Celtic Knots: Cynthia Eller (violin, viola, and mandolin), Dana Plazcek (whistle, flute, and octave mandolin), Casie Runkle (violin and viola), and Jeff Friedman (guitar and banjo).
Contact: e-mail (860.667.8761)
Text from Celtic Knots

The Cicadas are Bill Shevin (guitar), Ed Dale (bass), Rachel Panitch (fiddle), Jennifer Cooke (flute), and Tim St. Jean (mandolin). Their sound is full with a lot of melody and strong danceable rhythm. Contact: e-mail (860.929.067) Text & photo from Rachel Panitch

Dogtown plays a blend of French-Canadian, Irish, Scottish, and old time American tunes as well as occasional Cajun two-steps and waltzes for contra- and square dancing. Featuring Becky Miller (fiddle and piano), Tom Randall (piano, guitar, banjo, and mandolin), and Norb Spencer (accordion), the band performs at dances large and small throughout New England and New York State. With the addition of multi-instrumentalist Craig Edwards, Dogtown also performs in concert and for private events. In this configuration, the group plays a wide range of dance musics as well as specializing in old time country and blues music and harmony singing. Contact: e-mail (413.549.7724) Text & photo from Becky Miller

The Fiddleheads, New Haven's venerable contradance band, was formed in 1978 by Paul Englesberg and Pete Spicer. Members through the years include Michael Koenigsberg, Ellen Cohn, Skip Healy, and Michael Bell. The present core band is Jim Sirch (banjo, whistles, and bodhran), Willow Sirch (fiddle), Gary Wikfors (mandolin and mando-ephemera), and Norman Plankey (guitar), with appearances by Colin Healy (fiddle/mandolin), Matt McCauley (upright bass), and other local musicians. The Fiddleheads are the house band for the New Haven Country Dancers. Contact: e-mail (203.881.1390) Text & photo from Fiddleheads website

GET REEL! provides traditional southern music for contra dancing with some spice. Members are Howie Bursen (banjo), Martin Grosswendt (fiddle), Marie Malchodi (guitar), and Deck Nieforth (harmonica and spoons). Contact: e-mail (401.822.1979) Text & photo from GET REEL!

Heart's Ease plays a collection of popular tunes from Colonial America, Britain, and Ireland, with Nancy Murphy Kalinowski and Chris Keenan (fiddles), Mark Bobman (fiddle and banjo), Nat Woodruff (flute, whistle, and recorder), Linne Landgraf (winds and concertina), John Cardasica (hammered dulcimer), Don Moore (autoharp), and Laura Mazza-Dixon (guitar). Heart's Ease is the house band for the Granby Family Dance series. They also perform at festivals and special events and, with caller Jim Gregory, provide music for French-Canadian circle dances, square dances, Virginia reels, and contra dances. Contact: e-mail (860.653.6146) Text & photo from Heart's Ease

The Jackson Pike Skifflers, based in Fairfield County, Conn., specialize in old-time music, primarily from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The repertoire includes rural and urban vernacular music, early country music, minstrel and vaudeville songs, street ballads, Gospel songs, country dance tunes, mountain music and more, played on fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar, autoharp, bass, accordion, washboard and a variety of other instruments. The Skifflers have performed at leading traditional music festivals, and for 15 years have played for the Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors summer concert series. In Connecticut, the Skifflers perform at many country fairs, festivals and concerts. The group consists mostly of the Tressler family from Easton, Conn.: Will, Kate, and their two children, Sally and Dan. Contact: e-mail (203.268.7674) Text from: The Block Island Times, 6/23/2001 & photo from The Skifflers website

The Please & Thank-You Stringband is a widely acclaimed trio, with Bill Walach (mandolin), Will Welling (fiddle), and Dave Howard (guitar). Their original and traditional approach to instrumental music and songs paints unexpected yet pleasantly familiar images. Combining humor, passion, and a candid view of tradition, with more than 20 years of playing music together, has made this trio substantially more than the sum of its parts. Contact: e-mail (860.872.1529) Text & photo from the Please & Thank-You Stringband website

The Reel Thing provides sparkling live traditional music for contra, colonial/18th century, children's and barn dances as well as for concerts. Formed in 2001, they have played for schools and other civic groups, historical societies and reenactor groups, various town anniversary presentations, several of the monthly contra dances around Connecticut, and dance workshops at the past several NOMAD Festivals. The band includes Bill Campbell (guitar and bass guitar), Gwen Glasser or Sue Hill (fiddle), Fran Hendrickson (piano/keyboard and accordion) and Julie Sorcek (flute, piccolo, and saxophone). They are available for private functions and special events and, with caller Patricia Campbell, provide music for dance workshops and family dances as well as school and recreational children's programs. Contact: e-mail Text from Julie Sorcek & photo from www.traditionaldanceandmusic.com/band_2005.jpg

Step It Up!, formed by a group of long time HCD Contra Jammers, debuted at the April 2005 HCD contra dance in Wethersfield, CT. Their unique blend of instruments presents a fun and exciting dancing and listening experience. The members include Linda Thomas (accordion, piano, and mandolin), Britt Goodman (hammered dulcimer and concertina), Gary Mitchell (mandolin), and Ken Mitchell (cello). Contact: e-mail (860.675.7340) Text from Julie Sorcek

Still the Homegrown Band: Rachael Gall (fiddle), Debra Tyler (piano), Jim Prentice (concertina), Jane Prentice (fiddle and washtub bass), Kathy Lyon (guitar). Still the Homegrown Band is the house band for the the Cornwall Community Contra Dance. Contact: e-mail

The Swivets are Stacy Phillips (fiddle), Ellen Cohn (piano, and Baba David Coleman (conga). Contact: e-mail (203.389.6468) Text from the Swivets

Thread City String Band, based in Willimantic, play traditional, French-Canadian,and Irish 3-tune sets for contra dances, as well as tunes that callers sing for square dances. The band includes Chuck Morgan and June Bisantz-Evans (fiddles), Noreen Morgan (guitar), Larry Boisvert (harmonica), and John Soltys (bass). Contact: e-mail (860.423.5403) Text & photo from Chuck Morgan

Wild Goose Nation is a remarkably versatile band with a repertoire that ranges from Appalachian to Zydeco, with contras and swing on the way. Craig Edwards (fiddle, guitar, banjo, accordion), Mike Fischman (mandolin, banjo, guitar, bass), and Dirck Westervelt (guitar, banjo, bass) have performed widely as a group and have a number of recordings as solo performers and sidemen. Craig is a member of the Mystic Seaport shanty crew and has a deep interest in traditional American instrumental music and song and in exploring social and cultural history through music. Contact: e-mail or e-mail (203.263.5808) Text from Country Dance and Song Society & photo from Wild Goose Nation website

Wild Notes (formerly the Wingnuts) is an innovative and energetic band with roots in Irish, Scottish, French-Canadian, jazz, rock, and classical music. Members are John Kalinowski (concertina, accordion, fife, and bones), Mickey Koth (fiddle, whistle, flute, and viola), Kasha Breau (harp and piano), Peter Delaney (guitar and mandolin), and Dan Hocott (bass). The Wild Notes is the house band for Hartford Country Dance contra dances. At concert appearances, Wild Notes plays a wide range of music, from folk dance music from around the world to Renaissance music to slow airs, showcasing the singing of Peter, Dan, and Kasha. Their debut CD Sowing and their new CD Branching Out are now available! Contact: e-mail (860.644.9675, 203.393.3464, or 860.295.1176) Text & photo from Wild Notes

Wry Bred, is a contra dance/barn dance/family dance band formed in October 2009 with Julie Sorcek (flute), Mickey Koth (fiddle), Jono Finger (mandolin and banjo), Case Sanderlin (guitar), and Louis Audette (bass). Wry Bred has played for dances at Yale and other private venues as well as for the New Haven and Mystic contra dances. Contact: e-mail (203.393.3464)

If we've inadvertently omitted any CT conntra talent, please e-mail the webmistrix or the website owner so we can add you!
Last modified: March 3, 2010.