7 PM Newcomer Workshop | 7:30 – 10:30 PM Dance

Held at the McCrobie Civic Center (same location as Music Hall shows), with live band, Great Bear Trio, and caller Sara Van Norstrand.

Ontario Center for Performing Arts, along with Stewart’s Shops, is sponsoring Contra Dances, fun for all ages. Contra dances are a combination of line and square dancing; fast-paced and learn-as-you-go. No partners are necessary.

Future dances (all first Fridays):  2010: 11/5, 12/3; 2011: 1/7, 2/4, 3/4, 4/1, 5/6

Raz-de-Maree, or “Tidal Wave” in English, is Sabin Jaques on accordion, bones and foot percussion; Rachel Aucoin on piano; Stuart Kinney on upright bass and banjo and Eric Faureau on violin.  Hailing from the cross-border regions of Quebec and New England, their liveliness and outgoing personalities have  lead them to evolve as a dance band as well as perform concerts on the folk music planet. They will be premiering on the Music Hall stage in a shared partnership with the “Phylla Mae Fall Fest Dance Weekend,” sponsored by the Syracuse Country Dancers, the very same folks who helped bring contra dancing to Oswego County.  For those hearty folks who also want to dance, you may catch them on Friday night (www.syracusecountrydancers.org)

You can count on irrepressible energy and musicality from this quintessentially Quebecois quartet” ~David Smukler, Syracuse Country Dancers

The music of Guy Davis is steeped in the language of his forbears, and pays tribute to the greats of the genre, including Mississippi John Hurt, and more contemporarily, Taj Mahal.  Yet, Guy breathes new life into these deep blues roots, and melds his forceful interpretations of the classics with a growing catalog of his own brilliant originals—many of which are destined to become classics in their own right.  Through his dexterous slide, dobro and fingerpicked guitar, a sprinkling of banjo, a torrent of harmonica, and a voice that can bark and growl and murmur softly without missing a beat, Guy needs no accompaniment.  And then there are the stories.  Guy can tell you stories of his great-grandparents and his grandparents, their days as track lineman, and of the interactions with the infamous KKK.    http://www.guydavis.com

Now in her fourth decade as an internationally acclaimed songwriter, recording artist and performer, Ann Rabson sings in a distinctive contralto voice.  Her smoky, gritty delivery draws from a wide vocabulary of bluesy bends, squeals, and sensual whispers to match the story she is telling.  At age 35, Ann decided to learn the piano.  Honored as a member of the Boogie Woogie Hall of Fame and praised as having “the best left hand in the blues, Ann brings her ability to play challenging left- and right-hand melodies while singing is nothing short of magical!  http://www.annrabson.com

Two great blues artists in one night:  Seasoned acoustic bluesman and Red House Records artist Guy Davis, and boogie-woogie/barrelhouse pianist and gritty vocalist Ann Rabson.

(Ann Rabson photo below by Tim Rasmussen)

7 PM Newcomer Workshop | 7:30 – 10:30 PM Dance

Held at the McCrobie Civic Center (same location as Music Hall shows), with live band, Great Bear Trio, and caller Sara Van Norstrand.

Ontario Center for Performing Arts, along with Stewart’s Shops, is sponsoring Contra Dances, fun for all ages. Contra dances are a combination of line and square dancing; fast-paced and learn-as-you-go. No partners are necessary.

Future dances (all first Fridays):  2010: 11/5, 12/3; 2011: 1/7, 2/4, 3/4, 4/1, 5/6

A student and friend of the great Gary Davis, “Book” has been described as a guitar pickin’ hillbilly bluesman.  Equally at home with blues and ragtime, Bok shifts from open tunings to slide arrangements to original compositions with both traditional and self-styled licks.  His storytelling emphasis is unique, mixing stories.

“Nobody writes in the idiom better than Roy Book Binder.  He is a master player, singer, writer and teller of tales… true tales…” ~Jorma Kaukonen

As John Platt, host at WFUV once stated: “If he doesn’t get them with his phenomenal guitar playing or catchy songs, he gets them with his wonderful stories.  True entertainers have an engaging spirit that puts a smile on your face.  Arlo Guthrie has it, David Bromberg has it, and so does Toby.”  First discovered at NERFA, he made his Music Hall debut in February 2008; this is the soonest we could get him back.

“Little Toby Walker has got to be one of the hottest acts on the circuit.  This is the real deal and not to be missed.” ~Dorset Blues Society

7 PM Newcomer Workshop | 7:30 – 10:30 PM Dance

Held at the McCrobie Civic Center (same location as Music Hall shows), with live band, O’Shanigans, and caller Bob Nicholson.

Ontario Center for Performing Arts, along with Stewart’s Shops, is sponsoring Contra Dances, fun for all ages. Contra dances are a combination of line and square dancing; fast-paced and learn-as-you-go. No partners are necessary.

Future dances (all first Fridays): 2010: 11/5, 12/3; 2011: 1/7, 2/4, 3/4, 4/1, 5/6

Calling themselves “Musical Comedy at its Folkiest,” the Arrogant Worms turn out a seamless blend of words, music and message.  They originate from the hub of Canadian grass roots music:  Kingston, Ontario.  Their fantastic stage presence, brilliant lyrics, rapier wit, and tight harmonies have entertained audiences across North American. The Arrogant Worms’ show is a polished yet satirical romp through life’s little inanities.  They have clearly established themselves as Canada’s Clowned Princes of Humor, Purveyors of the Absurd and Ambassadors of Fun.

“You’d be hard pressed to find a band more outrageous or genuinely gleeful in its antics…” ~Tom Knapp, Rambles Magazine