John Doyle and Mick McAuley

Irish musicians extraordinaire,

John Doyle (guitar) and
Mick McAuley (accordion, melodeon, concertina, whistles, guitar),

both previous members of the Irish-American supergroup Solas, and now soloists on the international stage, will perform a concert of instrumental music and songs in Corvallis before heading to the Yachats Celtic Festival. John Doyle is considered one of the best guitar players of traditional music in the world and is well-known for his guitar accompaniment of Liz Carroll, Karan Casey, and many others.

John Doyle & Mick McAuley have been playing music together on the international stage for over twenty years. As multi-instrumentalist members of Irish-American supergroup Solas, they combined to create part of the group’s unmistakable early sound which garnered critical worldwide acclaim with the Boston Herald heralding Solas as “The Best Traditional Band in the World”.

John Doyle is the most influential Irish American guitarist of his generation. Born in Dublin, John came up in a family where “everybody played something,” and his father, singer and song collector Sean Doyle, nurtured his interest in the deep wellspring of Irish song.

Contra dance is returning to a regular schedule in Corvallis this fall! The dance will start at 7:00 PM with a newcomer’s lesson and community meetup, helpful for all dancers. Following the lesson will be dancing from 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM. No partner necessary. Dance calling and role terms will be Larks & Robins. The cost is $12 – $20 sliding scale.

Because of the Covid-19 situation:

All attendees must sign a waiver for the First Congregational UCC (our dance hall) before their first dance of the 2024-25 season. Please read the waiver here before you arrive in order to speed up the check-in process at the door.

Thank you for helping to keep our dance community safely dancing! For more information on attendance requirements and other precautions, please see our current COVID-19 policy here, to be further updated soon.

Bandwidth

A homegrown Oregon band featuring

• Gordy Euler – fiddle, piano
• Kieth Mo – fiddle
• Carl Thor – piano, mandolin

Karen Olsen

Karen has an encyclopedic knowledge of contra dances and is a good teacher and caller. Very patient and clear. She likes to keep the dancers moving, starting out with simpler dances in the beginners lesson, and progressing to more complex dances. She is also a musician and plays her concertina for dances in Coos Bay. She strives to infuse both her calling and the dancers with her own joyful enthusiasm for contra dance and music.

The Best Cellar

Masks welcomed for everyone’s continued safety

7:30 Lucky in Love String Band

Pete Kozak, Barbara Barry-Doyle and Mark Weiss will some bluegrass, some blues, and some who-knows-what-it-is. There’ll be some three part harmony and a whole lot of hot licks.

8:30 Sweet Melange

Sweet Mélange prides itself in a wide mix of music with a special attraction for harmonies.  Doug Crotty on vocals, guitar, and ukelele, Stephanie Higgins and Kory Riseley on vocals and percussion, Warren George on acoustic bass, with Pat Megowan joining on guitar and mandolin.

 Best Cellar is held on the last Friday of each month of the school year.
Admission is pay-what-you-will, with a minimum of 2 dollars. Kids are free and welcome.
Coffee, tea, and gluten free cookies are fifty cents each.
Masks are encouraged but not required.
We will be in the cellar for this show. Enter from the back of the church parking lot.
For more information contact Mark Weiss at mjweiss@cmug.com

NOTE: New location for December 2024:

Ashbrook Independent School Gym
4045 SW Research Way, Corvallis

Enter the building through the main entrance, then walk straight through the long lobby to the gym doors in the far corner.

Contra dance has returned to a regular schedule in Corvallis this fall! The dance will start at 7:00 PM with a newcomer’s lesson and community meetup, helpful for all dancers. Following the lesson will be dancing from 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM. No partner necessary. Dance calling and role terms will be Larks & Robins. The cost is $12 – $20 sliding scale.

Because of the Covid-19 situation:

All attendees must sign a waiver for the First Congregational UCC (our dance hall) before their first dance of the 2024-25 season. Please read the waiver here before you arrive in order to speed up the check-in process at the door.

Thank you for helping to keep our dance community safely dancing! For more information on attendance requirements and other precautions, please see our current COVID-19 policy here, to be further updated soon.

The Euphemists

The Euphemists are not your ordinary contra dance band. Yes, they have fiddle, piano, and whistle (Alan Snyder, Dave Goldman, and Greg Martin). But they also have HORNS! (Greg Martin and Stephanie Shea on various saxophones, and Kaye Blesener on trombone.) In addition to familiar Celtic, Québécois, and old-time tunes, the band plays lively jazz standards that feature the horn section. Throw in some ragtime era tunes, a little klezmer, and even a Sousa march, and it all adds up to a highly entertaining dance experience.

Eric Curl

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.

Kevin Burke

is an Irish master fiddler considered one of the finest living Irish fiddlers. For nearly five decades he has been at the forefront of Irish traditional music and Celtic music, performing and recording with the groups The Bothy Band, Patrick Street, and the Celtic Fiddle Festival. He is a 2002 recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.  He has been living in Portland for decades but this is his first concert in Corvallis in many years.

NOTE: New location for December 2024:

Ashbrook Independent School Gym
4045 SW Research Way, Corvallis

Enter the building through the main entrance, then walk straight through the long lobby to the gym doors in the far corner.

Contra dance is returning to a regular schedule in Corvallis this fall! The dance will start at 7:00 PM with a newcomer’s lesson and community meetup, helpful for all dancers. Following the lesson will be dancing from 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM. No partner necessary. Dance calling and role terms will be Larks & Robins. The cost is $12 – $20 sliding scale.

Because of the Covid-19 situation:

All attendees must sign a waiver for the First Congregational UCC (our dance hall) before their first dance of the 2024-25 season. Please read the waiver here before you arrive in order to speed up the check-in process at the door.

Thank you for helping to keep our dance community safely dancing! For more information on attendance requirements and other precautions, please see our current COVID-19 policy here, to be further updated soon.

The Overtones

The Overtones is a Corvallis-based band whose sound was born in the rivers and woods of the lush Willamette Valley. Its musical versatility ranges from Irish to Quebecois, Old Time to funky modern tunes, and features Shari Ame kicking a serious backbeat on fiddle, Evelyn Idzerda wading deeply into rhythm and rhyme on piano, Bo Leydon rocking octave mando and wooden flute, Marjorie Sandor coaxing luscious new chords from DADGAD guitar and harmonium, and Tracy Daugherty keeping it steady on bodhran and cajon. Together, the Overtones whip up a danceable storm!

Laurel Thomas

Laurel Thomas started calling contra dances in 2008. Since then, she has called at dances all over the Pacific Northwest, and has made several appearances on the East Coast. Dancers appreciate her clear teaching, articulate calling and her ability to choose fun, lively dances that have good flow. Her carefully crafted programs build skill level throughout the evening and aim to satisfy a mixed level crowd of beginning and experienced dancers.

The Best Cellar

Masks welcomed for everyone’s continued safety

7:30 Shanghaied on the Willamette

Jonathan Lay and Gordie Euler have been singing together and entertaining Pacific Northwest audiences for decades.  They’re really good!

8:30 Julie Williams, Linda Knighten, and Stephanie Lynn Smith

 Best Cellar is held on the last Friday of each month of the school year.
Admission is pay-what-you-will, with a minimum of 2 dollars. Kids are free and welcome.
Coffee, tea, and gluten free cookies are fifty cents each.
Masks are encouraged but not required.
We will be in the cellar for this show. Enter from the back of the church parking lot.
For more information contact Mark Weiss at mjweiss@cmug.com

Contra dance is back to the regular schedule in Corvallis! The dance will start at 7:00 PM with a newcomer’s lesson and community meetup, helpful for all dancers. Following the lesson will be dancing from 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM. No partner necessary. Dance calling and role terms will be Larks & Robins. The cost is $12 – $20 sliding scale.

Because of the Covid-19 situation:

All attendees must sign a waiver for the First Congregational UCC (our dance hall) before their first dance of the 2024-25 season. Please read the waiver here before you arrive in order to speed up the check-in process at the door.

Thank you for helping to keep our dance community safely dancing! For more information on attendance requirements and other precautions, please see our current COVID-19 policy here, to be further updated soon.

Loose Flagstone

Loose Flagstone celebrates its fifth year as a Corvallis Celtic quartet drawing from Irish, Scottish, and American musical influences both traditional and contemporary. Their contra repertoire explores a rich mix of Celtic jigs and reels, rousing old-time tunes and New England dance music. Loose Flagstone features Jennifer Parke on fiddle, Leslie Glassmire on silver flute, Tracy Daugherty on bodhran, and Marjorie Sandor on DADGAD guitar.

Shell Stowell

Shell Stowell started contra dancing in 2015, and has been dancing up and down the West coast ever since. Driven by her passion for the dance, music, and community, Shell now plays the fiddle and helps to organize contra dances in Corvallis, and has been calling since 2019. As a dancer, Shell is known for her enthusiasm on and off the dance floor. As a caller, she incorporates her love of teaching, organizing, and music to strive for clear, energetic instruction and variety in her programming. Shell also emphasizes safe, inclusive dance etiquette that promotes positive communication between dancers.

Contra dance is back to the regular schedule in Corvallis! The dance will start at 7:00 PM with a newcomer’s lesson and community meetup, helpful for all dancers. Following the lesson will be dancing from 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM. No partner necessary. Dance calling and role terms will be Larks & Robins. The cost is $12 – $20 sliding scale.

Because of the Covid-19 situation:

All attendees must sign a waiver for the First Congregational UCC (our dance hall) before their first dance of the 2024-25 season. Please read the waiver here before you arrive in order to speed up the check-in process at the door.

Thank you for helping to keep our dance community safely dancing! For more information on attendance requirements and other precautions, please see our current COVID-19 policy here, to be further updated soon.

The Hat Band

Featuring Jon Neff on guitar, Syd Newell on fiddle, and Meg Tapley on flute, The Hat Band plays for contradances throughout Portland and the Pacific Northwest. Dancers love their diversity (traditional, rags, blues, swing, klezmer), their three-part harmonies, and their unique chemistry. Jon, Syd, and Meg also play in The Portland Megaband and various other local bands.

Rich Goss

Most weekends, and sometimes on weekdays, I can be found in a dance hall somewhere calling, playing, doing sound, or contra dancing. I also play percussion once or twice a year with The Portland Megaband, a 75-80 member contra orchestra!!

The Pacific NW is such a terrific place to live! It’s great for calling and playing opportunities. In addition to established contra dances, I also enjoy calling for parties, weddings and community dances.

I’ve called dances from coast to coast for events ranging from large to small, novice to experienced, in a driveway to very large dance halls. My goal is to call fun accessible dances with clear concise teaching, always with a good-natured, easy-going style.

The Best Cellar

Masks welcomed for everyone’s continued safety

7:30 Webster Chicago

Gospel-tinged blues and funk with some vintage Chicago, Delta and NorthMississippi blues. Chris Dunfield, Bill Veley, Brian Rhodes, and Jim Munford.

8:30 Cassandra Robertson

A muse with a message, Cassandra has the heart of a lion, and the mane to match. Accompanied by her acoustic guitar, she floors the audience like a sonic boom with captivating messages of peace, prosperity, hope and above all, inspiration. Her unique style of “acoustic conscious folk” kick starts the heart and levitates the soul; reminding us all that we CAN positively affect the world we all share, as long as we choose planet over profit and remember to be ourselves.

 Best Cellar is held on the last Friday of each month of the school year.
Admission is pay-what-you-will, with a minimum of 2 dollars. Kids are free and welcome.
Coffee, tea, and gluten free cookies are fifty cents each.
Masks are encouraged but not required.
We will be in the main hall for this show. Enter from Monroe.
For more information contact Mark Weiss at mjweiss@cmug.com

Contra dance is back to the regular schedule in Corvallis! The dance will start at 7:00 PM with a newcomer’s lesson and community meetup, helpful for all dancers. Following the lesson will be dancing from 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM. No partner necessary. Dance calling and role terms will be Larks & Robins. The cost is $12 – $20 sliding scale.

Because of the Covid-19 situation:

All attendees must sign a waiver for the First Congregational UCC (our dance hall) before their first dance of the 2024-25 season. Please read the waiver here before you arrive in order to speed up the check-in process at the door.

Thank you for helping to keep our dance community safely dancing! For more information on attendance requirements and other precautions, please see our current COVID-19 policy here, to be further updated soon.

Coriolis

Coriolis joins the musical forces of Victor Fiore (fiddle), Dave Hamlin (mandolin), and Jon Neff (guitar) to spin lively tunes and drive contra dance delight.  Jon and Dave played together in The Steeltones, and both are long time members of the Portland Megaband.  Victor played with Eugene’s Mad Robin before moving to Portland, where he has also played with the Portland Megaband.

Noah Grunzweig

Noah Grunzweig is a master of stories and dance! It’s been a while since he’s called in Corvallis but he’s called here many times. Noah brings enthusiasm and encouragement to new and experienced dancers alike. He promotes safe dancing and a culture of consent that welcomes children and adults to contra dancing. Noah is fluent in traditional and techno contra.

Sunday Corvallis Contra Weekend Closing Dance
2 bands, 2 callers
open to everyone

Contra dance is back to the regular schedule in Corvallis! The dance will start at 7:00 PM with a newcomer’s lesson and community meetup, helpful for all dancers. Following the lesson will be dancing from 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM. No partner necessary. Dance calling and role terms will be Larks & Robins. The cost is $12 – $20 sliding scale.

Because of the Covid-19 situation:

All attendees must sign a waiver for the First Congregational UCC (our dance hall) before their first dance of the 2024-25 season. Please read the waiver here before you arrive in order to speed up the check-in process at the door.

Thank you for helping to keep our dance community safely dancing! For more information on attendance requirements and other precautions, please see our current COVID-19 policy here, to be further updated soon.

Nova

Root System is a new collaboration featuring Audrey Jaber (fiddle) and Amy Englesberg (keyboard/accordion), members of Free Raisins and Wake Up Robin, alongside Anna Patton (clarinet) from Elixir. Root System melds traditional folk with contemporary flair, delivering a dance and musical experience that is sure to keep you on your feet.

Will Mentor

Will Mentor is a contra and square dance caller from Northern Vermont known for his clear teaching, upbeat wit, and relaxed stage presence. He loves to choreograph evenings with a variety of dances and tempos that at times surprise and always delight, all the while keeping intact his guiding principle as a caller: “It’s about the dancers!”

Lindsey Dono

Massachusetts transplant Lindsey Dono is rapidly establishing herself as a Northwest mainstay. With her serene teaching, meticulous programming, and sunny demeanor, Lindsey transforms absolute beginners into confident regulars. Known for her creativity on the dance floor, Lindsey incorporates knowledge of waltz, swing, and blues to lead a variety of workshops, including the ever-requested “advanced contra flourishes.” By day, Lindsey is a devoted research scientist.

The Best Cellar

Masks welcomed for everyone’s continued safety

7:30 Johanna Beekman

Johanna Beekman is one of a kind. Whether she’s leading a kirtan, performing original music at a concert or festival, or guiding students through a Lullaby Yoga session, she warms hearts with her soulful music and her soaring spirit. Her velvety voice, her creative interpretations of music from various world traditions, her gorgeous original songs, and her open-hearted presence come together to create unforgettable musical experiences.

Johanna’s songwriting knows no stylistic boundaries. Her catalog includes heart-opening folk-pop songs, gospel hymns, a cappella anthems, classic soul songs, and jazz-infused love ballads. And these songs haven’t gone unnoticed. One of them, Free to Decide (Breathe), has been performed by several choirs and a cappella groups across the United States and Canada.

Johanna will be joined by pianist/vocalist Lauren Servias, cellist/vocalist Sabina Monn, and percussionist/father George Beekman.

8:30 Dave Plaehn and Jeff Hino

The best Blues duo this side of the Mississippi delta.

 Best Cellar is held on the last Friday of each month of the school year.
Admission is pay-what-you-will, with a minimum of 2 dollars. Kids are free and welcome.
Coffee, tea, and gluten free cookies are fifty cents each.
Masks are encouraged but not required.
We will be in the main hall for this show. Enter from Monroe.
For more information contact Mark Weiss at mjweiss@cmug.com

Contra dance is back to the regular schedule in Corvallis! The dance will start at 7:00 PM with a newcomer’s lesson and community meetup, helpful for all dancers. Following the lesson will be dancing from 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM. No partner necessary. Dance calling and role terms will be Larks & Robins. The cost is $12 – $20 sliding scale.

Because of the Covid-19 situation:

All attendees must sign a waiver for the First Congregational UCC (our dance hall) before their first dance of the 2024-25 season. Please read the waiver here before you arrive in order to speed up the check-in process at the door.

Thank you for helping to keep our dance community safely dancing! For more information on attendance requirements and other precautions, please see our current COVID-19 policy here, to be further updated soon.

The Nettles

The Nettles play improvisational music based on traditional tunes. Playing hard, they’re a Celtic jam band that makes audiences move and groove. Playing soft, they’re a lyrical folk-jazz group.

The Nettles blend traditional Irish and American music with modern spices. Laura Brophy’s fiddle forms strong melodies punctuated by soaring improvisation and intertwined with Kevin Nettle’s muscular guitar. The Nettles are propelled by the purring but powerful rhythm engine of Michael Proctor on bass and Tracy Daugherty on drums.

The Nettles play for festivals, dances, bars, and weddings on the West Coast. Their music retains the vital energy of its roots, but The Nettles’ unique interpretations add to The Tradition with every performance. The Nettles joke that “We never play the same tune once.”

Shell Stowell

Shell Stowell started contra dancing in 2015, and has been dancing up and down the West coast ever since. Driven by her passion for the dance, music, and community, Shell now plays the fiddle and helps to organize contra dances in Corvallis, and has been calling since 2019. As a dancer, Shell is known for her enthusiasm on and off the dance floor. As a caller, she incorporates her love of teaching, organizing, and music to strive for clear, energetic instruction and variety in her programming. Shell also emphasizes safe, inclusive dance etiquette that promotes positive communication between dancers.