Bands & Callers

Bands

(or individual musicians)

We have lots of talent that call and play for our local dances. Check them out below:

Bill Dudley — Bill has been an integral part of Tampa Bay Contra Dancing since its inception and plays in several of our local bands (e.g., Kumquats at Large and Wind That Shakes the Barley as seen below).

Coral Riff – Coral Riff is a new band from South West Florida that brings together four musicians from various genres to rock the dance floor: Kathie Aagaard – 5 string violin, Sarah Mitchell – flute, whistle, hammered dulcimer, concertina and feet, Sherry Mattos – piano and violin, and Wes Maluk – tenor Banjo, mandolin, various percussion.

Gadabouts – The Gadabouts are all about rhythm, energy, connection and presence. Band members are Marietta Massey (banjo, percussion), David Massey (fiddle, keyboard, guitar), Bill Paine (mandolin, guitar) and Kathie Aagaard (fiddle). They have performed at festivals, dances, coffeehouses, parties, and clubs all around Florida for more than 25 years.

Jenny and the Stray Dogs – a Tampa-based contra group with an old-time barn-dance groove.

Keeping It Reel — A Florida-based band consisting of Sonya Stahl, fiddle (Gainesville), Jim Marks, guitar (Gainesville), Ted Strauss, mandolin (Orlando), and Ellen Stahl, banjo (Tamarac).

Kumquats At Largo – Rich Crew, Sarah Mitchell, & Bill Dudley

Loco-Motion — Sarah Mitchell, Kathie Aagaard, & Sherry Mattos. Also, sometimes accompanied by percussionist Joe DePaolo.

McIntyre — is a high-energy Celtic band in the Central Florida area consisting of Sharon Hartman on fiddle, Lisa McIntyre on guitar, George Houston on percussion, and Terry Henson on upright bass.

Rafter Ringers – Greg Taillon with friends David O’Keefe and Tony Wickner from the Orlando area.

Wind that Shakes the Barley – Bill Dudley, Kathie Aagaard, & Sarah Mitchell

Yazoo Kickstarts – The Yazoo Kickstarts bring Oldtime dance music right into the 21st Century. The band mixes Oldtime standards, their own new Oldtime tunes, a few hot Cajun and Creole tunes and who knows what – and all that excite contradancers. Band members are Marietta Massey (banjo, percussion and vocals), David Massey (fiddle, guitar and vocals), Mike Stapleton (fiddle, banjo, accordion) and Bill Paine (mandolin, guitar). 

Callers

Alice Raibourn — Alice is a 3^rd generation caller who has worked with all size groups and all ages, from Parent-Teacher Associations to product fairs, community dance series and dance weekends.  She started calling in 1991 and has called all over Florida and the eastern U.S.

JJ Luxe — From Winter Garden, FL, JJ is one of our younger generation callers who brings fun and high energy to his dances and his calling.

Joey Norton — Joey is a Largo-based caller who especially loves to end his sets with keep-you-on-your-toes, no-walk-through dance medleys.

JoLaine — Coming to us from Gainesville, JoLaine has been calling for more than ten years both regionally and nationally. She loves introducing new dancers to contra and making it fun for experienced dancers as well. JoLaine uses inclusive language to call dances positionally, meaning no role names are needed.

Jonathan King — Jonathan is the second of our callers from the GODS community in Gainesville. You can check out samples of his calling at one of our dances at the Gulfport Casino in July 2023 as posted on YouTube by another member of the GODS community, Patrick Harrigan.

Robin Russell — Robin’s heritage is from Canada via Ireland, Scotland, England and France, but she grew up in CT and lived in VT for 30 years. There she acquired her background in dance history and philosophy, ultimately learning the craft of calling contra dances.

Vicki Morrison — Vicki has been contra dancing since the mid-2000s and has been a caller since 2010. She calls frequently in her hometown of Tallahassee and particularly enjoys teaching newcomers. She also calls in other Florida communities including St Pete, Cocoa Beach and Gainesville, and is a regular performer at the Florida Folk Festival.