Calendar

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 7:00pm (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.

NOTE: Different location – Methodist Church Community Hall

Campaign for Reel Time
From Portland

• Betsy Branch – fiddle
• Mark Douglas – piano
• Bill Tomczak – reeds, percussion

Campaign for Reel Time is an exciting Northwest band featuring Betsy Branch on fiddle and guitar, Bill Tomczak on clarinet, saxophone and percussion, and Mark Douglas (tonight) on piano.    With their mix of instruments and improvisatory natures, plus their deft interweaving of dance-music genres, you never know what to expect from this trio, other than stimulating and inventive dance music.  Their delight in playing together translates to the dance floor, and you are likely to hear plenty of laughter from the stage.

Isaac Banner

A long-time contra dancer and Seattle transplant, I’ve worked for several years to become known in the Pacific Northwest for my particular blend of humor and dance instruction. With contagious excitement, a warm cadence, and a cheerful personality, I strive to bring moments of magic into the lives of newcomers and veteran dancers alike. Contra has always held a special place in my heart and I try to share that love with every dance I visit.

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.

Note different location: OSU MU Ballroom

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.

Tarka Ayres

Tarka Ayres credits contra dance with helping keep her mental stability through school. She started dancing in 2004 and has called dances in Oregon and Washington since 2012. Dancers appreciate her ability to integrate new dancers into the community, her clear teaching and succinct calling, and her choices of challenging 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.

Sophie & Fiachra Trio

The Sophie & Fiachra Trio are a group of musicians sans frontières who refuse to let the Atlantic sunder their love of their own and other’s Irish and Québecois musical traditions.
Comprising of Irish uilleann piper Fiachra ORegan, Québec fiddler/singer Sophie Lavoie, and guitarist André Marchand, the trio take traditional Irish and Québécois traditional music, blended with Lavoies lithe and masterful compositions. Their choice of songs will “captivate the most casual listener”.
“Its refreshing to hear a traditional band reference the present with such subtlety and finesse”

-Quotes from Siobhán Long, of The Irish Times

Released in 2016, Un canadien errant features a mixture of Irish & French-Canadian traditional music and song. It has been nominated for Traditional Album of the Year for the ADISQ awards in Quebec and Traditional Album of the Year in the Canadian Folk Music awards. In the latter, the album also gets Sophie Lavoie a nomination for Best Trad. singer of the year for her vocal tracks.

LOCAL FOLK

the collaborative open stage program of CFS and The Arts Center has started again after a nearly ten year hiatus. The venue, as in the past, is The Corvallis Arts Center and stage. Free and open to all, the stage is open to individual musicians and groups presenting a variety of music under the large “folk” umbrella.

Sign up for a set of two or three songs for a total time of 10-15 minutes in a rotating format. Or, just come to be part of an audience appreciative of local performers.

This month featuring Lorraine Anderson, singer-guitarist.

Local Folk convenes monthly, on second Tuesdays, from 7-10 pm.

Treehouse

• Rachael Young (piano)
• Ben Young (banjo, whistle)
• Bo Leyden (mandolin)
• Shari Ame (fiddle)

bring a mix of Irish, Quebecois, and New England style, and put it together with Pacific Northwest flair. Becky has played for dances throughout Vermont, New Jersey, Arizona, and California, and previously played with Amazon Creek in Eugene. Ben and Rachael come from the Irish traditional session background, having played with many groups across Canada and throughout Washington, Oregon, and California.

William Watson

William Watson, a resident of Eugene, OR, danced his first contra in 1989 and began calling in Texas in 1992. Having called numerous contra events in cities coast-to-coast, William’s extensive experience and soothing voice project a calm confidence. His vigilant and thoughtful dance programming ensures a variety of figures, transitions, and sequences to entertain and support new dancers while offering the occasional challenge for the more advanced. His calling proficiency and sensitivities ensure everyone has a good time.

Beginners lesson starts at 700pm (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.

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.

Marlin Prowell

Marlin Prowell is a well known caller from Bellingham. “Marlin has an easy-going way of teaching so that your feet know what to do before your mind has time to worry about it. If you’ve never danced a step in your life, follow the caller’s instructions and you’ll be smiling and swinging in minutes.”

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.

LOCAL FOLK

the collaborative open stage program of CFS and The Arts Center has started again after a nearly ten year hiatus. The venue, as in the past, is The Corvallis Arts Center and stage. Free and open to all, the stage is open to individual musicians and groups presenting a variety of music under the large “folk” umbrella.

Sign up for a set of two or three songs for a total time of 10-15 minutes in a rotating format. Or, just come to be part of an audience appreciative of local performers.

This month featuring Laura Zaerr, singer-harpist.

Local Folk convenes monthly, on second Tuesdays, from 7-10 pm.

Contra Sutra

“May all beings be free to dance to the most melodious and rhythmically funky Contra Sutra”

Andrea Nettleton

From Atlanta, Andrea has been calling dances all along the mid-atlantic region and around the country.  She last called a CFS dance in September, 2013.

Hanz Araki
with Dan Faiella
album release concert

Considered one of the most talented Irish musicians in America today, flautist, whistle player, singer, and Juno Award-winner Hanz Araki has been lauded by publications and audiences alike.  Three decades of musical exploration into Irish, Scottish, Japanese, and American traditions has yielded his distinct style described by Fatea Magazine as “achingly beautiful.”

As the sixth generation of his family to bear the title Araki Kodo, Hanz (short for Hanzaburo, his great-great grandfather’s name) spent his formative years mastering the Japanese end-blown bamboo flute.  Discovering and relishing the melodic and mechanical similarities between shakuhachi and Irish whistle, Hanz applied his natural capacity and boundless curiosity to his Irish heritage.  Taking advantage of the rich Irish music scene in Seattle, where he spent his youth, Hanz quickly became known for his exquisite instrumental work on both Irish whistle and flute and a haunting singing voice that was born to tell tales.

“Hanz Araki is a master of his art – of that there is no doubt. His stunning musicianship and mind-spinning delivery of traditional tunes is a pure exhilaration for the ears. Combining an unprecedented feel for the Japanese shakuhachi flute with an unerring ability as an interpreter of Celtic music, Araki has carved out a rock-solid status. Fashioned through a heritage of Irish and Japanese parental influence, education, and personal dedication, his musical influences combine the disciplines and traditions of both cultures to create the virtuoso we hear today.”  (Folkwords)

Over the years, Hanz has released 11 albums, including 2014’s critically acclaimed Foreign Shore.  Festival appearances include the Austin Celtic Festival, the Maine Celtic Celebration, the Missoula Celtic Festival, KVMR Grass Valley Celtic Festival, Milwaukee Irish Festival, Bumbershoot, Celtic Connections, and over 20 years of performances at the Northwest Folklife Festival. Hanz has also been invited to perform with the Seattle Symphony, at the Gates Estate, and for the Japanese Consul General.

LOCAL FOLK

the collaborative open stage program of CFS and The Arts Center has started again after a nearly ten year hiatus. The venue, as in the past, is The Corvallis Arts Center and stage. Free and open to all, the stage is open to individual musicians and groups presenting a variety of music under the large “folk” umbrella.

Sign up for a set of two or three songs for a total time of 10-15 minutes in a rotating format. Or, just come to be part of an audience appreciative of local performers.

This month featuring Fred Towne, singer-songwriter.

Local Folk convenes monthly, on second Tuesdays, from 7-10 pm.

I Draw Slow

The Dublin-based roots band coaxes the past into the present with original songs that draw from the best of Irish storytelling and American folk music.

The band is fronted by siblings Dave (guitar) and Louise (vocals) Holden who have been writing together for two decades. In 2008 the pair teamed up with violinist Adrian Hart, clawhammer banjo player Colin Derham, and double bassist Konrad Liddy to form I Draw Slow.

The band has played to audiences in the UK, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, and performed at many North American festivals including MerleFest, Pickathon, Wintergrass, RockyGrass, Grey Fox, Red Wing, Edmonton Folk Fest, Sisters Folk Festival and Mountain Stage. It was their 2014 performace at MerleFest that first put the band on the radar for Compass co-founders Garry West and Alison Brown, who were impressed with the band’s performance and the reaction from buyers in the MerleFest merch tent.

First, we noticed how they got the crowd involved in what they were doing. Their energy is truly infectious,” says West. “Then we noticed that their CDs and merchandise were flying off the shelves in the festival store. That kind of immediate response is always going to get our attention! But more than anything we’ve been impressed with the strength of the songwriting, the sibling harmony and the musical proficiency of the band. They are truly dedicated to their craft.”

Cindy Kallet
& Grey Larsen

Cindy Kallet and Grey Larsen, each well-known and loved for their decades of music making, come together to give a concert of contemporary and traditional songs and tunes. Cindy is a superb singer, guitarist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Grey is one of America’s finest players of the Irish flute and tin whistle, as well as an accomplished singer and concertina, fiddle, piano and harmonium player. As composers each contributes to the unique tapestry of contemporary folk and world music in America today. Together they weave their music with vibrant colors and subtle textures.

Scott Alarik of The Boston Globe calls Cindy “…one of folk music’s most respected songwriters… provocative, heartwise, and original …a brilliant guitarist… ” while Grey’s playing has been called “positively spellbinding” (The New Mexico Daily, Albuquerque, NM) and “exceptionally exceptional” (The Spectator, Raleigh-Durham, NC).
The duo’s repertoire includes Cindy’s sparkling original songs, distinctive settings of traditional Irish music, Scandinavian fiddle duets, old-time fiddle and guitar tunes from southern Indiana, and new music that Cindy and Grey are inventing together. There is plenty of variety and breadth of musical territory here, all deeply rooted in folk traditions, and interwoven with the renaissance and baroque counterpoint in which both Cindy and Grey were immersed while growing up. Included are vocal duets, guitar, Irish flute, Irish alto flute, tin whistle, concertina, harmonium, and duet fiddling, along with plenty of stories that put the music into a personal context. Their newest album, Welcome Day, was released in 2015, and joins Cross the Water and a CD single, “Back When We Were All Machines.”

Grey’s popular books on Irish flute and tin whistle are the most comprehensive and innovative in print today, selling more than 15,000 copies to date worldwide. His two most recent books address Irish music more broadly, embracing the interests of all Irish music players. Grey plays the wooden Irish flute with a distinctive sound that many feel is his alone. His recordings showcase this dark, silky, reflective flute voice as well as his mastery of fiddle, anglo concertina, piano, and harmonium. His music encompasses the traditions of Appalachia, southern Indiana, Scandinavia and Québec in addition to Ireland. A graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Grey is a schooled composer. He brings the clarity of renaissance and baroque counterpoint into his creations and collaborations.

For more on Cindy and Grey, please visit www.kalletlarsen.com where you may listen to
their music for free and view videos of their performances.

LOCAL FOLK

the collaborative open stage program of CFS and The Arts Center has started again after a nearly ten year hiatus. The venue, as in the past, is The Corvallis Arts Center and stage. Free and open to all, the stage is open to individual musicians and groups presenting a variety of music under the large “folk” umbrella.

Sign up for a set of two or three songs for a total time of 10-15 minutes in a rotating format. Or, just come to be part of an audience appreciative of local performers.

This month featuring Suz Doyle (piano, vocals) & Niels Nielsen (bass, vocals) performing originals and covers.

Local Folk convenes monthly, on second Tuesdays, from 7-10 pm.

LOCAL FOLK

This is a collaborative program of CFS and The Arts Center. Free and open to all, the stage is open to individual musicians and groups presenting a variety of music under the large “folk” umbrella. Sign up for a set of one to three songs (10 minutes or so) in a rotating format. Or, just come to be part of an audience appreciative of local performers. Local Folk! will continue monthly, on second Tuesdays. For more information, contact Kurt Smith at k_smith1342@comcast.net or 541-270-6369.

Local Folk convenes monthly, on second Tuesdays, from 7-10 pm.