Contra Pulse

The intro and interstitial tracks from today’s episode are Cloud Nine/Broken Heart/Cloud Nine from the Airdance album Cloud Nine, Petronella/Green Mountain Petronella from the album New England Chestnuts, Cattle In The Cane from the album Airplang II, Lake George is one of the audio tracks from Gems Vol. 3, part of Rodney's series of recorded tunes that appear in hisnew tune book and Kickstart/Ticket to Nowhere/Scenic Expressfrom the Stringrays album Ticket to Nowhere.

See the Contra Pulse website for transcripts and more.

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

Check out the video clip from this interview where Rodney talks about his bowing technique.

See and hear Rodney Miller in action:

• So much good stuff to check out on Rodney’s own website including his new tunebook!!
• He’s also been recording tunes and releasing them on Bandcamp during the pandemic.
• The Stringrays are one of Rodney’s current and most active bands
• Here they are playing a contra dance at Glen Echo in 2015
• Here’s a nice clip ofAirdance performing at Folkmadness dance camp in Socorro, NM in 2003
• You can buy Rodney’s classic albums such as Airdance, Airplang and New England Chestnuts, and MANY more in his online store.
• Julie interviews Airdance band member Mary Cay Brass in Episode 14 of this podcast
• Here’s Rodney fiddling for Tod Wittemore as he calls a singing (and yodeling!) square at the Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend in 2012

Some other topics mentioned in this interview:

• The Nelson Contra dance - here’s a nifty video about it
• Pinewoods Camp where so many dance and music connections are made
• Rodney mentions going on tour with musician Andy Davis who Julie interviewed in Episode 18 of this podcast

The intro and interstitial tracks from today's episode are New Brunswick Hornpipe/Rainy Reel and Debbie's Jig/Cadeau's Jigfrom the Gerry Robichaud album Maritime Dance Party, Angus Campbell/Top o’ the Hill and Colored Aristocracy/Ragtime from Kitchen Junket and La Bastringue-Saut de Lapin-Beaulieu-Pointe au Pic from Heatin’ Up the Hall, both by Yankee Ingenuity.

See theContra Pulse websitefor transcripts and more.

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

See and hearTony Parkes in action:

• Calling Lazy H, a square, at the Scout House in 1992
• Calling his favorite square (Do-si-do and Face the Sides) to his favorite tune (Ragtime Annie) in Brasstown, NC
• Tony sent two resources for us to include in these notes:
  • A partial list of Yankee Ingenuity sit-in musicians
  • A list of tunes Tony describes as follows: “I just sent an eclectic list of tunes I recall from my early days playing and calling. Many of them go back to my summers at Farm & Wilderness; others date from my first couple of years playing in the NEFFA Festival Orchestra. (That reminds me of something I didn’t get around to mentioning in the interview: I called a dance at my first festival in 1969 because one of the programmed callers didn’t show up. The callers submitted their dance titles in advance; somewhere I have the program sheets from 1969. There would be a set of three squares, with different callers, danced with the same partner and set, followed by a contra.) Note that not all of these tunes are of the kind I talked about: easy to play on any melody instrument. That list will take a bit more work to compile.”

Some people mentioned in this interview:

• The Square Dance History Project has some footage of Ed Durlacher calling in Central Park in the 1940s. His albums are still available!
• Benjamin Foss, the advocate of old Maine tunes Tony mentioned, has an album of his favorite New England contra tunes
• Here’s the text of a square dance calling course syllabus from Ed Gilmore, one of Tony’s calling influences
• Learn more about Michael and Mary Ann Herman and their Folk Dance House
• There’s more to say about Ted Sannella than fits in these notes! The Square Dance History Project has many resources, including dances he has written and clips of him calling
• George Marshall mentions Jack Sloanakerat Farm and Wilderness in his conversation with Julie (episode 13 of this podcast). Pete Sutherland talks about his experiences at Farm and Wilderness in Episodes 19 and 20.

Some odds and endsmentioned in this interview:

• Curious about contra dance chestnuts? David Smukler and David Millstone wrote a book about them! CDSS has made the companion video collection available online — check it out!
• Here’s a video of The Dead Sea Squirrelsplaying a contra dance in Glen Echo, MD in 2013

Hi, Contra Pulse listeners – this is Ben Williams - editor and producer for this Contra Pulse. I’m just popping on to let you know that we’ll be releasing Contra Pulse every three weeks moving forward instead of every two. Our episodes have been more in depth and have more music, and moving to a three week schedule will allow us to put out that same, high-quality podcast without needing to rush anything, and be better able to sustain this work long-term. We have a great interview coming up for you next week on Tuesday February 9th, with the incomparable Tony Parkes, and interviews with Jeremiah MacLean and Owen Morrison are coming up after that! Thanks as always for your support – you can check out past interviews, transcripts and more at contrapulse.cdss.org, sign up for our mailing list, and reach out to us directly at [email protected] Catch you next week!

The intro and interstitial tracks from today's episode are all by Elixir -Divine Reel/Langstaff Library, Lulu's Back in Town, and Ringstead from the album Anybody's Guess, and I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter and Bransle/Tom Kruskal's from the album Rampant.

See theContra Pulse websitefor transcripts and more.

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

See and hearNils Fredland in action:

• Calling “The Auctioneer” singing square with Nor’easter at Ashokan Northern Week in 2014
• Crowd surfing at Contrastock 2011 at the Spanish Ballroom in Glen Echo, MD
• Here’s Nils calling for the DC Square Dance Collective, with the Horseflies playing
• Here’s a video that shows the huge number of dancers
• This video shows what Nils described about having no stage.
• Here’s Nils calling with DJ Improper at the Wednesday night Amherst, MA dance in 2012
• Elixir‘s website
• Nils and Elixir at ContraShock 2018
• Nils and Elixir at Glen Echo, MD in 2012
• Playing with Johnny Socko, the ska band
• Listen to Monkey Puzzle, Nils’s a capella group from Bloomington, on Spotify
• On the Beat with Ralph Sweetis available for purchase in the CDSS web store
• Here’s Ralph calling “The Auctioneer” with Elixir and other musicians playing at the book launch dance in 2010
• Nils is currently the Artistic Director for Revels North

Some dances and events mentioned in this interview:

• DC’s 10-hour event called Contrastock is still happening during non-COVID times
• TheDC Square Dance Collective is alive and well during non-COVID times, too
• Spark in the Darkis a series of techno contra events that BIDA has hosted
• More techno contra videos:
• Buddy System at LEAF in 2015
• Buddy System at LEAF in 2016
• We’re still looking for a video of the PJ song and of a techno square. Let us know if you have these!

Some musical groups mentioned in this interview:

• Here’s a video of Mock Turtle Soupfrom 2011
• Here’s a video of Popcorn Behaviorfrom 1996, around the time Nils first contra danced to them

Some odds and endsmentioned in this interview:

• As Nils mentioned, Ralph’s family’s barn, the Powder Mill Barn in Enfield, CT, is still around and available for a wide variety of events
• The Ralph Sweet’s All-Stars recording Nils mentioned is called Shindig in the Barn
• Here’s a video of Lisa Greenleaf calling the 16-person dance Nils mentioned—Rod’s Quad #2

The intro and interstitial tracks from today's episode areJules Verret/Reel de Mattawa (Richard Forest)/La BelleGaspésie from Green Mountain by Mary Cay Brass and Friends,Levi Jackson Rag and la Partida,from Heatin’ Up the Hall by Yankee Ingenuity,and Goodbye My Lady Love from the album Full Swing.

See theContra Pulse websitefor transcripts and more.

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

See and hearMary Lea in action:

• Bare Necessities is Kate Barnes (Episode 9 interviewee), Earl Gaddis, Mary, and Jacqueline Schwab.
• Playing for a ball in Nashville in 2017
• Listen to their albums on bandcamp
• Childsplay
• A memorial page for Donna Grossman has some sound clips, photographs, and information on Ladies Chain,the 5-women band Mary started out with
• Yankee Ingenuityis Kate Barnes (Episode 9 interviewee), Cal Howard, Mary, and Jack O’Connor
• Their album, Heatin’ Up the Hall
• Playing for a square in 1992, with Tony Parkes calling
• A 2008 recording from the Monday night dance
• This page has info on all of Mary’s current bands, including:
• BLT playing for vintage dancing in 2017
• Crazy Quilt, whose other members Julie has also chatted with for this podcast (Anna Patton in Episode 5 and Peter Siegel in Episode 15)
• Dark Carnivalplays the graveyard shift at the Brattleboro Dawn Dance in 2008
• Here’s a video of the moment Mary described playing Brasilerinho at the Ann Arbor Dawn Dance in 2015

Some people mentioned in this interview:

• Ruthie Dornfeldlives in Seattle now and has several musical projects. Here’s a video of her playing with Morten Alfred Høirup
• Arthur Davis also mentions playing with Laurie Indenbaumin Episode 6 of this podcast
• Julie chats with Audrey Knuth in Episode 16 of this podcast
• George Marshall knows Richard Powers and talks some about his experiences with vintage dance in Episode 13 of this podcast

Some odds and endsmentioned in this interview:

• The tune list Mary mentioned.
• Wikipedia has a pretty good article on choro/chorinho
• The Brattleboro Dawn Dance has a great history page

The intro and interstitial tracks from today's episode are Chris Glidden's from Pete's Posse, Honeybee from the Clayfoot Strutters, and Chatterin' Horse from an upcoming album of original older time music based on Scottish pipe tunes featuring Tim Cummings on small and border pipes and Brad Kolodner on banjo

See theContra Pulse websitefor transcripts and more.

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

See and hearPete Sutherland in action:

• Pete’s Posse is Pete Sutherland, Oliver Scanlon, and Tristan Henderson
• Playing a contra dance at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in 2016
• Playing the end of a concert set at a festival in 2017
• Check out their YouTube channel.
• The Arm and Hammer String Band performs The Shopping Song
• Metamora’s eponymous album is on YouTube; you can also buy their albums on Grey Larsen’s website
• The Clayfoot Strutters
• Buy their only album, “Going Elsewhere” and listen on YouTube while you’re waiting for it to come in the mail.
• At the Guiding Star Grange in Greenfield, MA in 2013
• Here’s a video clip of Pete playing Hull’s Victory at Ralph Page 2004
• And, of course, here he is playing Money Musk at the same weekend
• Can’t get enough? Here’s an interview with Pete from 1999; here’s another from 2002.

Some other topics mentioned in this interview:

• Check out Young Tradition Vermont— there’s a lot going on!
• Nightingale is Jeremiah McLane, Keith Murphy, and Becky Tracy. Here’s a video clip of them playing in 2008.
• The Horseflies getting their slow, deliberate groove on at the Dance Flurry in 2009.
• If you haven’t listened to Julie’s conversation with George Marshall, check out Episode 13 of this podcast.

The intro and interstitial tracks from today's episode are John’s Next Adventureand Moonshine Hollerfrom Pete’s Posse.

See theContra Pulse websitefor transcripts and more.

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

See and hearPete Sutherland in action:

• Pete’s Posse is Pete Sutherland, Oliver Scanlon, and Tristan Henderson
• Playing a contra dance at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in 2016
• Playing the end of a concert set at a festival in 2017
• Check out their YouTube channel.
• The Arm and Hammer String Band performs The Shopping Song
• Metamora’s eponymous album is on YouTube; you can also buy their albums on Grey Larsen’s website
• The Clayfoot Strutters
• Buy their only album, “Going Elsewhere” and listen on YouTube while you’re waiting for it to come in the mail.
• At the Guiding Star Grange in Greenfield, MA in 2013
• Here’s a video clip of Pete playing Hull’s Victory at Ralph Page 2004
• And, of course, here he is playing Money Musk at the same weekend
• Can’t get enough? Here’s an interview with Pete from 1999; here’s another from 2002.

Some other topics mentioned in this interview:

• Check out Young Tradition Vermont— there’s a lot going on!
• Nightingale is Jeremiah McLane, Keith Murphy, and Becky Tracy. Here’s a video clip of them playing in 2008.
• The Horseflies getting their slow, deliberate groove on at the Dance Flurry in 2009.
• If you haven’t listened to Julie’s conversation with George Marshall, check out Episode 13 of this podcast.

The intro and interstitial tracks from today's episode areFancy Horpipe/Quindaro/Scotch Hornpipe and Valse du vieux moulin from the album Any Jig or Reel, Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight from Andy Davis, and two recent virtual recordings - Kroman’s Jig and Bouchard/Edie/JohnMcNeill by Laurie Indenbaum, Andy Davis and Arthur Davis.

See theContra Pulse websitefor transcripts and more.

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

See and hearAndy Davis in action:

• Check out New England Dancing Masters!
• Andy’s YouTube Channel has some tunes for you to learn.
• The Square Dance History Project has an hour of footage from a New Year’s Eve dance from 1981, with music from Andy and a few other musicians Julie has spoken with, including Kate Barnes (Episode 9). There’s some footage of the musicians starting around 7:50.
• It’s not a contra dance, but here’s Andy singing and playing accordion with Nowell Sing We Clear in 1990.

Some dances and events mentioned in this interview:

• Along with Peter and Mary Alice Amidon and Mary Cay Brass, Andy is a part of New England Dancing Masters. Mary Cay talks with Julie about some of her experiences with this in Episode 14 of this podcast.
• Here are some videos of square dances at Ralph Sweet’s Powder Mill Barn in Enfield, CT. More information about the barn.
• East Hill Farm still hosts many square dance events
• Pete Sutherland and Mark Sustic’s Young Tradition Vermont.
• Andy mentions Pinewoods Camp in Plymouth, MA as an important part of his contra experiences.

Some people mentioned in this interview:

• Laurie Andres doesn’t have a website, but here’s a video of him playing for a contra dance in 2011.
• The Square Dance History Project has a recording of Basil “Smitty” Smith calling the singing square “MacNamara’s Band” at a barn dance in West Wardsboro, VT.
• Julie interviewed Andy’s son Arthur Davis in Episode 6 of this podcast.
• Here’s a recording of Randy Miller’s piano playing — these are two Irish tunes and not necessarily for a contra, but this will give you an idea of what Andy admires about his playing.

Some musical groups mentioned in this interview:

• David Millstone has a good write-up of Northern Spy’s history on his website, including some photos
• Firecloud is Julie Vallimont, Andy Reiner, and Andrew Hlynsky. Here’s a brief clip of them playing the Amherst, MA dance in 2013.

Some odds and ends mentioned in this interview:

• Here’s a flyer from an East Alstead, NH contra dance that Andy played with Chris Madigan, Lark Madigan, and some Littles.
• Jack Perron and Randy Miller play an Irish reel.
• Like Andy, George Marshall also worked at Farm and Wilderness summer camps in Plymouth, VT. He and Julie talk about some of his experiences there, including the F and W String Band, in Episode 13 of this podcast.

The intro and interstitial tracks from today's episode areMiss Thornton’s/John Stenson’s/Moving Clouds, Valse Aldor, and Tour of Scotland/Ashokans’s Farewell to Celtic Week from Fresh Fish and Callum’s Road Set from a forthcomingalbum by Skip Gorman and friends.

See theContra Pulse websitefor transcripts and more.

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

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See and hearGordon Peery in action:

• Trip to Nelson was Gordon, Richard Backes, Lizza Backes, Matt Garland, and Perin Ellsworth-Heller
• You can listen to the Fresh Fish album, Turning of the Tide on Gordon’s website
• Gordon’s work with Paul Klemperer

Some dances and events mentioned in this interview:

• The Nelson, NH contra dance happens in the Nelson Town Hall during non-COVID times. Here’s a great local write-up from 1990.
• Here’s an article from 1983 that mentions Harvey Tolman
• Monadnock Folklore Society

Some people mentioned in this interview:

• George Marshall talks about some of his experiences with Ralph Page in Episode 13 of this podcast
• Julie interviewed Dudley Laufman in Episode 1 of this podcast
• Rodney Miller and Randy Miller’s websites
• Learn more about Harvey Tolmanfrom this brief bio and from Gordon’s website

Some musical groups mentioned in this interview:

• You can find the New England Tradition and Old New England albums — Bob McQuillen’s bands — on Great Meadow Music’s website

Some odds and endsmentioned in this interview:

• Check out this great interview from New Hampshire Public Radio with Gordon Peery and Skip Gorman about the origin of contra dance.
• Gordon has a write-up of his experiences with The Chieftans and the Nelson Country Dancers on his website.
• The Folkway in Peterborough closed in 1996, but you can read a remembrance here. The Peterborough Folk Music grew out of it and still hosts concerts, including some livestream concerts during COVID times.
• Here’s Randy Miller’s write-up about John Taggart from liner notes of The Music of John Taggart, the out-of-print recording by the New Hampshire Fiddlers Union.Gordon does have one track from this recording available on his website.
• TheGreen Mountain Volunteers’s website

The intro and interstitial tracks from today's episode areYuma and Highland from Wake Up Robin and The Engagement from The Free Raisins.

See theContra Pulse websitefor transcripts and more.

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

See and hearAudrey Knuth in action:

• The Free Raisins
• Wake Up Robin
• The Gaslight Tinkers — Peter Siegel talks with Julie about this band in Episode 15 of this podcast. Here she is with them in 2015
• Sign up for her Monday night Tunes and Stuff class
• Audrey, Julie, and Rachel Bell playing in Denver in 2017
• Larry Unger and Audrey playing tunes together
• Audrey and Erik Hoffman playing the Santa Barbara, CA contra dance in 2018
• Audrey, Chris Knepper, Del Eckels, and Christopher Jacoby playing the 2018 New Year’s Eve dance in Sacramento, CA

Some dances and events mentioned in this interview:

• The Honolulu contra dance is no longer at the Atherton, but it still happens during non-COVID times
• The Scout House in Concord, MA hosts a few dances Audrey and Julie talked about:
• Concord, NH area contra dance
• Learn more about the Syracuse [NY] Country Dancers
• Debby Knight runs Roaring Jelly;check out the Roaring Jelly website
• Here’s a 2011 video of a Davis Square pop-up contra
• Learn more about Camp Sturtevant on their website.Don’t worry — there are definitely photos of the donkeys!
• Learn more about Contradancers Delight Holiday (CDH) here
• Learn more about Raindance in Portland, OR
• Fiddling Frog takes place in Pasadena, CA when there’s no pandemic
• Satisfy your curiosity and read about the Hobart, Tasmania contra dance

Some people mentioned in this interview:

• Jeff Kaufman, Audrey’s bandmate in the Free Raisins, has written extensively on his experiences with the band, including a post about the process Audrey described of listening to recordings of the dance they had just played
• Sarah VanNorstrand
• Garrett Sawyer and his studio, Northfire, came up in Julie’s chat with Peter Siegel (Episode 15)
• Luke Donforth is a Vermont-based contra dance caller
• Dana Parkinson is a Florida-based contra dance caller

Some places mentioned in this interview:

• The Hale Koa Hotel in Honolulu
• TheGuiding Star Grange #1 in Greenfield, MA has featured in many of Julie’s interviews. It’s a mainstay of the Western Massachusetts contra dance scene.

Some musical groups mentioned in this interview:

• Yankee Ingenuity was Kate Barnes, Cal Howard, Mary Lea, Jack O’Connor, and Tony Parkes. Kate has a little blurb about them on this archived page of her website.
• Crowfoot was Adam Broome, Nicholas Williams, and Jaige Trudel.
• Nor’easter was Max Newman, Cedar Stanistreet, and Julie Vallimont.
• Buddy System is Noah VanNorstrand and Julie Vallimont. Julie and Noah talk about some of their experiences playing together in Episodes 11 and 12 of this podcast.
• La Banane Enchantée was Peter Buchak, Julie Vallimont, and Edward Wallace. Here they are playing in Atlanta in 2012.
• Lissa Schneckenburger talks about her experiences playing with Bruce Rosen as Phantom Power in Episode 10 of this podcast.
• Here’s a video of Notorious playing Red Prairie Dawn for a contra dance in 2012
• Audrey mentioned subbing in on fiddle for Elixir

Some odds and endsmentioned in this interview:

• Check out Emily Rush’s contra dance workouts!
• Reign of Love, by Keith Murphy, is the first tune in this set played in a group led by Becky Tracy
• Turtle in the Grass, by Ari Friedman, is the first tune in this video
• Wing Commander Donald Mackenzie, by Phil Cunningham, is the third tune in this Airdance set, starting at 3:09
• Here’s a group of people dancing La Bastringue
• Here’s a recording of The Road to Malvern, the tune Audrey and Julie agree is too crooked to play for a contra dance — they prefer Red Prairie Dawn (see the Notorious video)
• Here’s the Free Raisins’s (non-crooked) recording of Fleur de Mandragore
• L'ange aux patins,the waltz Julie and Audrey mentioned,is the first tune in this set