George Marshall and The Syncopaths Come to the Port Townsend for the Contra Event of the Year November 19th

From Paul Ferriz:

Come revel in the contra dance of the year NOT to be missed, as New England's caller extraordinaire George Marshall leads us into fits of hilarity to the accompaniment of SoCal's own Contra Band, the Syncopaths. This gala event will take place in the Quimper Grange Hall Friday, November 19, at 7:30. Admission is $12.00.

George Marshall is a contra dance caller extraordinaire. Based out of New England (where this dance form originated), and always in great demand, George travels continuously, criss-crossing the country's dance halls, from paradise (Hawaii and the Caribbean), to the frozen tundra of Fairbanks, Alaska (which is where I met him accompanied by Wild Asparagus, at the Midnight Sun Dance Camp, a several day contra dance retreat at a Boy Scout camp several miles outside Fairbanks).

George was introduced to square and contra dancing in the early seventies while working as a summer trail crew volunteer in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. He quickly became an avid dancer, seeking out dance venues wherever he could find them. While attending college in Amherst, Massachusetts, he founded a contra-dance band, Swallowtail, with some fellow students and began calling and playing for dances. Now a full-time musician, caller, and dance teacher, George tours nationally throughout the year with Wild Asparagus, an excellent, ultra -popular band, who more than once has roused the dancers of Western Washington (they played a dance at the Port Townsend fairgrounds a few years ago). While most of the time he can be found calling and/or playing with Wild Asparagus or Swallowtail, George also calls occasionally with the Clayfoot Strutters, Nightingale, and the Horseflies. George's specialty is teaching and calling the New England-style contra dances he has collected throughout the country. He is renowned for his knack of matching music to dance and for his smooth, concise teaching and presentation.

Also a talented musician, he plays the concertina, a kind of small squeeze -box somewhat akin to the accordion in nature, substituting the keyboard with buttons on both sides. The bodhran, a round frame-drum of ancient Irish heritage, played with a double headed drum stick is also in his kitbag of instruments. Among his other accomplishments, George has recorded on eight albums, is an instructor of couples-dances including Lindy/swing, Scandinavian, Cajun and Zydeco, as well as a producer of music and dance events and retreats; one example is a week-long dance vacation in the Caribbean every February.

The Syncopaths are an ultra-dynamic American Celtic band based in Southern California. With musical roots in Ireland and Scotland, the band's repertoire is flavored with jazz, pop, calypso, and more. The band's personnel includes: Ryan McKasson on fiddle, Ashley Broder on mandolin, Jeffrey Spero on piano, and Christina Burch on bodhran and vocals.

The band is touring the Northwest with national caller George Marshall, of Wild Asparagus and Swallowtail fame. George has the knack of pleasing both experienced and new dancers with his superb dance choices and calling technique.

For more information, call joyountolypen [dot] com (Jo Yount) at (360)385-0456.