The Latter Day Lizards

Dave Langford, Bill Tomczak, Peter Barnes, Mark Murphy

The Lizards are a New England based dance band, featuring a quartet of musicians fervent with the desire and talent to ignite flames under dancing feet. With a wide ranging and hopelessly eclectic repertoire, the Lizards bring excellent musicianship, playfulness, drama and unrelentingly infectious rhythm to their dance performances. With Peter Barnes on piano, guitar and flute, Bill Tomczak on clarinet, sax and drum, Dave Langford on guitar and fiddle, and Mark Murphy on bass, they blend swing, rock-and-roll and jazz influences with traditional foot-stomping dance music to make an innovative, spontaneous and rhythmically inflammatory sound.

Stuart Kenney is not able to join the Lizards due to a prior commitment. Mark Murphy will take his place. Besides working with Wild Asparagus and Notorious, Mark has played on NPR's "Prairie Home Companion" and The Nashville Network's "Fire On The Mountain" shows with Walt Michael and Company and on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" in a band featuring Levon Helm backing up blues artist Guy Davis.

Uncle Farmer with Scotty Leach

Ben Schreiber, Scotty Leach

Ben Schreiber is a young “Fiddling Phenom” who has been taking the country by storm. He plays with The Whoots as well as Uncle Farmer. Ben is a voracious sight-reader, is fluent in several musical genres, and has been known to write a dozen tunes in an afternoon before the evening dance, much to the dancers' delight. Scotty Leach, who also plays with the Retrospectacles, is a formidable multi-instrumentalist whose infectious piano playing and zany energy have propelled many a contra dancer across the dance floor..

Nils Fredland

 

Nils Fredland has been making music, leading dances, and bringing people together for twenty years as a teacher; singer and song leader; trombonist; contra, square, and community dance caller; story teller; and workshop leader. Nils is widely respected for his expertise in each of his chosen fields, and beloved for his sensitive leadership, generosity, friendliness, and community-minded approach.

Frannie Marr

 

Six years of calling have made Frannie Marr a popular West Coast caller, calling regular dances from Southern California to the Bay Area, and special events/weekends throughout the Pacific Northwest and Southwest. Frannie draws on her experience as a dance gypsy to call dances that people like. Her hallmarks are quick walkthroughs, efficient calling, and letting the dance and music flow whenever possible.

Sound

Sound engineering by Victor Garza.

Programming

This year's program is arranged by Susan Petrick.