This page is devoted to listing contra dances in the New England region of the United States along with bands, musicians, callers, and organizations that are based in the region. 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.

Note: Ernie Spence, a long-time, well-known dancer in the metropolitan Boston contra dance community, passed away on March 30, 2011. Details about his wake and funeral are available at NEFFA. This obituary is at this link.

Note: CDSS Outreach Notes by Linda Henry, Outreach Manager. Announcing... an upcoming leadership event co-sponsored by CDSS! Puttin' on the Dance: A Conference for Northeast Dance Organizers will happen on November 11-13, 2011 in White River Junction, VT. If you organize any English or American dance series (contra, square, English country, community, family, etc.) in the northeastern U.S. or Canada, join us for this rare and exciting opportunity. Meet with peers, share ideas, learn new skills, dance, have fun, be organizer geeks, and more! For more information: Contact Chrissy Fowler (ME), Delia Clark (VT), Linda Henry (MA): NEDanceOrgs@gmail.com - And if you need support for a music and/or dance event or project, CDSS can help! See our Outreach Funds page to apply for a grant. The next deadline is April 1. Contact Linda Henry for logistical support and advice: linda@cdss.org or 413-268-7426 x 105.

Regional

• No current entries.

Connecticut

• Bruce Meyer produces a page of contra dance information for Connecticut.
• Mickey Koth and Christine Hale have produced the CONNtra CONNection which covers everything related to contra dancing in Connecticut.
• Other than in August, the New Haven Country Dancers meet in Branford on the 1st and 3rd and most 5th Saturdays of the month. Bruce Meyer handles the web duties.
• Motherhouse sponsors contra dances, generally on the 1st Saturday of a particular month at the Town Hall in Cornwall. Change of URL (October 31, 2011)
• The Powder Mill Barn contra dance is on the 4th Sunday of each month, October through May, in Enfield, with Ralph Sweet and and others handling the calling duties.
• Heart's Ease plays for the 1st Friday family dance series in Granby from September to June. Series on hiatus (August 27, 2011)
• The students at Wesleyan University in Middletown sponsor several dances each year when school is in session.
• The dances that were in Mystic, which moved to New London are now back in Mystic but still occur on the 4th Saturday of each month throughout the year. Part of the fun of the dance is the monthly sale of pie. Check ahead for details. Change in URL (February 17, 2011)
• The Round Hill Country Dances are located in Stamford and are held on the 2nd Saturday of each month except in August. In addition, there is a dance on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
• The dances in the "Quiet Corner" of Connecticut are in Storrs and occur on the 1st Saturday of each month from September to June. Change of location (January 16, 2011)
• Rob Lindauer runs the Hartford Community Dance page where the contra dances happen on the 2nd Saturday of each month in Old Wethersfield. The group also hosts Cajun/zydeco, swing, and waltz events along with jams.

Maine

• The Downeast Friends of the Folk Arts home page includes a list of regularly scheduled dances in Maine. Richard & Pam Green provide the information.
• Contras in Bangor occur on the 3rd Friday of the month.
• The College of the Atlantic hosts contra dances in Bar Harbor on the 1st Saturday of the month. Check the press releases and calendar for future dances (although sometimes the press releases are not released; the dance continues and at least you can get directions to the 8pm dance at Gates Auditorium). Change of in date (November 1, 2011)
• The dances on 3rd Fridays (non-summer months) in Bath include a family dance and a regular dance on the same evening. Change of URL (October 3, 2011)
• The Belfast Flying Shoes Dance Series is on the 1st Friday of each month in Belfast with a community dance with the all-comers band at 6:30pm, a 7:30pm tasty treat pot luck and an 8:00pm dance.
• The dances in Blue Hill on the 2nd Friday of the month at the Emlan Hall at the Bay School have been running nonstop since 1975, the longest-running contradance in Maine. The dances start at 8:00pm. Information: (207) 374-2159. Change in date and location (November 1, 2011)
• Scrod Pudding plays at the third Saturday dances in Bowdoinham. Greg Anderson maintains the page.
• Including contras among its international dance weeks, the Mainewoods Dance Camp goes on from early August to early September in at Indian Acres in Fryeburg. Kay Demos provides support for the site.
• The 2nd Saturday dance in North Yarmouth continues with various bands & callers. Contras and more at Wescustogo Hall, Route 115. Most dances taught. Bring clean shoes for dancing! Family Dance (Sept-June) 6pm, Potluck 7:30, beginner session 8pm dance 8:30pm-midnight. Admission: $10/$7. Students & Srs. Info: 207-233-4325, fiddle103 at yahoo dot com or 318-8746, maywicca at gmail dot com. Updated information (March 20, 2010)
• The Western Foothills Land Trust sponsors dances on the 5th Saturday of the month (for those months that have them) in Norway. New entry (November 5, 2011)
• Dances occur on various Saturdays at Mayo Street Arts in Portland. New entry (August 28, 2011)
• The dances at Simonton Corners in Rockport occur on the 4th Saturday of each month with a variety of callers and musicians. Change of URL (November 5, 2011)
• The Downeast Country Dance Festival occurs in March in Topsham and the organization sponsors occasional other events around the state throughout the year.

Massachusetts

• The Along the River web site has information about the 2nd and 4th Saturday dances in Amherst at the Munson Library.
• There are contra dances in Amherst on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Wednesdays of the month at the Masonic Lodge. New entry (August 29, 2010)
• There is a new series of evenings of traditional square dancing on the 1st Saturdays from October to June in Belmont, Massachusetts. Change of URL (October 24, 2010)
• There is a regular series of 1st Saturday dances in Berlin with music by the Berlin Country Orchestra and dances called by a variety of folks. There are also family dances on a variety of dates.
• Boston Gay and Lesbian Country Dancers (New England Contra & Squares) holds dances throughout the year in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston.
• The Folk Arts Center includes pages include a good calendar of Boston metro events including contradancing.
• The Boston Intergenerational Dance Advocates is a new group in the Boston area dedicated to promoting involvement in traditional dance and connecting generations.
• The MIT Folk Dance Club sponsors a series of contra dances on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month in Cambridge. There is an alternate URL for the site. Both sites are maintained by Scott Ehrlich and Larry Stone.
• The 4th Saturday dance, previous at the Scout House in Concord, is now at the Friends School in Cambridge with Debby Knight, Walter Lenk and friends playing the music and various callers. New entry, change of location (January 20, 2012)
• Sue Rosen calls and Debby Knight, David Titus, Bruce Rosen, and Walter Lenk are the musicians for the 2nd Friday dance in Carlisle from October through June. Change of URL (September 19, 2010)
• A variety of dances on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays happen at the Scout House in Concord. While most of the dances have their own web site, the Scout House does have some basic information and links to the individual dances.
• NEFFA and The Folk Arts Center also sponsor a family dance series on some Sunday afternoons in Concord.
• There is music and dancing at the Scout House in Concord on Monday nights with a variety of callers and musicians, including many fine younger players in the Boston area.
• The First Friday Committee continues a series of Challenging Contra Dances in Concord.
• The CDS-Boston Centre conducts a number of uncommon events irregularly on various days and times at the Concord Scout House. The dances can range from an evening of New England and Southern Squares to an evening of English and Contra Dances or from an evening of classic and back to Roots Contra Dances to an evening of Contras and Other Odd Formations.
• Walter Lenk lists the schedule for the Concord Contras on Summer Saturdays.
• NEFFA runs the Thursday night contra in Concord and lists a number of dances in the area. Andrea Setzer has several short Quicktime/mpg movies of contradancing from the VFW Hall in Cambridge (a previous location for this dance series).
• The 2nd Saturday dances in Cotuit on Cape Cod are in the town of Barnstable and happen at Freedom Hall.
• The 3rd Saturday dances in East Sandwich on Cape Cod happen at the Grange Hall (by a bubbling brook).
• A new series of dances, on 4th Saturdays in Gardner, start at 7:30pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church. New entry (October 15, 2011)
• In Groton, the Contra Banditos host a series of Family Barn Dances on various Saturdays of some months. Alternate site. Updated information and added alternate site (January 1, 2011)
• The Guiding Star Grange in Greenfield is probably one of the best known contra dance venues in the nation and generally has contra dances once or twice a week along with a variety of other events.
• Out in the Berkshires, the dances in Lenox occur on the 3rd Saturday of each month.
• Roaring Jelly plays in Lexington on 3rd Fridays. Donna Slonim provides the information.
• The New England Folk Festival is held each year in April in Mansfield and includes a large amount of contradancing but is not limited to that.
• The Medway Contra Dance Schedule (1st Saturdays) is posted by Charlie Seelig.
• There are contra dances and family dances at the Grange in Montague on various Saturdays and Sundays each month and a dance series on one Wednesday a month. In addition, the Guiding Star Grange website has information about the dances in Montague. Added mention of Wednesday series (September 19, 2010)
• There are gender-free dances in Montague on occasional Saturdays.
• Tony Pisano writes: "The North Adams dance is still going on every third Friday at St John's Social Hall on Summer Street. The music is now provided generally by musicians from the Northern Berkshires, drawing heavily from the Saturday morning jam session at Mass MoCA. The new contact person is Eric Buddington. You can reach him at 413-663-9331." Some information is available at the Country Life, Dance & Music Society (CLDMS) of Pittsfield site. Alternate site.
• The Northboro dance is held on the 3rd Saturday of each month, October through May, at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church. Lucy and Gary Phillips support the site.
• The Pinewoods Dance Camp in Plymouth includes contra dancing in their programs that involve American dance.
• Of course, instead of using the link at the bottom of the page, you can visit the Rehoboth Contra Dance page (generally 2nd, 4th and 5th Fridays).
• The Rehoboth, Massachusetts Jammers hold, along with their weekly Sunday sessions, a Community Dance, generally but not always on the 2nd Sunday of each month.
• The band, Mountain Laurel, hosts the 4th Saturday dance series in Sheffield with a variety of callers.
• The Sudbury Minutemen hold a series of contra dances throughout the year in Sudbury including a Twelfth Night Ball in January and a Regimental Ball in March or April.
• The dance series in Westford, sponsored by the Parish Center for the Arts, occurs on the 4th Saturday of each non-summer month. Change of URL (November 5, 2011)
• In addition to the 4th Saturday dances mentioned above, there are now Family Dances on various dates (mostly on Sundays) in Westford sponsored by the Parish Center for the Arts. Change of URL (November 5, 2011)
• The Westport Point United Methodist Church hosts Saturday night dances in Westport on various Saturdays during the summer.
• There is an irregular series of dances in Whately including a Mother's Day dance.
• There are contra dances at Williams College in Williamstown sponsored by Dancing Folk with the band Rude Cider bringing the music and student callers. Generally, once or twice a semester, though, the club brings in a professional band, which adds a whole new level of energy to the event.
• The 1st Saturday dances in Woods Hole, Massachusetts (part of Falmouth) on Cape Cod happen at the Community Hall.
• The folks in Worcester continue to hold dances on the 2nd Saturday of the month.

New Hampshire

• The Concord Contra Dance is on the 3rd Saturday of each month, except in July and August.
• There's a 1st Thursday dance at the Dover City Hall with the Lamprey River Band playing the music and Peter Yarensky and Sarah Mason calling. Slight change of URL (July 5, 2010)
• The New England Folk Festival Association sponsors the New England Dance Legacy Weekend in Durham every year in January.
• The 2nd Saturday dance in Exeter is held at the First Unitarian Society of Exeter (UU Church). There is a beginners' workshop at 7:30pm and the dance begins at 8:00pm. The cost is $6.00 with students admitted for $3.00 and kids under 10 free. To get to the dance, take Route 101 to Exeter, Route 108 to Exeter Center, to "Kiosk" (Bandstand), turn left, go up hill to Elm Street. Left onto Elm Street. The dance is at the SECOND church on the left, just before Court Street. For more information, telephone: 603-679-1915; e-mail: holt.e@comcast.net. Updated entry (July 12, 2010)
• The folks in and around Gilmanton go dancing on 2nd Saturdays at the Historic Gilmanton Academy Building. The dance continues and the information, aside from the dates (which are out of dat) is correct (November 5, 2011)
• The public library in Keene hosts a family dance, generally once a month and usually on the 1st Friday from November to May. Change of URL (July 5, 2010)
• There is a contra dance, year-around, on the 3rd Friday of each month in Manchester. Change of URL (July 5, 2010)
• The Milford Parks and Recreation Commission sponsors contra dances on the 4th Friday of each month. Change of URL (November 5, 2011)
• The dances in Nelson have been happening for centuries. Stop by on a Monday night and see why.
• There is a second dance series in Nelson on the 2nd Saturday each month.
• The Monadnock Folklore Society sponsors a dance in Peterborough on the 1st Saturday of the month.
• The Tamworth Outing Club sponsors weekly Saturday dances during the summer months along with a few special dances during the rest of the year.
• The Windham Recreation Committee hosts a contra dance on 1st Fridays.

Rhode Island

• RIdance, hosted by Deborah Nash, covers all types of dance in the Ocean State.
• Judith Schaefer covers Folk and Contra Dancing In and Around Rhode Island, including neighboring states. New entry (October 16, 2010)
• Dances at Brown University in Providence usually occur on the 1st Friday and 3rd Friday of each month when Brown is in session and has continued into the summer.

Vermont

• The dances in Bennington have resumed on 1st Fridays after a long hiatus. New entry (February 27, 2011)
• The Brattleboro Dawn Dances are continuing on Memorial Day (U.S.) and Labor Day (U.S.) weekends.
• There's a contra dance series in Brattleboro on the 2nd and 4th or 5th Sunday of each month at the Stone Church. Change of URL (November 7, 2011)
• The Queen City Contras sponsor contradances in Burlington, generally on the second Friday of each month.
• The Mad Robin Callers Collective holds dances on the 4th Friday of the month at various locations in and around Burlington.
• The village dances in Dummerston happen several times a year, generally on the 3rd Saturday of the month. (e-mail only) Change of date (November 7, 2011)
• The Champlain Valley Folk Festival is at the Waterfront Park, in downtown Burlington in late July and/or early August. Change of location (February 21, 2010)
• Many times, I-Brattleboro and I-Putney have information about the 4th Friday contra dance series in East Putney.
• The Capital City Grange supplies information about the dances in Montpelier which happen on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Saturday of each month and the Homegrown Tradition dances on most 4th Saturdays. Added mention of 4th Saturdays (June 11, 2011)
• There is series of "traditional" contra dances in Montpelier on various 4th Saturdays at the Capitol City Grange on Northfield Road (Hwy. 12), Montpelier (1/2 mile south of Montpelier) with dances beginning at 8:00 PM. New entry (November 7, 2011)
• The 2nd Saturday dances, from September to June, in Norwich, Vermont with the house band, Northern Spy, now have a web site. More information Second link added (November 7, 2011) New entry (August 23, 2011)
• Some information about the 4th Saturday dances in Norwich is available from the Facebook page covering both the 2nd and 4th Saturday dance series. New entry (November 7, 2011)
• Brendan Taaffe plays with guest musicians and callers each non-summer 4th Friday in Tinmouth.
• The Ed Larkin Old Time Contra Dancers sponsor dances on the 2nd Friday of the month from October to August in Tunbridge. (November 7, 2011)
• There are dances in Woodstock on the 3rd Friday of each month from September to May at the Little Theater, on Route 4, west of Woodstock Green with a vegetarian dinner from 5:30pm to 6:30pm, a family dance from 6:30pm to 7:30pm, a potluck dessert at 7:30pm and a contra dance from 8:00pm to 10:30pm. Delia Clark calls the dances and the band, Old Sam Peabody, provides the music. E-mail Steve Hoffman or call him at 802-785-4039 or call Jed Dickenson at 802-457-1807 for more information.

Bands and Musicians

• 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).
• Allemande North playa a variety of traditional and contemporary music from the New England, Southern, Old Time, Cape Breton, French Canadian, and Celtic traditions and perform throughout New England at contra and square dances, festivals, concerts, and other public and private events. The band includes Dave Coleman, Jon Weinberg and Lyn Weinberg and is based in Massachusetts. New entry (May 9, 2011)
• 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. Possible problems with Mary Amidon's MySpace page (November 11, 2011)
• 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.
• Anadama is a Boston, Massachusetts-based trio of musicians, Amelia Mason, Emily Troll and Bethany Waickman, who play mostly for contra dances.
• 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.
• 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!)
• 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. Possible problems with Atlantic Crossing's MySpace page (November 11, 2011)
• 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.
• 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.
• 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).
• 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.
• 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.
• The Berlin Country Orchestra plays on a regular basis in Berlin, Massachusetts and other locations.
• 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. Possible problems with Mary Amidon's MySpace page (November 11, 2011)
• 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)
• 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.
• Brendan Carey Block plays traditional and non-traditional fiddle incorporating jazz, rock and Cape Breton music in his work. He is based in New Hampshire. MySpace page. New entry (January 21, 2011)
• 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.
• Greg Boardman plays violin, but also on viola, cello and bass, at dances and other events in Maine and elsewhere.
• Bondeaux Redux plays oldtime wangy twangy music with gumption in Augusta, ME. (e-mail only).
• 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.
• 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)
• 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.
• 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)
• Eric Buddington is a caller and fiddle player living in western Massachusetts. New entry (January 21, 2011)
• While Buzzard's Bayou plays mostly zydeco and cajun music, the Cape Cod based band also plays at an occasional contra dance. Problems with site (November 11, 2011)
• When it existed, Calenda Maia played traditional folk music with a modern and sometimes untraditional sensibility. The band was based in Guilford, CT and its repertoire included tunes and songs ranging from Irish to bluegrass to medieval dance music.
• The Caravan Band plays at various dances in New Hampshire.
• 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 Celtic Knots are from Connecticut and include Cynthia Eller, Dana Plazcek, Casie Runkle and Jeff Friedman.
• The Celtic Odyssey band plays traditional Irish music that brings the Celtic spirit to weddings, parties, festivals and celebrations of all shapes and sizes. The band is based in New Hampshire. New entry (January 21, 2011)
• 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.
• Although based in Boston, Childsplay has members from at least seven states and two countries who play instruments made by Bob Childs. MySpace page.
• The Cicadas are a contra dance band based in Woodstock, Connecticut. New entry (April 9, 2011)
• 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.
• 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.
• CoinciDance is a contra dance band from Western Massachusetts. We came together as a band at the Pinewoods Labor Day Weekend in 2007. The band includes Tony Pisano, Josh Pisano, Susan Janssen, Eric Buddington and Eric Martin. New entry (January 21, 2011)
• 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.
• Liz Constable plays in The Sevens, Rumblestrip, Chanterelle, and the Blue Ox Swing Band. She is based in New Hampshire. MySpace page. Problems with main site (November 11, 2011)
• 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).
• 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)
• 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.
• 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.
• Crooked Stovepipe remains available for parties, dances, junkets etc. in Portland, Maine. (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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Zoe Darrow and the Fiddleheads play traditional Scottish, Irish, and Cape Breton Fiddle Tunes, sometimes for contra dances. The band is based in western Massachusetts. New entry (April 9, 2011)
• 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 New Hampshire, the Davis Hill Duo has enjoyed playing for art festivals, wedding receptions, company parties, open mics, and contradances across the White Mountain region of New Hampshire. New entry (January 21, 2011)
• Bassist Corey DiMario is based in Brattleboro, Vermont and plays with a variety of musicians.
• 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.
• 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.
• Double Apex is a contra dance band based in Boston, Massachusetts playing Celtic, electroacoustic and techno music, especially for contra dances. New entry (January 31, 2011)
• 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)
• 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.
• 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.
• 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. Martha's Vineyard Times obituary. Change of URL (November 11, 2011)
• The Falmouth Fiddlers used to sponsor a contra dance on Cape Cod, Massachusetts and still play together in concert and in sessions. Change of URL (November 11, 2011)
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 Figments are a mix of northern and southern styles and repertoires and include Ethan Hazzard-Watkins, Anna Patton and Owen Morrison and is based in Vermont.
• 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 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.
• 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.
• Forks of Nature plays music in Massachusetts that sounds like you might not sit this one out after all. New entry (January 31, 2011)
• George Fowler has been playing the fiddle in Maine for more than thirty years and at countless contra dances. MySpace page.
• 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.
• 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 Raisins are a Boston area contra dance band playing energetic New England dance music and include Audrey Knuth, Amy Englesberg and Jeff Kaufman. Change of URL (April 23, 2011) New entry (April 9, 2011)
• Ari and Mia Friedman play as a duo and with other musicians for concerts, dances and other gigs. Their music explores the traditions of Southern Appalachia, Northeastern fiddle music, and the realm where their own compositions cross paths with older traditions. They are based in Massachusetts. MySpace page. New entry (January 21, 2011) Added MySpace page (April 9, 2011) Problem with MySpace page (November 11, 2011)
• 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) Change in Glen Loper URL (November 11, 2011)
• 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.
• Jessie Gagne-Hall plays fiddle with Wake the Neighbors and a variety of other musicians. She is based in Vermont. Problems with site (November 11, 2011)
• 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)
• 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. Change of URL (November 12, 2011)
• 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.
• 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.
• Given its 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.
• 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.
• 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)
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 with various groups of musicians, Donna Hébert, teaches and plays in a variety of venues.
• 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)
• Hope Hoffman composes original fiddle tunes and plays with various groups such as Bowdoinham String Band and Kittlish in Maine. MySpace page.
• 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)
• In Eastern Massachusetts, Cal Howard plays a number of instruments for a number of bands. (e-mail only)
• Ed Howe plays fiddle, electric or otherwise, with folks like John Cote at dances in Maine and the rest of New England.
• lydia ievins plays fiddle with a wide variety of musicians in numerous venues in New England for contra and English dances.
• The Jackson Pike Skifflers play old-time music for dances and other events and are based in SW Connecticut.
• The New Hampshire band, Jumpstart plays on a regular basis for the dance in Manchester along with other gigs in New England. New entry (January 21, 2011)
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Debby Knight is a contradance fiddler and pianist from eastern Massachusetts. (e-mail only)
• The Lamprey River Band plays regularly in New Hampshire and especially the sea-coast region and southern Maine (Kittery). Change of URL (November 12, 2011)
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Peter Leibert is from Connecticut and has been a caller and musician for more than 45 years. Change of URL (November 12, 2011)
• 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)
• Amy Larkin, Shirley White and Linda Henry are the members of the Massachusetts-based band, LocoMojo. Site has problems (November 12, 2011)
• Glen Loper plays mandolin and banjo with the band Rumblestrip, Frigate and Calliope. He is based in Maine.
• Along with classical, bluegrass, western swing and music of the first half of the second millennium, 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.
• 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)
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Composer and musician Eric Merrill plays with a numerous contra dance musicians at times. He is based in West Newton, Massachusetts. MySpace page.
• 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.
• Bob Mills plays mandolin, banjo and acoustic and electric guitar for contra dance, old-time and Irish music and recently moved to Vermont.
• 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.
• 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.
• Steve Muise is a fiddler and teacher, a member of the bands Boréal Tordu, Frigate and Muisette and is based in Maine.
• 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.
• 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.
• Deck Nieforth makes violins and plays in two Rhode Island contra dance bands, Get Reel and the French Connection. Change in URLs (November 12, 2011)
• 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.
• 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. MySpace page. Change of URL (November 12, 2011)
• 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 and plays at the 2nd Saturday dance in Norwich, Vermont. Change from e-mail to URL (November 12, 2011)
• 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.
• 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)
• 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)
• 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. Change of URL (November 12, 2011)
• Rachel Panitch is a member of The Cicadas and the What-Nots and directs the Rhode Island Fiddle Project. New entry (April 9, 2011)
• 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.
• 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.
• Ed Pearlman plays fiddle music, particularly that of Scotland and Cape Breton for over 30 years and occasionally plays at a contra dance. He is based in Maine. New entry (November 5, 2011)
• Neil Pearlman, from Maine, plays with the contra dance band, Groove Train, and also plays traditional Scottish music with Latin, Funk and Jazz influences. New entry (November 5, 2011)
• 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.
• 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.
• While specializing in Scottish music, Susie Petrov does occasionally play for a contra dance. She is based in Massachusetts.
• 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.
• 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 Polymorphous String Band plays in Northboro, Massachusetts, among other locations, on a fairly regular basis. Jon Weinberg hosts the site.
• From the Boston, Massachusetts area, The Poubelles play lively French-Canadian music for contras and squares. (e-mail only)
• The Press Gang fuses the talents of squeezebox player Christian "Junior" Stevens, fiddler Alden Robinson, and guitarist Owen Marshall into a high-octane musical partnership. The trio blends their skill and fluency in traditional Irish music with their curiosity and aptitude for other styles. The band is based in Maine. New entry (January 21, 2011)
• 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.
• In western Connecticut, The Reel Thing provides sparkling live music for contra, 18th century/colonial, English country and barn dances. 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.
• Also from Eastern Massachusetts, Roaring Jelly plays a monthly dance in Lexington, Massachusetts along with other gigs.
• Alden Robinson plays fiddle in The Press Gang, Riptide and Arigina Highway and is based in Portland, Maine. New entry (January 21, 2011)
• 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. MySpace page.
• Rude Cider is the only student contradance band this side of the Hoosic.
• 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)
• Lissa Schneckenburger is a fiddler from New England playing all over the place. MySpace page.
• 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.
• Scoot!, the contra dance band, is Fiona Schubeck, Eric McDonald and Max Newman and is based in Boston, MA.
• 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.
• 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".
• 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)
• 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, Quebecois, bluegrass, and Klezmer among others--into innovative musical forms.
• Smoke and Mirrors is comprised of Deborah Gerstein (piano) Damaris Rohsenow (Hammer Dulcimer), and ores Thomson (Fiddle, Flute, Banjo). They play for dances throughout New England. Change of URL (June 17, 2010)
• 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.
• 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.
• Cedar Stanistreet plays fiddle with the band Nor'easter and other groups of musicians. He is based in metropolitan Boston.
• Begun in 2005 in Connecticut, Step It Up! includes Linda Thomas, Britt Goodman, Gary Mitchell and Ken Mitchell.
• Stunt Double plays at contra dances, mostly in Massachusetts, where they are based. New entry (February 1, 2011)
• 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 Connecticut band, The Swivets is comprised of Stacy Phillips, Ellen Cohn and Baba David Coleman.
• 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.
• 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)
• Swinging on a Gate has been playing high-energy music for New England contras and squares since 1986.
• Captain Fiddle aka Ryan J. Thomson plays the Cajun, Zydeco, and Celtic music on his fiddle. He is based in New Hampshire.
• The Thread City String Band is based in Willimantic, Connecticut and includes Chuck Morgan, June Bisantz-Evan, Noreen Morgan, Larry Boisvert and John Soltys.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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)
• Two for the Show, featuring Jake Kensinger and Ellen Schmidt, play at contradances in between their numerous other gigs. They are based in Massachusetts.
• 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.
• Musician Larry Unger, banjo & guitar player extraordinaire, has been a professional musician since 1984.
• 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.
• 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."
• 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.
• Whiffletree, based in Maine, features the talents of Tyler Yentes on fiddle and Seth Yentes on Cello.
• 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.
• Wild Asparagus, based in Western Massachusetts, is one of the best known contra dance bands. It features Ann Percival on piano, guitar, and vocals, David Cantieni, on flutes, tin-whistle, oboe, saxophone and bombard. George Marshall on English concertina player, bodhran and bones, Stuart Kenney on bass, and Becky Tracy's on fiddle.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Wry Bred is a contra/barn/family dance band in Connecticut. Good music no matter how you slice it.
• 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.

Callers

• Caller Dean Allemang's has plenty of information and discussion about gender-free contra dancing. He is based in the Boston, Massachusetts area.
• 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.
• Along with playing a variety of musical instruments and telling stories, Jennifer Armstrong calls at family dances. She is based in Maine.
• 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.
• David Bateman calls many contra and English country dances in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. (e-mail only)
• Jacob Bloom leads Klezmer dancing, New England dancing, Contra dancing and Square dancing. He lives in metropolitan Boston.
• Adam Boyce is a caller and musician from Williamstown, Vermont. (e-mail only)
• Allan Brozek started dancing in the 1950's and has called since the 1960's. He is based in Connecticut.
• Eric Buddington calls and plays music at dances in Western Massachusetts. New entry (April 9, 2011)
• Patricia Campbell is a dance leader with experience calling for school, family, and community dances and her repertoire includes New England contradance, Colonial/18th century dance, square and folk dances. MySpace page.
• Delia Clark is based in Taftsville, Vermont calling family, community and contra dances. (e-mail only)
• Mary DesRosiers calls dances often in New Hampshire and she travels to other parts of the country for dances. (e-mail only)
• Jan Drechsler is a caller who once lived in New Jersey and now lives in Vermont. (e-mail only)
• Susan Elberger calls contras, squares and circles from Eastern Massachusetts. (e-mail only)
• Maine-based Joseph Fabian calls dances, family events, contras and beginning square dances. Square and fun dances for all ages are his specialty. (e-mail only)
• Bill Fischer calls from Connecticut.
• Based in Maine, Chrissy Fowler calls at for contras, family dances, weddings and other joy-filled occasions.
• James H. Fownes is a caller in Massachusetts.
• Nils Fredland is a teacher and caller of contra dances, traditional squares, and community family dances. You might also see him appear as a musician -- trombonist, vocalist, or bass player. He is based in New Hampshire.
• Richard and Pam Green are dance callers for contradances, community and family dances, weddings, birthday parties, or any special occasion. They are based in Maine. (e-mail only)
• Lisa Greenleaf is a caller from central Massachusetts, but calls across the nation and beyond. (e-mail only)
• Jim Gregory calls on a regular basis at the dance series in Granby, Connecticut. He lives in Hartford, Connecticut.
• Christine Hale hails from Connecticut and calls there and in Massachusetts.
• Besides providing support for a variety of dances and organizations in New Hampshire by maintaining web pages for them, Richard Hart also calls at dances.
• Steve Holland is a caller living in Connecticut and is known for calling medleys that change each time through the dance.
• Rickey Holt is calls in New Hampshire and is a regular participant at the dance in Exeter, NH. (e-mail only)
• From the Amherst area, Jack Janssen calls contra dances. (e-mail only)
• Jeff Kaufman occasionally calls contras along with a variety of other pursuits. He is based in eastern Massachusetts. Change in location (October 14, 2011)
• Cindy Larock is a dance instructor/caller, specializing in contras-for-beginners (both New England and French Canadian), along with a variety of other dance types. She is based in Maine. (e-mail only)
• Kathyrn Larson is a caller and teacher of community dances, family dances, dance parties regularly calling at the second Saturday Wescustogo Hall dance in North Yarmouth, Maine. (e-mail only)
• Jacqueline & Dudley Laufman call and play fiddles (as Two Fiddles) from New Hampshire.
• 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.
• Peter Leibert is from Connecticut and has been a caller and musician for more than 45 years.
• Linda Leslie calls from the New Bedford, Massachusetts area (e-mail only)
• George Marshall is best known as a musician and caller for Swallowtail and Wild Asparagus but also calls with a number of other bands from time to time. He is based in Western Massachusetts. (e-mail only)
• Patrick McCullough calls in Vermont and other locales and runs the Contracopia (Purveyor of fine contra dance music CDs). He is setting up his van as a mobile office, so you may see him in your community some day.
• John McIntire calls traditional and contemporary New England style contras, squares and circles and usually calls for the regular 1st Saturday dance in Norridgewock, Maine. (e-mail only)
• Will Mentor, from Cambridge, Massachusetts calls in the area and all around the United States. (e-mail only)
• David Millstone, from New Hampshire, started contra dancing in the early 1970s and has been calling dances for more than thirty years. He also enjoys calling for family dances, weddings and other special events, and English country dances. Change from e-mail to URL (August 21, 2011)
• Sylvia Miskoe is a caller and musician from New Hampshire. (e-mail only)
• For the last twenty years, Gregory Moore has been calling dances mostly in midcoast Maine. (e-mail only)
• New England Dancing Masters is made up of Andy Davis, Mary Cay Brass, and Peter and Mary Alice Amidon.
• Bill Olson's Contra Corner includes some musings on contradancing and dance compositions.
• Beth Parkes is a caller who regularly calls at the 3rd Saturday dance in Concord, Massachusetts.
• Tony Parkes is a caller from Massachusetts and is the author of Contra Dance Calling: A Basic Text.
• Dan Pearl, from Massachusetts, is a caller for contra dances, square dances, and other types of folk dance. (e-mail only)
• Jeffrey Petrovich lives in New Hampshire and calls throughout the state and in other parts of New England.
• Cynthia Phinney calls at dances in Maine at places like Skowhegan and West Farmington and other dances from time to time. (e-mail only)
• Connecticut's Ed Potter has called dances, including contras, for more than 50 years.
• Chris Ricciotti calls contras and squares, and international & English Country Dancing. He specializes in Gender-Free Calling and Teaching, as well as community dances. He is based in eastern Massachusetts. (e-mail only)
• Bryon Ricker calls and runs a number of dances in the northern part of New Hampshire. He is also an active member of the White Mountain Folklore Association. (e-mail only)
• Tom Roby has been calling and teaching dances (Balkan line dances, improvisational Hungarian dances, and English & American set dances) since at least the mid-1980s. He is based in Connecticut.
• Sue Rosen calls from eastern Massachusetts. (e-mail only)
• Lisa Sieverts calls contra dances and family dances along with holding style workshops and contra calling classes. She is based in New Hampshire.
• Ralph Sweet has been calling contra and square dances since 1948 and continues to do so in Enfield, Connecticut and elsewhere.
• Ryan J. Thomson calls along with being Captain Fiddle playing the Cajun, Zydeco, and Celtic music on his fiddle. He is based in New Hampshire.
• Marcie Van Cleave calls in the New England area. (e-mail only)
• Lucia Watson is one of the regular callers in Rehoboth and frequently calls at other venues in southeastern New England. (e-mail only)
• Kathryn Wedderburn is based in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and calls throughout New England. (e-mail only)
• Chris Weiler is a contra and traditional square dance caller from Goffstown, New Hampshire.
• 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.
• Paul Wilde from Providence, Rhode Island, calls contras and squares in New England and...? (e-mail only) New entry (May 3, 2010)
• Peter Yarensky calls dances in New Hampshire and publishes the monthly Seacoast Country Dance Newsletter.
• Steve Zakon-Anderson is one of the best known callers in New Hampshire, usually calls the first Saturday Peterborough dance, and he travels for dances in other states, as well. He also runs the Fiddleheads Cafe, in Hancock, New Hampshire. (e-mail only)

Organizations

• Peter Barnes's Canis Publishing specializes in books of dance tunes.
• The Country Dance and Song Society in Haydenville (near Northampton center), Massachusetts, is an association of people and groups with a common interest in English and Anglo-American folk dance, music and song.
• The Dance Gypsy was a monthly calendar/newsletter covering northern New England, western Massachusetts, and part of New York State and, now, Connecticut and Maine and now covers all the United States.
• Downeast Friends of the Folk Arts covers the Maine scene.
• The Folk Arts Center based in Cambridge, includes international folk dancing and music along with contra dancing in the events that it sponsors.
• It may not be dancing, but it is right next door, The Folk Song Society of Greater Boston.
• Lavender Country and Folk Dancers provides a schedule of dances in New England and links to other dances in the United States.
• The University of New Hampshire hosts the Library of Traditional Music & Dance as part of their special collections including papers of a number of individuals involved in contradance.
• Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont includes the Helen Hartness Flanders Ballad Collection which contains a wealth of New England folk song and folklife materials.
• The New England Folk Festival is held each year in April in Mansfield, Massachusetts and includes a large amount of contradancing but is not limited to that. There is a significant amount of international dancing, morris dancing, and traditional folk music, workshops abound, and there is a crafts show.
• Along the River is an exciting new collection of reels, jigs, waltzes, and other dance tunes written in the last twenty-five years by musicians of the Connecticut River Valley of western Massachusetts and southern Vermont and is edited by Susan F. Conger. A companion CD was released at the end of 2000.
• The Monadnock Folklore Society was founded in 1980 was to increase the visibility of folk dance and music events in southern New Hampshire, provide new venues for performers, and provide educational services in the folk arts to the community. It supports several regular dances in New Hampshire. Richard Hart supplies the information.
• Contracopia is where you can find contra dance music, CD's, and tapes from all over the country. Some music is available for listening on Real Audio or MP2 formats. It is based in Vermont.
• Great Meadow Music has a catalog of contra dance music, specializing in New England Contra Music, on CDs.
• The Folk Times supplies information about a wide range of folk music (from baroque and Renaissance to country and bluegrass) and dance in New York, Vermont, and western Massachusetts.

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

*The Colorado link will bring you to Dancing on the Web. The Iowa link will bring you to the Central Iowa Barn Dance Association. The Maine link will bring you to the Downeast Friends of the Folk Arts. The New Mexico link will bring you to the New Mexico Folk Music and Dance Society. The Utah link will bring you to Utah Contradance Information. These fine organizations and individuals already have complete listings for these states and there is no reason for me to duplicate their efforts.

**As far as I know, there are no regular dances or events in Louisiana, Mississippi, South Dakota or Wyoming, but I have created pages if something changes in the future.

http://www.contradancelinks.com/newengland.html
Produced by Charlie Seelig
Last updated on January 20, 2012