Taking a listen to The Contrarians
by Paul Gartner
Staff Writer, Charleston Gazette (WV)
December 20, 2007
Spend a few minutes listening to this self-titled CD — the band’s
first — and you can hear why The Contrarians are in demand at
contra dances from Washington, D.C., to Cleveland, Lexington, Ky.,
and Jonesboro, Tenn.
When the need arises, this four-man band blends fiddle, piano, guitar,
mandolin, trumpet, clawhammer banjo and tenor banjo.
The result is a very musical, layered mix of traditional and modern
tunes with 12 originals written by fiddler Paul Epstein, guitarist
Gary Reynolds and mandolinist John Longwell. Rounding out the quartet
is bassist Will Carter.
Reynolds’ wonderful piano playing adds the right backup and
bounce to the medley “New Year’s Day/Kate and Roses/Penina’s
Wedding.” “New Year’s” and “Penina” were
written by Epstein.
There are a couple of waltzes, “Waltz of the Floating Bridge” and “Waltz
to Remember.” The former has some lovely mandolin, the latter
some very powerful fiddle.
“Spootiskerry/Wizard’s Walk/Sligo Creek” is another
nice medley. At times, the band shifts gears like a jazz quartet. These
guys do a lot of listening, and leave each other lots of room.
And lest no stone is unturned, “Crockett’s Honeymoon/George
Booker” are two old-time favorites.
Throughout, the music is anchored by Carter’s able bass playing.
The CD was recorded and mixed by Bob Webb in Charleston.
If you can’t make it to the release party, The Contrarians CD
is available at Taylor Books, online at myspace.com/contrarianswv or
http://pages.suddenlink.net/contrarians, or for $17 (which includes
shipping) from Paul Epstein, 112 Potterfield Drive, Charleston, WV
25314
— By Paul Gartner
Sing Out Vol. 53 #2 Summer, 2008
The Contrarians
The Contrarians
Tom Druckenmiller
The Contrarians hail from the Mountain State of West Virginia. As
their name implies, they are a contradance band and they take a decidedly
more aggressive approach to dance music.
The band consists of Will Carter, bass; Paul Epstein, fiddle; John
Longwell, fiddle, mandolin, and tenor banjo; and Gary Reynolds, piano,
guitar, trumpet and clawhammer banjo.
The CD opens with a trio of tunes, “New Years Day/Kate and Roses/Penina’s
Wedding”; the middle tune is traditional and it’s book-ended
by two tunes written by Paul Epstein. What a surprise to hear Gary’s
trumpet on the final klezmer related tune written for the wedding of
Paul’s brother Matt to Penina. “Shenandoah Falls/Through
the Gates” follows and the Contrarians show their West Virginia
roots. No light hearted diddly-diddly music here: just strong renditions
of two fine dance tunes.
A bit later, the listener/dancer is treated to the medley of “Mingo/Uncle
Paul/Wild Bill Hiccup.” The first tune, written by Paul, was
inspired after visiting the Brazen Head Inn in Mingo, WV. The second
and final tunes were written by Gary. The first is dedicated to old-time
West Virginia banjo player Paul Gartner, and the significance of the
title of the final tune is rather obvious when heard. It has a quirky
rhythm that must cause panic to dance callers who are unfamiliar with
it.
Another set that is sure to delight the dancers are the two jigs “Rolling
Waves/Black Cat Jig” teamed with the final tune, rearranged as
the “Black Cat Salsa.” It’s wild and it really cooks!
The CD concludes with Paul’s “Waltz to Remember” with
its Central European style. It’s an elegant way to draw to a
close a collection of fine traditional and contemporary dance tunes
from the Contrarians, a quartet of very talented musicians.
Dance Gigs Like Synchronized Swimming, Contrarian Says
by Bill Lynch
for the Gazette
Paul Epstein, the unofficial leader of contra dance band The Contrarians,
says the group isn’t too interested in a big-time music career.
He says what makes The Contrarians different from a lot of bands is
that while no one is adverse to making money, it’s never been
what the band was about. The Contrarians are a little older, a little
settled and everyone is pretty happy with their day jobs.
“Will is an attorney. I’m an elementary school teacher
at Ruffner Elementary. John is a cabinetmaker; he owns Green Creek
Woodshop. “Gary, he’s what we call the successful musician
among us. He’s a stay-at-home dad. His wife has a good job,” Epstein
said over the phone recently during a quick break in the school day.
They’re settled, but they’re not lazy. The Contrarians
are regulars at FOOTMAD dances, and they travel to other cities in
the region to play contra dances. The band will also release its first
CD Friday, Dec. 21. The recording includes original material composed
by the band.
The Contrarians began and evolved almost parallel with the growth
of FOOTMAD. Epstein, a fiddle player, was instrumental in the creation
of the organization in the early ’80s and was the group’s
first president.
He and mandolin player John Longwell were some of the original musicians
who played music for the contra dances. Bassist Will Carter started
playing FOOTMAD events after he graduated law school in 1989.
“It was sort of a pickup band,” Carter explained. “Anyone
who wanted to could just show up. But by the early ’90s, it seemed
to me it was the same guys who just kept coming around.”
The band lumbered on happily without an official name for a few more
years before FOOTMAD organizers pressed them to get one.
“They said they needed something for the fliers,” Epstein
said. “So, somebody gave us a name. We were called the Trusty
House Band.”
In 2000, guitarist and keyboard player Gary Reynolds joined the band
after the death of original THB guitarist Hunt Charach. Shortly thereafter,
band members decided to change their name to be more reflective of
who they were.
“We got a little more organized,” Carter said. “We
started calling ourselves The Contrarians, after the music we played.”
The Contrarians play a mix of bluegrass, roots music and Celtic tunes,
among other styles. Carter estimates the band has roughly 30 song sets,
each composed of two to three songs running 10 to 15 minutes each.
They adapt the songs to fit the dance moves taught at each contra dance.
“The fun part for us is when we have one of these dance weekends,” Epstein
said. “We get booked to do those sometimes and a lot of what
I like to call ‘dance gypsies’ come to these things.”
The “dance gypsies” are the contra dance fanatics. They
travel, sometimes from significant distances, to dance. It’s
a passion, and they’re good at it.
“The music and the dance just comes together,” he said. “We’ll
watch them, and it will be like synchronized swimming. All the movements
will be in sync. We’re part of that and can improvise. That’s
one of the great parts of what we do.”
Carter agrees. “Musically, the chance to craft your own sound
is very satisfying.”
Carter and Epstein say life in a part-time band is fun. The Contrarians
have been around in one form or another for 20 years now. Everyone,
they say, is content to keep trudging along.
“Music is something I’ve done all my life,” Epstein
said. “The times I haven’t been doing it, haven’t
been playing publicly to some degree, there’s always been something
missing.”
To contact staff writer Bill Lynch, use e-mail or call 348-5195.
if you go
The Contrarians CD release concert, 7 p.m., and contra dance, 8 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 20. St. John’s Episcopal Church, Quarrier Street
and Leon Sullivan Way. Concert only, $5; with dance, $7. Call 415-3668
or visit www.footmad.org.
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