Now available as a double CD, "Ach Ya!" was selected in 1985 as an outstanding American folk music recording by the Library of Congress American Folklife Center. Featuring acapella singers, yodelers, zither players, button accordionists, and full-fledged "Dutchman" bands from Watertown to Wausau, from Cedar Grove to Birnamwood, this compilation's nearly 50 performances were chosen by folklorists Philip Martin and James P. Leary following a year of intensive field and archival research. Accompanied by an extensively annotated booklet, the CD's tracks follow four themes: Around the Table, Children's Songs and Rites of Passage, Across the Generations, and Dance Melodies and Marches. A valuable resource for teachers of German, especially in the Badger State, the lives, lyrics, and melodies captured on "Ach Ya!" help reflect and define the German American experience in Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest.
