The Euphemists

Dave Goldman — piano
Alan Snyder — fiddle
Paula Hamlin — winds
Kaye Blesener — trombone
Jerry Nelson — guitarpercussion

Enjoy contradancing but miss that Big Band sound? Then you’ll love the Euphemists, a band whose motto is “All fiddle tunes get better with horn riffs!” Over the past few years, various pairings of these Portland musicians have said, “We should form a band!” Finally, inspired by the recent immigration of fiddler Alan Snyder from warmer climes, The Euphemists congealed in 2011. The band features a brass front line of Paula Hamlin, Kaye Blesener, and Jerry Nelson, while Jerry’s several guitars share backup rhythmic duties with the keyboard of Dave Goldman.

Eric Curl calling

Eric started calling in 1996 and called in California and Colorado before moving Seattle in 2006. A mechanical engineer working for Boeing, he now enjoys calling in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia on a semi-regular basis. In his spare time, he likes to hike, snowshoe, camp, visit friends and family, play music, and of course, dance and call.

Beginners lesson starts at 7:30pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 8:00pm

Each dance is taught.  No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)

~POTLUCK: 6pm; Hosts: Greg & Maria, 3316 SE Hathaway Drive; phone: 831-325-7627.

First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.

First and Third Sundays

The first Sunday of the month will be dedicated to Balkan dances and the third to Israeli.

Portland FolkMusic Society presents

Singtime Frolics

a spring weekend of singing, jamming, learning, sharing and good food at Portland FolkMusic Society’s annual retreat.

click HERE for more information

The Nettles

Laura Brophy – fiddle;
Kevin Johnsrude – guitars;
Michael Proctor – bass;
Brian Bucolo – percussion;

The Nettles are well-known on the West Coast for their original approach to contra dance music. Playing traditional music from all over the world, The Nettles create a strong rhythmic groove under soaring improvisations. Rhythmic drive and melodic fluidity allow The Nettles to propel contra dances into the stratosphere.

Kelsey Hartman

Since I am a “contraholic,” I can often be found any given weekend dancing or calling a contra dance. My inspiration for calling comes from Frannie Marr, who got me thinking that there was life in contra off the dance floor, and Nils Fredland, whose callers’ workshop at American Week (BACDS) in 2012 spurred me down the caller’s path.

Beginners lesson starts at 7:30pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 8:00pm

Each dance is taught.  No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)

First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.

First and Third Sundays

The first Sunday of the month will be dedicated to Balkan dances and the third to Israeli.

Thompsonia

combines Eric & Suzy Thompson’s deep devotion to southern roots music with daughter Allegra’s fresh perspective, creating feel-good music that richochets between the rowdy and the sentimental, with an abundance of groove and a bit of a quirky edge. Suzy and Allegra’s genetically-matched vocals (dubbed “The Everly Sisters sound” by Geoff Muldaur) are featured, along with stellar lead playing from Eric on mandolin and guitar. In addition to the Cajun, blues and old-time music for which Eric and Suzy have long been acclaimed, the trio also performs witty originals alongside obscurities in styles ranging from rockabilly to hokum to Americana.  Standouts from their new Thompsonia CD include Suzy’s acoustic rock anthem “Very Bad Mood” (guaranteed to have just the opposite effect on the listener), Allegra’s bawdy 1920’s “He May Be Your Dog But He’s Wearing My Collar,” Eric’s proto-zydeco “French Fries” and a lovely duet rendition of Hugh Moffatt’s “Rose of My Heart.”

​Eric and Suzy Thompson have performed and recorded in collaborations with David Grisman, David Nelson (New Riders), Jody Stecher & Kate Brislin, Geoff Muldaur, Jim Kweskin, Michael Doucet, Del Rey, Dave Alvin and Joel Savoy, to name just a few, and their bands have included Any Old Time, Black Mountain Boys, California Cajun Orchestra, Blue Flame String Band and many others. Allegra Thompson is the bass player of choice for multiple Bay Area bands, including the Cajun band Midnite Ramblers and the bluegrass band Wendy Burch Steel & Redwood.

Please join us for an evening of music not-to-be-missed, or heard very often, especially here!

A house concert is an excellent place to hear and meet great musicians in a very intimate setting.

Song Circle

Share a song, lead a song, request a song, or listen as we go round the circle. Song Circle is free and open to all who wish to participate.  Bring your own instrument, borrow one, or just sing.

Special Sunday Contra Dance

 The Syncopaths

From dance floors to concert halls, the Syncopaths bring a fresh, contemporary spin to music and songs rooted in the Scottish, Irish, and American folk traditions. Evolving beyond their contra dance origins, they are creating a “chamber folk” sound characterized by the compelling, rhythmic interplay of fiddle and mandolin, rich vocals, and unexpected colors and rhythms from the piano and bodhrán. The exuberant joy they derive from the music and each other is palpable and contagious.

“Though they may not have the international acclaim of the likes of Solas or the Chieftains, make no mistake, the Syncopaths are nothing short of a Celtic supergroup.” — Irish Herald, July 2011

At the heart of the band’s sound are the twin engines of Ryan McKasson’s dynamic, Scottish-based fiddling and the understated-but-monster picking of mandolinist Ashley Broder. Jeff Spero provides wonderfully inventive and surprising piano accompaniment, anchored by the driving power of Christa Burch’s non-traditional bodhrán. Christa also lends her singular voice — warm, supple, expressive, and intimate — to the band’s songs. All in all, the Syncopaths are equally at home with pulsing, high-energy dance tunes and beautiful, contemplative songs. They ably stretch melodic boundaries while keeping a steady, compelling, danceable beat.

“The energy, joy, and spontaneity…rolls right off the stage. The combination will make you feel like you’re firewalking.” — Portland Country Dance Community Footnotes, May 2006

The Syncopaths tour nationally, and have released two CDs, Five Gears (2010) and Rough Around the Edges (2005).

George Marshall

George Marshall is one of the top contra callers in the world.  He usually calls with Wild Asparagus or Swallowtail, but occasionally graces another group’s dances.

Beginners lesson starts at 7:00pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 7:30pm

Each dance is taught.  No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)

First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.

All members are welcome to attend.  Please contact Jason for more information (there’s limited space).

Countercurrent

From Seattle:

• Brian Lindsay – fiddle
• Alex Sturbaum – guitar

Countercurrent is a contra dance and folk music band in western Washington, featuring driving guitar, foot percussion, lyrical fiddle, and harmony vocals.

Michael Karcher

From New York via Seattle.

Beginners lesson starts at 7:30pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 8:00pm

Each dance is taught.  No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)

First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.

First and Third Sundays

The first Sunday of the month will be dedicated to Balkan dances and the third to Israeli.

Hoolyeh and Friends 10th Annual Folk Dance Party

Anyone who likes to folk dance is welcome!

Bring snacks, treats, refreshments, drinks and stories.
Bring your memories to share!
Costumes are encouraged and besides, they are fun!

David Roth

David Roth strikes many chords, hearts, and minds with his unique songs, offbeat observations, moving stories, sense of the hilarious, and powerful singing and subject matter. As singer, songwriter, recording artist, keynote speaker, workshop leader, and instructor, David has earned top honors at premier songwriter competitions – Kerrville (TX) and Falcon Ridge (NY) – and taken his music, experience, and expertise to a wide variety of venues in this and other countries full-time for more than two decades.

David’s songs (“Rising in Love”, “Earth”, “Manuel Garcia”, “May the Light of Love”, “Nine Gold Medals”, “Spacesuits”, “Rocket Science”, “I Stand for Love”, “That Kind of Grace”, and many more) have found their way to Carnegie Hall, the United Nations, several Chicken Soup for the Soul books, the Kennedy Center, Peter, Paul, & Mary’s “Discovered” (Warner Brothers), the Kingston Trio’s “Born at the Right Time”, NASA’s Goddard Space Center (“Rocket Science” went up on the Space Shuttle Atlantis’s May 2009 mission to repair the Hubble Telescope), the classic folk song books “Rise Up Singing” and “Rise Again” (sequel), and 13 CDs on the Wind River and Stockfisch (Germany) labels. Winner of 4 Positive Music Awards and the 2015 Grace Note (Unity Worldwide Ministries) for Outstanding Contribution to New Thought Music, David has also been featured on many of Christine Lavin’s seminal Rounder Records compilations.  The former artist-in-residence at New York’s Omega Institute has also been a songwriting judge at Kerrville, Napa Valley (CA), Tumbleweed (WA), Eventide Arts (MA), the Avalon Festival (WV), and the South Florida Folk Festival.

David has also taught singing, songwriting, and performance at the Augusta Heritage workshops, SummerSongs and WinterSongs (NY), Common Ground on the Hill (MD), the Woods Dance & Music Camp (Canada), WUMB’s Summer Acoustic Music Week (NH), Moab Folk Camp (UT), Rowe Center (MA), Pendle Hill (PA), Lamb’s Retreat (MI), the Swannanoa Gathering (NC), the National Wellness Institute (WI), and for many other songwriting groups and associations around the country.  David is also founder/director of the Cape Cod Songwriters Retreat and creator/host of Cape Cod’s “Full Moon Open Mic” which, for the past 10 years has provided a forum for musicians to connect and be heard while at the same time collecting donations ($12,000 to date) for local non-profits to help neighbors in need.

Please join us for an evening of music not-to-be-missed, or heard very often, especially here!

A house concert is an excellent place to hear and meet great musicians in a very intimate setting.