Contra Pulse

In October 2021, Contra Pulse hosted an online panel discussion as a part of the CDSS series common time. In this special event, Julie spoke with four of the contra dance greats – Becky Tracy, Pete Sutherland, Rodney Miller, and Kate Barnes—about who their mentors and inspirations were, and how they’re mentoring and inspiring the next generation of contra musicians. learn how these musicians fell in love with their craft, hear stories from the early days of touring contra bands, and explore what tradition is and how it is (or isn’t) changing today.

This episode, Julie sits down with clarinetist, saxophonist, and arranger Bill Tomczak. Bill plays for contra and English country dancing with The Latter Day Lizards, Campaign for Real Time and Fine Companions. Bill and Julie talk about his time studying clarinet at Northwestern University and how he forged his way as a clarinet player in the world of contra. They explore the technical nuances of his style, in which he studied numerous kinds of dance music to ultimately create a style all his own, and his strategies for playing for Contra dances

This episode, Julie speaks with renowned guitarist, pianist, mandolinist, and singer Keith Murphy. In their conversation, Keith explains how his early influences of Scottish music impacted the precision of his rhythmic approach, how Nightingale formed and arranged music, as well as the ways that Keith’s song arranging has changed over the years. We also get to hear about his teaching techniques, honed over many years of teaching Celtic music classes in his hometown of Brattleboro Vermont, and much much more. Enjoy!

Check out the the newest podcast from CDSS—From the Mic, with Mary Wesley!

Host Mary Wesley interviews nationally-known dance caller, old-time musician, and flatfoot dancer Phil Jamison. They talk about Phil's roots in the old time music scene, how he first stepped up to the mic as a caller, and his philosophy and approach to leading dances. They delve into his research about the history of dance calling in southern Appalachia and compare the ins-and-outs of square dance calling and contra dance calling. Phil also shares some incredible historic recordings of dance callers and some tracks from his own musical collaborations.

This episode, Dave tells us all about his early years and how his journey as a fiddle player began on a spur of the moment whim. We explore his identity as a New England Style Fiddler, and get to hear Dave demonstrate his unique fiddle strum, and a few beautiful tunes on the guitar. Dave leaves us with a cliffhanger about new developments coming out with his band, Stomp Rocket, so we’ll just have to wait at the edge of our seats to find out. In the meantime, enjoy!

This episode, Julie sits down with fiddler Becky Tracy. Becky has been a defining presence in some of the most popular and innovative contra dance from New England —Wild Asparagus, and Nightingale. They discuss her trajectory from math teacher to full-time traditional musician, her approach to musical creativity, her musical partnership with Keith, the ways that community builds upon itself through tunes, and much more.

This episode Julie sits down with Seattle musician Dave Bartley. They explore the myriad influences that have woven their way into Dave’s musical style and repertoire, and in his numerous bands – KGB, Contra Sutra and Bag o'Tricks, and ECD groups Tricky Brits and Roguery. He shares his perspective on the Pacific Northwest dance and music community and even shares a few of the secrets behind the magic of KGB. Enjoy!

This episode, Julie sits down with fiddler, multi-instrumentalist, and composer Ben Smith from the Mean Lids, and his musical alter-ego D.R. Shadow. Ben and Julie’s conversation touches on his early musical experiences in upstate New York with classical violin and the magical moment when he first played for a contra dance. And for the first time on Contra Pulse, Julie gets to take a deep dive into the world of techno contra, exploring with Ben the intricacies of incorporating electronic dance music and other alternative musical forms into the realm of contra dance.

This episode, Julie sits down with West Coast dance pianist Anita Anderson They revisit Anita’s early musical experiences learning the chord organ where she grew up in Long Beach, California, through her first exposure to contra and ECD in Los Angeles. They discuss the myriad musical collaborations she’s involved in and with the help of some short excerpts from contra dance pianists selected by Anita, they explore the many influences and styles that have led to Anita’s unique sound.

This episode, Julie sits down with fellow contra dance pianist and CDSS Lifetime Contribution Award recipient Sue Songer. In addition to playing piano Sue also plays fiddle, coordinates and directs the Portland Megaband, and with her collaborator Clyde Curley compiled the 3 volumes of The Portland Collection. In the interview Sue describes her journey from Suzuki violin lessons to support her daughter to becoming a fully fledged contra dance musician and organizer extraordinaire. They discuss the dance and music scene in the Pacific Northwest, the evolution of Sue’s piano style, her knack for notating tunes, which lead to the origin of the Portland Collection, and the secret sauce behind the epic sound of the Portland Megaband. Sue also talks about her most recent publication, a book commemorating and celebrating the life and work of David Kaynor, her friend and frequent music partner.