Great Bear (band)

Last updated

Great Bear
Also known as
  • Great Bear Trio
  • Andrew and Noah Band
Origin New York, United States
Genres Folk, Contra
Years active2000 (2000)–2018 (2018) [1]
LabelsGreat Bear Records
Members
  • Andrew VanNorstrand
  • Noah VanNorstrand
  • Kim Yerton
  • Chris Miller
  • Rebecca Bosworth-Clemens
  • Dana Billings
Website www.greatbearmusic.com

Great Bear was a North American contra dance band composed of brothers Andrew and Noah VanNorstrand, their mother Kim Yerton, Chris Miller, Rebecca Bosworth-Clemens, and Dana Billings. It was known as the Great Bear Trio when touring with the first three members, [2] and as the Andrew and Noah Band when touring with only the VanNorstrand brothers. [3] It was the most popular contra dance band in the world, as measured by annual festival bookings. [4] Great Bear made its last appearance at a contra dance in December 2018 in Columbus, Ohio.

Contents

History

The Great Bear Trio became well-established within the contra dance scene in the United States and Canada in the 2000s, and has been frequently booked at major contra dance events in the United States and Canada from that time onward. In 2004, the VanNorstrand brothers were featured on A Prairie Home Companion . [5] Since 2015, the VanNorstrand brothers have also been touring with Audrey Knuth and Amy Englesberg as "Wake Up Robin". [6]

Musical style

Great Bear draws from a mix of genres, including those traditionally used for contra dance music, such as jigs and reels. In the 2010s, its style became increasingly modern, mixing traditional fiddle tunes infused with pop-rock dance grooves and original compositions in the same vein. [7] The band's website states that it is known for its "epic dynamics, genre-transcending arrangements and deep dance grooves". [8] Bluegrass Unlimited described the VanNorstrand brothers' music as "a blend of oldtime country and bluegrass, swing and jazz, Celtic and contra, and alternative folk-rock". [9] Another reviewer said it "strongly implies the sound of traditional music in places, and also creates an interesting stylistic mix, from old-time Appalachian to rock to country". [1]

Band members

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Contra dance</span> Social folk dance with mixed European origins

Contra dance is a form of folk dancing made up of long lines of couples. It has mixed origins from English country dance, Scottish country dance, and French dance styles in the 17th century. Sometimes described as New England folk dance or Appalachian folk dance, contra dances can be found around the world, but are most common in the United States, Canada, and other Anglophone countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bluegrass music</span> Genre of American roots music and sub-genre of country music

Bluegrass music is a genre of American roots music that developed in the 1940s in the Appalachian region of the United States. The genre derives its name from the band Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys. Like mainstream country music, it largely developed out of old-time string music, though in contrast, it is traditionally played exclusively on acoustic instruments and also has roots in traditional English, Scottish and Irish ballads and dance tunes, as well as in blues and jazz. It was further developed by musicians who played with Monroe, including 5-string banjo player Earl Scruggs and guitarist Lester Flatt. Monroe characterized the genre as "Scottish bagpipes and ole-time fiddlin'. It's a part of Methodist, Holiness and Baptist traditions. It's blues and jazz, and it has a high lonesome sound."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martie Maguire</span> American musician (born 1969)

Martha Elenor Maguire is an American musician who is a founding member of the country band the Chicks and the country bluegrass duo Court Yard Hounds. She won awards in national fiddle championships while still a teenager. Maguire is accomplished on several other instruments, including the mandolin, viola, double bass and guitar. She has written and co-written a number of the band's songs, some of which have become chart-topping hits. She also contributes her skills in vocal harmony and backing vocals, as well as orchestrating string arrangements for the band.

The Wheatland Music Festival is a music and arts festival organized by the Wheatland Music Organization, a non-profit organization specializing in the preservation and presentation of traditional arts and music. Community outreach services include programming for Senior facilities and schools across mid-Michigan, year-round instrument lessons, scholarship programs, Jamborees, Traditional Dances, and Wheatscouts - a free program educating children through music, dance, storytelling, crafts and nature. Each year, the organization holds its annual Traditional Arts Weekend the weekend of Memorial Day, and its annual festival during the second weekend in September in the unincorporated community of Remus in the state of Michigan, in the United States. The first Wheatland Music Festival was held August 24, 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark O'Connor</span> American violinist and composer

Mark O'Connor is an American fiddle player, composer, guitarist, and mandolinist whose music combines bluegrass, country, jazz and classical. A three-time Grammy Award winner, he has won six Country Music Association Musician Of The Year awards and was a member of three influential musical ensembles: the David Grisman Quintet, The Dregs, and Strength in Numbers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Rowan</span> American bluegrass musician

Peter Hamilton Rowan is an American bluegrass musician and composer. He plays guitar and mandolin, yodels and sings. He is a seven-time Grammy Award nominee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doyle Lawson</span> American bluegrass and gospel musician

Doyle Wayne Lawson is an American traditional bluegrass and Southern gospel musician. He is best known as a mandolin player, vocalist, producer, and leader of the 6-man group Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. Lawson was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2012.

The Fairbridge Festival is a music festival held annually since 1993 at Fairbridge village near Pinjarra in Western Australia until 2023. The festival is held over a weekend in April and is FolkWorld Inc.'s flagship annual event.

The Osborne Brothers, Sonny and Bobby, were an influential and popular bluegrass act during the 1960s and 1970s and until Sonny retired in 2005. They are probably best known for their No. 33 1967 country hit song, "Rocky Top", written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant and named after a Tennessee location.

Sonny Osborne was an American bluegrass musician and founding member of the Osborne Brothers.

<i>The Great Dobro Sessions</i> 1994 studio album by various artists

The Great Dobro Sessions is a 1994 country music and bluegrass album featuring an all-star line-up of 10 American resonator guitar players, produced by dobro players Jerry Douglas and Tut Taylor.

Richard Greene is an American violinist who has been described as "one of the most innovative and influential fiddle players of all time". Greene is credited with introducing the chop to fiddle playing while working with Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys, the invention of which he attributes to pain in his wrist and arm and "laziness". He featured the technique in his performances with Seatrain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Ruley and Mule Train</span> Acoustic bluegrass band in Virginia, US

Gary Ruley and Mule Train is an acoustic bluegrass band based in Lexington, Virginia who also play New Grass and Jazz music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brittany Haas</span> American fiddle player (born 1987)

Brittany Caroline Haas is an American fiddle player, who also sings and plays the banjo. She is a member of the Boston-based alternative bluegrass band Crooked Still, which is currently on hiatus. She is a regular performer on Live From Here. She tours with the Haas Marshall Walsh and Haas Kowert Tice trios, and participates in many international fiddlecamps, including the Ossipee Valley Music Festival. As of 2018, she is a member of Hawktail, which includes Kowert and Tice, as well as mandolinist Dominick Leslie. In June 2023 she was announced as the new fiddle player for Americana band Punch Brothers, replacing founding member Gabe Witcher. Her sister Natalie Haas plays cello with a similarly diverse group of musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mipso</span> US musical group

Mipso is a North Carolina quartet formed in Chapel Hill and known for combining a traditional string band format with close harmony and a variety of modern influences. The band is made up of Wood Robinson, Jacob Sharp, Joseph Terrell and Libby Rodenbough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butch Baldassari</span> Musical artist

Jerome Henry "Butch" Baldassari was an American mandolinist, recording artist, composer, and music teacher.

Matthew Warren Flinner is an American mandolinist, music transcriber, and ensemble leader. Mike Marshall has called him "one of the truly great young mandolinists of our generation."

James Arnott “Jimmy” Gaudreau is a singer and mandolinist playing traditional and progressive bluegrass music. He is best known for his solo albums, and his work with The Country Gentlemen, Tony Rice, and J. D. Crowe.

Scott Vestal is an American banjoist, songwriter and luthier, known for his innovative approach to playing and designing the banjo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rickie Simpkins</span> American singer-songwriter

Rickie Hal Simpkins is an American fiddler and mandolinist in the bluegrass tradition. He is best known for his solo albums and his work with the Lonesome River Band and the Seldom Scene.

References

  1. 1 2 Graham, George. "The Graham Weekly Album Review #1614: Andrew and Noah VanNorstrand: All the Good Summers". The Graham Weekly. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  2. "The Great Bear Trio". Dance Gypsy. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  3. "Andrew and Noah Band". Sonic Bids. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  4. Kaufman, Jeff. "Festival Stats 2017" . Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  5. "Rundown - May 8, 2004". A Prairie Home Companion. Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  6. "Wake Up Robin". Wake Up Robin. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  7. "GREAT BEAR's Magic Fantasy Dream Dance!". Kickstarter. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  8. "Great Bear". Great Bear. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  9. "All the Good Summers". Bluegrass Unlimited. October 26, 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2018.