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Betsy Branch,
of Portland, Oregon, has been delighting contra dancers and concert goers throughout the West for many years with her versatile,
accomplished fiddling. Her grasp of the rhythmic essence of dance music along with her considerable improvisational skills
and sparkling personality combine to produce high-energy events whenever she is playing. Besides contra dances and dance camps,
Betsy plays for English Country dancing, couples dancing, and concerts. Her primary playing partner is her husband, Mark Douglass
on piano, with whom she recorded the CD Picassiette; but she also plays in many other configurations with musicians
from the Bay Area to Seattle. In addition, Betsy is a sought-after fiddle teacher, and associate music director of the
Portland Revels. Betsy works closely with Sue Songer on the artistic direction of The Portland Megaband, and more
recently, she was a tune editor of The Portland Collection, Volume 2. She also recorded A Portland Play Along Selection,
companion to the Portland Collection tune books, with Sue Songer and Clyde Curley.
Todd
Silverstein adds several unusual sounds to the band.
For melody or lithe harmony his fingers fly across the penny whistle; when he switches to bouzouki, listen for that
funky rhythm or a sweet Irish lilt; if the tune wants abandon, out comes his alto sax. Todd has played
in many bands over the past two decades, including the
Nettles,
the Wildcats,
and the Flying O'Carolan Brothers. Daytimes, Todd can be found teaching biochemistry at
Willamette University.
Mark Douglass imported
a piano background in gospel, swing, jazz and blues pretty much wholesale into his contra-career. When not playing with Wild Hair, you
can hear him backing up the fiddle-duo Night
Owl or enjoying a little onstage alone-time with wife and music partner Betsy Branch. He works
days as a Gambling Treatment Therapist.
These days
Jeff Kerssen-Griep stirs
his slyly muscular guitar percussion into popular PNW contra dance outfits Wild Hair and Joyride, and with Jamie Laval & Ashley Broder when
they orbit nearby from NC. A longtime vet of Mystic
Spatula, Talisman,
and Tacoma's
popular Slainte,
Jeff's also gigged with lots of other fun musiconspirators. If you listen through the dancing, you just might hear equal parts
John Doyle and Paul Westerberg in his playing. When not guitaring, Jeff spends his work days as "Dr. K-G" in communication
arts at the University of Portland.
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