Four Shillings Short started off in Palo Alto at St. Michael's Alley (when it was a coffeehouse) in the 1980's and has now matured into a wonderful duo of the founder Aodh Og (pronounced Ey Ohg ) O Tuama and his wife Christy Martin, who studied sitar as an adolescent.They regularly perform all over the U.S. and in Ireland. Their talents and voices blend on songs that pack gorgeous melodies, rich harmonies, an incredible palette of acoustic instruments, themes of social justice, and literary allusions. A veritable feast!

NO FCC's; Favorite tracks: 2, 4, 7, 13, 14

1-Back Home in Derry – 3:30 – story of convicts shipped out from Derry to Australia in 1803 – lyrics by Bobby Sands, famed IRA prisoner who died in the hunger strike he led in prison while held by the British in 1981

*2—Irish Ways and Irish Laws/Green Fields of America –4:15 – repeated subjugation of Irish has not erased their culture-- drums and drone add to drama of this song-- ends with pipes

3—All the Ways You Wander –4:05 – starts with Christy Martin's wondrous hammered dulcimer accompanying her pretty voice – I wish the recording were a little crisper, but beautiful nonetheless

*4- Largo from Suite in A Minor/Intro Couplet/A Slave's Lament –starts off with violin and cello; Robert Burns' escape from working on a slave plantation by the success of his first book of poetry and how he celebrated this escape

5-Come Away My Bonnie Lass- 4:52 – light-hearted rollicking song with pretty harmonies and accompaniment along the theme of “Pack Up Your Sorrows” by Richard Farina

6 –No More Songs –3:32 – Phil Ochs' song intro'd with pipe and pennywhistle – sung by Aodh Og-- powerful story of how Ochs stopped singing

*7- The Galway Shawl – 4:11 – starts with gorgeous shape note style a capella verse; pipes and fretted instruments follow; lovely traditional song with the Four Shillings embellishments and ornaments

8—On Raglan Road -4:47 –modern song about thwarted love based on a traditional melody sung by Aodh Og

9- Opus Prema Raga –7:34 – composed by Christy for her brother's lovebird that nearly died; all instrumental; her sitar playing is quite unique and has a kind of subtle western flavor

10 --Last Words – 3:11 – Aodh Og, accompanied by banjo, sings well-articulated verses of a mourner who is too eager to get the effects of his supposedly dying brother, with a twist at the end

11—A Child's Many Fathers – 4:42 – Christy Martin sings her song celebrating the virtues of male mentoring

12 – Sean O Duibhir an Ghleanna/Coleraine's Jig/The Cliff of Moher – 8:57 – starts with hammered dulcimer and pennywhistle; Gaelic lyrics inspired by guerilla leader in Ireland at the time of Oliver Cromwell's attempted conquest

*13-- The Flower of Sweet Strabane –5:14 – traditional song sung by Christy Martin; beautiful lyrics in English of an Irishman bound for America celebrating his love left in Ireland

*14-Shanti Mantra –2:09 – sung in Sanskrit in harmony with drone backing; has sound of medieval chant