MP3 Megan Beller, John Wobus, and Charley Beller - Contranella

Fiddle stomp family band plays original and traditional fiddle tunes and dance music. Tracks long enough to call dances to.

10 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Traditional Folk, WORLD: Celtic



Details:
Fiddle stomp family band with piano and percussion.

Contranella plays fiddle tunes: lively tunes crafted and played with dancing in mind: reels, jigs, waltzes, breakdowns, Celtic tunes, Quebecois tunes, southern old-time, New England, traditional, modern -- all the music found at contemporary contradances. The band features Megan Beller on fiddle, her father John Wobus on piano, and her husband Charley Beller on percussion, banjo, and mandolin.

Megan Beller, originally from Manlius, first picked up fiddle from her father, John. She began playing contradances while in high school, went on to Eastman School of Music, and now performs and teaches fiddle and violin in the Rochester area. Megan also plays fiddle with the Twelve Corners Klezmer Band, which has performed throughout New York State, including the Syracuse Jewish Music & Cultural Festival.

John Wobus, of Manlius, has played fiddle and other folk instruments for the sheer fun of it since his college days, and has been accompanying fiddlers on the piano as well. John also plays piano for the contradance bands Hearts Delight and Rosie's Ready Mix.

Charley Beller provides percussion for the band, on djembe, congas, and other drums and percussion. Charley has been involved with music his whole life and is an avid old-time banjo player. Outside music, Charley performs with Rochester's Geva Comedy Improv. Megan and Charley also played with the contradance band Turtle United, which released a CD in 2004.

"The musicians in Contranella combine expressiveness, skill and high spirits with a deep-rooted knowledge of both traditional and more recent dance styles and tunes." - David Smukler, Upstate New York dance caller

Fiddle music is dance music, and Contranella has honed its style playing for dances, using traditional, contemporary, and many original tunes. Contranella has been performing over a decade, throughout New York as well as at the New England Folk Festival, and at contradances in Toronto, Ohio, and Indiana.

Contranella's new CD, "Contranella", released November 2006, features a number of Megan's and John's tunes as well as traditional tunes from Quebec, Ireland, New England, and the south.