Contra Dance at the Monterey YMCA

A local group called the Crabapples hosted an open mike contra dance at the Monterey YMCA last night. Initially the musicians outnumbered the dancers, but the balance of power shifted after the first hour. A lot of fun. Anyone learning an instrument should get out and help play for one of these events in whatever capacity they can. (There were even a couple of trumpet players in the mix. They sounded great!)

The Portland Collection tunebook is where the Crabapples pulled a majority of their tunes. The second volume is out, along with accompanying CDs. The neat thing about contra dance tunes is that they draw heavily from standard Irish session tunes. Whacking two acoustic birds with one bow, if you will. :)