flirting with bluegrass and even Bruce Springsteen, whose "If I Should Fall Behind" is given a delicious Celtic kiss that the Boss won't forget..

~ 75 Word or Less

Seattle may be the Emerald City, but nearby Tacoma is its armpit. Often the object of jokes because of its downtown stench, Tacoma was never mentioned during the grunge explosion of the early ‘90s. Ironically, Tacoma is the birthplace of grunge, the home of ‘60s proto punks the Sonics, who spewed more teen bile than Nirvana ever conjured up. Hometown favorites the McKassons have nothing to do with neither punk nor grunge; instead, the band (really a family as they are related either through blood or marriage) hits the local stage with fiddles, violins, and banjos, a Celtic folk act in a music scene more known for its screeching feedback and agonized howls of pain.
Thankfully, the McKassons don’t try to update traditional Scottish and Irish sounds with discordant tunings. This is a group faithful to its roots. However, those expecting something quaint and easy listening will be in for a surprise. The McKassons are energetic players, and their unyielding enthusiasm leaps from their instruments. Ryan McKasson’s fiddling torches the air; it’ll leave you breathless. Cali McKasson’s piano provides a soft underbelly that gives the songs a greater melodic pull, especially on the cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “If I Should Fall Behind” and “The Nook,” which simply sparkles.

Brooke McKasson - Ryan’s wife - contributes vocals on a few songs, the best of which is probably “Bonnie George Campbell,” a pensive ballad about death. Brooke’s singing both captures the broken emotions of a wife who has just lost a husband and the sympathetic tone of a narrator. The lyrics, several hundred years old, have a timeless quality that the McKassons are able to match. It’s sad but not depressing, and Brooke’s moving performance, along with Zack Hickman’s moody acoustic bass and Cali’s plaintive keys, makes it a richly rewarding experience. The instrumental “The Gates” has a similarly haunted quality to it.

For the rockers in the audience, the McKassons’ version of “If I Should Fall Behind” just might be the tune that’ll win over the Boss’s fans to the Celtic world. The McKassons make the track their own, wrapping Springsteen’s lyrics in a warm blanket of Celtic love. Never mind Nirvana; the McKassons just might be the new sound of the Pacific Northwest.

~ CD REVIEWS.com

The McKassons: Tripping Maggie
by Karla Ash [10.29.06]

Local music doesn’t begin with Nirvana and end with Modest Mouse. Those who lived in Seattle in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s will recall that our music scene was much more varied than the outside media made the world believe. While grunge was the center of it all, there was also folk rock (the Walkabouts), psychedelia (Sky Cries Mary), and even blues (the Robert Cray Band). It saddens me when only the Indie Rock subculture of this city’s wildly adventurous music is given the spotlight. From nearby Tacoma, the Celtic group the McKassons is a prime example of a local band being totally ignored because they don’t have angular guitar riffs.

Honestly, there is more blood, sweat, and tears on this album than more than half of KEXP’s too-white playlist. The McKassons inject their own individuality and flavor into the genre, incorporating other influences (bluegrass, acoustic folk) into their Celtic template. Most of the LP consists of masterfully played instrumentals like “The Grapevine” and “Mudrats,” wherein viola player and fiddler Ryan McKasson really struts his stuff, but the vocal tracks with Brooke McKasson (the Bruce Springsteen tune “If I Should Fall Behind,” “Just Before the War,” “Bonnie George Campbell”) are perhaps the most compelling.

~ The Wig Fits All Heads

The McKassons: Tripping Maggie

To purists, the idea of a band of Americans performing Celtic music feels wrong; however, the McKassons easily prove them wrong. This unsigned group from Tacoma, Washington not only has the balls to record Irish and Scottish folk standards, but they have the talent to cover them in their own way; don't expect faux accents from these lads and lasses.
Given that they are Americans, the McKassons aren't afraid of putting a Yank twist on this material. For example, the traditional Scottish ballad "Bonnie George Campbell" has an almost classic country feel, namely due to Brooke McKasson's mournful crooning; you can almost imagine Patsy Cline covering it. But that's among the qualities that make the McKassons so special: Their ability to take music from another time and a different land and transport them somewhere else. Their version of Bruce Springsteen's "If I Should Fall Behind" is a knockout, taking the original singer/songwriter arrangement and transforming it into a classic Celtic folk song. It's absolutely brilliant because, even if even you've never heard this Springsteen tune before, it still sounds like a tune of his although to my knowledge he's never explored this genre before.
However, it's not just about remakes with the McKassons. Their own compositions, such as "The Grapevine/Piper's Jig" and the jaw-dropping title track, offer thrilling instrumental interplay. You can feel the love they have for Celtic music beneath your skin.

~ Ink 19

Neither Irish nor Scottish, the Celtic folk band the McKassons have nothing to worry about as far as authenticity is concerned. To put it bluntly, the McKassons surpass many of their European contemporaries. The vision that the McKassons is wider in scope than your typical Celtic group; the McKassons also embrace the various elements of American folk, vintage country, and bluegrass in their sound. As if to prove how eclectic they are, they even cover Bruce Springsteen, turning his blue-collar rock & roll into blue-blood balladry.

Based in the oddest HQ for a Celtic group - Tacoma, Washington - the McKassons have been touring U.S. clubs with their dynamic melting pot of musical influences. I'm sure they are as bewitching in concert, perhaps even more, as they are on record. The interplay between Ryan McKasson's viola playing and fiddling and Cali McKasson's piano creates an undefended rush of emotion. On “The Grapevine/Piper's Jig,” the title cut, and the Springsteen track “If I Should Fall Behind,” Ryan and Cali are simply mesmerizing.
“Haymaker's” has an engaging swaying beat that again showcases the McKassons' superb musicianship. This is a band that truly plays off each other. When vocalist Brooke McKasson enters the picture on “Bonnie George Campbell,” it's frosting on the cake. Her sweetly unpretentious voice gives the McKassons an added dimension.

What's intriguing about the McKassons is how their songs - old and new, originals and remakes - have a strong thread of unity connecting them. Despite the distance in years and creative minds, they all add up to part of an exciting, completely satisfying whole.

~ Shotgun Reviews