"a stunning album"
-- Frank Hennessy, Celtic Heartbeat, BBC Wales
April 2016

Reviews & Comments on 3 Previous CDs (detailed quotes follow)

The Living Tradition (Scotland)

Dan's a Pittsburgh-born box player, who as far as I know is currently based in Anchorage, Alaska; his playing style is both nimble and pleasingly full-toned: honest and easy, I guess you could term it homey and old-fashioned but it's engrossing and thoroughly enjoyable for all that. Dan is here joined, on the follow-up to his well-received 2006 CD Land Of Sunshine, by a small handful of musician friends for what seems intended to approximate the format of a convivial, laid-back session (i.e. mostly tune-sets but a few songs thrown in for good measure and contrast)…this is an appealingly enjoyable record which majors on the heartwarming, life-affirming power of good craic and reliable musicianship.

-- David Kidman

The Irish Edition (Philadelphia)

"Dan is one of the finest old style button accordion players currently around and this, his second album, Pulling Out The Stops, captures the magic of his playing to perfection." -- Jamie O'Brien

Irish American News (Chicago)

"Kevin Burke leads a host of guest stars whose very presence tells you this is good stuff, and indeed it is! Lots of tunes and songs---all trad and all solid!! "

-- Bill Margeson

fRoots (London, England)

Dan is an American accordionist who favours the Jackie Daly and Paddy O'Brien approach to box playing over flashing arpeggios. This album is solid, beefy and devoid of showmanship. Some old favourites and choice new tunes with guest slots from Kevin Burke and a bodhran solo from the late Gerard McDonnell.

Delightful meat and two veg traditional music of the old stock.

-- Aug/Sep 2010, Nos. 326/327

Victory Music Revue (Seattle, WA)

Traditional Irish music in the early 21st century is far removed from its rowdy dancehall roots. Most Irish musicians today play in the fast and flashy "session style" that actively avoids and disguises the beat. But there is a small community of old-school Irish musicians still playing for dancing and looking to bring the music's beat back. Surprisingly, a fair number of these musicians are located right here in the Pacific Northwest and especially in Portland, Oregon. On his new album, Pulling Out The Stops, melodeon player Dan Possumato involves some of Portland's best Irish musicians, from legendary Irish fiddler Kevin Burke, to Irish harp and guitar duo Elizabeth Nicholson and Bob Soper (of the Portland band Stringed Migration); he even has an introductory note of appreciation from Mikey Beglan, the famously cantankerous owner of Portland's Alberta Street Pub (the heart of Portland's Irish scene).

Throughout, Dan's melodeon playing leads the pace of the album. The melodeon, a one-row accordion (or style of playing a button accordion on one row of buttons) has a funky and choppy sound. Since each button sounds a different note on the push or the pull, I've often likened playing the one-row melodeon to the feeling of wrestling a wild animal.

The feel of Dan's CD is that of an Irish hooley, or house party; a gathering of friends to play music, sing songs and tell stories. I give Dan props for involving so many different musicians in the album and for allowing them to have the space to show their talents as well. There are some nice gems on the album: like a gorgeous spot of lilting (mouth music) on "Molly Branigan", and a lovely group of jigs, "Boys of Tandragee/Jackson's Morning Breeze/John McKenna's", that really features Dan's melodeon playing. The tunes chosen for the recording are lesser-known gems and fit nicely together.

All in all, this is a great introduction to Portland's lively Irish music scene and a fun listen.
-- Devon Leger

BBC Radio Ulster (Belfast)

Radio Telefis Eireann (Irish Public Radio)

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