Well we finally decided to take some tentative steps into the 21st century and you can now check out the latest news and band adventures at our "Contratopia 2.0" blog. You can find it at http://contratopia.blogspot.com/. We had a good time with the blog throughout the 2006/2007 so I think we'll keep it going for a while.
August 26, 2008 (w/Linda Breitag on fiddle)
Contra dance as part of the Nine Nights of Music at the Minnesota History Center, St. Paul, MN (6:30-8:00 p.m., Robin Nelson calling)
Oct. 3, 2008 (w/Linda Breitag on fiddle)
Contra dance at The Minnesota Country Dance Weekend, Sokol Hall, St. Paul, MN
October 24, 2008
Northfield Harvest Stomp! contra dance at the armory in Northfield, MN (7:00-10:30 w/Robin Nelson calling)
November 22, 2008
Contra dance (7:30-11:30) at Tapestry Folkdance Center, Minneapolis, MN
January 17, 2009
Mostly Waltz (3:00-5:00) & Contra dance (7:30-11:30) at Tapestry Folkdance Center, Minneapolis, MN
January 23-25, 2009
8th Annual Wintergreen Dance Weekend in Bozeman, Montana (w/Cis Hinkle calling)
February 20, 2009
Northfield Winter Stomp! contra dance at the armory in Northfield, MN (Robin Nelson calling)
February 21, 2009
Contra dance (7:30-11:30) at Tapestry Folkdance Center, Minneapolis, MN (Carol Ormand calling)
March 21, 2009 (w/Linda Breitag on fiddle)
Contra dance (7:30-11:30) at Tapestry Folkdance Center, Minneapolis, MN (Beau Farmer calling)
April 18, 2009
Mostly Waltz (afternoon) & Contra dance (7:30-11:30) at Tapestry Folkdance Center, Minneapolis, MN (Ted Hodapp calling)
April 24, 2009 (w/Linda Breitag on fiddle)
Earth Day Dance at Carleton College in Northfield, MN (Robin Nelson calling)
To help us remember where we've been we also have a
History page that contains a list of what we've been up to for the last few years.
It's probably worth noting that, apart from Contratopia, Pat and Patrice can often be found supplying great dance music with other excellent musicians at Tapestry throughout the year. John and Erik are regularly heard with the Western Home String Band in Decorah, IA providing tunes for the monthly contra dances at either the fairgrounds in Decorah or the legendary Highlandville Schoolhouse.
Even if you have a hard time getting to hear us play live you can still enjoy our music on compact disc or by legally streaming or downloading our tracks from a number of e-music services (including iTunes, Rhapsody, eMusic, Napster, etc.). Check the CD
page to learn more about the availability of "Hands Four", "Ballroom Echoes", "Smitten" or the "Contra Roots and Branches" compilation CD from Great Meadow Music.
Erik and John are still selling the Contratopia
Tunebook, a collection of over 50 original reels, jigs, waltzes and airs. Almost all of the
Goodin and Sessions tunes from Hands Four, most of the tunes from Smitten and four of the waltzes from Ballroom Echoes are included as well as many other tunes that the
group plays at dances and concerts. The tunes are in standard notation with chord symbols
included and the book is carefully assembled at home using a nifty hand-powered comb binding
gizmo. These are available for $10 each plus $1 shipping for each book. Contact John at
jgoodin@contratopia.com if you'd like to purchase a copy of the Tunebook.