Music

Bands

I frequently play as part of the following bands.

The Emulsifiers

contra. Other band members are Tony Pisano, Amy Cann, and Joe Depaolo.

CoinciDance

contra

Woodbinde

medieval music

Poke in the Eye

traditional and original fiddle & guitar

Spare Parts

tango, regency, ragtime, contra, english

Teaching

I am willing to teach violin/fiddle students, including beginners. As a teacher, I adapt my teaching to each student; students have wide differences in natural ability, motivation, and bone structure that make " by the book " teaching inadequate. For instance, there are many useful ways to hold a violin bow, which trade off simplicity, strength, agility, and fatigue. It is valuable to be able to adapt the posture to the music being played.

Culture

North Adams, and the surrounding towns, are a great place to see the spread of musical culture. We have professional singer/songwriters and instrumentalists along with purely social musicians who play just for fun. Every Saturday morning features a good jam session at a local coffeeshop (Lickety Split for the last few years), while other venues such as the Railway Cafe (thanks to the indefatigable Laini Sporbert) feature more organized music.

Contra Dance

I also organize the St. John's Third Friday Contra Dance in North Adams. St. John's Episcopal Church (and Rev. Ed King) have allowed us to use their parish hall for this dance for several years now, and it would not be possible without their generosity.