Episode 42 - Bill Tomczak

Contra Pulse Panel - Mentors and Inspirations

See the Contra Pulse website for transcripts and more. Or click here to download it directly.

And the Country Dance and Song Society for information about Contra and English country dance across the continent.

• Here is a video of the panel discussion.
• To learn more about our panelists, you can see their websites
  • Becky Tracy
  • Kate Barnes
  • Pete Sutherland
  • Rodney Miller

Episode 42 - Bill Tomczak

The intro and interstitial tracks from today’s episode are The Wail, the 1927 foxtrot by Carleton Coon/Joe Sanders (1927 foxtrot), performed by BLT on the 1987 cassette tape Music from Here and There, Now and Then, with Kate Barnes on piano, Mary Lea on violin, and Bill Tomczak on clarinet; Alabama Jubilee, performed live at the Guiding Star Grange by Ralph Sweet’s All-Starts (Ralph Sweet as the Caller, Lee Blackwell on drums, David Cantieni on alto sax, Stuart Kenney on acoustic bass, Dave Langford on fiddle, Ann Percival on guitar and backing vocals, Pete Sutherland on piano and backing vocals, Bill Tomczak on Tenor Sax and the Arranger) from the 2004 CD Shindig in the Barn; Red Haired Boy performed live at the 2001 Asheville Summer Soireé by The Latter Day Lizards, with Dave Langford on violin and fiddle strum, Bill Tomczak on clarinet, Kate Barnes on piano, harmonica, and Carol Hamm on acoustic bass.Log Cabin by The Latter Day Lizards from the 2007 CD Rainy Night in Montague with Dave Langford on fiddle, Bill Tomczak on tenor sax, Kate Barnes on piano, Stuart Kenney on acoustic bass; And Bethenathe 1905 concert waltz by Scott Joplin, from BLT’s 1998 CD Gypsy Wine with Kate Barnes on piano, Mary Lea on violin, and Bill Tomczak on clarinet.

See the Contra Pulse website for transcripts and more. Or click here to download it directly.

And the Country Dance and Song Society for information about Contra and English country dance across the continent.

See and hear Bill Tomczak in action:

• Visit Bill’s collection of contra dance articles at his Musaique website.
• Head over to The Latter Day Lizards website.
• To see the Latter Day Lizards playing, check out this video of them at the Atlanta Dance Weekend in 2012, and here you’llsee them playing at the Concord Scout House.
• See Bill play drum, clarinet, and saxophone at the 1994 Old Songs Folk Festival
• Here’s Devil’s Dream/Opera Reel played by Bill, Pete Sutherland, and Bob McQuillen at the Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend in 2004.Even though you can only hear Bill in this video, we couldn't resist sharing it because of the charming Bob McQuillen moment at the beginning!
• Watch BLT play Romany Polka at the 2017 Vintage Dance Weekend in Cincinnati.
• Check out this virtual concert with Bill in the Portland Megaband in 2021.

Odds and ends mentioned in this interview:

• Visit the website for the Folk Arts Center of New England.
• One of the greatest carriers of the Scottish fiddle music tradition, Alasdair Fraser.
• Definitely check out the computer generated Harry Potter chapter, you’ll be glad you did!
• Vladimir’s Steamboat from Fiddle Fever
• Footage of the dance Vallimont’s Steamboat, played to a different tune
• Big John McNeil from Fiddle Fever with multiple harmony parts and multiple modulations.
• Some folks mentioned in this episode have their own Contra Pulse episode. Check them out: Mary Lea, Kate Barnes

Episode 41 - Keith Murphy

The intro and interstitial tracks from today’s episode are John Henry’s Reel/First Month of Summer/Bean A Ti Ar Lar/The Wild Irishman from Becky Tracy’s album Evergreen, Haapavesi/Wedding Dance from Assembly’s 2002 EP The January EP, Hills/Mulqueen’s from Nightingale’s 2004 album Three, Clamanda/Farewell To The Taliban from Keith Murphy’s 2005 album Bound for Canaan, SamSam Amidon/Good Morning To Your Night Cap from Childsplay’s 2009 album Waiting for the Dawn, and Barter’s Hill from Nightingale’s 2009 album Jolie.

See the Contra Pulse website for transcripts and more. Or click here to download it directly.

And the Country Dance and Song Society for information about Contra and English country dance across the continent.

See and hear Keith Murphy in action!

• You can read more about Keith and his projects, and buy his albums and tune books at his Black Isle Music
• Watch Keith Murphy and Hanneke Cassel perform “Clamanda" at Takoma Park, Maryland, in 2012. Learn more about Hanneke on her website.
• See Keith on piano with Nightingale during a 2008 contra dance in Tacoma. And here’s Nightingale at the Spring LEAF dance in 2010. You can check out Nightingale’s albums here.
• Here’s a video of Wild Asparagus playing at the Guiding Star Grange. You’ll see Keith on penny whistle at 1:55 and 4:38, and piano at 6:40 and 8:43. Here’s another video of Wild Asparagus, with Keith on the guitar.
• Here is a link to the 2004 album Other Side of the Tracks, by Assembly, and the 2002 EP The January EP. You can read more about Assembly here.
• Enjoy this video of Keith Murphy playing in Childsplay at The National Heritage Museum in 2007.
• Several of Keith’s tunes were used in Ken Burns’ documentary series on the Roosevelts. You’ll find them all in this episode! Fast forward to 1:43:48 to hear a poignant speech by Eleanor Roosevelt, leading into Keith Murphy’s tune, The Black Isle at 1:44:15.
• Keith has been the music director for the WGBH Boston Public Radio’s annual Celtic Sojourn St Patrick’s Day concerts since 2014. You can listen to the 2019 concert here, which features Keith!

Odds and ends mentioned in this interview

• To hear more Scottish Dance music, check out this video of Bobby Brown and the Scottish Accent at the 2010 Ottawa Ball! And here you can listen to their recording of Kiss me quick, my Mither's coming / Bonny Jocky.
• Learn more about Scottish Accordion player Freeland Barbour who Keith played with at Pinewoods.
• Charlie Lennon was one of Keith’s influences for Irish style piano. Here’s a video of Charlie Lennon on piano with Sean McGuire on fiddle.
• Keith learned a lot about vamping styles and medleys from Susie Petrov.
• Visit Oliver Schroer’s website here, the great fiddle player who Keith played with.
• Learn more about fiddler Viveka Fox and flutist Chris Layer.
• Many folks mentioned in this interview have their own Contra Pulse episode: David Cantieni (part 1, part 2), George Marshall, Becky Tracy, and Jeremiah McLane.
• Listen to Kerry Elkin’s Soir Et Matin here.
• Here is a video of the Horse Flies at the 2009 Dance Flurry.

From the Mic Episode 1 - Phil Jamison

In the debut episode of From the Mic we meet Phil Jamison of Asheville, North Carolina. Philis nationally-known as a dance caller, old-time musician, and flatfoot dancer. He has called dances, performed, and taught at music festivals and dance events throughout the U.S. and overseas since the early 1970s, including over forty years as a member of the Green Grass Cloggers. His flatfoot dancing was featured in the film, Songcatcher, for which he also served as Traditional Dance consultant. From 1982 through 2004, he toured and played guitar with Ralph Blizard and the New Southern Ramblers. He also plays old-time fiddle and banjo.

Over the last thirty years, Phil has done extensive research in the area of Appalachian dance, and his book Hoedowns, Reels, and Frolics: Roots and Branches of Southern Appalachian Dance (University of Illinois Press, 2015) tells the story behind the square dances, step dances, reels, and other forms of dance practiced in southern Appalachia. A 2017 inductee to the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame, Phil teaches traditional music and dance at Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina, where for twenty-five years he served as coordinator of the Old-Time Music and Dance Week at the Swannanoa Gathering.

Click here to download a transcript of this episode.

Music and soundbites featured in this episode (in order of appearance):

• “Blizard Train” – “Blizard Train,” Ralph Blizard & the New Southern Ramblers (June Appal Records, 1989) Ralph Blizard (fiddle), Phil Jamison (guitar), Gordy Hinners (banjo), Andy Deaver (bass).
• Phil Jamison, Thomas Maupin, and friends flatfooting at the Clifftop festival in 2010
• Phil calling the Grapevine Twist square dance and a big set dance at the 2011 Dare to be Square in Brasstown, NC
• Historic recordings from Phil (view the entire collection referenced in his book here):
  • Mellie Dunham, "Chorus Jig" contra dance (1926)
  • Samantha Bumgarner, calling a Southern (big ring) square dance to "Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss" (1924)
  • Ernest Legg calling "Chase the Rabbit" square dance with the Kessinger Brothers playing "Devil's Dream" (1928)
• “Zai Na Yaoyuan De Difang” (In That Faraway Place) –“March Celebration: Chinese-Appalachian Collaborations,” Jenny & the Hog Drovers and Manhu (recorded in Shanghai, China, 2017)Maddy Mullany & Clarke Williams (fiddles), Phil Jamison (banjo), Hayden Holbert (guitar), Landon George (bass),Jin Hongmei (vocal)
  • Watch a video of the group performing in China

Other Links

• Phil's website, where you can also order his book,Hoedowns, Reels, and Frolics: Roots and Branches of Southern Appalachian Dance
• Square 'em up! A Dare to be Square event is happening in Dumfries, Virginia, May 6 - 8, 2022!
• Crazy about squares? There is SO MUCH on the Square Dance History Project webpage.
• Phil was featured in a great episode of Radio Lab exploring the history of square dance called "Birdie in the Cage"
• You'll find some of Phil's writing on dance traditions here on his website

Episode 40 - Dave Langford

The intro and interstitial tracks from today’s episode are Hell Broke Loose in Georgia from The Latter Day Lizards’ 2002 album Sleeping on a Rock, Midnight on the Waterfrom The Latter Day Lizards’ 2007 album Rainy Night in Montague, The Old Favorite/The Return from Paris from Childsplay’s 1994 album Twelve Gated City, Rainy Night in Montague from The Latter Day Lizards’ 2007 album Rainy Night in Montague, and Early June/Roscoe/Fiddler’s Dream from The Latter Day Lizards’ 2002 album Sleeping on a Rock. Of these tunes, Early June and Return from Paris were composed by Dave!

See theContra Pulse websitefor transcripts and more. Orclick here to download it directly.

And theCountry Dance and Song Societyfor information about Contra and English country dance across the continent.

See and hear Dave in action:

• Visit these links to learn more about Dave’sbands: Big Bandemonium, The Latter Day Lizards, Les Z Boys, Childsplay, and Stomp Rocket.
• Check out this video of Big Bandemonium in action at the guiding star grange, filmed by Ray Sebold. There are a lot of recognizable faces in this video, including Ralph Sweet! And here’s another Big Bandemonium video at the Portland Raindance 2011.
• See Dave play with Latter Day Lizards at the 2020 Contra Carnivale.
• Here’s a video of Dave playing with Supertrad, the Sam Bartlett and Eric Schedler duo.
• Here is a video of Dave playing with Childsplay at The National Heritage Museum in Lexington, MA. (At 6:23 you can hear Dave (off camera) play 4 beats and lead off the tune "Ways of the World.")
• You can see Dave playing with Stomp Rocket at the Portland Intown Contra Dance in 2018 in this video.

Odds and ends mentioned in this interview:

• Several people Dave mentions have been on their own Contra Pulse episodes: Sam Bartlett, Kate Barnes, Becky Tracy, Larry Unger
• Ralph Sweet’s Powder Mill Barn.
• Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins, West Virginia.
• Dave mentioned some of his teachers, and inspirations including Pete Sutherland, Liz Carroll, Johnny Gimble, Bruce Molsky, and Lisa Ornstein.
• Here is anarticle about fiddlemaker Bob Childs, who made Dave's fiddle.