This page is devoted to listing bands and musicians that play at contra dances. URLs and e-mail addresses are listed when available. New entries, additional information, and changes in information are always welcome. Links to other pages in the www.contradancelinks.com web site are listed at the bottom of the page.

New links are simply new to me, not necessarily new to the World Wide Web. Change in URL means that a link has changed its WWW address or URL.

• Ted Crane provides information and e-mail addresses for a number of bands that play at the Ithaca, New York area dances.
• There is contact information on bands performing for LCD in Yardley.
• Jared Gottlieb provides information about the callers and bands performing at the various sites in Colorado.
• Harold, as part of the California Dance Cooperative, provides a wide range of contact information for a number of bands in the Central California area.
• William R. Ellis provides information about a number of bands and callers in Florida.
• Sharon Rempert gives descriptions and contact information for bands, musicians, and callers in Texas.
• Richard Hart maintains a web page with information about callers and musicians in New Hampshire.
• The CONNtra CONNection lists contra dance bands in Connecticut.
• The Chattahoochee Country Dancers in the Atlanta area have information about area bands and callers and those that visit. Slight change of URL (November 29, 2009)
• The Portland Country Dance Community includes information about bands and callers in the Pacific Northwest.
• The Princeton (New Jersey) Country Dancers has a page of links and information for bands, musicians and callers which play at the Princeton dance.
• The California Dance Co-op in Los Angeles has listings of bands in the area.
• The Spokane Folklore Society provides a list of bands including contra dance groups.
• The Folk Federation of Tasmania has information about dance bands in Tasmania.
• Martin Kiff maintains lists of:
  • English Ceilidh Bands
  • English Folk Dance Bands
  • Scottish Ceilidh Band
    for the webfeet site.
• Set and Turn Single has listings of bands in England, but you'll have to research which ones play for contra dances.
• Down Home Dancing has a list of bands from the Sacramento and San Francisco areas.
• Jeff Spero, on his site, has a list of regional (southern CA) bands.
• The Corvallis Folklore Society has listings for bands in the Pacific Northwest.
• D. E. Pauley keeps track of bands from Florida along with bands that have visited. Slight change of URL (January 24, 2009)

0-9

• 3 O'Clock Shadow is a Ex-Post-Neo Contradance Experience! from the San Francisco Bay area. MySpace page.
• The 3rdSunday String Band is a group of dynamic Chicago musicians dedicated to the preservation and performance of Traditional American Music.

A

• Acoustic Mayhem, based in Iowa City, Iowa plays rollicking tunes, dancing tunes, sing along songs, and a repertoire that ranges from country to Cajun to classical this band entertains everyone from 3 to 103. Change of URL (January 3, 2010)
• The Adobe Brothers play at contra dances in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area. (e-mail only)
• Afro Shillelagh is a mix of old-time fiddle tunes, beat in West African percussion and stir with a Celtic stick with a pinches of music from Brittany, Sweden and Quebec. It is based in Vancouver.
• Airdance, a New England contra dance band, has gone through various incarnations but now includes features Rodney Miller (fiddle), Elvie Miller (piano, accordion), Owen Morrison (guitar, mandolin), and Michael Ayles (flute, tenor banjo, guitar).
• Aisling is a Columbus, Ohio Irish traditional music band playing all of the dance music of Ireland: jigs, reels, polkas, hornpipes, slipjigs, marches, and set dances. MySpace page.
• The Albuquerque Megaband is an open band that plays at the 3rd Saturday dance in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
• Isaac Alderson, Sam Amidon and Keith Murphy play at a variety of venues including contra dances. The band is based in the Bronx, New York. New entry (April 25, 2009)
• All Hat No Cattle plays hot tunes for contra dances and more and is based in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania.
• All Strung Out is unique combination of musicians (Jimmy Drury on piano and Bruce Kanagaki on fiddle) has resulted in a wonderful sound for San Antonio. (e-mail only) Change from URL to e-mail (December 13, 2009)
• Amarillis features Maro Avakian, Donna Isaac and Allison Thompson and has a CD, "Waltzing in the Trees". They are based in Pennsylvania.
• Amazon Creek is an American Celtic band from Eugene, Oregon which plays for contradances and other fun occasions. Their music is rooted in the traditional dance music of Ireland, and Scotland, with strong influence from North American sources and includes strands of Central European, French, and Middle Eastern music.
• The Amidons play music, tells stories and call dances and are from Brattleboro, VT. MySpace page for Peter Amidon. MySpace page for Mary Alice Amidon.
• Sam Amidon, fiddler with Assembly and other groups of musicians now has his own web site. He is based in Vermont and New York. MySpace page.
• Stefan John Amidon plays percussion and other instruments in bands including Magic Foot and Assembly. He lives in Brooklyn, NY. Change of location (March 2, 2009)
• Anadama is a Boston, Massachusetts-based trio of musicians, Amelia Mason, Emily Troll and Bethany Waickman, who play mostly for contra dances.
• Anam Cara unites four players from the Charlotte, North Carolina area with many collective years of performance experience. Instruments played include the bodhran, guitar, trumpet, mandolin, concertina, doumbek, and fiddle.
• Greg Anderson is a contradance musician living and working in the great state of Maine since 1983, has played the hammered dulcimer since 1977, and plays the band with Scrod Pudding, BAJA and The Foot in the Door String Band.
• Kevin J. Anderson plays piano with a number of people on the West Coast.
• Ants in the Pantry is from Asheville, North Carolina and includes Laurie Fisher - Fiddle, Sid Heilbraun - Keyboards, Skip Metheny - Percussion, John Culp - Mandolin, and Barbara Groh - Caller.
• The Appalachian Celtic Consort plays traditional Irish and Scottish music mostly, but also a little old-time and some original compositions with a mix of the local flavor and is based in Charleston, West Virginia.
• Appalachian Storm, hailing from Asheville, North Carolina, plays a steady inflow of old-time and Irish jigs and reels with scattered cajun and original tunes.
• Apple Crisp is a modern contra dance band, based in the Boston, Massachusetts area, featuring teen pianist, Jonathan Fagan. Apple Crisp also has the only vibraphonist playing contras (that they know of!)
• Arabesque plays Arabic and Irish acoustic music on flute and various string instruments for dances and other events in Oklahoma and elsewhere. MySpace page.
• Assembly, formerly known as Popcorn Behavior, is Sam Amidon, Stefan Amidon, Keith Murphy and Thomas Barlett. They are based in New England.
• From Vermont, Atlantic Crossing plays music carried to northern New England and eastern Canada during the European immigration of the last three centuries. MySpace page.
• The California version of Atlantic Crossing was started in 1987 to share traditional music from both sides of the Atlantic and points beyond. Over the years, they have played traditional American music from the Appalachians and Louisiana, the Balkans and Middle East, and now, are playing primarily Celtic music.
• The Atlas Stringband plays old-time southern music in Seattle, Washington. MySpace page.
• Rachel Aucoin is a pianist who plays in band Tidal Wave (Raz-de-Maré) and with other musicians and groups. She is based in Quebec.
• Seth Austen & Beverly Woods play an eclectic variety of international folk music styles including Celtic, Appalachian, Klezmer, eastern European and more on a fantastic array of acoustic instruments combining over 100 resonating strings and are based in New Hampshire.
• Aunt Lu & the Oakland County Allstars come from White Lake, Michigan and includes Judi Morningstar amongst the members. New entry (January 21, 2010)
• The Avant Gardeners include Laura Light, Dave Wiesler, Dan Sebring, and George Paul and are based in Charlottesville, VA.
• Michael Ayles is a Montreal-based musician specializing in the traditional music of Ireland and Quebec and plays with the groups La Part du Queteux and Garton's Crimson Avengers.

B

• The Back Porch Rockers are a family band from Lilburn, Georgia playing Irish fiddle tunes, Southern Banjo tunes, traditional Appalachian music, and old-time Gospel.
• Back Up and Push (Ontario) has been the Hamilton Country Dancers for more than a dozen years and has a repertoire which focuses on the traditional music of the British Isles and French Canada.
• When they were in existence, Back Up and Push played old-time fiddle tunes, honky-tonk, blues, early country, and even some originals and was based in Pennsylvania. Bob Taylor hosts the page.
• One of the hottest bunch of musicians in the Pacific Northwest: Bag o' Tricks, a contra dance band, and their (almost) mirror image, the English country dance band, Tricky Brits, include Dave Bartley, Anita Anderson, and Sande Gillette (Bag o' Tricks), and sweet tunes, new and traditional, when Betsy Cooper joins the band and they morph into Tricky Brits.
• Ed Baggot is a fiddler in Huntsville, Alabama.
• Baile Daire, from Raleigh, North Carolina, plays at Inis Cairde ceili dances and numerous private functions including weddings and parties and plays occasionally at a contra dance, too.
• Balance and Swing is based in Colorado and includes Susan Reading playing fiddle, Tina Gugeler on hammered dulcimer, and John Reading on piano/keyboard. They perform a variety of music blending jigs, reels, hambos, waltzes, and other traditional styles from New England, Europe, and Scandinavia.
• Bambi in the Headlights is a new band out of Dallas, Texas.
• La Banane Enchantée is based in Massachusetts and plays Quebec-influenced musical mayhem including high energy fun music for contra dances and french-canadian dances. New entry (April 18, 2009)
• The Band O'Goshen is of the Indiana Goshen. (e-mail only)
• Eric J. Anderson and Lee Anne Welch are Bandemonium, a fiddle and piano duo from California and no relation to the East Coast based Big Bandemonium. Change of URL (March 22, 2009)
• The Boston-based Bare Necessities play music for English Country and contra dances and feature Earl Gaddis and Mary Lea (violin and viola), Peter Barnes (flute and whistles), and Jacqueline Schwab (piano).
• The Barking Bulldogs play intense and cheerful American old time music for square and contra dances in Denmark with roots in different music styles from American old time music through Scandinavian and Celtic folk music to bluegrass music. MySpace page.
• Since its inception in 1991, The Barn Owl Band, its mainstay gig has ben playing for dances in Ames, Iowa, but it has brought its new sound of the traditional American string band to other locales and included new compositions that add to the tradition.
• Peter Barnes is a musician, especially known for his work on piano and flute and author of books on English Country Dance Tunes and piano accompaniment and is based in New England. MySpace page.
• Barnstorm, featuring Sharon Hartmann, Chris Campbell, Billy Jickell and Lee Simpson, play at dances across Florida. Change of URL (January 26, 2009)
• The Barnstormers play at contra dances in the Eugene, Oregon area. (e-mail only)
• The Doctor of Stuntology, Sam Bartlett who plays with a number of contra musicians and other types, has a site featuring his works. He is based in Indiana. MySpace page.
• Cathy Barton and Dave Para play a range of music from the lively dance tunes they have collected in their home region to old ballads to new songs. They are based in Missouri.
• The Bay Area Fiddlers play at the Dunedin, Florida dance on a regular basis. If you play an acoustic instrument, including fiddle (violin), guitar, banjo, mandolin, bass, piano, harmonica, and dulcimer you are invited to come join them.
• Based in New Mexico and playing at a variety of dances including contra dances, the Bayou Seco sound energetically captures the spirit of the Southwest USA today.
• Washington State based Randal Bays plays Irish fiddle and fingerstyle guitar with a number of musicians and appears at contra dances from time to time.
• Fiddler Andrea Beaton occasionally plays at dances in Canada and the United States. She is based in Cape Breton. New entry (May 31, 2009)
• The description of the players in the Vermont band Beeswax Sheepskin reads as follows: Roger Kahle navigates skillfully between Irish, old-time, swing, and French Canadian styles, Chuck Corman (of The Moving Violations) holds down the low end of the fort with his rock solid bass and dumbek accompaniment and sweet fiddle (Ethan Hazzard-Watkins) and clarinet (Anna Patton) melodies round out the Beeswax sound.
• Ian Bell plays fiddle for concerts, square dances and contra dances and also tells stories at venues in Southern Ontario and elsewhere.
• Mandolin player Michael Mayerfeld Bell is a former member of bands such as The Fiddleheads and the Barn Owl Band has composed tunes recorded by the latter, Fool's Gold and Wild Asparagus. He is based in Wisconsin.
• Megan Beller is a violinist and traditional American and Klezmer fiddler in Baltimore, Maryland. She plays American, Irish, and French Canadian fiddle tunes with her contra dance band Contranella. New entry (April 18, 2009)
• David Combs, David Sealander and Daryl Lopez comprise Bellows Fellows a group from Idaho Falls, Idaho.
• Bellows, Scratchitt, and Pluckitt play at ceilidhs & barn dances in the Nottingham, England area.
• The Berea Castoffs, composed of Alice White, Al White, Atossa Kramer, David Witherspoon and occasionally Elise Melrood play on most 4th Saturdays each month at the Berea, Kentucky dance.
• The Berlin Country Orchestra plays on a regular basis in Berlin, Massachusetts and other locations. Change of URL (November 22, 2009)
• Mary Bertke played with the the Columbus, Ohio band Aisling.
• The Beverwyck String Band first convened in Albany, NY and soon found themselves playing for dancing girl scouts. They worked their way up to sweaty adults and have subsequently found themselves on the dance and performance stages around the northeast (Old Songs, Falcon Ridge, Clearwater, etc).
• Ray Bierl plays everything from cowboy ballads, Appalachian fiddle tunes, vintage rock and roll hits, Tin Pan Alley songs to country classics. He is based in Oakland, California. New entry (April 18, 2009)
• Big Bad Contra is a dance band from the UK playing mostly in the East Midlands for Contra evenings, and including many American and French-Canadian tunes in its repertoire.
• Big Bandemonium featuring Lise Brown, Van Kaynor, Keith Murphy, Dave Langford, Corey DiMario, Brian Bender, Adam Scott, Peter Barnes, and Becky Tracy is based in Massachusetts. MySpace page.
• The The repertoire of the Big Bluestem String Band is an eclectic mix of fiddle tunes, old-time string band music, bluegrass and historic tunes, with an occasional sprinkling of swing and the blues. The band is based in Illinois. New entry (April 18, 2009)
• Big Medicine plays string band music of the rural South: old-time melodies and mountain harmonies, ancient ballads and archaic fiddle tunes, heart songs, hollers, hymns, and a touch of early bluegrass. MySpace page.
• Big Moose, composed of David Quimby, Jim Vekasi, Emma Watson, David Towle, Charlie Richardson, Ruth Grierson, Chuck Donnelly and Keith Davis play at the Bar Harbor dance in Maine. (e-mail only)
• Big Table features prominent players from both the southern and northern dance music traditions. From this blend emerges a strong rhythmic groove over which the fiddle and accordian dance together. The group is based in New England.
• Northcentral Pennsylvania's Black Bear Crossing's repertoire includes tunes found in the Celtic lands of Ireland, Scotland and Wales, selections with an Eastern European flavor, as well as traditional and Old Timey American favorites.
• Black River Ironworks plays at dances in Ohio and neighboring areas. (e-mail only)
• Montpelier, Vermont's Sarah Blair is plays fiddle as a member of The Sevens and plays with other musicians and at dances from time to time.
• Rex Blazer plays music with a variety of musicians and bands and is based in Alaska.
• Blue Eyed Girl of Asheville, North Carolina is the coalescence of three young women whose roots sink deep into traditional music and dance.
• Blue Jersey is a contra-dance string band from Princeton, NJ with Frank Ruck, Ellen Ruck, Louise McClure and Mike Sutton.
• The Boston based Blue Moose and the Unbottoned Zippers brews up a tasty mix of traditional music infused with startling rhythms and innovative arrangements taking from the rooted traditions of many cultures. MySpace page.
• The Blue Ridge Rounders are a hard driving, fun loving old time stringband whose music rides the cusp of the old mountain way to the traditional bluegrass sound based in Stecoah Valley, North Carolina. MySpace page. Added MySpace page (January 23, 2009)
• While specializing in cowboy/western music, bluegrass, and the folk songs of the west, Blue Sage Trio plays, on occasion, at contra dances, especially in Idaho and Utah.
• While Michigan's Blue Water Ramblers mostly sing extraordinary folk music, they occasionally do play at a contra dance.
• Bluegrass Stomp for dances and other events as a duet, trio or a full bluegrass band. They are based in California.
• Blunn Creek traditional New England contra dance tunes and modern creations throughout Texas. Sharon Rempert gives the info.
• Greg Boardman plays violin, but also on viola, cello and bass, at dances and other events in Maine and elsewhere.
• The Body Snatchers feature Frank Hoppe and Joe Wack and are based in California. (e-mail only)
• The Bog Wanderers is a ceili band that plays for Irish country dancing but also plays music for contra dances. They are based in Maryland and the Washington, D.C. area.
• The Boise ContraBand is an ensemble of talented musicians who play new and used Celtic music in and around Boise, Idaho.
• Bondeaux Redux plays oldtime wangy twangy music with gumption in Augusta, ME. (e-mail only).
• Bonnie Insull and Richard Scher play together as Bonfire, by themselves or with other musicians from time to time. The band is based in California. (e-mail only)
• Born Old is Doug Van Gundy and Paul Gartner. They have been playing together since 1997, and have learned or stolen from the best traditional musicians in the state of West Virginia. They play traditional old-time music from West Virginia with occasional forays into early country music from the 78 rpm era.
• While the initial focus of Boru, a San Antonio, Texas band, was music in the Irish tradition, the set list now draws from a much more varied body of musical traditions. Change in URL (January 2, 2010)
• The Boulder Bogtrotters are an eclectic dance band playing a sometimes mystifying variety of instruments. They indulge in a mix of southern Appalachian, New England, Celtic, Ragtime and other tunes with energy and abandon and are based in Boulder, Colorado. (e-mail only)
• Bob Bovee and Gail Heil play everything from square dance tunes to authentic cowboy songs to yodels & tin pan alley favorites and are based in Minnesota.
• The Bow Rockers include Nancy Neithammer on fiddle, Rusty Neithammer on fiddle, banjo, and guitar, Paul Sidlick on banjo and guitar, Margaret Sidlick on banjo and uke, and Tom Shaffer on bass. Their focus is on Southern Appalachian old-time string band music. They are based in Pennsylvania. Change of URL (November 27, 2009)
• The Bowdoinham String Band plays at venues from dances to farmers' markets and tunes from Irish and Scottish to American roots from the South and West. The band is based in Maine.
• Ryan Bowers plays instruments ranging from the bodhran to the bass for contra dance and bluegrass bands along with some singing gigs in Alaska.
• Adam Boyce is a caller and musician from West Windsor, Vermont. He primarily calls Eastern style square dances (fiddle and call at the same time), but also does some old-fashioned contra dancing/prompting/music with the Ed Larkin Contra Dancers (e-mail only) Change of location (November 28, 2009)
• The Boys of the Hock' play intstrumental interpretations of Irish traditional music weaving together lively jigs and reels, stately hornpipes, and haunting airs to bring the sounds of Ireland to the hills of Appalachia and to their home base in Ohio. MySpace page. Added MySpace page (April 25, 2009)
• Bo Bradham is a fiddler in Virginia.
• Stuart Brand plays fiddle for the Columbus, Ohio based band, Aisling.
• Mary Cay Brass has been playing for traditional New England contra dances all over the country since the early 1980's on both piano and accordion. She is based in southern Vermont. Change of URL (November 22, 2009)
• The Bristol Players, featuring Edward Jay on accordion and Fiona Barrow on fiddle, play at conta dances in England and the United States.
• Brittany Bay is an acoustic quartet from Cincinnati, Ohio which draws upon music from New England, the British Isles, and French Canada and takes a new approach to the traditional folk dance music.
• Ashley Broder is known for her work on mandolin, guitar, and violin and plays at a contra dance every once and a while. She is based in Asheville, North Carolina. MySpace page.
• The Broken String Band plays on a frequent basis in Bozeman, Montana. (e-mail only)
• Lise Brown is a saxophonist, flutist, arranger, composer and is well-known for work in the bands Big Bandemonium and Dark Carnival. She is based in Western Massachusetts. (e-mail only) Change from URL to e-mail (January 4, 2009)
• Matt Brown plays old-time traditional music on fiddle with a variety of musicians and performers and is based in Pennsylvania. MySpace page.
• The Brook String Farm Band plays on a regular basis at the dances in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
• Dave Brown played with Wild Thyme for a number of years and now plays with ConTradition and Skylark. He is based in England.
• Members of the Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin based Bubble and Squeak play for dances there along with weddings, private parties and receptions.
• The Buckle Busters play avant-garde music for archaic times and are based in Salt Lake City, Utah.
• An traditional Celtic band from Georgia, The Buddy O'Reilly Band plays the occasional contra dance. Sarah Vegotsky maintains the page.
• Christa Burch gives voice and plays bodhran for the band, the California band, The Syncopaths.
• The Burning Desire String Band, was started over 25 years to work with caller Frederick Park, with music from Southern Appalachian big sets and squares to smooth New England contras and quadrilles, yes, and even to the blues! The band is based in Swannanoa, North Carolina.
• The Bursledon Village Band is based near Southampton on the South Coast of the U.K.
• The Bushwood Mill Band plays at concerts, jams, and dances in and around Chaptico, Maryland.
• Buzzstep is a Kentucky-based contra dance band including Cary Ravitz on fiddle, Richard King on piano, and Steve Bennett on drums.
• While Buzzard's Bayou plays mostly zydeco and cajun music, the Cape Cod, Massachusetts based band also plays at an occasional contra dance.

C

• Cabernet Sauvignon includes the talents of Karen Ashbrook, David Wiesler, Andrea Hoag and Paul Oorts, each nationally and internationally known in diverse genres, and is based in Maryland.
• Cabin Fever!, a band from Columbia, South Carolina, plays traditional music, mostly for contra dances.
• The Cacklin' Hens & Roosters Too play Old Time Music for dancing, dancing, and dancing in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
• Cactus Canyon is San Antonio's local long-standing contra band, formed in 1985. They've played mostly for contra dances, but have also played for the annual Victorian Gala (and other Fiesta events), the San Antonio Folklife Festival, and for various other public events as well as for the occasional wedding. Change from URL to e-mail (January 2, 2010)
• Calenda Maia plays traditional folk music with a modern and sometimes untraditional sensibility. The band is based in Guilford, CT and its repertoire includes tunes and songs ranging from Irish to bluegrass to medieval dance music.
• Calliope Creek (Janet Ashford on violin and Chet Boddy on guitar and banjo) plays sweet and lively Celtic and American folk music for weddings, parties, dances, receptions and fund-raising events in Mendocino.
• Calliope House is rooted in Celtic, old-time and folk traditions and banded together in 2003 in Oklahoma City.
• Along with his regular schedule of concerts and other events, Duncan Cameron occasionally plays at a contra dance in Canada.
• The Canote Brothers, are from Seattle, Washington. Greg on fiddle, and Jere on guitar, and both on banjo ukes, perform zany concerts, play for dances, lead songs and promote a good time! Change of URL (March 22, 2009)
• Cantabile plays music in a variety of genres from classical to dance music and for events ranging from receptions to community dances. The band is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• The Cantrells feature Al and Emily Cantrell and play bluegrass, western, western swing, Irish fiddle tunes, original contradance tunes, jazz standards, and even an occasional Broadway "hit." They are based in Tennessee. MySpace page.
• Wayne Cantwell of Del City, Oklahoma, occasionally plays at contra dances. MySpace page.
• The Caravan Band plays at various dances in New Hampshire. Change of URL and name of band (November 23, 2009)
• Julianne Carney has performed with Jay Z at Radio City Music Hall but also plays fiddle at barn dances in New York City.
• Bonnie Carol plays the hammered and fretted dulcimers as well as bodhran, folk drums and hand percussion as a soloist and as part of some contra dance bands in Colorado.
• The Carolina Chocolate Drops are based in Durham, North Carolina and are a group of young African-American stringband musicians that have come to together to play the rich tradition of fiddle and banjo music in Carolinas' piedmont. MySpace page.
• Carolina Gator Gumbo is your Carolina Connection Cajun Band. John Bishop maintains the site.
• Deb Carstensen has, since 1991 performed with various bands including Highstrung, Celtic Fair, All in Good Time, Conundrum, Unstrung Heroes and Deb and the Pariahs with what some call a "Denver" style of Celtic music because there are influences creeping in from old timey music and other traditional Colorado music styles.
• Cascade Crossing plays contra dance music that touches on many styles of music, from baroque to klezmer to hard driving reels to smooth mysterious jigs and is based in Oregon and Washington State.
• While it is rare now for Hanneke Cassel to play at a contra dance, this Boston based fiddler has played them in the past. MySpace page.
• Catharsis (Maine edition) (Paul D'Alessio, Michele Roy, Zeba Weidler, & Fred White) unleashes their high-grade traditional music at festivals, squaredances, contradances, and special events from coast to coast. Catharsis regularly plays at dance halls throughout their home state of Maine, and they work with some of New England's finest callers. (e-mail only)
• The Cat's Whiskers Barn Dance Band plays ceilidhs, barn dances and hoe-downs right across England, from Northumberland to Southampton and from Essex to Wessex.
• Cattywampas with Tim Cape (fiddle), Scott Russell (guitar), Pete Senkowski (bass), plays in the Atlanta, Georgia area. (e-mail only)
• The Celery City Sodbusters are based in Kalamazoo, Michigan and play at dances in the area. (e-mail only)
• The Celtibillies are a versatile performance and dance band from Virginia. The band includes Becky Barlow, Jack Hinshelwood, Bob Thomas, Jeff Hofman and Tim Sauls. Their music celebrates the connection between the traditions of Appalachia and Celtic Britain.
• In his "Celtic Traditional Music Bands in Fairbanks (and Alaska)" page, Gary Newman supplies information about Celtic Confusion.
• Pat Ryan's Celtic Junket is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and performs statewide at contra dances, festivals, and other events. Change of URL (January 30, 2010)
• The Celtic Knots are from Connecticut and include Cynthia Eller, Dana Plazcek, Casie Runkle and Jeff Friedman.
• Celtic Myst, featuring Steve Hedges, Mark Moschell and Will Watt played at the Indianapolis, Indiana dance on October 20, 2009.
• Celticladda is Randy Miller's contra dance band, with Tom Hodgson and Eric Anderson and is based in New Hampshire and plays melodic, vibrant, exciting dance music with a Celtic twist.
• Colorado's Ceol Ceili includes Steve Hart, Kari Wilson, Heidi McClure, and Ron Sommers and play Celtic music and then some. MySpace page.
• Ceol Cridhe are three musicians based in Frankfort, Kentucky, begins a concert. Jack Twombly, Bob Cox, and Bryn Bowen Cox share a love and passion for the traditional music of Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, as well as the lesser-known Celtic cultures of Brittany and Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. (e-mail only)
• Les Chauffeurs á pieds travel as their name suggests: by the stomp and tap of their feet. Since they have been taping out their jigs and reels in Quebec and abroad. MySpace page.
• Changeling is the Celtic music duo of guitarist/singer Karl Clark Colón and fiddler Deborah Clark Colón.
• Presenting traditional and original songs and tunes in Québécois, Cajun French, and English, Chanterelle is based in western Massachusetts. Change in URL (November 22, 2009)
• The Chelsea String Band, named after a neighborhood in Manhattan and featuring Alan Friend, Michaela Hamilton and Dotty Moore, play at contra dances along with their other gigs. Change of URL (November 27, 2009)
• From St. Louis, Missouri, the band, Chicks with Guns features Barbara Weathers, Billy Mathews, and Tom Hall. Change from URL to e-mail (January 2, 2010)
• Chicory is a dance band based in Illinois. Not fancy. A couple of fiddles, a guitar, a bass, but it puts energy into the dancers' feet and makes them never want to stop.
• Although based in Boston, Childsplay has members from at least seven states and two countries who play instruments made by Bob Childs. MySpace page.
• Chilli Jam plays on a regular basis at the dance in Wellington, New Zealand.
• Chopped Liver is a Santa Barbara / Los Angeles based band featuring Michael Mendelson on fiddle, Jeff Spero on piano, Suzanne Duffy on flute and Bill Flores on mandolin, banjo, dobro and tenor sax. They play music from many traditions (including quite a few original compositions) with a driving groove and shameless improvisation.
• The Chordwood String Band are five good friends from the Seattle area who play lively and entertaining old-time music for contra and square dances, festivals, fairs and parties.
• The Circle of Friends Dance Band is the resident band for the Home on the Range Community Dance Association and has performed widely throughout northern Minnesota since 1996. Circle of Friends plays traditional American and Irish music for contra dances, house dances, weddings, concerts, and other special occasions.
• Ciunas is a San Diego area band of four young musicians sharing the tradition and innovation of Celtic music. MySpace page.
• While Clan White Thorn plays mostly at Civil War (United States) dances, it does play at the occasional contra dance.
• The Clayfoot Strutters play contra dance music from the New England, Appalachian, Irish, Quebecois and other traditions, laid over a hot bed of Texas swing, Cajun, Zydeco, and Afropop. They are primarily based in Vermont but play coast to coast
• The Clearfork Valley String Band is an Ohio based band with members spanning three generations. The band performs traditional fiddle-based music with a purity that transcends trends and gimmicks.
• Clusterfolk is based in Arizona and primarily plays for Contradance, but does a wide variety of Irish and Celtic tunes.
• The Coalhouse Klezmer Band plays high intensity klezmer music for weddings, bar mitzvahs, and contra dances and is based in Baltimore, Maryland. MySpace page. Added MySpace page (November 29, 2009)
• Flynn Cohen has played with musicians and groups including Adrienne Young & Little Sadie, Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble, Joe Derrane & Frank Ferrell, and Lissa Schneckenburger. He is based in Massachusetts.
• From the Pennsylvania/New Jersey area, Col. Mike's Dance Band is composed of John Krumm, Bob Pasquarello, and Bob Stein. (e-mail only)
• The Cold River Band consists of Marcos Levy, Mary Barron, and Eric Baierlein, and their repertoire ranges from the Celtic traditions to traditional music from South America and Europe.
• Matt Combs plays fiddle and mandolin with the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble, groups such as Sub-ID and has taught at the Blair School of Music and Mark O'Connor's Fiddle Camp. He is based in Nashville, Tennessee. MySpace page.
• Sarah Comer plays fiddle for contra dances along at other venues and teaches private lessons and a beginning American fiddle class in the Puyallup, Washington area. MySpace page.
• Comes When Called played in Gainesville, Florida on August 2, 2009 and features Kathie Aagard (fiddle), Rich Crew (recorder), Susan Marynowski (piano and percussion), and John McEwen (banjo).
• The Common Taters have a bunch of fun playing and singing traditional old-time stringband music for dances, festivals, weddings, and other events in the Chicago area. MySpace page. Added MySpace page (January 2, 2010)
• Based in Oakland, California, the Compound Meters (e-mail only)
• Confluence from Olean NY, consists of Nadine Dyskant-Miller on flute and foot percussion and Barbara Dyskant on keyboards and features music of Quebec, Ireland, New England, Europe, and elsewhere, plus contemporary sounds and rhythms and original material.
• The Conjugal Visitors are based in Eugene, Oregon and play a unique mix of Mountain Dance music, bluegrass, jazz, old-time country and jug/folk.
• Liz Constable plays in The Sevens, Rumbelstrip, Chanterelle, and the Blue Ox Swing Band. She is based in New Hampshire. MySpace page.
• The Contra Banditos play traditional New England Contra Dance music with just a twist of Lemon! i.e. We might throw in the Texas Tango (David Lindley) or Bob Dylans I'll Be Your Baby Tonight (in waltz time of course) just for the fun of it here or there (there being Groton, Massachusetts).
• The Contra Dance Open Band plays with the band, Contradictions, at dance events in the Los Angeles, California area. They invite musicians of all skill levels to join the Contradictions on stage for an evening of music, fun and the unexpected. They play Old Time Hoe Downs, Irish Reels & Jigs, Bluegrass, Marches, French Canadian Reels and Waltzes.
• Contra Loco features Pan Chan on fiddle, banjo and mandolin, Barb Kirchner on piano, Phil Pitha on accordion and Rudi as "the loco dog". The band is based in Massachusetts.
• The Contra Mantra is Barb Schmid and Ryck Kaiser on fiddles and Jill Smith on piano. The band plays Appalachian tunes and is based in south central Pennsylvania. (e-mail only)
• The Contra Rebels is an old-time southern-style band led by York County fiddler Todd Clewell, with Henry Koretzky on guitar and mandolin. The group specializes in playing contradances and square dances in a circuit ranging from New York to Georgia, and is often augmented by banjo and bass.
• Contraband (U.K.) is based in Kent. The band's repertoire includes traditional folk music, our own compositions, Irish, traditional American and even some Scottish tunes with many "new" tunes and arrangements being introduced.
• From Brasstown, North Carolina, Contraindicated plays in the Carolinas and other nearby states. (e-mail only)
• The Contradictions is Laurie Hart on fiddle, Rick Manning on fiddle and mandolin, Tom Hodgson on guitar, and Dave Davies on bass and vocals. They offer an eclectic mix of fiddle tunes and songs from American and European traditions. They are headquartered in New York State.
• The Pacific Coast version of the ContraDictions consists of Ann and Jim Kosinski, Barbara Whitney, and Patty McCollom. They are based in California.
• ConTradition features Dave Brown on fiddle, Julia Day on keyboards and Shane Day on accordion and plays everything from Playford to contra in the UK.
• Contranella is composed of father and daughter John and Meg Wobus with Charley Beller and is based in Syracuse, New York area.
• The Contraptions are a Philadelphia based contra band and have had fun playing together since June 2006.
• Maine's Contrapuntal Iguanas plays music for contra dances & parties and features Maggie Robinson (fiddle), Glen Loper (Mandolin) Jeff Raymond (guitar) and Tony Simmons (bass). (e-mail only)
• Hailing from West Virginia, the Contrarians are comfortable in a variety of styles and traditions: Celtic, New England, swing, and of course, old-time (Appalachian). They also write original material. With rhythmic variety, occasional glimpses of ethnic music, and unique improvisations, dancers let loose and never lose interest in the music. MySpace page.
• Contratopia, featuring John Goodin on the mandolin, Eric Sessions on the fiddle, Patrice Pakiz on keyboard, oboe, and percussion, and Pat O'Loughlin on concertina and banjo, is based in Minnesota.
• Contrazz combines the improvisational style and solos of a jazz band with a repertoire of traditional Celtic, Quebecois and American old-time music for dances in North Carolina.
• Shane Cook is a London, Ontario based fiddler who plays across North America with Brian Pickell, Troy MacGillivray and Jake Charron as well as with Bowfire. ÊAs a Canadian and US National Fiddle Champion he plays in a variety of traditional styles including Ottawa Valley, Irish and Scottish. New entry (March 8, 2010)
• Corkscrew are an entertaining established band providing music and fun for all ages. The band is based in Poole in Dorset, England.
• The Corndrinkers include Tom Duffee (banjo), Barbara Kuhns (fiddle), Linda Scutt (fiddle), Doug Smith (guitar), and Al Turnbull (bass), are based in the Springfield-Troy area of southwestern Ohio and have played for more than 25 years. You should be able to contact them by e-mail.
• Andi Hearn and Davey Mathias are the members of Corner House, based in Columbia, South Carolina and playing Irish traditional music in the Carolinas.
• Back in the first few years of the century, fiddler Laura Cortese played at contra dances, but these days she is better known for touring nationally with indie rock/folk drummer Neil Cleary. She is based in Massachusetts. MySpace page.
• The Cosmic Otters are the Chicago based duo of Jonathan Whitall on fiddle and Meg Dedolph on guitar playing Celtic music for contra dancing.
• While John Coté started playing the guitar following the chops of Eddie Van Halen, he has added traditional dance music, mandolin and fiddle while living in Maine. MySpace page.
• Country Capers plays lively New England, Cape Breton, and Irish reels and jigs, beautiful and intricate Scandinavian melodies, pulsating Cajun tunes, and stompin' Appalachian hoedowns in Washington State. New entry (April 18, 2009)
• The Coyote Contraband with Bill Trainor, Arlene Jamar, Char Berta, Frank Gallardo, David Wright, and Susan Jones and caller Bob O'Brien, play American old-time, Irish, New England, French-Canadian, and other dance music in the Sacramento, California area. Change of URL (March 22, 2009)
• The Crabapples are a contra dance band from Monterey, California.
• The Crested Hens were the Celtic Band of Montana's Bitterroot Valley and played at dances in the area.
• Crooked Kilt, based in Spokane, Washington, is a unique source of Celtic and other styles of music.
• Crooked Stovepipe remains available for parties, dances, junkets etc. in Portland, Maine. (e-mail only)
• Crossing the Millstone, including Michael Bell on fiddle, Jane McCarty on whistles, Larry Koplik on piano, and John MacDonald on mandolin and recorder, played at the Princeton, New Jersey dance on a regular basis.
• Bill Porter and Maniac Mikey are the members of the Atlanta-based Crosstown Traffic. (e-mail only)
• Crowfoot, featuring Adam Broome, Jaige Trudel and Nicholas Williams plays contemporary dance music from the Celtic traditions and is based in Maine. MySpace site.
• The Cumberland Tenderfoots play for dances and other events in Nashville, Tennessee.
• Bill and Patti Cummings are a duo that play Old Time from the mountains of North Carolina, Cajun String Band music from the Southwestern prairies of Louisiana, Irish, and Scottish music from Cape Breton (Celtic) from Arizona to Kansas and Missouri. (e-mail only)
• From Central California, the Curmudgeons (e-mail only)
• The Currawong Bush Band plays traditional Australian bush music for bush dances and other events in and around Sydney. Change of URL (March 6, 2010)

D

• Danance, featuring Frank Javorsek, Marsha Trochim, Nancy Sell, Paul Schwerdt, Dan McMahon, Pete Gregory & Wayne Slater-Lunsford plays at the Lancaster, California dance on a regular basis.
• The Dancing Bears are a contra dance band from Asheville, North Carolina and feature Daniel Sivalia on fiddle and harmonica, Mark Langner on guitar, John Culp on mandolin and banjo and Skip Metheny on bass.
• Dancing Trout of Pullman, Washington plays foot-stompin contra dance reels and songs to transport you to old-time Appalachia. (e-mail only) Change of e-mail address (March 21, 2009)
• Dandelion Wine, featuring Pan Chan, Phil Pitha and Julie Vallimont plays a mix of New England, Irish, Scottish, French-Canadian, and Appalachian tunes mixed with a little bit of blues and ragtime.
• Dank is a contra dance band hailing from Bradford, Pennsylvania and includes John Siepierski, Brian Thompson, Jason Wood, and Vanere Maynard.
• Santa Barbara's Dannsair plays Irish music with jazz, classical and traditional Irish sensibilities. MySpace page.
• Dark Carnival is comprised of Mary Lea, Peter Barnes and Lise Brown and plays Irish, Contra, English Country Dance, Waltzes, Swing, Vintage or as Peter Barnes puts it, "we'll-play-whatever-you-throw-at-us-and have-a-good-time-doing-it trio" including rent parties. The band is based in Massachusetts. Change of URL (November 22, 2009)
• Dark of the Moon, a women's band based in Madison, Wisconsin, plays traditional music from the the British Isles, America, Scandinavia, and other countries for dancing and listening. They specialize in music for contradancing, such as jigs and reels, and also play waltzes, polkas, schottisches, folk songs, and other traditional music. Mary Mullen and Bonnie Gruber provide the information.
• Andy Davis has been dancing since 1976 and playing accordion and calls dances as well as playing banjo and piano since that time. He is based in southern Vermont.
• Based in South Carolina, Anna and Shellie Davis and the Unnamed Bluegrass Band plays fresh bluegrass and acoustic music from the midlands of South Carolina. New entry (November 28, 2009)
• The work of Peter Davis ranges from the Clayfoot Strutters to Reggie's Red Hot Feetwarmers to many places in between. He is based in New York State.
• Deb and the Pariahs play an accordion, bagpipe and banjo (along with a fiddle) all at one time on one stage and are based in Colorado.
• The group Deux Francois is based in Tampa, Florida. (e-mail only)
• Living in the Carolinas, David DiGiuseppe is a singer, accordionist, mandolinist, and Irish cittern player. Change of URL (November 29, 2009)
• Bassist Corey DiMario is based in Brooklyn and plays with a variety of musicians. Change of URL (November 27, 2009)
• Distant Star is based in the New Jersey/Pennsylvania area and includes Susie Lorand, Judi Stellar, Bob Pasquarello, & Kathy Talvitie. (e-mail only)
• The Dixie Butterhounds are based in Massachusetts and play southern Appalachian fiddle tunes and songs, though they also branch out into rags and bluesy numbers as well.
• Bob & Lynn Dixon hail from Minneapolis, Minnesota and play as a duo and in bands such as Danebodium.
• The Dog Branch Cats played in Brasstown, North Carolina on August 1, 2009.
• From Connecticut, Dogtown, comprised of Becky Miller (fiddle, piano); Tom Randall (piano, banjo, guitar, mandolin); and Norb Spencer (accordion) play old time country songs, honkey-tonk swing, and hot northern and southern fiddle tunes.
• Ned Boyer, Marie Bruno, Michelle Nosco, Emil Olguin are the members of Dogwood, a Los Angeles, California band. (e-mail only)
• The Donnybrook Lads feature the talents of Alison Arnold, Jeff Engel, Colin Cannell and Buz Lloyd and is based in Cary, Raleigh and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. New entry (November 28, 2009)
• Ruthie Dornfeld, fiddle player, is fluent in a wide range of styles, from Celtic and old-time to Scandinavian and Eastern European and is based in the Pacific Northwest.
• Dot-dot-dash performs live acoustic music in Celtic, Appalachian dance, Old-time and Gypsy-jazz stylings, performing around Virginia's New River Valley. They also have a MySpace site.
• Dr. Hojka's Medicine Show is a Chicago, Illinois based band which plays a mix of Midwestern and Southern old-time fiddle tunes with a piano back up. New entry (April 25, 2009)
• Dragonfly plays wonderfully eclectic collection of trio arrangements of Scottish, Irish, French, Renaissance, and contemporary folk tunes in Binghamton and other parts of upstate New York.
• Driver Parks Nicely is a Virginia-based band that plays Progressive Medicine Show music- a lively mix of blues, swing and vintage country, gospel, old-time mountain music- whatever it takes for a trio of string band musicians to just hop out of the wagon and get things shakin'.
• Driving With Fergus, is a Northern California band featuring Lewis Santer (guitar and Irish bouzouki) and Vince Wolfe (flute, whistle, pipes, drum) which plays the traditional dance music and songs of Ireland.
• June Drucker is well known in the old time music scene for her bass playing in the Heartbeats, The Horseflies, Big Table and the Tractor Family. She is based in New York State. New entry (April 18, 2009)
• Duck for the Oyster specializes in traditional music for dancing, from 18th and 19th century America as well as a variety of dances from around the world and play a regular dance series in northwestern Wisconsin featuring squares, contras, reels, quadrilles, international, circle and round dances.
• Bill Dudley plays guitar in several old-time and contradance bands in Florida along with engineering, recording and interviewing performers for various sound and radio programs. MySpace page. Added main page (November 29, 2009)
• The Dunehoppers are an old-time string band from St. Augustine, Florida.

E

• In Australia, Earthly Delights plays music and lead dances in many traditional styles, they also cross traditional boundaries, mixing medieval and modern instruments and blending Anglo-Celtic, Central European, Latin American and Middle-Eastern melodic, harmonic and rhythmic styles to produce new and exhilarating music. For those that won't be making Down Under in the near future, you can buy "A Box of Earthly Delights", their 2 CD set, which includes instructions for the dances played on the CDs. John Garden supports the site.
• The Eastern Trio is a Maine band whose primary focus is to play traditional music (Celtic music to Southern Appalachian Old Time music as well as contra dance styles from New England and Eastern Canada) for dances. (e-mail only)
• The Eclectic Dance Orchestra, composed of Howard Hamm, Mark Vincent, Paul Rice, Joe De Paolo and Charlie Tokarz and play traditional and rock 'n' roll contra dances. The band is based in New York State. Change of URL (November 27, 2009)
• Rachel Eddy plays fiddle, clawhammer banjo and mandolin with fellow old-time and Irish music musicians and is a member of the Morgantown Rounders in West Virginia.
• Rushad Eggleston's interest range from Rock to New Wave to Americana and has played cello with Childsplay, Lissa Schneckenburge and Hanneke Cassel. He is based in Los Angeles, California.
• Eric Eid-Reiner is based in Arlington, Massachusetts and plays at contra dances from time to time but his influences range from traditional fiddle tunes to jazz, from Jewish music to modern folk, from ragtime to the blues. MySpace page.
• einstein's little homunculus plays at an increasing number of contra dances in New England.
• Elderberry Jam played in Greenville, North Carolina on September 13, 2008.
• The Elephants Of Style play in the Pacific northwest and British Columbia. (e-mail only)
• The Elftones play a blend of Irish, Scottish, Canadian, old-time, and original tunes for contra dances, weddings, parties, and just about anywhere people like to twirl and swing and have a great time and are based in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Virgil Sealy provides the information.
• Elixir is a contra dance band that believes in ensuring that the big brass sound plays a role in the music. The band is based in Vermont.
• The Elk Creek Family Band from Sullivan County, Pennsylvania plays at a variety of venues including contra dances.
• Kerry Elkin has been of one of New England's finest dance fiddlers for the past 30 years and has performed with Childsplay, Wild Asparagus, Fresh Fish, and The Geese in the Bog, as well as being featured in small ensembles with musicians such as Mark Roberts, Laurel Martin, Dave Surette, and Mark Simos. Kerry's music has been enjoyed throughout the United States, Ireland and Sweden in dance halls, pubs and music festivals. He passed away on August 22, 2009.
• The Emeralds are a group of young musicians from Alaska who play everything from Bluegrass to Celtic to jazz.
• The English Contra Dance Band are based in England and feature fiddle players Jackie Allen and Linda Game and piano player Gareth Kiddier.
• Erwynne's Mash is the Erwin family ceilidh band from Oberlin, Ohio. (e-mail only)
• In New Mexico, the Estrotones feature Barbara Herrington, Marjorie Mullany, and Nancy FryeWeaver.
• The Ethnic Connection performs Jewish Klezmer music, as well as Balkan Folk Dance music and is based in Michigan.
• The Eugene City Barnstormers play at square dances, contra dances, weddings, parties in and around Eugene, Oregon.
• Euphoria Stringband from Two Foot Falls, Kansas, specializes in Old-Time music.
• Extended Roots is an acoustic band comprised of 13 women from the East (San Francisco) Bay Area playing predominately traditional music from the roots of America such as 'Old-Time', 'Celtic' and 'Bluegrass'.

F

• Paul Fackler plays traditional and neo-traditional music on the fiddle. He is based in North Carolina.
• The Fall Creek Delta Boys continue to play on a periodic basis at the Indianapolis, Indiana dance.
• The Falmouth Fiddlers used to sponsor a contra dance on Cape Cod, Massachusetts and still play together in concert and in sessions.
• La Famille Leger is a family band playing the music of Quebec and New Brunswick and is based in Seattle, Washington.
• The band, Far Horizons, plays traditional southern, New England, Cape Breton, bluegrass, celtic reels and jigs and original dance tunes, along with a large variety of waltzes for contra dances and other events in North Carolina.
• The Fast Pesos plays a blend of Appalachian fiddle tunes and songs from the Civil War into the 1920's, as well as music learned from the revivalist string bands 1960's to the present. Photos of the group can be found on a page. You can e-mail Tom Adler for more information.
• Fat Weasel has been playing in Anchorage and around Alaska for a few years now and it features Steve Montooth, guitar; Jason Bent, fiddle; Brian DeMarcus, banjo-bass-caller-clogger; Aileen McInnis, bass; and Christy Williams, vocals and banjo-uke. They play hard driving Appalachian Old Time String Band Music. (e-mail only)
• Faultline features Betsy Branch on fiddle, Bobbi Nikles on fiddle and Paul Kotapis on guitar and mandolin.
• Fiddle player Frank Ferrel plays at a contra dance on occasion along with his many concerts and maintains the traditions of Dudley Square in Boston. Site has problems (January 5, 2009)
• Fetchin' Cat features Jim Tolles, Scott Russell, and Tim Higgins and is based in Atlanta, Georgia. (e-mail only)
• The Fiddle Fire aka Panning Family Band specializes in traditional, foot stomping fiddle music, as well as gospel bluegrass for events ranging from dances to corporate parties and is based in Michigan.
• Adam Sweet (fiddle) and Brian Bender (piano) comprise Fiddle Hill, a contra dance band based in Western Massachusetts. You can also find them on their Myspace page or on Adam Sweet's MySpace page.
• Fiddle Tunas based in Santa Barbara / San Luis Obispo. Members are Michael Mendelson on fiddle, Amber Roullard-Mueller on piano, and Tom Wolverton on banjo and dobro.
• New Haven's venerable contradance band, The Fiddleheads, include Jim Sirch (banjo, whistles, and bodrhan), Willow Sirch (fiddle), Gary Wikfors (mandolin and mando-ephemera) and Norman Plankey (guitar) with appearances by Colin Healy (fiddle/mandolin) and other local musicians. Norman Plankey designed and maintains the page. MySpace page.
• Fiddlehedz plays at dances and concerts in Maine along with organizing jam sessions.
• The Fiddlerats are Carolien McCaskey, Cole Ingraham, Terrell Liedstrand and Eric Anderson, a new group from northern California. MySpace page.
• FiddleSticks is a Utah family band that performs folk songs and traditional tunes from the Celtic lands, from England, and from America and plays at an occasional contra dance.
• Fiddlin' Around is an all-strings dance band, which would play for the UK's emerging high energy contra dance scene, as well as the English ceilidh circuit. Change of URL (April 3, 2010)
• The Fiery Gizzard Old Time String Band is based in South Pittsburg, Tennessee occasionally plays at dances along with other events.
• The Figments are a mix of northern and southern styles and repetoires and include Ethan Hazzard-Watkins, Anna Patton and Owen Morrison and is based in Vermont.
• Findhorn, including Steve Hickman, Laura Lengnick, Marty Taylor, Liz Donaldson, and Ralph Gordon play in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. (e-mail only)
• From the Pennsylvania/New Jersey area, Fingerpyx is composed of Enid Diamante, Wes Steenson, Matthew LaRose & Jansen Wendell. Change of URL (November 27, 2009)
• Finnegan's Awake is based in Tulsa, Oklahoma and plays a fine blend of acoustic music with flavors of Irish, Celtic and a pinch of folk.
• The FireFlies play traditional fiddle music for your dancing and listening pleasure and are based in the NY Capitol District.
• The trio Firefly features fiddle and banjo, playing mostly Old Time Southern tunes for contradances, weddings and other events. They are based in Maine. (e-mail only)
• The Five Dog String Band is based in New Mexico and features Steve Huestis, David Margolin and Rick Olcott.
• Five-Oh! is based in Indianapolis, Indiana and plays at dances in the area. (e-mail only)
• Flapjack plays backwoods acoustic music with a back alley groove and resides in the Toronto, Canada area. Made MySpace page main link (February 7, 2010)
• The Flat Iron String Band plays a high-octane mix of traditional American music, carried by fiddle, fretless banjo, guitar and bass and is based in Brattleboro, Vermont and other locales. Added MySpace page (April 26, 2009)
• The Flatland String Band plays at contra dances and other events in Kansas.
• Mark and Hilarie Burhans, Al and Emily Cantrell and Nick Weiland make up the Flexible Flyers and play fiddle tune until every melodic, rhythmic, harmonic and comedic nuance of the tune had been explored, and the players had achieved a blissful trance. The band is based in Ohio.
• The California band Flight Path plays contra dance music from various genres, primarily Old Time and Celtic, but potentially including anything that attracts our interest. MySpace page. Change of URL (May 22, 2010)
• Floorplay, a Charlottesville, Virginia contradance band plays an eclectic mix of French Canadian, Old-time, Klezmer, Swing, and original tunes since the spring of 2007. MySpace page.
• Robin Flower and Libby McLaren play for contra dances in northern California.
• The repertoire of Fly By Night starts with upbeat traditional New England contra dance tunes and includes lilting Celtic melodies, funky, rockin' originals, lowdown, driving southern fiddle tunes and dreamy waltzes of varying tempos.
• Flying Fingers is a student run musical ensemble at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, performing traditional folk music from the Scottish-Irish tradition and its descendants in America (old-time, contradance, bluegrass, etc.), with occasional forays into other forms of traditional folk music.
• The Flying Garbanzos are a contra/Celtic band from Berkshire County, Massachusetts and play at lots of dance in western Massachusetts and eastern New York State.
• Flying Jenny, from Birmingham, Alabama includes Jim & Joyce Cauthen and Duncan Blair and plays old-time string band music. The site is maintained by Jim and Joyce Cauthen. MySpace page. Added MySpace page (January 24, 2009)
• Flying Pig Fiddle & Banjo play Old-Time Southern Appalachian String Band Music on fiddles, banjo, washtub, washboard, pitchfork, fiddlesticks, feet, and more in and around Iowa.
• The Flying Turtles String Band are Tom and Ellen Hogan who play at contra dances, hoedowns or a great nights at a local pub in Florida.
• A variant of the Portland, Oregon band, Foghorn String Band, the Foghorn Duo with Stephen "Sammy" Lind & Caleb Klauder, plays at dances and other events. New entry (November 28, 2009)
• Portland, Oregon's Foghorn String Band's line-up fiddle, banjo, mandolin, bass and guitar - is reminiscent of early bluegrass, but their powerful approach is whole-heartedly old-time, centered largely by the fiddle. MySpace page. Change of URL in first URL (March 22, 2009)
• Caroline and Dan Hollingshurst compose Folkus Pocus which along with playing at an occasional contra dance play dances and workshops at Cecil Sharp House and clubs around the UK.
• David DiGiuseppe provides information about Footloose a band whose sound draws upon Irish, southern old time, jazz and classical music influences hails from the Chapel Hill, NC area. MySpace page.
• From Central California, For Old Times Sake features Jim Mueller, Amber Roullard-Mueller, W. B. Reid, and Jerry Weinert. (e-mail only)
• Quebecois fiddler Richard Forest has been a member of such groups as Domino and RŽveillons.
• The Forge Mountain Ramblers include Mark Schwartz, Sue Shumaker, Cal Cizek, Rick Gilligan and Dann Neubauer. (e-mail only)
• Forty Story Shack (go to the bottom of the page) is from Driggs, Idaho and was formed in 2007 with members Kent Garwick, Roy Clapper, and Cynthia Stoetzer. Change of URL (January 22, 2010)
• Four Mile Portage is Brandy Forsman, Tom Maloney and friends and plays at dances in Duluth, Minnesota area. MySpace page. Added MySpace page (March 2, 2009)
• Four Potato Stew with members, New Jersey champion Jim West on fiddle, Mark Schaffer on mandolin, Kris Lamb on winds, and Paula Entin-Bayer on piano is the New Jersey Folk Project's own band. Change of URL (January 23, 2009)
• Based in Sherman Oaks, California, The Four Potatoes (e-mail only)
• Four Shillings Short is rooted in Celtic and American folk, is inspired by Indian Raga and ethnic idioms, and plays a diverse and inventive traditional music adventure. They are based in California, but play all over the country.
• George Fowler has been playing the fiddle in Maine for more than thirty years and at countless contra dances. MySpace page. New entry (November 22, 2009)
• The French Connection plays traditional contra dance tunes with a French accent with Deck Nieforth on Harmonica and Spoons; Dan Lanier on Fiddle and Guitar; Mike Fischman on Guitar and Mandolin. Change of URL (November 23, 2009)
• The Franklin County Fiddlers is comprised of talented high school students from Mt. Blue High School in Farmington, Maine and plays at dances and other events.
• The Free Range Chickens is a Dallas based old time band featuring Ray Quigley on fiddle, Jim Cadorette on mandolin and fiddle, Tevis Kriechbaum on clawhammer banjo, and David Kesterson on guitar.
• The Freight Hoppers are an old-time band based in Bryson City, North Carolina. MySpace page. Added main entry (November 27, 2009)
• Alan Friend has been playing banjo, guitar and concertina, and singing traditional songs from America and the British Isles for many years. He is a member of the contra dance band "The Contrapolitans." MySpace page.
• Frigate is a band from Maine playing traditional and Americana music with Irish, Scots, and French roots for all occasions on land and sea. Glen Loper has some information about the band. (e-mail only)
• The Jacksonville, Florida based Full Circle features Veronica and Ted Lane with guest musicians playing Irish, Old Time, Scottish, and English country dance music.
• The Full Moon Country Dance Orchestra (pdf file) continues to play at dances in Indiana and Ohio. You can contact Warren Waldron (e-mail) about the band.
• Furnace Mountain plays ethno-Appalachian roots music and is based in Virginia. New entry (April 18, 2009)
• The Further Adventures includes Ethan Hazzard-Watkins on fiddle, Lydia Ievins on fiddle, Bob Mills on guitar & vocals, and Erica Morse on bass, cello & vocals. It is based in Vermont.

G

• Gaelic Fusion is a metamorphicizing band of long time Fairbanks, Alaska Celtic musicians.
• Jessie Gagne-Hall plays fiddle with Wake the Neighbors and a variety of other musicians. She is based in Vermont.
• Alan Garren has played with bands such as the Rose City Aces in the Portland, Oregon area. New entry (June 5, 2010)
• Garton's Crimson Avengers is working their way onto the contra dance circuit in Canada.
• The Maine duo, Ellen Gawler and Maggie Ericson, are two veterans of the dance music scene who have come together to create a vibrant sound that gets you going! (e-mail only)
• Topher Gayle plays guitar and mandolin in groups such as The OpporTunists along with writing songs. He is based in Santa Rosa, California.
• Lew Gelfond is a member of the Asheville, North Carolina band, the Dancing Bears.
• Dan Gellert is based in Dayton, Ohio, sings and plays banjo, guitar, and fiddle at various events including contra dances. MySpace page.
• Rayna Gellert plays fiddle with a variety of musicians and as a member of Uncle Earl. She is based in Lexington, Kentucky. MySpace page.
• Gentricorum are a Quebecois band and an energetic and original traditional 'power trio' incorporating the dynamism of today's North American and European folk cultures in their music. MySpace page.
• Along with their other gigs, Georgia's Georgia Mudcats, featuring Tom Ryan, John Grimm, Lisa Deaton, and Pat Shields, occasionally play at a contra dance.
• Get Reel is a Rhode Island based band that plays Traditional Southern tunes for contra dancing--with some spice throughout New England and includes Howie Bursen on banjo, Martin Grosswendt on fiddle, Marie Malchodi on guitar, and Deck Nieforth on harmonica and spoons.
• Giant Robot Dance includes two Marcus brothers (Andrew and Aaron), two VanNorstrand brothers (Noah and Andrew) and Michael Ferguson. The band is based in Syracuse, New York.
• Rhiannon Giddens calls and plays (fiddle and other instruments) at contra dances and is based in Greensboro, North Carolina. MySpace page.
• The Newton, MA family band Gift of the Marcii is a high-energy contra dance band, using an unusual combination of instruments and a many original tunes to create its unique sound.
• The Gilded Bats are an Iowa City area old-time string band who have been playing together since 2003.
• Paul Gitlitz plays a variety of instruments including violin, mandolin, guitar (acoustic and electric) and tenor banjo playing with Brad Reynolds and Guy Langois in "Giblitz Fancy", a duo with Guy Langois, and another duo with Trish Clair-Peck called "Tunefully Yours", each group playing tunes newly composed tunes many by him and Brad, Trish, Rich Sobel and other modern and local composers. He lives in Nanaimo, British Columbia. Updated entry (December 6, 2009)
• The Glenelg Full Moon Country Dance Band has been performing traditional Irish and North American acoustic dance music together since 1991 and has played on a regular basis for the dances in Owen Sound, Ontario.
• The Gnu Tones is a Celtic-based contradance ensemble led by State College, Pennsylvania fiddler Bruce Young and anchored by Lancaster pianist Jill Smith. (e-mail only (replace the (at)))
• The Golden Griffon Stringtet is an acoustic, instrumental, square dance & contra dance band from southeast Michigan whose repertoire includes traditional music such as jigs, reels, waltzes and airs from Irish, French-Canadian, New England and Southern/Old Time sources, as well as contemporary dance tunes written in the traditional style and a few contemporary pop melodies that they have corrupted into contra dance tunes.
• The Goldmine Pickers have been brewing a fresh blend of acoustic music for audiences in the U.S. and Europe since 2003 and play, occasionally, at a contra dance. The band is based in Indiana. MySpace page. New entry (April 20, 2009)
• Good Parking is the resident band for Leeds (England) Contra Dance. The line-up of fiddles, flute, piano, guitar, and squeeze-boxes depending who comes.
• While best known for his extensive knowledge and work in cowboy music, Skip Gorman also plays old-time and Celtic music on a variety of instruments and at an occasional contra dance. He is based in New Hampshire.
• The Gourdvine String Band plays Contra-Dance, Celtic, and original music from the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia.
• Government Contra Act takes a fresh new look at contra dance music from the Scottish Highlands to the NY Jazz Club to the LA Mosh Pit and perhaps the halls of Congress given that the band is from Washington, D.C.
• Government Issue Orchestra is a high energy, driving, oldtime appalachian stringband based out of Portland, Oregon.
• In addition to her solo work, Ellen Gozion plays and tours with three contra dance bands, Toad Hall, Toppish and The Hot Toddies and has played with David Knight, members of Amarillis, The Contrarians, Sylvan's Harvest and others and is well-known in contra dance scene in Pittsburgh.
• Paul and Win Grace can be found performing in a variety of settings all over the United States and Canada, including contra dances, and are based in Missouri.
• Leela and Ellie Grace play mandolin, guitar, fiddle, and banjo and have taught percussive dance styles that include Appalachian clogging, Irish Step Dancing, and Rhythm Tap. They occasionally play at a contra dance and are based in Missouri. MySpace page.
• Grand Picnic, a Brooklyn based band, combines the rhythmic drive of southern old-time tunes with French Canadian and New England fiddle music.
• The Great Bear Trio performs a huge realm of traditional music styles from New England, French-Canada, Ireland, Old-time Appalachia and Scandinavia with a contemporary, world-beat twist, features Kim, Andrew & Noah VanNorstrand and is based in Fulton, New York. MySpace page.
• Robert Bruce Greene is known as a living exponent of old time Kentucky fiddle music and as an old time banjo player, singer, and collector of traditional Appalachian music and culture. He also plays at contra dances and is based in North Carolina.
• Given it's new recording, The Greenfield Dance Band is hardly dormant. It is generally based in Massachusetts, has a page of information about the band and its members. David Kaynor provides the data.
• Based in Minnesota, Greenwood Tree plays lively and lyrical renditions of traditional music from Ireland, Scotland, England, Canada, and Appalachia. Stu Janis maintains the information.
• The Groovemongers is a band in which world beat meets contra, with Rebecca McCallum on fiddle, C.W. Abbott on mandolin and guitar, and Jane Knoeck on keyboard and accordion, as well as Mark Hellenberg on percussion. It operates from Rochester, New York. MySpace page.
• The Grouchy Geezers play for a variety of venues in Colorado and other places.
• Growling Old Geezers (e-mail only) from Central California.
• Pasco, Washington's Growling Old Women is a contra dance band consisting of: fiddler, rhythm piano, rhythm guitar, djembe, bodhran playing Irish, French Canadian, oldtimey music. (e-mail only)
• Tina Gugeler plays hammered dulcimer solo and with a number of bands in the Denver, Colorado area.
• Guys Can Talk include Dan Newton on accordion, Eric Mohring on fiddle, and Larry Siegel on piano and are based in Minnesota and New Hampshire. (e-mail only)
• The Washington D. C. band, Gypsy Meltdown, features Kathy Kerr on fiddle and mandolin, Colleen Reed on flute, saxophone and percussion, and Keith Gillis on guitar, and weaves together old and new melodies from New England, Appalachia, and the British Isles with rhythm, groove and attitude.

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• The band, Hands4 is based in Portland, Oregon. and plays 99% original music written by band members. The music is in a variety of styles including French Canadian, New England, Celtic, Eastern European, and some Caribbean. Instruments include fiddle, mandolin, keyboard, flute, penny whistle, and percussion.
• Hands Five thrives on the energy that flows from the band to the dancers on a good medley (and back to the band when it all comes together!) and combines some old-time southern style, New England, Celtic, and "Newtime" music in Albuquerque, New Mexico. MySpace page.
• Steve Horn has a page on Happensdance or you look at Sharon Rempert's information about the band.
• Based in Bellingham, Washington, the Happy Valley Sluggers play Old-Time Southern dance music as well as Cajun tunes and include Mike Schway on Fiddle and Cajun Accordion, Laurel Bliss on Guitar and Fiddle, John Clark on Banjo and Guitar, and Ginny Snowe on bass.
• Billy Hardy, while specializing in the fiddle, is a multi-instrumental player who sometimes plays at contra dances. He is based on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
• Based in Seattle, the old-time string band Hart & Blech has been playing the traditional music of the Southern Mountains and Plains together since 1985.
• Before you check out the pages about the bands that she is in, visit New York's Laurie Hart's own page.
• North Carolina's Beth Hartness plays guitar at contra dances and other events with a variety of musicians.
• The Hawai'i Contra Dance Band plays music in the Celtic tradition, as influenced by the American experience for the dances in Hawai'i.
• Hawks & Owls is an old-time string band based in Michigan.
• Hay 44 is Glen Loper (mandolin, banjo), Rod Pervier (bass), Jaige Trudell (fiddle, cello) and Fred White (guitar, percussion) and is based in Maine. (e-mail only)
• Hazel and the Delta Ramblers play on a regular basis across Louisiana.
• The Hazel Hill String Band regularly plays at the dance in Jerusalem, Israel.
• Ethan Hazzard-Watkins plays fiddle in contra dance bands such as Beeswax Sheepskin and Elixir, composes his own tunes (see his A is for Avocado tunebook) and is based in Brattleboro, Vermont. MySpace page.
• Jesse Hazzard-Watkins plays classical trumpet along with being a member of the band, Elixir. He is based in northern Virginia. MySpace page. New entry (April 20, 2009).
• Heart's Ease is a 10-member contra dance band from Connecticut playing French-Canadian circle dances, English country dances square dances, Virginia Reels and contra dances.
• Central New York contradance band Hearts Delight consists of David Smukler on fiddle, Laurel Sharp on whistle and recorder, and John Wobus on piano.
• From Michigan, Heartsease (e-mail only) (aka David West & Donna Baird, Chicken Shuckers, etc.).
• The New England band, Heathen Creek, with members Pete Johannsen, Mark Koyama and Maia Rutman plays at dances and festivals throughout the region.
• Matt and Shannon Heaton sometimes play at a contra dance along with gigs featuring their amalgam of Irish traditional, neo-traditional, and original song writing. They are based in the Boston area. MySpace page.
• A fiddler in the band Chanterelle, Donna Hébert, teaches and plays in a variety of venues. Change of URL (November 23, 2009)
• Hell on the Nine Mile performs an excitingly raw mix of music and dance stemming from Irish, American and Canadian traditions and is based in Charlottesville, Virginia. MySpace page.
• Herbal Remedy is a lively band for all barn dances and folk dances, playing mainly in the West Midlands of England.
• Upright bassist Jeffrey Hersk has been a member of Carnival Knowledge and played with other contra dance musicians. He is based in North Carolina.
• While Hey! is based on Albuquerque, New Mexico, it has played at other venues in the state and in Colorado.
• Hey Diddle Diddle is comprised of four musicians who perpetuate the exciting traditional music of Ireland and New England by providing lively acoustic music for dances in Western New York and Canada. They are based in Buffalo.
• Hey Wire has been playing old-time music at San Diego contra dances and features Jeff Garvey on fiddle, JoAnn Kopany on banjo, Jerry Schreiber on guitar and Given Harrison on mandolin and upright bass. A second mandolin player, Rick Johnson has begun adding an interesting layer to this group.
• Bill & Libby Hicks play rousing contradance music (as well as vocal oriented concerts)in the upper South and elsewhere.
• High on the Hog is an old time string band from Colorado.
• The High Jinks Band plays music for English and American Country Dancing, Ceilidhs and social events and is based in Stockport, England. New entry (April 20, 2009)
• Highland Solesare rooted in the traditions of Scotland and Cape Breton, with a good dose of innovation. The band is based in Maine. New entry (April 25, 2009)
• The Highlander String Band is a collection of Rockingham County (Virginia) musicians playing traditional Appalachian Mountain music, sometimes for contra dances.
• The Hillbillies From Mars have been rocking the contradance scene in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1983. They combine their love and dedication to Celtic and American traditional fiddle music with a healthy dose of their own "folk roots" of rock 'n' roll, swing, Latin and African beats, forging a new tradition of dance music.
• The Hip Bones are an Amherst, Massachusetts band that includes Colin Lindsay on fiddle, Alex Jarrett on flute and whistle, Jazer Giles on piano and accordion, and Bethany Waickman on guitar. (e-mail only)
• The Hippie-billies, featuring Dan Levenson and Miss Jennifer, have a driving old time sound for a dance or stage show! They are based in Georgia and Arizona.
• The Hobart Old Time String Band plays at an occasional contra dance in Tasmania and other locales in Australia along with their other gigs.
• Erik Hoffman plays fiddle in three California bands, 3 O'Clock Shadow, The OpporTunists and The Repercussions.
• Hope Hoffman composes original fiddle tunes and plays with various groups such as Bowdoinham String Band and Kittlish in Maine. MySpace page. Added MySpace page (November 23, 2009)
• Hold the Mustard plays music for English country and contra dances and is based in New Jersey.
• John Holenko plays guitar and mandolin in a number of bands including The Hungry Monks. He is based in Charleston, South Carolina.
• Hold the Wheel features W. B. Reid, Linda Wilson, and Bonnie Zahnow and is based in Washington state. (e-mail only)
• Holy Coyote is an Asheville (North Carolina)/Atlanta (Georgia) contra dance band where New England grace meets Southern heat! Change in URL (September 29, 2009)
• Homespun Occasions plays for dances at a variety of dances, including schools with students of all ages. They are based in New York State.
• Honk the Moose, based in northern New England and comprised of Nat Hewitt (fiddle and electric guitar), Adam Broome (guitar and cittern) and Seth Houston (piano and guitar), plays a high energy in the groove mix of styles for dances, festivals and events. They offer workshops on instrument technique, improvisation and accompaniment. (e-mail only)
• The Hoosier Recruits are based in Valparaiso, Indiana. (e-mail only)
• The Hoover Uprights play dances and concerts, and in 2001 and 2003 won first prize in the traditional band contest at Clifftop. The band is based in Maryland.
• The Horse Flies feature Judy Hyman, Richie Stearns, Jeff Claus, June Drucker, Taki Masuko, and Rick Hansen and is based in Ithaca, NY. MySpace page.
• While the Hot Club of Derbytown is best known for recreating the hot sounds of vintage jazz produced in Paris in the 1930s and 40s produced by the Quintet of the Hot Club Of France, it also plays at a contra dance on occasion.
• Hot Flashes featuring Nance Cole, Chris Lauer, Phil Levy, and Erika Smith and is based in Santa Barbara. (e-mail only)
• Ohio's Hotpoint String Band has the recipe for a wall of rhythm, and it is one of the most in-demand contradance bands in the country. MySpace page.
• The Virgina band House Red is Owen Morrison (guitar, mandolin), Shawn Brenneman (piano) and Jonathan Thielen (fiddle) who play energetic, driving dance music to make you wanna move! MySpace page
• Seth Houston plays with a variety of musicians including the band, Lift Ticket, along with significant time with vocal groups and in teaching vocal students and groups. He is presently based in Colorado. Slight change in URL (March 19, 2009)
• In Eastern Massachusetts, Cal Howard plays a number of instruments for a number of bands. (e-mail only)
• Thom Howard plays guitar with a variety of musicians at dances in Missouri.
• Ed Howe plays fiddle, electric or otherwise, with folks like John Cote at dances in Maine and the rest of New England.
• The Hungry Monks are centered around the creative talents of Hazel Ketchum and John Holenko and are based in Charleston, South Carolina. MySpace page.
• Charlie Hunt is a mandolin player living in Fairbanks, the Northern most city in Alaska and plays at contra dances on occasion. New entry (April 25, 2009)
• Adam Hurt plays elegantly innovative clawhammer banjo on old-time music tunes in Minnesota. MySpace page.
• Hu$hmoney is a new northeast Ohio contradance band spawned from the ashes of the dance band institution, Strings & Things. With their feet rooted in tradition, Hu$hmoney explores these traditions while to creating a driving, surprising, and varied takes on old time standards, ethnic melodies, and original tunes. New entry (April 26, 2009)
• The Hushpuppies have picked up elements of the sound of the bands on the old recordings, they've captured the feel of the music of the elderly fiddle and banjo players they visit and yet they still sound deliciously like themselves. They are based in Durham, North Carolina.
• Fiddler Judy Hyman is a member of groups such as The Horse Flies, Small Tattoo, and Big Table and is based in New York State. MySpace page.

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• Ice Jam is Skip Nodler, Sarah Garland & Seth Danielson, an Alaskan band with a unique combination of hammered dulcimer, banjo and guitar.
• lydia ievins plays fiddle with a wide variety of musicians in numerous venues in New England for contra and English dances.
• The Ill-Mo Boys, consisting of Geoff Seitz on fiddle, Curtis Buckannon on mandolin, and Jim Nelson on guitar play, as you might guess, in Missouri, Illinois, and nearby venues.
• Illegal Contraband is a contradance band with an emphasis on New England, Irish, and Quebecois dance tunes, they are just as likely to throw in everything from wild Klezmer music, swing, classical, and jazz to gentle Scandinavian waltzes. The band is based in New Jersey.
• Inishowen repertoire is drawn primarily from the rich musical heritage of the seafaring nations, especially Britain, Ireland, Canada and the United States and is based in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania area.
• Based in Cottonwood Falls, Kansas, Instant Grits play high energy old-time and bluegrass at contra dances.

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• The Jackson Pike Skifflers play old-time music for dances and other events and are based in SW Connecticut.
• Jalapeño Honey formed in the Fall of 2005 to fill a need in Bryan-College Station, Texas for a local community band for Contra Dance. Traditional jigs, reels, and hornpipes from the Scots-Irish tradition on both sides of the Atlantic form its basic repertoire.
• Jane's Gang, a contra/square dance band, features the driving fiddling of Jane Rothfield with Allan Carr (Guitar), Paul Sidlick (banjo/mandolin) and Geoff Harden (bass) and is based in NY State.
• The Java Junkies have played old-time music for dances in the Lansing, Michigan area since 1998 and include Doug Berch on banjo, Hanno Meingast on fiddle, Larry Johnson on guitar, and Steve Szilagyi on upright bass.
• The California band, Jax, includes Christa Burch, Kira Ott, Steve Shapiro and Jeffery Spero. (e-mail only)
• Jiggermeister plays lively, energetic music from all over the world, combining the traditional sounds of the British Isles and Appalachia with Eastern European scales and modern jazz riffs and is based in Ithaca, NY. MySpace page. Added MySpace page (January 23, 2009)
• Jigsaw plays traditional and contemporary folk music from different parts of the world and includes Dan Compton on fiddle, guitar, and button accordion, Clyde Curley on powerhouse mandolin, banjo, and tenor guitar, George Penk on fiddle, and Heather Pinney on piano and is based in Portland, Oregon.
• Jim's Red Pants plays traditional and original folk music, including waltzes, jigs and reels for concerts and dances in Ohio.
• Rhys Jones has been been raised in the rich environment of Midwestern old-time fiddling and while he find himself surrounded by the echoes of his historical and personal influences, he pays homage to them rather than simply repeat that which has come before. He are based in New York City. Change of URL (November 28, 2009)
• The Portland, Oregon based group Joyride includes Sue Songer's swinging piano, Jeff Kerssen-Griep's flywheel guitar, Kathleen Towers' hot fiddle and Erik Weberg's fluid flute, punchy harmonica and stunning bombarde.
• Jump in the Skillet is a large, Atlanta-based band. (e-mail only)
• Jump Fingers play old-time music in the San Diego area for contra and square dancing.
• Jumpin' The Gun plays no-limits fusion of traditional, celtic, swing, and get-down-boogie contradance music in North Carolina.
• Juniper, featuring Sarah Mitchell, Frances Pisacane and Jasmine Hart play at contra dances in the Tampa area along with their other gigs. MySpace page. New entry (January 24, 2009)
• The Just Desserts Contra Dance Band is the house band for the Flagstaff contra dances every other month.

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• The Kaimana Ceili Band has played traditional and new tunes, including jigs, reels, waltzes, hornpipes, and airs in the Irish tradition in Hawaii for more than ten years. (e-mail only)
• Ryck Kaiser and Jill Smith are a fiddle and piano duo, playing mostly Appalachian and some Celtic tunes. They are based in south central Pennsylvania. (e-mail only)
• The Kaleidoscope String Band is a nod to the diversity of their music and musicians, since they're often joined on the spot by various other musicians. They play for contradances (and other events), mainly in the southeastern US and are based in Alabama. Change of URL (January 2, 2010)
• The Kaubells (pronounced "Cowbells") are a 2-person husband and wife (Matt Kaufmann plays the piano, and Holly Bell plays the fiddle) band playing a mix of original and traditional tunes.
• Living in Massachusetts, you can now find David Kaynor at his new web site. He is a contra dance caller and fiddler and the author of Calling for Beginners by Beginners.
• Kelly's Eye plays for contras, barn dances in England.
• The Kennebec Highlands Band plays a lively variety of Celtic, New England and Old Time Southern tunes for dances and other gatherings. The band is based in Maine. (e-mail only)
• Upright bass player, Stuart Kenney, plays with a variety of bands and musicians and has his home base in Greenfield, Massachusetts.
• As they say, KGB is not a spy organization, but a band from Seattle that plays for New England style contradance. Dave Bartley supports the site.
• Kindred Spirits plays music primarily of Renaissance and Celtic origin. using recorders, penny whistle, viola/violin, mandolin, guitar, Celtic harp and cello. The band is based in the Denver, Colorado area. MySpace page. Change of URL (March 19, 2009)
• Andrew King is a member of the UK bands, Fiddlin' Around and Stomp, along with performing his own singer/songwriter material.
• John Kirk and Trish Miller live near Saratoga Springs, New York and teach and perform traditional music and dance including playing at contra dances. MySpace page.
• Kitchen Chair is based in Ithaca, New York and includes Gail Blake (guitar, mandolin) and Jennifer Dotson (fiddle).
• From Central California, Kitchen Junket features Marci Bunescu, Rick Drake, Linelle Glass, Kristina Huhen, and Carl Magagnosc (e-mail only).
• The Klezmer Contraband plays assorted dances in the Boston area following the long-standing tradition among klezmer musicians of infiltrating all sorts of other dance styles and subverting the music with the high-energy Eastern European sound.
• Along with playing "traditional" Klezmer tunes and swing tunes and an eclectic assortment of folksongs and tunes from other cultures, Klezmos plays an occasional contra dance in the area around Washington, D.C.
• David Andrew Knight plays Scottish fiddle and for contra dances and has been playing since 1991. He is based in Washington, D. C.
• Debby Knight is a contradance fiddler and pianist from eastern Massachusetts. (e-mail only)
• Knotted Chord is a folk dance band and plays a wide variety of folk dance music, suitable for all levels of dance experience and all age groups. Their repertoire covers more than three centuries of English music, as well as a broad range of more recent dances. They have a strong interest in American Contra dance music and can also provide a sprinkling of tunes from most parts of Europe. It is based in Nottingham, England.
• The Knuckle Knockers hail from San Francisco San Francisco and play from the vintage American musical tradition.
• Harry Koretzky has played with groups ranging from High Strung to The Old World Folk Band (klezmer) to the contra dance band, Medicinal Purpose along with playing with Todd Clewell and the Contra Rebels. He is based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
• Kristina & Her Right-Hand Stars is based in Santa Barbara, California and features Bud Beirhaus on guitar, Kristina Eriksen on accordion and piano, Bill Flores on banjo, dobro, fiddle, guitar, mandolin, and saxophone, Tony Johanssen on guitar, bodhran, whistle, and Jack Joshua on bass. (e-mail only)
• Caller and musician John Krumm has been performing for almost four decades for contras, squares, swing dancing and English dancing with knowledge from the U.S., Quebec and the British Isles. He is based in Pennsylvania.
• The Florida band Kumquat Kapers with Ben Bolker, Bill Dudley, Sarah Mitchell, is based in Gainesville. (e-mail only)
• Kylebrack performs traditional Irish tunes and songs, specializing in the lyric tunes of East Galway and Clare and consists of Alison Arnold (wooden flute), Paul Fackler (fiddle), and Donald Lively (guitar).

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• Marnen Laibow-Koser plays piano, fiddle, viola, flute, and recorder for contra dances and is based in upstate New York.
• Lakefront Property is a band from the Lansing, Michigan area. (e-mail only)
• The Lamprey River Band plays regularly in New Hampshire and especially the sea-coast region and southern Maine (Kittery).
• Missouri fiddle player Dave Landreth has a page about old-time tunes, his CD and his other endeavors. MySpace page. Change of URL (January 2, 2010)
• Dave Langford is a contradance fiddler and guitar player from the metro area of Boston, Massachusetts who plays in The Latter Day Lizards, Big Bandemonium and the mega fiddle band Childsplay.
• Kim and Jim Lansford play old-time music, including music for dances and are based in the Ozarks of Missouri. The Old-Time Herald has a lengthy article about and their careers and music.
• The Last Gaspé including John Kraniak, Paul Biere, Kevin Clark, Amy McFarland, and Maria Terres, play on 2nd Saturdays in Madison.
• The Last Minute String Band sponsors the monthly dance in Glenwood Springs, Colorado and was formed in the Fall of 2002 and grew out of the efforts of a small group of friends and musicians, all sharing a passion for playing old time acoustic music. The group draws its energy primarily from the musical traditions of early Appalachia, Ireland and Scotland. MySpace page. New entry (April 26, 2009)
• Late for Supper plays old-time Appalachian fiddle tunes, bluegrass, gospel, and originals sung in three part harmony. We're an eclectic group, playing a variety of music on guitar, fiddle and banjo -- old country songs and ballads, to bluegrass standards, to old-time gospel. It is based in Pennsylvania. MySpace page. New entry (January 23, 2009)
• The Latter Day Lizards feature Dave Langford on fiddle/guitar, Bill Tomczak on clarinet/saxophone/banjo uke/dumbek and Peter Barnes on piano/guitar/flute/harmonica. They are, for the most part, based in Massachusetts.
• Jacqueline & Dudley Laufman call and play fiddles in New Hampshire.
• The Laune Rangers featuring Ryck Kaiser (fiddle), Chad Shambaugh (bodhran), and Jamie Ward (guitar) are based in Pennsylvania.
• Laura and the Lava Lamps, composed of Laura Lengnick, Dave Wiesler and Ralph Gordon are based in the Washington, D.C. area.
• While it is not a major part of his gig list, Jamie Laval does play at contra dances from time to time. He now lives in Asheville, North Carolina. MySpace page.
• Le Vent Du Nord was formed in 2002 and has become well known in the Quebecois music scene. MySpace page.
• Mary Lea plays with the contra dance band, Dark Carnival, and the English Country dance band, Bare Necessities, along with other groups such as Yankee Ingenuity and is known for her recordings of music for couple dances. She is based in Vermont.
• Leaping Lulu plays on a regular basis at the dance in Logan, Utah. MySpace page. Change of URL (January 22, 2010)
• A native Manitoban, now living in Toronto, fiddle player Anne Lederman plays with bands such as Fiddlesong but is also known for her work preserving the works of Native and Metis fiddlers.
• Peter Leibert is from Connecticut and has been a caller and musician for more than 45 years.
• Leighas is committed to the preservation and transmission of the traditional dance music and cultures of Ireland, Scotland, and their Diaspora in the new world. They are based in the Tidewater region of Virginia.
• Tom Leighton plays at a variety of instruments for dances and concerts in Canada and other countries.
• Lift Ticket includes Rex Blazer on fiddle, Seth Houston on piano and guitar, and C.W. Abbott or T.J. Johnson on mandolin and plays a variety of traditional and original fiddle tunes and while it is based in Florida, plays all over the U.S.
• Lime in the Harp is a traditional string band of musicians who pick, strum, and bow their way through rousing Celtic jigs and reels, jumping New England dance tunes, back-porch southern shuffles, spicy Cajun tunes, plaintive slow airs, and sweet harmonic waltzes in San Diego.
• The Little Dogs is an old time string band, based in Seattle. (e-mail only) Change from URL to e-mail (March 25, 2009)
• Live Bait is a way downeast-based (Maine) fiddly band, with guitar, banjo, button and piano accordion, bass, whistles, lap steel and mandolin playing hot hot hot fiddle tunes for contra dances, as well as original, traditional and contemporary songs and airs, waltzes, polkas, and more for smelt fries. (e-mail only)
• Buz Lloyd has been a dance fiddler of U.S. and Canadian Northeastern, celtic and appalachian old-time styles for more than 30 years and plays with The Donnybrook Lads, The Highbrow Hayseeds, The Carolina Cut-Ups and others. New entry (November 28, 2009)
• Amy Larkin, Shirley White and Linda Henry are the members of the Massachusetts-based band, LocoMojo.
• The Lone Star Ceili Band is one of Texas' custodians of traditional Irish music and dance. Change of URL (January 2, 2010)
• Loose Ends of Flagstaff, Arizona are a contra band playing traditional Irish and Ceili tunes. (e-mail only)
• The Florida incarnation of Loose Shoes is based in Davie. (e-mail only)
• Loose Shoes plays at the Salt Lake City, Utah dances on a regular basis. Actually, they play all over Utah on a regular basis.
• Glen Loper plays mandolin and banjo with the band Rumblestrip, Frigate and Calliope. He is based in Maine.
• The band Los Caballeros con Pantalones del Fuego is based in Melbourne, Florida. (e-mail only)
• The Lost & Nameless Orchestra is based in Austin, Texas.
• Lost on the Turnpike is based in New Jersey/Pennsylvania and includes Chris Carpenter, Enid Diamante, Eve Rantzer, & Eric Roberts. (e-mail only)
• Lost On The Turnpike is Eve Rantzer, piano; Enid Diamante, fiddle; and Chris Carpenter, mandolin, banjo, clarinet, whistle. They play for contras in the Pennsylvania/New Jersey area and are recording a CD which will be available soon. (e-mail only)

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• Sharon Rempert has a page on The M & M Band featuring fiddler Mimi Rogers from Dallas and pianist Marilyn Cooper from Houston.
• Along with classical, bluegrass, western swing and music of the first half of the second millenium, Eden MacAdam-Somer< plays at contra dances occasionally. She is based in Massachusetts.
• Tom MacKenzie plays music ranging from French Canadian to American Old Time to Scandinavian to Ragtime to Classical. Clarinet Polka on the Dulcimer, why not. Hall of the Mountain King on Banjo, Sure! And he plays at contra dances, too! He is based in Vermont. MySpace page.
• The members of the Greenfield, Massachusetts band, Magic Foot, are Colin Lindsay, Christian Stevens, Brendan Taaffe and Stefan Amidon (with Rachel Lindsay adding some step-dancing). MySpace page. Change of URL for main entry (November 22, 2009)
• Tom Norulak maintains a site about Magic Forest, based in Ohio, which performs an eclectic mix of traditional folk songs, modern material, clever originals and vocal gems mined from the parlour tradition of the 19th century. Change of URL (March 2, 2009)
• Chloe Maryam Maher plays piano with The Contraptions and with other bands and musicians for English, Scottish, and contra dances. She is based in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area.
• Based in North Carolina, the Mando Mafia is a large acoustic string-band with a preponderance of mando-family instruments. Julianne Mangin maintains the site.
• Robert Mahony is a dance and tune composer along with one of the organisers of the Canberra Contra Club in Australia.
• Lisa and Heather Malyuk play at contra dances in Ohio and at other events in the area. MySpace page.
• Mangrove Green plays traditional Celtic, British and American music on fiddle and piano in upstate New York.
• Mappamundi is a Chapel Hill, North Carolina based band which plays more-or-less traditional music of the Northern Hemisphere and the Current Millennium, but play a huge variety of music. Jane Peppler maintains the site.
• The Marsh Island Band is a traditional string band specializing in Old Time Southern and plays on a regular basis at the Orono, Maine contra dance with more than 26 years of experience. (e-mail only)
• Dave Marshall plays fiddle at jams, sessions, and dances in the Vancover, British Columbia area.
• Vermont's Owen Marshall plays guitar and other instruments and when not playing for contra dances, you may find him out on the dance floor.
• The Martin Family Band is a 6-piece band based in Maryland and has been performing in the Washington DC area since 1995. New entry (March 7, 2010)
• Matching Orange is a three piece band from the Boston area, specializing in traditional folk/fiddle styles and contra dances and playing anything from Bluegrass to Celtic, Cape Breton, Quebecois, Old Time and others. MySpace page.
• Colin James McCaffrey plays guitar at an occasional contra dance among his other gigs. He is based in Vermont.
• Mandolinist Eric McDonald is based in Medford, Massachusetts and plays in bands such as Scoot! and Nor'easter. New entry (November 22, 2009)
• McInnis' Kitchen which plays music in the spirit of a down-home kitchen party, occasionally plays at a contra dance in the Duluth, Minnesota area.
• The McKassons feature Ryan McKasson on fiddle and viola and Cali McKasson playing piano. The band is based in Washington State. MySpace page.
• The McKenzies (Woody & Marcia) are from Blacksburg, Virginia and play music from the Celtic/British Isles, Cape Breton/French Canadian, Southern Appalachian, colonial era (18th century and earlier), American minstrel era (mid 19th century), early American country (1920's to 1940's), lesser-known contemporary folk, originals, children's.
• Katie McNally of Concord, Massachusetts is an active member of the Boston Celtic music scene and can be seen playing with Scottish fiddle band 5 A.M., local contra-dance band, Oh CONTRAire!, and the bluegrass group Boston Road.
• The Melbourne Colonial Dance Band provides live music for the Colonial Bush Dance held on the first Wednesday of each month and plays tunes suitable for playing for Australian colonial and folk dancing.
• The Meltdown Contra Band regularly plays as the resident band for Halsway Contra Dance Club and ventures out to perform diverse music for various folk dance clubs parties and weddings in England.
• The acoustic folk band Meridian plays on a regular basis in Florida and is based in Jacksonville.
• Composer and musician Eric Merrill plays with a numerous contra dance musicians at times. He is based in West Newton, Massachusetts. MySpace page.
• Merriweather features Peter Martin, Bill Paine, Kathie Aagaard, Wes Maluk , and Terry Maluk and is determined to make you scream on the dance floor, and is based in Florida.
• Metro Luna is a Seattle-based band playing country, rock & swing with an Urban Twist. Peter Langston maintains the site.
• A little information is available about the California band, Michael's Mixed Nuts, made up of some combination of musicians from the Chameleons, often joined by other outstanding musical guests. They play in a variety of styles, from Old-Timey to swing, from Latin to Klezmer, demanding only that the result is fun and danceable.
• Microchasm, based in Washington, D.C. features Dave Wiesler on piano, Laura Lengnick on fiddle, Steve Hickman on fiddle, John Devine on guitar, and David Crandall on saxophone and flute. (e-mail only)
• The Mighty Possums, including Joe DeZarn and Alexander Mitchell on fiddles, Tabby Finch on piano, and Ralph Gordon on bass and are based in Washington, DC. (e-mail only for the band)
• Minnesota's Mill City Serenaders repertoire encompasses not only square and contra dance music but also minstrel tunes and songs, fiddle rags, waltzes, polkas, schottisches, and the occasional parlor ballad. Change of URL (March 2, 2009)
• The Mill Creek String Band plays at dances in the Portland, Oregon area. (e-mail only)
• Elvie Miller plays piano and accordion with a number of musicians and bands while handweaving some fantastic scarves and other items in New Hampshire. MySpace page.
• New Hampshire's Randy Miller is well known for his fiddle tunes, recordings and tune books.
• Rodney Miller is a fiddler and violin maker who was designated a "Master Fiddler" in 1983 by the National Endowment for the Arts. He plays with a variety of musicians and is based in New Hampshire.
• Milliners' Maggot plays traditional music on fiddle and piano, with a focus on Celtic, English and New England tunes for contra and English country dances in upstate New York.
• Celia Millington-Wyckoff plays bass and recorder with Dr. Twamley's Audio Snakes and is based in Pennsylvania.
• Bob Mills plays mandolin, banjo and acoustic and electric guitar for contra dance, old-time and Irish music and recently moved to Vermont.
• The Mink Run Consort are based in Frankfort, Kentucky. (e-mail only)
• Missouri Compromise is a 6 piece band focusing on Civil War Era appropriate music, ready, willing and able to perform in period dress, (or at least an increasingly reasonable facsimile thereof). It is available for Civil War Reenactment Balls, and other events reflecting that period, as well as Contra Dances. From North East Missouri /West Central Illinois. Contact Dale or Sarah McUmber-House at 573-985-4141. See our 'alter-ego', Ralugerri.
• Howard Mitchell plays double bass, melodeon and concertina for all types of dances including contra dances in England.
• The Mixed Age Dance (MAD) Band plays easy-to-learn tunes for the Princeton Country Dancer's Community Dance. Our participants range in age from grammar school to senior citizens. It's a great way to learn a new instrument or learn to play with a live band.
• The band Mockin'bird plays contra medleys that mix old standards from the northeast and the south with the occasional tune from other parts of the world. The band is based in upstate New York.
• Mockingingbird is a high energy band that will make the dancers go crazy from Austin to all over Texas and beyond.
• Rick Mohr is a contra dance caller and fiddler from eastern Massachusetts.
• New York State's Bruce Molsky : alone or with fellow musicians; guitar, fiddle, or banjo in hand, has been exploring traditional music from an astonishingly broad range of cultures over the past two decades and even plays at a few contra dances. MySpace page.
• Montage, exciting new dance band from Western New York and Pennsylvania, plays an innovative mix of European-based music, rooted in tradition and strongly influenced by modern styles. New entry (November 24, 2009)
• The Montville Project is the name of the quartet of veteran Maine and New Hampshire dance musicians who perform the traditional New England dance tunes.
• The http://sites.google.com/site/sandiegocontradance/bands/community-band is the San Diego Contra Dance community band which periodically plays at the dance series. New entry (May 22, 2010)
• The Morgantown Rounders are an Old-Time string band of eclectic proportions. They are traditionalists pushing the envelope of tradition, infusing high-energy square dance exhilaration into a mix of vintage songs in West Virginia. http://www.myspace.com/morgantownrounders. Added MySpace page (January 2, 2010)
• Morning Coffee featuring Jeff and Diane Baker of Asheville, North Carolina, play at dances in North Carolina, Tennessee and other locales. (e-mail only)
• Judi Morningstar, a contra musician, hails from White Lake, Michigan. Change of URL (March 2, 2009)
• Owen Morrison is a full-time guitarist, living in Nashville, Tennessee, who is a member of House Red, the Morrison Brothers Band, the Figments, and Night Watch. MySpace page.
• The Morrison Brothers: Jim Morrison (Fiddle and Guitar), Owen Morrison (Acoustic and Electric Guitars) and Will Morrison (Percussion) of Charlottesville, Virginia, occasionally play at contra dances.
• Naomi Morse plays fiddle with the band Night Watch and lives in Brooklyn New York.
• Mountain Laurel plays New England-style contra and square dance music and works with numerous well-known callers to provide exciting and pleasurable events for a variety of music and dance venues and is based in the Massachusetts Berkshires.
• The Moving Violations play on a regular basis in Greenfield, Massachusetts and at other venues on occasion. Based on personal experience, they have an awesome string section.
• Mud In Yer Eye has played dances in the Cleveland area since 1978 and is the oldest continuously operating contra dance band in the Cleveland area.
• Steve Muise is a fiddler and teacher, a member of the bands Boréal Tordu, Frigate and Muisette and is based in Maine.
• The Mumbillies play at dances in and around Tennessee.
• Keith Murphy and Becky Tracy now have their own site featuring bios, information about the bands they play in, CDs, and a music book. They are based in Vermont.

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• Rob Pine, Tom Christenson and Jim Mullany make up The Nabobs and are based in New Mexico.
• A hard-core traditional Irish music Naomi's Fancy is based in Elkin, North Carolina. MySpace page.
• As might be expected, the Nashville Ceili Band plays in and around Nashville, Tennessee. (e-mail only)
• Nashville Weather started as a contra dance band years ago and still plays at contra dances from time to time. They are based in Tennessee.
• Neckbuster plays Celtic and American fiddle tunes on fiddle, tenor banjo, mandolin, guitar, and piano. (e-mail only). Lonnie provides information about Neckbuster on his dance page.
• Connecticut's Neo-contras are Bill Shevin, Ed Dale, Howie Levine, Louise Muller and Tim St. Jean.
• The Nettles play exciting contradance medleys throughout the Pacific Northwest. MySpace page.
• New Bad Habits with Dave Landreth, Chirps Smith, Tim Foss, Andrew Gribble and Dot Kent, play old-time, the music that combines the traditions of immigrants bringing their music to America for more than two centuries; music intended to accompany ethnic as well as uniquely American dances. The members hail from Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri.
• New Boston Fancy is described as a feckless foursome of musicians believes in having fun playing their distinctive brand of traditional music, lightly laced with a traditional disregard for tradition. They offer a hearty New England stock, based in Celtic and other old world music, enriched by old American standards, and well seasoned with the heady flavor of French-Canadian tunes.
• The New Deal String Band plays at the 1st Saturday dances in the Welshfield, Ohio area.
• The New Pilot Mountaineers are an oldtime string band based in Surry County, North Carolina. The style of music they play, known as "oldtime" is defined as traditional folk music of the Appalachians and rural South, heavily influenced by Celtic and African traditions. (e-mail only)
• The New Southern Cowtippers reach deep into the musical roots of American music playing Appalachian fiddle tunes and songs, southern blues, pop tunes from the early 1900s, Grand Ole Opry favorites, southern gospel, and original compositions. They are based in Columbia, Maryland.
• The New Young Buzzards feature Frank Hoppe on fiddle, Steve Lewis on banjo, and Barbara Richer on piano and are based in Los Angeles, California. (e-mail only)
• Joe Newberry plays guitar and banjo with the groups Big Medicine and Town Mountain and is based in North Carolina. My Space page.
• The Nimble Fingers Stringband is a traditional dance band out of Pueblo, Colorado. They play contra dances around the region and, much to their pleasure, they will be the house band for Pueblo's new contra dance. New entry (January 17, 2010)
• Deck Nieforth makes violins and plays in two Rhode Island contra dance bands, Get Reel and the Franco-Americans. Change of URL (November 23, 2009)
• Night Watch is a new Boston based band composed of Naomi Morse, Elvie Miller and Owen Morrison.
• Nightingale is based in Vermont and consists of Becky Tracy (fiddle), Keith Murphy (piano, guitar, foot percussion, vocals), and Jeremiah McLane (piano, accordion). Their music travels through Quebec, Newfoundland, Ireland, France, Scandinavia and beyond. MySpace page.
• Nine Mile Burn plays Celtic Music in a new tradition and is based in Kansas City, Missouri.
• Nine-8ths Irish is based in Sacramento, California and is made up of four unique musicians (Chris Dunlap, Linda Relph, Bo Bowen, and Kathy Barwick) with extremely diverse backgrounds. MySpace page. Added new primary link (January 30, 2010)
• No Strings Attached is a quartet based in Roanoke/Blacksburg, Virginia that features the following instruments: two hammer dulcimers, guitar, bass, harmonica, bouzouki, pennywhistle, flute, kalimba, synthesizers, bass and tenor clarinets, bass and tenor saxophones, Slinkys and percussion. MySpace page.
• The Boston area based Nor'easter with Cedar Stanistreet, Max Newman and Julie Vallimont with Eric McDonald and Loren Bienvenu was formed in spring 2008 and plays a high energy blend of music from many styles, including Irish, Scottish, New England, French-Canadian, and old-time.
• The North Star Sisters are Gail Lipfert (guitar, flute, recorder, accordion), Elaine Malkin (fiddle, mandolin), and Colleen Micue (piano) who plays at contra dances, concerts and parties in Maine. (e-mail only)
• Based in New Hampshire, Northern Spy includes Thal Aylward, Rick Barrows, Rachel Clark, Carol Compton, Alan Graham, Bill Shepard, Mary Jo Slattery, Andy Stewart. (e-mail only)
• The Northern Troupe are Janet Ashford on fiddle and Marc Hansen on guitar. They are based in Ukiah and Mendocino, California.
• Eden MacAdam-Somer and Larry Unger are the members of Notorious which brings together traditional and contemporary acoustic music from around the world, creating a dynamic, swinging sound that is sure to get you on your feet. The band is based in Massachusetts. MySpace page. Change of URL for main entry (January 5, 2009)
• Cellist and percussionist Fred Nussbaum is a member of a number of Pacific Northwest Contra and English Country dance bands, including Full Circle (with George Penk and Heather Pinney) and Calico. He is based in Portland, Oregon.
• From Ann Arbor, Michigan, Nutshell. (e-mail only)

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• The Oakum Bay String Band are the host band for regular first Saturday contra dances at Blue Hill (Maine) Town Hall with occasional guest appearances elsewhere. (e-mail only)
• The Victoria English Country Dance Society has information about the Odd Hack Band from Canada. The band features Brenda Callen (fiddle), Brian Titus (woodwinds) and David Gartrell (keyboards). In addition, you can e-mail them.
• The Old 78's are Curly Miller and Carole Anne Rose who play an unusual style of Old Time fiddle and clawhammer banjo, Hillbilly Fiddle Rags, Classic Banjo duets, Irish, Scottish, Celtic, World and historic music. The group is based in Arkansas.
• Old Grey Goose plays on a regular basis in its home in Maine, but also plays in exotic places such as Tajikistan.
• Old New England includes Deanna Stiles on flute and fiddle, Jane Orzechowski on fiddle, and Bob McQuillen on piano and accordion. The band combines driving rhythms with a solid beat, tight sound and lively melodies, and features contemporary and traditional tunes with exciting two-part harmonies created by Jane and Deanna. Richard Hart supports the page. (e-mail only)
• The Old Paint String Band is from Boston, Massachusetts and plays Appalachian mountain music from high energy fiddle tunes to original songs.(e-mail only)
• The Old Sod Band was formed primarily to play for New England-style Contra Dances, and while its repertoire is drawn from the jigs, reels and waltzes of Ireland, Scotland, England, the US, Canada and even Denmark, the style definitely owes much to the strong, driving rhythms of New England dance music. Change of URL (February 8, 2010)
• Masha Goodman and Geff Crawford play together as "Old Soles". Toe-tapping good-time old-time fiddle and banjo duets, songs from the silly to sublime, and red-hot traditional flatfoot clogging. Over 30 years experience (60 if you add them up) playing and calling for dances, festivals, inaugurations and cattle drives. They are based in California.
• The Old Twine String Band features Jeff Bratt (hammer dulcimer, recorder, concertina and percussion), Karen Croot (fiddle), JoAnn Koppany (banjo) and Martha Wild (piano and mountain dulcimer) and is based in San Diego, California. Change from e-mail to URL (May 22, 2010)
• The repertoire of the Olde Michigan Ruffwater Stringband includes traditional jigs, reels and hornpipes of the British Isles, breakdowns from Southern Appalachia, and old polkas, waltzes and schottisches from 19th century Europe and America. They are based in Michigan.
• On the Fly is a string band that plays traditional American dance music. They play at contra and square dances throughout the great state of Florida. MySpace page. Change of MySpace page (November 29, 2009)
• Out of the Wood has played for dances in Washington, Oregon, Montana and Idaho during the past five years, draws on traditional music forms from Celtic, New England, Quebecois and Southern Old Time music, and creates their music from a dancer's perspective. They are based in Idaho.
• Out on a Whim are Bill Fischer and Mickey Koth, a Connecticut duo that play for family and contra dances as well as for special events.
• Out on the Ocean is the house band for the Tuesday evening dances in Wilmington, North Carolina and is also available for bookings in the southeastern North Carolina area.
• Based in Claremont, California, Over the Edge (e-mail only)
• Over the Isles plays on a regular basis in Zurich, Switzerland.

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• Headquartered in Rhode Island, the Parallel String Band combines smooth vocal harmonies and accomplished instrumentals for their folk, bluegrass, swing, and Old Time string band influenced music. Their material is drawn from American traditional and contemporary folk music, ranging from cowboy ballads to uplifting Appalachian instrumentals. Frederick Theilig designed the page.
• The Parlor City Trio features Chuck Williamson, Steve Richard, J.P. Thom-Gronachen and Torsten Clay (e-mail only).
• Clarinetist Anna Patton is based in Brattleboro, Vermont and plays everything from contra dance tunes to swing to musettes.
• Will Patton has been playing all kinds of music for over 30 years now, including celtic, jazz, rock and roll, bluegrass and Brazilian choro and is best known for his work on bass and mandolin. He is based in Vermont.
• From Atlanta, Georgia, Peavine Creek plays on a regular basis in the southern and South Atlantic regions of the United States.
• Based in North Carolina, Don Pedi plays mountain dulcimer for a variety of events including contra dances.
• Gordon Peery has been playing piano (and occasionally guitar) for New England contra dance music since the mid-seventies and lives in the Monadnock Region of southern New Hampshire.
• The Percolators band members are multi-instrumentalists who each bring over 30 years of experience to playing traditional music. The band features voices, fiddles, banjos, guitars, and mandolins. The Percolators' expansive repertoire spans a rich variety of traditional and contemporary fiddle tunes from a variety of North American and Celtic traditions, with some songs tossed in for good measure. The band is nominally based in Colorado.
• Perfect 5th features Willie Simmons on guitar, bass, and piano; Keith Holmes on piano, accordion, and clarinet; Gail Huggett on hammered dulcimer and piano; Cheryl Cleary on whistle, flute, recorder, and percussion and Teresa Henrichs on fiddle and viola and is based in Houston, Texas.
• Permanent Wave is a contra dance band located in the Houston, Texas area.
• Perpetual e-Motion features Ed Howe and John Cote who play music so dances can lose themselves in the surreal sounds of electric fiddle, swirling didgeridoo, driving guitar and foot percussion. The band is based in Maine. New entry (March 16, 2009)
• Elsie Peterson is a musician in Alabama (e-mail only).
• While specializing in Scottish music, Susie Petrov does occasionally play for a contra dance. She is based in Massachusetts.
• Jason Pfeiffer is an Irish flute, whistle & bodhran player recently transplanted to Kitchener, Ontario from the United States and has played for ceilis and contras for years. MySpace page. New entry (April 26, 2009)
• Phantom Power is composed of fiddler Lissa Schneckenburger and pianist Bruce Rosen and plays traditional New England fiddle repertoire for today's contemporary dance crowds. It is based in Eastern Massachusetts.
• Pick of the Lizard features Larry Edwards, Rick Johnson, JoAnn Koppany and Richard Chance and is based in San Diego, California. New entry (May 22, 2010)
• The Brian Pickell Band is friendly, funny and plays with passion, mostly in Canada and includes Shane Cook, Mark Sullivan, James Stephens, Pat O'Gorman, Sahra Featherstone, Julie Schryer and Brian Pickell.
• The Picks & Sticks Stringband are a gumbo mixture of acoustical folk, swing, traditional, light pop, western, country, jazz, bluegrass, oldies, and ethnic tunes that captivates audiences of all genres based in Michigan.
• Pied-a-Terre features Dan Compton, Fran Slefer and Rob Barrick and can be heard on the Pacific coast, especially in Oregon.
• Pig's Eye Landing is a Saint Paul, Minnesota based contra, square and swing dance band. They play an eclectic (and sometimes epiplectic) blend of Irish, old-timey, and the occasional rock and roll tune. Erik Peterson maintains the site.
• The Pilot Mountain Bobcats play an infectious brand of old time stringband music and include Nancy Sluys on fiddle, Jacki Spector on fretless banjo, Allin Cottrell on guitar and Bill Sluys on bass and are Based in Surry County, North Carolina. MySpace page.
• The Pine Needle Runners are an "Old-Time String Band" and feature Jon Polacheck (guitar), Susan Spruance (bass), Jacqui Wooley (fiddle), Angie Wooten (banjo), Terry Wooten (guitar), and Tim Wooten (fiddle, harmonica). Sharon Rempert's supplies the needed data.
• The Pit Bull String Band from Ohio plays, as they say, "Old Time Music with a bite".
• The Plaid Family from Kansas, plays a medley of barn-dance tunes to a turn-of-the-century cakewalk to a new emu-herding song.
• The Connecticut Commission on the Arts provides some basic contact information for The Please & Thank You String Band, which includes Bill Wallach (e-mail only), Will Welling, and Dave Howard.
• The Plum Creek String Band plays Appalachian Jamaican groove music: West Virginia meets West Jamaica and goes out dancing. They are based in Ohio.
• The Plum Moonshiners are an old-time stringband that plays and sings southern rural mountain music and are based in the Ithaca area.
• The Polymorphous String Band plays in Northboro, Massachusetts, among other locations, on a fairly regular basis. Jon Weinberg hosts the site.
• The Porch Stompers play for dances in Iowa and sing some fine country harmonies.
• The Portland Megaband, in Oregon, is comprised of over 70 musicians ranging in experience from professional to beginner including more than 30 fiddles along with banjos, mandolins, concertinas, saxophones, clarinets, flutes, whistles, autoharps, celtic harp, keyboards, bass, guitars, and a lively percussion section. They are best known for their annual concert each spring.
• The Possum Pickers are an old-time band from central Florida.
• From the Boston, Massachusetts area, The Poubelles play lively French-Canadian music for contras and squares. (e-mail only)
• The Prairie Acre is based in Lawrence, Kansas, started up in 2002 and brings together elements of traditional bluegrass and old-time to create a unique sound and fuel their highly contagious positive energy. New entry (May 16, 2009)
• The Oklahoma group, The Prairie Land String Band plays at an occasional contra dance along with playing the traditional music of post-civil war era, but also Cowboy, Blues, Celtic and American Folk music ranging from songs of the sea to traditional murder ballads.
• The Princeton Country Dancers Pick-Up Band plays about once per month for the weekly contra dance in Princeton, New Jersey. It is open to players at all skill levels on any acoustic instrument.
• The Privy Tippers are located in Tucson, Arizona and include Jacqueline Wohl (fiddle), Craig Tinney (guitar and banjo), Dave Firestine (mandolin) and Jerry Ray Weinert (bass). They have been playing for contra and square dances for more than 13 years all over the state of Arizona and throughout the Southwest.
• The Pub Scouts are a traditional Irish music group located in Chico, California who host sessions on a regular basis and play at the contra dances in Chico. MySpace page.

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• The Queen City String Band, in its various incarnations has been playing hard-driving old-time music since around 1982 and is based in Cincinnati, Ohio. New entry (January 4, 2009)

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• Fiddler Alicia Jo Rabins plays everything from old-time (traditional Appalachian dance music, with banjos and stuff) to klezmer (Eastern European Jewish party music, with Slivovitz). She is based in Brooklyn, New York. MySpace page.
• You can turn to the Racket Factory for its combined experience producing the finest reels, jigs, waltzes, hambos and polkas for the people of New Sharon, Vienna, and Central Maine.
• The Rafter Ringers play Old-time Irish and hillbilly fiddle tunes for contra dances in Central Florida.
• Raise the Roof, from the eastern Pennsylvania/New Jersey area features Mat Clark, Pete Soloway, Judi Stellar, & Kathy Talvitie. E-mail
• Named for the Raisin River, the Raisin Pickers are from Michigan and "...Their music flows effortlessly from swing to ballad, from hometown cookouts to outer space..."
• Ralugerri is a 6 piece band focusing on Irish Traditional and Celtic music. It is available for Contra Dances and other events from North East Missouri/West Central Illinois. Contact Dale or Sarah McUmber-House at 573-985-4141. See our 'alter-ego', Missouri Compromise.
• Bart Ramsey & Neti Vann play a great collection of contra-versial jigs, reels and waltzes. Bart's contra-puntal piano rhythm will add bounce to your dance steps, and Neti's violin keeps the energy going in the New Orleans, Louisiana area.
• Ranting Banshee, with members Marci Phelan, Carla Blackmar and Martha Wild on piano play Irish with a bit of English, Scottish, Quebecois and New England-style tunes tossed into an eclectic mix. The band is based in San Diego, California. Change of URL (May 22, 2010)
• Rattletrap Stringband, from Athens County, Ohio, features Matthew McElroy (fiddle), Tim Peacock (banjo), Frank McDermott (guitar) and Thom Herbie (bass).
• Red Mountain plays traditional string band music in Alabama. The site is maintained by Jim and Joyce Cauthen.
• The Red State Ramblers are based in Lexington, Kentucky. They have been playing around Kentucky for several year and promote Kentucky music and its traditions.
• The Reed Island Rounders play the foot-stomping dance tunes of the Blue Ridge to romantic waltzes, and beyond to the dark and lonesome mountain tunes of a solo fiddle or duet with the banjo and are based in Virginia.
• From San Luis Obispo, California, Reel Evolution (e-mail only)
• The Reel McCoy, featuring Joel Kaserman, Ritchie Schuman, Bethann Miller, Harry Johnson, Cheryl Parker and Julia Wallis, frequently plays at the dances in Memphis, Tennessee. Change in URL (January 2, 2010)
• Reel Shady played in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on December 29, 2009.
• In western Connecticut, The Reel Thing provides sparkling live music for contra, 18th century/colonial, English country and barn dances. MySpace page. Change of URL (November 24, 2009)
• Reel Women are basically dance musicians, and have considered refusing to play when people won't get up and dance, and are comprised of Martha Edwards and Kristin Graham and are based in Missouri.
• The Reel World String Band is headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky and features Bev Futrell, Karen Jones, Sue Massek, Elise Melrood, and Sharon Ruble.
• ReelBop is a powerhouse quartet of acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle and bass which takes on the string-pickers challenge of speed and finesse in a variety of musical styles. The band is based in Ohio. New entry (May 15, 2009)
• Based in Central California, Reid, Wright and Allen (e-mail only)
• W.B. Reid and Bonnie Zahnow play together, separately with others and together with others at contra dances and other events. They are based in Seattle, Washington.
• Relative Harmony's music is an energetic and engaging selection of English, North American and Quebecois tunes. Their style is influenced by the playing of many of the current New England dance bands, and is sure to keep you on your toes with a strong, steady back-beat and energetic fiddling. They are based in Ontario.
• The Remnants include Don Noon, Given Harrison, John Wright and Rick Johnson and are based in San Diego, California. New entry (May 22, 2010)
• The Canadian band, Réveillons! plays traditional Québécois for contra dances and square dances in Québec, Ontario and United States, along with concerts and other events. MySpace page. Slight change in mail URL (February 8, 2010)
• The Rhythm Rats is a Cincinnati based old time band. MySpace page.
• The Rhythm Rollers include Laurie Andres & Cathie Whitesides from Seattle, WA with some of the finest back-up players from across the country.
• Mike Richardson, a caller and musician from the Seattle, Washington area.
• Fiddler Laura Risk plays music suitable for 18th-century Scottish drawing rooms to driving strathspeys and reels suitable for a Cape Breton dance floor and plays at a contra dance on occasion. She lives in Quebec. MySpace page.
• The Central Massachusetts group Riverbend playing lively tunes in aid of celebration and joyful dance, blends vocals with a variety of stringed instruments.
• The Roadoilers Old Time String Band play at an occasional contra dance in California.
• Also from Eastern Massachusetts, Roaring Jelly plays a monthly dance in Lexington, Massachusetts along with other gigs.
• There's a Utah band with the name Roaring Jelly, but no relation to the band from Massachusetts.
• Ian Robb is a member of bands such as JIIG, Finest Kind, and The Old Sod Band and is known for his playing of the English concertina and his songs. He is based in Ottawa, Canada.
• Jim Roberts plays percussion in the band, Footloose, and with other groups and on other projects. He is based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. MySpace page.
• The Rocket Boys play in Tennessee, Georgia, and parts near-by. (e-mail only)
• The Root Cellar String Band plays at dances in the Bowling Green, Ohio area. (e-mail only)
• Chicago, Illinois banjo player Steve Rosen writes about his trips, t-shirts, music, and bands on his page.
• Jane Rothfield is a contra dance fiddler and banjo player and is based in New York State.
• Round the House plays celtic music for contradances in the Tucson, Arizona area. MySpace page.
• Roustabout, including Chris Romaine, Lars Hanslin, and Bruce Hutton, play in the Washington, D. C. area. (e-mail only)
• Don Roy is a Franco-American fiddler in Maine who occasionally plays at contra dances and custom crafts violins and violas.
• Rumblestrip plays lots of music for dancing, contra dancing, square dancing, swing dancing, hambos, schottische, waltzes and is based in Maine and New Hampshire. New entry (January 4, 2009)
• Monterey Park, California is the base for the band Ruby's Dream which includes Michele Nosco, Emil Olguin, Suzie Richmond. (e-mail only)
• Rude Cider is the only student contradance band this side of the Hoosic.
• The Rum & Onions Band is the name of the band which, for many years now, has formed and rehearsed for several weeks in the fall to play at a Halloween contra dance organized by the Princeton Country Dancers. We have been joined in the past by many musicians from near and far. Instruments of all kinds are welcome: melody, rhythm, percussion. They also play at a few other events such as NEFFA.
• Rumblestrip plays lots of music for dancing, contra dancing, square dancing, swing dancing, hambos, schottische, waltzes and is based in Maine and New Hampshire. MySpace page. New entry (January 4, 2009)
• The Run of the Mill String Band has been playing and performing Old Time Appalachian music together for over ten years in southeastern Pennsylvania. MySpace page.
• Eric Ryan-Johnson plays traditional Irish fiddle in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He can be reached at ericryanjohnson@cox.net or 918.592.4260. Added MySpace page (March 9, 2009)

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• The Sandia Hots are are Liz Stevens on fiddle; Scott Mathis on mandolins and harmonica; Michael Gallagher on banjos, fiddle and accordion; and Linda Askew on guitar. Everybody sings. These folks encompass a wealth of musical experience, playing old and new music of the southern Appalachians, the Southwest and Mexico.
• The Sankofa Strings, although on hiatus, played at contra dances and drew upon the string and vocal traditions of the Americas, Africa and Europe: string band standards, blues, hokum tunes and anonymous folk songs slide next to new interpretations of Afro-Pop, sea shanties and Celtic ballads.
• Sassafrass Stomp is a sweet, high-energy, contradance band duo with one foot in western Montana and one foot in mid-coast, Maine. Fiddler Johanna Davis and guitarist Adam Nordell toured coast-to-coast as 2/3rds of the AM String Band before their debut as Sassafras Stomp at Seattle's Northwest Folklife Festival in May of 2008. Johanna and Adam are regular performers at the the state's four long-running monthy and bi-monthly dances as well as many smaller or intermittent dances. Also available by e-mail at wapiti dot music at gmail dot com. New entry (February 18, 2010)
• Bart Saylor, of South Carolina, has been playing traditional American "Roots" music in the Charleston, SC area for 25 years, with various configurations of musician friends.
• The Ann Arbor, Michigan based Scalar Scalawags have been described as "a touch of classical meets traditional, Celtic, Eastern European, rock, and pub." They play at dances in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.
• The Scarlet Runner String Band, now featuring Mike Ross, Dave Langdon, Larry Johnson, and Brian Hefferen started playing in Lansing, Michigan more than twenty years ago and continue to play at dances in the area.
• The band, Scenic Roots, from Kansas, occasionally plays at a contra dance. They mix bluegrass, folk, celtic, folk, and gospel for their unique sound. MySpace page.
• North Carolina fiddle player Emily Schaad plays at a contra dance on occasion. New entry (April 25, 2009)
• Lissa Schneckenburger is a fiddler from New England playing all over the place. MySpace page.
• Schrodinger's Cats is a recently formed contra dance band based in Lexington, Kentucky, bringing together musician with years of experience playing for contra dancers. New entry (April 26, 2009)
• Fiona Rae Schubeck plays fiddle with bands and musicians in Maine.
• Jacqueline Schwab plays piano for English country dancing, New England contra, Scottish country, couple dancing, vintage and tango. She is based in the Boston area. MySpace page.
• The Scissortail Mega Band is a group of volunteer musicians who fill in from time to time for The Scissortail Traditional Dance contra dances in Oklahoma City.
• Scoot!, the contra dance band, is Fiona Schubeck, Eric McDonald and Max Newman and is based in Boston, MA. New entry (November 22, 2009)
• The Screaming Earwigs, a Los Angeles, California based band, featuring Chris Cooper on guitar, Patrick Sauber on banjo, and Tom Sauber play at the 3rd Friday dance in Pasdena, California.
• Matt Fisher provides information about the Scotsbroome County Dance Band which plays at the first Saturday dance in Seattle.
• The Screaming Earwigs are Pat Sauber, Tom Sauber with other musicians. The band is based in Los Angeles, California. (e-mail only)
• Scrod Pudding plays at the third Saturday dances in Bowdoinham. Greg Anderson maintains the page.
• The Sea Slugs have been performing steadily throughout southern Maine for twenty years with experience with family dances and school workshops.
• Geoffrey J. Seitz is a violinmaker and fiddle player in Missouri. New entry (April 26, 2009)
• The Sevens, a high-energy Celtic ensemble that unites traditional Irish tunes with world rhythms and American songs in a highly original and exciting mix, are based in Connecticut River Valley, but play all over including "All Things Considered".
• Shanahy is a band that hails from Salt Lake City and performs traditional songs and tunes from the British Isles--primarily Scotland and Ireland.
• The Ann Arbor Council for Traditional Music and Dance provides information about the members of the Sharon Hollow String Band which is from Michigan. Change of URL (January 3, 2010)
• Mara Shea lives in Raleigh, North Carolina and plays plenty of dance music: Scottish country dances, English country dances, and Irish set dances, as well as contra dances, parties, and concerts with the fiddle-guitar duo, The Elftones. New entry (April 20, 2009)
• The Winter Harbor dance in Maine features the Sheep Island Rovers with Jon Archer, Ruth Grierson, Geoffrey Warner, David Quinby and Carl Karush. (e-mail only)
• Sheesham & Lotus met in Alabama, settled in Kingston, Ontario in Canada and play s Old-time Rag-time High Steppin' Mountain music.
• The Shout Lulu String Band plays old-time music from the Ozark Mountains in northwest Arkansas.
• Along with his work with the Berverwyck String Band and other groups playing at contra dances, Vermont's Peter Siegel plays and sings in a variety of musical styles. MySpace page.
• Mark Simos plays fiddle, guitar, and piano and across New England and other locations and weaves a lifetime's love of many traditions--Irish, Southern old-time, New England, Quebe°ois, bluegrass, and Klezmer among others--into innovative musical forms.
• The Skeeziks plays traditional Irish, Scottish, and Appalachian tunes for your listening and dancing pleasure and are based in Greenville, South Carolina.
• Based in England, Skylark is a new band formed out of members of the Dave Brown Band. Dave Brown (Fiddle), Elaine Meechan (Keyboards), Kathryn Meechan (flute), Dave Hunter or Patience Scott-Brown (Guitar) and Mark Brown (Bass).
• Based in North Carolina, Skylark plays traditional and contemporary music from the Celtic lands and beyond and is made up of the husband-wife duo of Paul Fackler on fiddle and Marilyn Hartman on piano.
• Nancy Sluys of North Carolina plays clawhammer banjo and fiddle with groups such as the Pilot Mountain Bobcats and other musicians.
• Small Tattoo plays southern old-time fiddle music for square and contradances and includes Judy Hyman, Jeff Klaus, Stuart Kenney, Liza Constable, and Taki Masuko. Given that the players are from several different location, I'll say that they are based in Ithaca, New York.
• Beverly Smith and Carl Jones play at a variety of contra dances mostly in the mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic regions. They are based in Philadelphia.
• Lynn "Chirps" Smith has been playing the fiddle for more than thirty years and is well-known as an interpreter of fiddle tunes collected from fiddlers throughout Southern and central Illinois. New entry (June 1, 2009)
• Smoke and Mirrors is comprised of Deborah Gerstein (piano) Damaris Rohsenow (Hammer Dulcimer), and Ryan Thomson (Fiddle, Flute, Banjo). They play for dances throughout New England. Change of URL (June 17, 2010)
• The Georgia version of Smoke and Mirrors includes Sandi Goldring (piano) and Shelley Rhodes (fiddle). (e-mail only)
• Smoke Creek features Mike Murray, Jim Murray, Peggy Sullivan, Ted Briggs-Comstock and Elizabeth Gale on Fiddle. The band plays an unpredictable mix of award-winning original songs, ballads, country-western songs and old-time instrumentals. They are based in Port Townsend, Washington.
• Smokin' Contra Band is a Halifax (Canada) based lively traditinal band playing an entertaining and foot-stomping assortment of old-timey fiddle tunes, jigs and reels with a whisper of bluegrass. MySpace page.
• Smokin' Pig plays in and around Atlanta, Georgia. (e-mail only)
• Alan Snyder plays fiddle with bands up and down the Pacific coast.
• The Soda Rock Ramblers are three friends and musicians (Linda Askew, Larry Edelman, and Scott Mathis) whose music features old-time American fiddle tunes from the South and Midwest and the haunting melodies from the Southwest, including Mexican tunes, music of the Rio Grande (Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado), and the beautiful and rare Gu-achi tunes from Arizona. They are based in Colorado.
• Soltré is an Irish musical trio from the Indiana (Middlebury)/Chicago area. With fiddle, flute, guitar, and vocals, they present a unique, innovative variety of traditional and contemporary Irish music. Change of URL (January 3, 2010)
• Some Assembly is a quartet of musicians from Southern Maryland whose repertoire is quite eclectic, but draws heavily from traditional Irish, Scottish, English and Canadian (especially Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island) instrumental music. (e-mail only)
• Julie Sorcek plays flute, piccolo, saxophone and bodhran as part of the contra dance band The Reel Thing, and also plays periodically with the group Out on a Whim and other musicians. She is based in Connecticut.
• Soup for the Soles is an eclectic ensemble of musicians who share a love for traditional Irish, English, and North American tunes played at contra and square dances and is based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
• Southern Jubilee, featuring Sandra Arozqueta (bass), Katie Bailey (fiddle), Jay Bradbury (banjo), Peter Easton (many instruments), and Joe Waller (guitar) plays up and down the state of Florida.
• As you might guess, the Southern New Mexico Music & Dance Society Band plays at the SNMM&DS dances in Mesilla on a regular basis. Change of URL (January 22, 2010)
• On piano and flute, Bill Matthiesen and Liz Stell, comprising Spare Parts, play a variety of historic dance music, including contra, English Country, ragtime, 19th century Victorian and Civil War re-enactments, and early Argentine tangos. They are based in western Massachusetts.
• Bill Spence with Fennig's All Stars and other groups, has bee playing the hammered dulcimer for dances and others events since the 1970s. He is based in New York State.
• The Spike Island Band plays at barn dances in England. Richard Breton maintains the site.
• Spin Cycle from Sunland, California. (e-mail only)
• Based in Santa Monica, California, Spontaneous Combustion (e-mail only)
• Spud Mountain, while no longer a performing old time country music band, did work out of Portland, Oregon.
• SPUDS is the pick-up band that regularly plays for the Thursday Night Contra Dance held at Glenside Hall in Glenside, Pennsylvania.
• The Squeaky Reels is a contra dance band based in Lexington, Kentucky which includes Cary Ravitz on fiddle, Brett Mason on piano, Eve Podet on Mandolin, and Shannon Arnold on bass guitar.
• The Squirrel Heads are an old-time string band playing reels to waltzes are are based in southern California.
• Squirrelheads in Gravy plays delicious old-time music in Texas with Jack Izen, Ray Quigley, Neia Lively Izen, Greg Breiland and Joe Izen stirring the pot.
• Bill Dudley provides information about the band Squirrelly Germs in the Tampa area.
• The Stairwell Sisters are San Francisco's all-gal urban old-time teardown with a deep and rowdy repertoire of timeless tunes plus a solid standing of smart, original material. MySpace page.
• Cedar Stanistreet plays fiddle with the band Nor'easter and other groups of musicians. He is based in metropolitan Boston.
• Star Thistle plays for contradances in and near Sacramento, Auburn, Reno, and the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Dave Kistler, David Wright, Lonna Whipple, and Cheryl McKinney combine forces on fiddle, mandolin, guitar, banjo, whistles, drum and piano -- and have at least as much fun as the dancers. Second contact is Cheryl McKinneyy. (e-mail only) New entry (January 21, 2010)
• The Statesville Highballers are a four-piece North Carolina old-time band whose members have crossed the nation and the globe to be in the midst of old-time music and include Sarah Peterson on fiddle, Ken Inoue on banjo, Kazumi Inoue on guitar, and and John Johnason on bass for a combination that creates energetic and danceable music. Change of URL (November 29, 2009)
• Wes Steenson is a member of Fingerpyx along with playing guitar, 5-string banjo, mandolin, mandola, bass guitar, resophonic guitar, bouzouki and bodhran for groups that play English Country dance music or music for dance performances. He lives in Philadelphia. Change of URL (November 28, 2009)
• While he was born in Italy, Rafe Stefanini has established himself as an interpreter of fiddle music from the South with his dynamic and elegant fiddle and banjo playing in numerous bands. He is based in Pennsylvania. MySpace page.
• Besides all his wonderful web pages about contra dancing, Bob Stein, from the Philadelphia area, is a musician who plays the accordion, piano, banjo, and a small drum called a doumbek. (e-mail only)
• Begun in 2005 in Connecticut, Step It Up! includes Linda Thomas, Britt Goodman, Gary Mitchell and Ken Mitchell.
• Patty Stevenson and Craig Siemsen play for an occasional contra dance in Wisconsin along with their other gigs.
• Stewed Mulligan blends the old backwoods sound of West Virginia with clever Country Rock to create music that could have been birthed in a basement by the illegitimate sons of The Band.
• Stick Shift plays driving dance music in the United Kingdom that's geared to a groove.
• The Stillhouse Rounders is a group of Hudson Valley musicians who play traditional, acoustic, old time rural stringband music with a sound is reminiscent of early stringbands recorded throughout the rural south and mid-west.
• Gordon Stobbe's musical interests lie in the field of traditional music, especially as it is expressed in the wide variety of North American fiddle styles. He plays fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and clawhammer banjo. Along with concerts and festivals, he does play at events that include contra dances.
• Stradivarious plays music for Folk Dances, Country Dances, Barn Dances, Ceilidhs, Scottish Dances, Square Dances, Contra Dances, in much of England.
• From State College, Pennsylvania, Strath Hanna plays mostly Scottish traditional music, both for dancing (Scottish and contras) and for listening.
• Street Legal String Band plays old-time music and tells bad jokes and are for hire in Albuquerque, New Mexico and the vicinity.They feature Tim Shaffer, fiddle; Jonathan Longcore, banjo; Beth Corwin, guitar; Rick Olcott, mandolin; and Jane Phillips, fiddle.
• Playing high energy dance music, The String Beings are based in North Carolina.
• Strings and Things disbanded in 2007, but played at the dance series in Peninsula, Ohio and included Tina Bergmann, David Rice, Bryan Thomas and Heather Malyuk.
• Strings on Wings plays traditional fiddle tunes and waltzes in the Appalachian, Celtic, Folk, New England and French Canadian styles, features Todd Clewell and Barb Schmid and is based in Pennsylvania. New entry (January 23, 2009)
• The Stump Juice Trading Co., based in Athens, Ohio and plays acoustic folk and roots music. New entry (April 26, 2009)
• Ray Frank (guitar) and Dan Engle (fiddle), the members of the California band Stump Tail Dog blend many different styles and traditions to create a bold and exciting performance all their own.
• Sugar on the Floor plays for a variety of occasions and at different venues in Washington State.
• Suite Contraband plays primarily Irish and old-time contradance music, more in the New England style rather than the southern old-time style. They are noted for their interesting arrangements and pulse-pushing, dance-enhancing sound. They are based in West Virginia.
• Mark Sullivan, while playing at concerts and other venues in Canada and the United States, continues to be part of the old-time music and dance scene in Canada.
• David Surette along with his solo work and performances with Susie Burke, plays guitars, mandolin and bouzouki at contra dances with a variety of musicians and groups. He is based in New Hampshire. MySpace page.
• The Suspicious Contra Band includes Ian Bittle, Wayne Cantwell and Malia Bennett and features Old-time American traditional music as well as Celtic Tunes. The band is based in Oklahoma. MySpace page.
• From Western Massachusetts, Swallowtail includes George Marshall, Ron Grosslein, Tim Van Egmond, Timm Triplett, and David Cantieni and has been playing for more than twenty years.
• The Swamp Mamas are a Cajun-flavored contra dance band featuring Barbara Whitney on fiddle, Patty McCollom on banjo, whistle and vocals, Marie Bruno on guitar, and Marcella Wagoner on bass. They are based in California.
• The Sweet River String Band is a bluegrass/old-time band which plays at contra dances in Colorado.
• Sweet Sunny South plays bluegrass and old-time, any time and is based in Colorado.
• Sweetbriar plays music firmly rooted in tradition and fully vested in the contemporary and is availabble for contra, family & barn dances in Maine. (e-mall only)
• The Connecticut band, The Swivets is comprised of Stacy Phillips, Ellen Cohn and Baba David Coleman.
• Swinging on a Gate has been playing high-energy music for New England contras and squares since 1986.
• Sybaritic String Band is based in Vancouver, British Columbia.
• The Syncopaths are a vibrant West Coast band from California, offering a fresh, contemporary take on Celtic music. Fiddler Ryan McKasson, pianist Jeffrey Spero, bodhran player and vocalist Christa Burch and multi- instrumentalist Bill Flores make up this energetic and inventive quartet. MySpace page.

T

• The T'Bergs feature Jack Lindberg, Arvid Lundin, and Rick Rubin. They are the host band for the Wednesday night contras in Spokane, Washington and play other venues, too.
• Along with playing at plenty of square dances in Washington State and elsewhere, The Tallboys Old Time String Band plays at a contra dance, on occasion. MySpace page.
• Tame Rutabaga is a garden variety Family Dance Band, specializing in dances for the very young and the young-at-heart and is based in the Albany, New York region.
• Tanglemere, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, is a group of players with a diverse background and a love for Celtic and traditional music. This group takes traditional songs and tunes, pairs them with modern energy, creating a toe tapping, frolicking good time.
• Ellen Tepper plays the harp at dances and other events with a variety of musicians. She is based in eastern Pennsylvania.
• The Maryland based band Terpsichore is a contra duo (Elke Baker and Liz Donaldson), a trio with Ralph Gordon, or even larger with special guests from Maryland.
• Three Bean Salad, from Lawrence, Kansas, plays a blend of New England Dance, Celtic and other traditional and contemporary styles. MySpace page.
• Three Cats and a Dog includes Richard Gregory-Allen, Jim Shaw, and John Alden, who play tunes and songs and is based in Eastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod.
• ThisBigStringBand is an old-time trio with banjo, guitars, and fiddle featuring David Algeo Smith, Steve Noel on 5-string banjo and Jim Marks on tenor and 6-string guitars and is based in Illinois.
• Captain Fiddle aka Ryan J. Thomson plays the Cajun, Zydeco, and Celtic music on his fiddle. He is based in New Hampshire.
• Carl Thor plays with Vancouver Celtic and folk group Talisman and Portland contra dance band Hands4, Carl also plays in Cascade Crossing, the Portland Megaband, in other groupings for folk dancing, and as a soloist.
• The Thread City String Band is based in Willimantic, Connecticut and includes Chuck Morgan, June Bisantz-Evan, Noreen Morgan, Larry Boisvert and John Soltys.
• Threadneedle St plays Celtic music in the Fort Worth, Texas area at pubs, festivals and dances.
• Traveler's Dream plays traditional Celtic, French-Canadian, and early American music and is based in Lafayette, Indiana. New entry (April 26, 2009)
• Triple Chicken Foot plays at square dances in California and believe highbrow, lowbrow - it really doesn't matter because it is music. MySpace page.
• Ti'Acadie means "a little Acadia". They sing and play traditional music from French and Maritime Canada, French Louisiana, the southern Appalachians, and New England for contradances, family dances, school functions, concerts and any festive occasion. The band includes Pam Weeks, Bill Olson, and Jim Joseph.
• The Tickwood Stringband is an old-time string band based in Ottertail County, Minnesota which has been playing music for dances and concerts around the region for over four years.
• Tidal Wave (Raz-de-Maré) is grounded in traditional Quebec rhythms and melodies but not limited by it. The band includes Sabin Jacques, Rachel Aucoin and Stuart Kenney with guest musicians André Brunet, Eric Favereu et Claudine Arcand with occasional guests Benoit Bourque et Kimberly Holmes. The band is based in New England and Quebec.
• The Timbre Wolves, based in Columbus, Ohio, are a five-member acoustic band playing "old-time", celtic, a little bluegrass, and a spot of jazz.
• Tipsy House, in various configurations and combinations as a traditional Irish music band, has played in the San Francisco area for a variety of events for more than 10 years.
• The Virginia band The Toad Mamas play New England, Celtic, French-Canadian and American Music for contra dances, weddings, celebrations and gatherings, or just plain fun.
• Bill Tomczak plays clarinet and saxophone with several groups including The Latter Day Lizards and Northern Comfort. He hails from Boulder, Colorado.
• Too Tall for Our Hair, featuring Larry Bolin and Mike Rucks, plays on a regular basis for dances in Nevada. (e-mail only).
• The Top Drawer String Band featuring Brian Bishop (fiddle), Laura Stein (piano), and Joel Mabusis (guitar, banjo, fiddle), is based in Michigan.
• Toppish plays traditional Irish music for Contra Dancing - many years of contra experience, precision players, tunes to suit the dances and plenty of positive energy and plays for the weekly contra in Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania. Change of URL (November 28, 2009)
• The Tractor Family plays Southern Old-Time music and includes Judy Hyman, Jeff Claus, John Hermann, Larry Unger, and June Drucker and is based in New York State.
• One of the hottest bunch of musicians in the Pacific Northwest: , a contra dance band, and their (almost) mirror image, the English country dance band, Tricky Brits, include Dave Bartley, Anita Anderson, and Sande Gillette (Bag o' Tricks), and sweet tunes, new and traditional, when Betsy Cooper joins the band and they morph into Tricky Brits.
• Tripping Up Stairs features Jan Drechsler on piano, Bob Mills on banjo, mandolins and fiddle, and John Pranio on fiddle and 5-string banjo. While named for an Irish jig, they became popular playing old-time music for contra dancing. They are based in Vermont.
• Jaige Trudel and Adam Broome, a fiddle and guitar duo, play energetic and uplifting music for contra dances, weddings and special occasions and are based in Maine. (e-mail only)
• Tuberville is Elaine and Mark Davis, Leon Ashley Peek, Brian Horn and Steve Horn and is based in Texas.
• The Tune Dogs music draws heavily on the music from the North Georgia mountains.
• An innovative dance band from Western New York & Pennsylvania, TuneScape nudges the border between traditional music and modern groove, inspired by the tunes of Ireland, New England, Quebec, and Appalachia. MySpace page.
• Tuq, from Montreal, Canada, posesses a passion for Contra Dances, they fuse Quebecois reels with Yiddish Hongas, Irish jigs with Sweedish Polskas, Breton Andros with Texas Swing.
• From Ohio, the Turkeys in The Straw feature Barry Chern, Marian Funk, Jeanne Budde, Mike Allen, Bruce Dadisman, and Andrea Ardito. Harold Cheyney provides the information.
• Turtle Creek includes Steve Lewis, Gaili Shoen, Daniel Slosberg and is based in California. (e-mail only)
• Turtle United is a group of musicians from Rochester, NY with varied musical backgrounds united by a love of contradancing and contradance music.
• Based in the Seattle area, the Turtle Valley String Band plays good old-time dance music with a vengeance.
• The Tuscan String Band features Elizabeth Lamberti on fiddle, Jim Becker on fiddle, banjo and guitar and Jessica Ziegler on fiddle and banjo and plays at dances in Illinois.
• Twas Brillig and the Mazel-Toves has a plethora of instruments to paint a complex musical picture, the group is well versed in contra dance, international dance, and klezmer dance music. The band is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
• Twechar, an Ohio-based band is Gary Lee Nelson who sings ballads and aires in the Celtic tradition and are also known for their "waltzing through breakfast" set for dancers who rise early at various dance weekends. Change of URL (March 5, 2009)
• John Guay and Vonnie Estes are the members of Two Bits String Band and also play with a number of other musicians comprising different bands with different styles of music ranging from Irish breakdown to U.S. colonial. They are based in New York State.
• Two Dollar Shoe Revival Story plays bluegrass but also plays contra dances in Kansas.
• Two for the Show, featuring Jake Kensinger and Ellen Schmidt, play at contradances in between their numerous other gigs. They are based in Massachusetts.
• Two Lost Turkeys is part of the Appalachian string band revival in Brooklyn, NY, and on sources from North Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky and beyond.

U

• Ubertuber is Alex Jarrett on flute, whistle and piano, Dhyana Miller on fiddle, Christopher Walsh on percussion, Jonathan Vacanti on mandolin, banjo and guitar, and Tim Dolan on guitar and banjo and is based in Western Massachusetts.
• UFO, according to Laura Light, is contradance music with a western swing! This band features Laura, Pete Vigour and Jim Morrison on fiddles, guitar and peddle steel and the rhythm section of Kim and Jimbo Cary on bass and drums and is based in West Virginia.
• Unbowed is a fiddle-less contradance band from Pennsylvania, led by the mandolin of Henry Koretzky and supported by guitarist Jamie O'Brien and others. (e-mail only (take out the (at)))
• Uncle Wiggily plays on a regular basis for square dances in Portland, Oregon. New entry (November 10, 2009)
• Musician Larry Unger, banjo & guitar player extraordinaire, has been a professional musician since 1984.
• From Sherman Oaks, California, Unsafe at Any Speed. (e-mail only)
• The members of Up River play at dances in Greentown, Ohio and at events at other venues.
• The Arizona band, Updraft, features Mike Reddig, Mary Anne McLeod and Judy Francis. New entry (April 18, 2009)

V

• Josee Vachon plays in the band Chanterelle, solos, and with other musicians. She is based in Pennsylvania.
• Doug Van Gundy, from Elkins, West Virginia, plays old-time music on the fiddle for concerts and dances.
• Vertical Expression was originally formed as the house band of the Sheffield Contra series, but now also plays at other venues in England and is driven by the double bass and guitar rhythm with excellently danceable melodies played on the fiddle and melodeon.
• The Vigortones include Jim Nelson, Chirps Smith, and David Landreth. The web site Old Time Music has information about the band. They are based in Missouri (?).
• Village Idioms play occasionally at the Albuquerque, New Mexico dance. (e-mail only -- note the "NOSPAM")
• The Virginia Creepers including, Greg Donohoe, bass; Laurence 'Laurie' Phillips, mandolin; Rick Olcott, guitar; Peter White, fiddle; Bruce Thomson, fiddle; and Steve Huestis, banjo, play in New Mexico and other parts of the southwestern United States. MySpace page.
• The Volo Bogtrotters hail from the Chicago, Illinois area.
• Vulcan's Britches, from Birmingham, Alabama, plays what they call old-time music, meaning the traditional music style of the southern Appalachians, first recorded in the late 1920's and early '30's. They feature Kurt Kinbacher (guitar and banjo), Allen Peterson (fiddle), Terry McGinn (fiddle), Bobby Weathers (upright bass), and Carter Laney (banjo and guitar).
• The Virginia Klezmer band, the Vulgar Bulgars occasionally play at a contra dance. MySpace page. Re-added main page (November 28, 2009)

W

• Beverly Waickman comes from a musical family and has played piano and guitar, been part of the band, Anadama, and toured with Lissa Schneckenburger band. She is based in eastern Massachusetts. New entry (November 22, 2009)
• Wake the Neighbors, a quartet of musicians from Maine, has a unique music full of fire and passion that recognizes no cultural or stylistic boundaries, best described as "high-octane music for the new millennium."
• The Walker Family Band, in various incarnations, has played for traditional dances all over New York (their base) and New England for almost 25 years. With the children adding a variety of musical instruments, they play a mixture of music from the dance traditions of England, Scotland, Ireland, Scandinavia, Quebec, Cape Breton, New England, and Appalachia.
• The Water Tower Bucket Boys were brought together by their love of string band music play classic old-time and bluegrass tunes with a relentless youthful exuberance. They are based in Eugene, Oregon. MySpace page. Change of band name; added new main URL (January 30, 2010)
• Julia Weatherford performs regionally (North Carolina) with the string band Far Horizons, as well as an all woman contra dance band, Fly by Night, and a swing and traditional vocal group, Firefly. She also plays cello in the group Trillium, playing baroque and classical music.
• The Bozeman, Montanta based band, Weatherwood, with members Tom Robison, Lindsay Turnquist and Steve Marty, draw on Celtic tunes, Appalachian tunes, Latin tunes, orignal pieces, swing tunes and contra dance music for their repertoire. Change in URL (October 25, 2009)
• Maine's Pam Weeks is a mountain dulcimer player, fiddler in Cajun, Quebecois, New England, and old-timey styles, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and educator.
• In Maine, Kate Wegner and Chuck Donnelly fuse Irish, Scottish, and Cape Breton Celtic musical forms with Old-Time influences into a musical fabric that is being called Celtic Old-Time Fusion.
• Jonathan Weinberg is a hammer dulcimer musician from Massachusetts.
• Erica Weiss plays in bands like the Rhythm Method String Band, Grand Bois Cajun Band, Corndogs and The Killer Bees and is a caller of contras and squares. She is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. New entry (April 18, 2009)
• Joel Wennerstrom plays clawhammer banjo at barn dances in New York City and performs with numerous old-time and contra dance musicians in the area.
• The Weston Country Dance Band combines Christina on fiddle, Mary Brock on keyboard and John Brock on box in the UK. (e-mail only)
• Whiffletree, based in Maine, features the talents of Tyler Yentes on fiddle and Seth Yentes on Cello. New entry (November 22, 2009)
• Whirlygig is a dance band from the Guelph/Kitchener area of Ontario that plays jigs, reels and hornpipes from Ireland, Scotland, Brittany and Galicia, as well as haunting airs and songs for ceilis, weddings and folk festivals along with contra dances.
• The members of Whiskers Before Breakfast have played for decades with groups from the Glen Echo Open Band to Moose Chowder. The members include Al Taylor (fiddle), Ritchie Schuman and Steve Benka (hammer dulcimer). (e-mail only)
• in Hawaii, Whiskey Starship plays traditional and contemporary music in the Celtic, New England, and Old Time style: jigs, reels, hornpipes, waltzes.
• The White Cockade, based in Concord, New Hampshire, plays at Scottish Country, English Country and New England Contra Dances. You can also e-mail them.
• White Squall are Andrew Grover, Alice Pace and Ned Quist. The band is based in Rhode Island.
• The Whitetop Mountain Band is a family-based band from the highest mountains of Virginia. The members have done much to preserve the Whitetop region's style of old time fiddling and banjo picking and are legendary musicians and teachers of the style.
• Whitewater is from the New Jersey/Pennsylvania area and features Janet Mills, Robert Mills, Bob Pasquarello, & Kathy Talvitie. (e-mail only)
• Who's All plays Old Time acoustic music for contra dancing; early country, gospel, and swing with sweet mother/daughter harmonies for concerts or party music; and waltzes for well you know. (e-mail only).
• Wild Asparagus based in Western Massachusetts. You can also start off with their own domain.
• The Wild Coyotes play music spanning a wide variety of traditional American roots styles including old time, bluegrass, and classic and contemporary folk set to classic old-time string band instrumentation with wonderful vocals. The band is based in Idaho.
• Wild Goose Chase is based in and play in a variey of venues in North Carolina.
• Wild Goose Nation plays a variety of hot traditional music from America, including blues, old-time Appalachian, country, swing, and Cajun. They are based in Connecticut.
• Wild Hair is a contra-dance band of fur, fun, and festivity and has been Wiggling fannies on the dance floor since 2006! The band is based in Oregon. New entry (April 18, 2009)
• The Wild Notes, formerly The Wingnuts, are based in Connecticut and include Mickey Koth on fiddle and recorder, John Kalinowski on concertina, accordion, fife, and bones, Kasha Breau on harp and vocals, Peter Delaney on guitar and vocals, and Dan Hocott on bass and vocals. MySpace page.
• Wild Rose (and the Thorns) is a Dance Band group that plays mainly for Contra Dances but is open to other events and is based in upstate NY and plays an assortment of fiddle tunes from ancient Celtic and Scottish origins to early American Jigs and Reels, to Eastern European Klezmer, and to modern waltzes of mystical influence. MySpace page.
• The Rochester, New York based WildRoot String Band plays Southern style Old-Time music from the Appalachian regions of North Carolina, the Virginias and Tennessee.
• Nicholas Williams is a Montreal based musician who plays blackwood and bamboo flutes, piano, and piano accordion in a variety of traditional and contemporary styles and plays with bands such as Crowfoot and Les Jouers de Bon Accord. MySpace page.
• George Wilson's dynamic fiddling, strongly influenced by Cape Breton and French Canadian styles, has been popular with contra cancers and concert-goers since the late 1970s.
• Wily Milo is an old-time string band in New York State.
• The Wintergreen Trio a folk trio, performs a mixture of traditional and contemporary music from the British Isles and America, along with their own compositions and is based in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. MySpace page.
• Andi Wolfe plays hammered dulcimer and other instruments for the Columbus, Ohio band Aisling.
• Stephen Wolfe plays flute and other instruments for the Columbus, Ohio band Aisling.
• Sandra Wong plays both the fiddle and the the Swedish nyckelharpa for concerts and dances in Colorado.
• The Wongawilli Band plays at bush dances and other events in Australia and all over the world. MySpace page.
• Gary Wright and Leah Weiss play guitar and fiddle with other musicians at contra and square dances in Maryland.
• Wry Bred is a contra/barn/family dance band in Connecticut. Good music no matter how you slice it. New entry (October 25, 2009)

X

No band listings for X.

Y

• Yankee Ingenuity featuring Peter Barnes, Cal Howard, Mary Lea and Jack O'Connor, hosted the Monday Night dance in Concord, Massachusetts for a number of years. New entry (November 24, 2009)
• The Young Family String Band plays contras throughout Texas, as well as festivals and other gigs around the state and beyond. Change from URL to e-mail (January 2, 2010)

Z

• For more than twenty years, the Zillionaires have played string swing jazz standards, fiddle tunes, klezmer dance music, and songs new and old at events in and around Albany, New York.
• The Zing Kings are three good friends and veterans of the Charlottesville, Virginia music scene who get together to play for the joy of it. Change of URL (November 28, 2009)

This page is part of the Contrdancelinks.com web site. For more information about contra dancing, visit these other site pages:

http://www.contradancelinks/bands.html
Produced by Charlie Seelig
Last updated on July 5, 2010