Corvallis Contra Weekend Talent for 2014

Bands

Moving Violations (Massachusetts)

Tom Nelligan, Dirty Linen magazine magazine says: "The Moving Violations presents another side of contra music, with a fusion approach that adds their arrangements of dance tunes from Scandanavia and Eastern Europe to contra's Anglo-Celtic framework, all played with affectionate abandon. Their smoothly layered sound is as diverse as their repertoire, as twin fiddles blend with various mixtures of piano, accordion, guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass, and percussion."

The Moving Violations are:

Van Kaynor: Fiddle

Van's fluid and lyrical fiddle playing has taken him many places, appearing on A Prairie Home Companion, playing for dance camps and festivals from Alaska to Texas to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia . Van plays with several bands including The Moving Violations, Big Bandemonium, and the Fourgone Conclusions. Several of his compositions can be heard on The Moving Violations' recordings, 'Quick Spin' and 'Faster Than A Walk'. Van has a studio in Amherst, Mass., where he teaches violin and fiddle.
If you can't find him on stage, you may find Van kicking up his heels on the dance floor.

Ron Grosslein: Fiddle, Mandolin

Ron contributes his great enthusiasm and charisma on both fiddle and mandolin in The Moving Violations and Swallowtail. He enjoys helping to mold the energy that happens between the dancers and the music. "It's like making a sand castle at the beach with a talented and creative group of friends, delightful while it lasts, and washed away with the next tide, with nothing to clean up!"
When not playing music, Ron works as an engineer, building equipment for radio telescopes, and fixing a really beat up old lawn mower.

Chuck Corman: Bass, Guitar, Percussion

Chuck plays with several bands from both the contra and balkan dance worlds such as Xopo, Trei Arcusi, Beeswax Sheepskin and the Fourgone Conclusions. He enjoys playing a multitude of instruments which include bass, guitar and dumbek with the Moving Violations band. He is involved with many outdoor pursuits, particularly with long distance hiking on trails such as the AT, LT and PCT.

Eric Eid-Reiner: Piano

Dancers and listening audiences alike have long enjoyed Eric's innovative piano accompaniment, melody playing, and compositions. A part of the Boston area music scene most of his life, Eric has performed throughout the Northeast at contra dances, concerts, weddings, synagogues, and festivals. Celtic Beat Magazine has recognized Eric for his "superb craftsmanship on the keys," and he can be heard performing solo, with the Moving Violations, The Reiner Family Band, and fiddlers including Julie Metcalf, Alden Robinson, David Kaynor, and Andy Reiner. You can find out more about Eric's music at www.EricEid-Reiner.com. A recent graduate of Wheaton College in Massachusetts, Eric also loves cooking, learning about contra dance history and evolution, and exploring his passion for helping others.

Syncopaths (Los Angeles)

The Syncopaths have been playing, jamming and enjoying music together since 2003. They are

Ashley Broder, Mandolin

Prior to joining the Syncopaths, Ashley toured the world with renowned Scottish fiddler Jamie Laval. His understated but monster picking works with Ryan's fiddle and the other instruments to provide an incredible sound

Ryan McKasson, fiddle

Along with Ashley, Ryan is the heart of the sound, his dynamic scottish-based fiddle playing point counter point with the mandolin and other instruments

Christa Burch, vocals, bodrahn

Christa's non-traditional bodhrán and rich vocals surprise and delight

Jeffrey Spero, keyboards

Jeff provides wonderfully inventive and surprising piano accompaniment, anchoring the band to an ever evolving rhythmic melody

Syncopathic music