Original Old Farmer's Ball Hall
Phil Jamison's history of the OFB
Old Farmer's Ball
Thursdays
Beginner's Lesson at 7:30, Main dance at 8:00.
Non-members - $6
OFB members - $5
Warren Wilson students - $1
If this is your first time, your second dance is free!
Bryson Gym
Where?
Warren Wilson College
Bryson Gym
701 Warren Wilson Road,
Swannanoa, NC 28778
As you approach the college on Warren Wilson Road, go past the service entrance, past the South entrance, and past the North Entrance. Just after the North Entrance, turn right into the Kittredge Parking lot. Walk up the stairs and through the breezeway, past the Kittredge music center. Bryson gym is the next building in front of you.
Latitude/Longitude 35 36 46 N, 82 26 27 W
Click here for map and directions
| Date | Dance | Band | Musicians | Caller | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday 2/23 | Old Farmers Ball | Tune Scape | Jodi Austin: piano Tim Ball: fiddle Rachel Bell: accordion Peter Blue: percussion, nyckelharpa, button accordio | Anne Marie Walter | An innovative contra dance band from Western New York & Pennsylvania, Tunescape fearlessly explores the border between traditional music and modern groove. Their music is wildly varied, borrowing material from nearly every dance music tradition imaginable and fusing it spontaneously into a colorful, crazy sound that is wholly unique. Think of it as Quebecois-Irish-Swedish-French-Techno-New England original contra dance music. With a healthy dose of world beat percussion, occasional jazz licks, fleeting moments of English Country Dance-inspired elegance, and cowbell when you least expect it. |
| Thursday 3/1 | Old Farmers Ball | Community Band | Band Leaders: Laura Lengnick, Karen Gaughan | Charley Harvey | |
| Thursday 3/8 | Old Farmers Ball | Waxwing | Andrew Levin: fiddle, Robin Behn: flute and penny whistle ,Wayne Hitt: keyboard Shawn Webster: percussion, | Beth Molaro | Based in Huntsville and Birmingham, Alabama, and Clemson, South Carolina, Waxwing plays for dances all over the Southeast and beyond. Their music spans many styles, including Celtic, Up East, Quebequois, Old Time, and contemporary tunes with a little classical, jazz, pop, and reggae stirred into the mix. |
| Thursday 3/15 | Old Farmers Ball | The Wooly Jumpers | Vincent Fogarty on Irish Bouzouki, Beanie Odell on Fiddle, and Jeanne Chirdon on Tenor Banjo | Myra and Tom | Based out of Asheville, NC the Woolly Jumpers are Vincent Fogarty on Irish Bouzouki and Beanie Odell on fiddle. Both formerly from the band, The Red Wellies whose 2009 recording received critical acclaim in Ireland, England and the States. Joining them on tenor banjo is Jeanne Chirdon who has spent years living in Cork City, immersed in traditional music. This group brings the authenticity of Irish dance music to the southern Appalachians. |
| Thursday 3/22 | Old Farmers Ball | Euphor | Tom Turino- Banjo, Fiddle, and Guitar, Sam Payne- Guitar, Michael Valliant- Bass, Matt Turino- Fiddle, Feet, Guitar | Rob Harper | |
| Thursday 3/29 | Old Farmers Ball | Atlantic Crossing | Peter MacfarlaneFiddle,Rick Klein Guitar,Tristan Henderson Mandolins ,Viveka Fox Fiddle, | Diane Silver | For over 15 years, the Vermont band Atlantic Crossing has been thrilling concert audiences and contra-dancers with traditional songs and acoustic instrumental music from New England - music which has deep Celtic roots in the British Isles and in French & Maritime Canada - together with original compositions inspired by these traditions. |
| Thursday 4/5 | Old Farmers Ball | Boom Chuck | Laurie Fisher, Ricky Cooper, and Nic Coker | Hank Morris | |
| Thursday 4/12 | Old Farmers Ball | Rhythm Method String Band | Cathy Mason and friends | Beverly Smith | |
| Thursday 4/19 | Old Farmers Ball | Hot Sonata | Karen Gaughan on piano, Art Shuster on mandolin and Laura Lengnick on fiddle | Terry Doyle | |
| Thursday 4/26 | Old Farmers Ball | Jamie Laval with David Brown | Anne Marie Walter | “Jamie Laval deserves a medal for his exceptional musical expressivity, for beyond technique and delivery there is an embedded soul in his playing, giving off the quality of a human voice, speaking directly from the body and rising up from the particles of the earth.” -CD Baby www.cdbaby.com |
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Old Farmer's Ball
PO Box 2852
Weaverville, NC 28787
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Thanks to Skip Metheny for creating the site, and to the new ideas and ongoing work from Jonathan Gilbert, Taija TeviaClark, Andrea Fey, Mark Phillips and Todd Pierce.