This collection of original songs and traditional American fiddle tunes owes its existence to collaboration, exploration, and a shared love of roots music.

Josh Sperrick and Pete Thompson had been jamming together since late 2017 and began writing and performing together as Josh & Pete shortly thereafter. They bonded over a keen interest in digging into the lineage of American music: fiddle tunes from Celtic and American traditions, Depression-era recordings of blues artists like Son House and Charley Patton, and the later-career collaborations with Jerry Garcia and David Grisman were all powerful influences on the duo. They also embraced the sounds of the music each grew up with: pop, classic rock, and alternative rock.

As their repertoire grew, so did their artistic ambitions. To get the sound they were after, the project grew to include like-minded musical friends Mike Nickerson and Joe Narde. Percussive stalwarts on the local music scene, these two brought a distinguished level of experience and chops that helped to significantly polish and fill out the sound. With this lineup in place, the music being fresh, homemade, and exuberant, and the local topography being what it is, Hilltop Revelry was born.

This EP was recorded live over the course of a winter 2020 weekend in the band's hometown of Corning, NY. They were lucky to recruit Ben Haravitch, a friend and multitalented producer-musician from Western New York to engineer the project. It encapsulates a moment in time for these musicians and it's one they are proudly eager to share.
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Notes on the original songs:

I Just Wanna Dance With You and See You Around were written and sung by Josh Sperrick.

Honey Bee and Preacher at Your Door were written and sung by Pete Thompson.

Notes on the fiddle tunes:

Track 3, Sarah Armstrong's Tune, is our rendition of a traditional fiddle tune from Pennsylvania. The transcription appears in Samuel Preston Bayer's 1944 book Hill Country Tunes, where it is given the title "Old Reel." Today, it is a popular tune in Old Time fiddle circles, where it is typically referred to as "Sarah Armstrong's Tune" or simply "Sarah Armstrong."

Track 6, Sal's Got Mud Between Her Toes, is our take on a three part tune from the state of Kentucky. The established source for this tune is a 1976 field recording by Bruce Greene of Pat Kingery fiddling the tune.