Welcome to Bastkat,
Kathryn Wedderburn's Home page
You may have heard me calling throughout the east coast. I have been at many distinguished dance and folk festivals, including The Dance Flurry, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, the Folk Project, the Heritage Festival, and Old Songs Festival. Some people know me as the originator of Rock and Roll contras. In fact, there had been rock and roll contras at the Flurry a few times before Paul Rosenberg asked me if I would give it a try. However, I thought it needed a bit more zing. If we were going to do rock and roll contras, I felt the tunes should have some connection to the dances. Hence, the birth of rock and roll contras as we know them!
And the birth of the infamous Black Kat. She just couldn't get over herself in the beginning. So, she had to die,metaphorically or not, and be reborn again, to become the creature she is today. Sometimes, I deny any knowledge of her activities when she's out of my sight!
I have been fortunate through the years to work with many, many wonderful bands; far too many to be named here. Just a few to tantalize you: Hot Under the Caller, Bottom of the Bucket, George Wilson and Selma Kaplan, The Flying Garbanzos, the Walker Family, Notorious, Wintergreen, The Great Bear Trio, Einstein' s Little Homunculus, Jay Unger and Molly Mason, Black Creek, the Stillhouse Rounders, Big Table, Nightingale, Big Bandemonium, the Bog People, the Polymorphous String Band, Spare Parts, the Clayfoot Strutters, Uncle Gizmo, Raz de Maree, and Reckless Abandon. If your band wasn't named, and we've worked together, please don't feel slighted! I can't remember what I did yesterday,but I do know that I have had the pleasure and the opportunity to work with some fabulous mysicians over the years.
As far as rock and roll contras goes, I have also worked with a number of wonderful musicians at the Flurry over the years to make that happen. In the past five years, the band has gelled into Don Young, Gene Garone, Alan Thomson, and my husband, Mark Vincent. Of course, I can't forget our wonderful back-up singers, the Purrelles: Pat Melita, Susie Deane and Kathy Shimberg. We've had a few different musicians join us on saxophone, but always the lovely Vicky Young on trumpet.
Out of popular demand for an opportunity to dance to rock and roll contras more than once a year, Mark,on bass, our friend Howard Hamm, on guitar, and I formed a real rock and roll contra band that could go on the road. Joe DePaolo joins us on drums of all kinds. I am the caller and tweedle a bit on both oboe and clarinet.We started out working with a number of fabulous fiddlers, but we settled on Paul Rice. Rock and roll was not enough for us, though. We will play any kind of music, and turn it into something danceable! I have a tango contra, along with a new reggae contra. TV themes and movie scores are not out of the realm of possibility, either! So please come check out our new band, Eclectic Dance Orchestra, the first chance you get!
Eclectic Dance Orchestra Schedule
April 22, 2006 Saratoga, N.Y. dance http://www.danceflurry.org/hmtd/saratogacontra.html
May 13, 2006 New York City dance http://www.cdny.org/
June 11, private wedding
June 17, 2006 Cranston, R.I. dance http://www.CranstonContra.org/
July 2, 2006 private wedding
July 20 – 23, 2006 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival http://www.falconridgefolk.com/
September24, 2006 Burhmaster Barn dance http://www.danceflurry.org
Kathryn Wedderburn's Calling Schedule
April 22, 2006 Saratoga, N.Y. dance
April 29, 2006 South Amherst, Ma. Dance
May 13, 2006 New York City dance
May 26, 2006 Tinmouth, Vt. Dance
June 11, 2006 private wedding
May 17, 2006 Cranston, R.I dance
July 2, 2006 private wedding
July 20 -23, 2006 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival
August 19, 2006 Lenox, Ma. Dance
September 24, 2006 Burhmaster Barn dance, Albany, N. Y.
October7 private wedding
December 16, 2006 Lenox, Ma. dance
I also teach swing dancing, and have for many years, both at festivals such as the Dance Flurry and Falcon Ridge and private classes. Please contact me if you are interested in any lessons, calling, or the Eclectic dance Orchestra.