Episodes
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Quick announcement: Temporary pause
Hello, everyone. This is just a quick update to say that Stars in the Rafters will be going on pause for a couple weeks while I deal with a situation. Unfortunately my apartment was flooded recently, and I have to relocate on short notice. Once life settles down back to normal and I can set up my...
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45. Keep moving
1. Ruth’s Waltz - Dave Wiesler (Newark, DE). This original waltz is on Dave’s 2001 album Cracks and Shadows. https://davewiesler.com 2. An excerpt from The Once and Future King, by T. H. White. Read by Julie Vallimont (Brattleboro, VT). 3. Kilcommon / The Volunteer - Airdance (MA, VT). This set…
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44. Love like the moon
1. Irish Girl - Lissa Schneckenburger (Brattleboro, VT). This song is from Lissa’s 2005 eponymous album. https://lissafiddle.com/ 2. My worst habit, by Rumi. Read by Julie Vallimont (Brattleboro, VT). 3. All That You Ask Me - Airdance (VT, MA). This is from the 2000 album Rodney Miller’s…
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43. Bright winter nights
1. Great Falls - lydia ievins (Montague, MA). A cheerful polska. Someday lydia’s town will reclaim this name, first bestowed on her area (in a variety of languages) when it was known as a peaceful gathering spot for the Native tribes who congregated here. Recorded on Koivu, lydia's duo album with...
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42. The inner world of sleep
1. Wherever You Go When You Sleep - Wild Asparagus (MA and VT). This song, with words by Keith Murphy and music by David Cantieni, is on Wherever You Go. Wild Asparagus is Becky Tracy, David Cantieni, George Marshall, Ann Percival, and Stuart Kenney. http://band.wildasparagus.com 2. Nocturne, by...
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41. Ringing the bells of change
1. Jamestown Homeword Bound - Jeff Warner (Portsmouth, NH). Jeff notes, “Jeff Davis, my music partner for twenty years, found this song in Joanna Colcord’s 1938 book, Songs of American Sailormen.” It can be found on his most recent album, Roam the Country Through. www.jeffwarner.com 2. Pray, by...
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40. The art of winter
1. Winter Snow / Never Go Astray / Lion’s Mane - Jeremiah McLane (Sharon, VT). This track is on Jeremiah’s most recent solo album, The Grinding Stone. The first tune is a traditional English carol; the others are original tunes by Jeremiah. www.jeremiahmclane.com 2. The art of winter, by Susan…
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39. Joy and sorrow
1. Villagers All - Andy, Robin, Arthur, and Emma Davis; and Emma Schneider (Brattleboro, VT). Andy writes, “Here is a song that we have sung at the Brattleboro Christmas Eve pub sing over the years. Our family created this virtual performance this year. Words by Kenneth Grahame from The Wind in…
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38. Every day starts anew
1. Bright Wings - Bright Wings Chorus (VT). This song by Brendan Taaffe is on the 2013 Bright Wings Chorus album Signs and Wonders. https://brendantaaffe.bandcamp.com/ 2. The word, by Tony Hoagland. Read by Julie Vallimont (Brattleboro, VT). 3. Soul of the Limestone Rock - Nightingale (VT). This...
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37. The shortest day
1. Singing in the Land - Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem (Middletown, CT). This traditional Appalachian song is on their 2016 album Wintersong. https://raniarboanddaisymayhem.bandcamp.com 2. In between the sun and moon, by Pádraig Ó Tuama. Read by Julie Vallimont (Brattleboro, VT). 3. Winter Blossom…
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36. Heart of the world
1. Heart of the World - Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem (Middletown, CT). This song by Rani Arbo is from their 2015 album Violets are Blue. https://raniarboanddaisymayhem.bandcamp.com 2. For my morning mirror, by Susan Reid (Montpelier, VT). Read by Julie Vallimont (Brattleboro, VT). 3. Piper on the…
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35. Memories and visions
1. Time Will End - Nightingale (MA and VT). Nightingale is Keith Murphy, Becky Tracy, and Jeremiah McLane. This tune by Jeremiah can be found on The Coming Dawn, Nightingale’s first album. https://www.nightingalevt.org 2. Memory of Cape Cod, by Edna St. Vincent Millay. Read by Julie Vallimont...
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34. If a tree could wander
1. Högtidsmarsch (Ceremonial march) - lydia ievins (Montague, MA). A traditional Swedish bridal march from Västmanland, played here on 5-string fiddle and harmonium. The majesty of this tune perfectly suits the grand sound of the harmonium. Recorded on Koivu, lydia's duo album with Helsinki-based...
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33. Giving thanks for community
1. Soaring High - Crowfoot (VT and QC). Crowfoot is Jaige Trudel, Adam Broome, and Nicholas Williams. This track is from their 2006 album As the Crow Flies. www.crowfootmusic.com 2. Thank you, by Ross Gay. Read by Julie Vallimont (Brattleboro, VT). 3. Beautiful Life - Jeff Warner (Portsmouth…
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32. The unfrequented road
1. Margaret Mary Robinson / The Sweetness of Mary - Tim Ball and Sophie Orzechowski (Ithaca, NY). This set of Cape Breton tunes is from Tim and Sophie’s album Life of their Own. https://timandsophie.bandcamp.com/releases 2. I walk the unfrequented road, text of the hymn by Frederick Hosmer. Read…
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31. As the tide comes in
1. Pacific Sunrise / The Sun Still Shines / The Reel MacGyver - Chimney Swift (Boston, MA). Chimney Swift is Cecile Leroy, Daniel Raine, Yaron Shragai, and A.Z. Madonna. “Pacific Sunrise” and “The Sun Still Shines” are by Cecile, written on a red-eye flight to New Zealand. A.Z.’s improvisations...
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30. This too shall pass
1. Praise song for the day, written by Elizabeth Alexander and read by her at the 2009 Presidential Inauguration. For a video, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=\_vLBnFk-OFc 2. Regain / Psalm of Life / Plant Un Chou - Nightingale (VT). Nightingale is Keith Murphy, Becky Tracy, and Jeremiah McLane....
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29. Autumn migrations
1. High Clouds - Greenfield Dance Band (MA and VT). This waltz is the title track on the album the Greenfield Dance Band recorded for Great Meadow Music. The Greenfield Dance Band is David Kaynor, Mary Cay Brass, Peter Siegel, and Stuart Kenney, with guests....
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28. Imagine that
1. Belle of Greensboro / Till havs I motorbåt (To sea in a motorboat) - lydia ievins (Montague, MA). The first waltz, by lydia, is named for Mary Jellicorse, a gracious and graceful dancer. The second is by fiddler Sixten Engström, who lived way up in northern Sweden and held a great love for...
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27. The beauty of fall
1. Everything Will Be Alright - Echo Women's Choir (Toronto, ON). Rachel Bokhout writes, “This is a live 2014 recording of the Echo Women's Choir, performing with singer-songwriter Victoria Moon Joyce. We offer this for the podcast as a reminder to keep faith - this season too shall pass. Blue...
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26. Hills for climbing
1. The Winter Rose / Verdant - Maivish. Maivish is Adam Broome (guitar) and Jaige Trudel (fiddle). This previously unreleased track includes two tunes written by Jaige. www.maivish.com/ 2. The Apple Picker's Waltz / The Beautiful Lights Of Burlington - Pete Sutherland (Burlington, VT). This track...
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25. The big things and the small things
1. Land of Beauty / Ashmead’s Kernel - Maivish. Maivish is Adam Broome (mandola) and Jaige Trudel (fiddle). This previously unreleased track includes two tunes written by Adam. www.maivish.com/ 2. Pied beauty, by Gerard Manley Hopkins. Read by Margaret Youngberg (Greenfield, MA), with musical...
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24. Resilience
1. Jean-Paul Jigs: Le Tourment / Korolenko - Arise & Go (Newfield, NY). These tunes are both by Québécois musician and composer Jean-Paul Loyer and are from Arise & Go’s recent album Meeting Place. https://ariseandgo.bandcamp.com 2. Like barley bending, by Sara Teasdale. Read by Ben Williams...
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23. Love stays loved and songs stay sung
1. Serenity Knoll / Dragon Hatchery - Buddy System (Brattleboro, VT and Asheville, NC). These tunes were written for two dear friends in the dance community from Jonesborough, TN. Performed by Julie Vallimont and Noah VanNorstrand on their album Ride the Wheel. www.buddysystemband.com/ 2. Morris...
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22. Fields and flowers
1. The Bee’s Knees / Hey, Rusty! / A Boy’s Lament for His Dragon - Joanne Garton (Montpelier, VT). Performed with Michael Ayles, Simeon Chapin, Hollis Easter, and Aaron Marcus on Joanne's 2019 album The Bee's Knees. Joanne says, “‘The Bee's Knees’ was written one summer night in gratitude for the...
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21. SPECIAL EPISODE: An ode to past camps and festivals, part 2
1. Beeswax Sheepskin - This recording was made standing in the woods at Pinewoods Camp outside of the main dance hall, C Sharp, at dusk, listening to the sounds of the birds and the evening dance happening. Recorded by Julie Vallimont at ESCape!, 2019. 2. Allie Crocker’s Reel / Lamplighter’s...
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20. SPECIAL EPISODE: An ode to past camps and festivals, part 1
1. Pipe March: Caber Feidh - Mike MacNintch, piper. From Live from C Sharp, an album recorded by Tom Pixton at Pinewoods during the 2010 Scottish Sessions. https://www.pixton.org/livefromcsharp/index.html 2. The first camp, or, Prayer of a desperate folkie for the assimilation and eternal…
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19. Travels
1. Le Canal en Octobre / En Flandres - Anadama (Portland, ME). Anadama is Amelia Mason (fiddle), Bethany Waickman (guitar), and Emily Troll (accordion). This pair of schottisches by Frédéric Paris can be found on their new CD, Way Back When, available for purchase on Bandcamp and their website....
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18. Cool water
1. Aurora's schottis / Hägg bland björkar (Bird-cherry among birches) - lydia ievins (Montague, MA). A pair of friendly schottis tunes by lydia, played here on nyckelharpa and piano. The second owes its name to lydia’s family's namesake tree (Swedish "hägg" = Latvian "ieva"). Recorded on Koivu,...
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17. Loving what is
1. Golden Gate Waltz - Everest Witman (Montréal, QC). This tune is from Nova’s album Little Sky, featuring Kathleen Fownes on fiddle, Everest on guitar, and Guillaume Sparrow-Pepin on accordion. www.novatriomusic.com 2. Stars, by Sara Teasdale. Read by Ben Williams (Northampton, MA). 3. Tuula’s -...
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16. We are enough
1. End Road Work - Alex Sturbaum (Olympia, WA). Alex wrote this song while on their first tour with their contra dance band Gallimaufry. It’s on their first solo album, River Run Wide and features vocals from the members of Gallimaufry. www.alexsturbaum.com 2. Finding joy, by Susan Reid...
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15. After the sky weeps
1. The Shortest Day / The Open Door - Julie Vallimont (Brattleboro, VT). These two tunes by Julie feature Yann Falquet on guitar, Mark Roberts on banjo, Katie McNally on fiddle, and Julie on accordion and can be found on her album Dark Sky, Bright Stars. www.julievallimont.com 2. A strange…
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14. Irrepressible
1. Polska efter Schedin - lydia ievins (Montague, MA). A traditional Swedish slängpolska tune from Västmanland, played here on nyckelharpa and piano. This thoroughly satisfying tune is a popular favorite with dancers. Recorded on Koivu, lydia's duo album with Helsinki-based pianist Juha Kujanpää....
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13. Under the same stars
1. The Man in the Moon - Andrew Marcus (Takoma Park, MD). This track comes from Callithump’s upcoming album. Callithump is Glyn Collinson (vocals and bouzouki), Andrew Marcus (accordion) and Abe Joyner-Meyers (fiddle). They and their ceilidh-band alter-ego Frog Hammer end many of their sets with...
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12. The promise of summer
1. Moonshine Holler - Pete Sutherland (Burlington, VT). This is an original waltz from Pete’s Posse’s latest recording project called Dance Party. This project is five full-length contra dance tracks plus this waltz. Designed to spur on a contra dance party at home, these tracks are available for...
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11. On the sea
1. Joan's Waltz - Oliver Scanlon (Burlington, VT). This gently swinging waltz by Oliver is from his 2014 solo album, The Pond Jam. www.petesposse.com 2. We Shall Not Cease, from Little Gidding, by T.S. Eliot. Read by Charis Boke (Springfield, VT). 3. Chasing Horizons - Eric McDonald (Montréal…
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10. Simple acts and simple beauties
1. Honey in the Woodpile / The Grinding Stone - Jeremiah McLane (Sharon, VT). These two compositions by Jeremiah are from his album The Grinding Stone and feature him on piano and accordion, Owen Marshall on bouzouki and guitar, and Corey DiMario on bass. “The title of the CD, The Grinding Stone,...
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9. Stronger together
1. A Crown of Righteousness - Pete Sutherland (Burlington, VT). This song by Pete is from his album The Wilderness Road. Pete says, “Another still photo in the panorama of local history that I couldn’t stop looking at The great thing about using history to make art… It’s always timely. I remember...
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8. Clearing
1. Sälskär - lydia ievins (Montague, MA). A pensive tune by Juha Kujanpää, played here on nyckelharpa and piano. Sälskär is a tiny island in the Swedish archipelago of Åland, with a lighthouse that stands midway across the gulf between Sweden and Finland. Recorded on Koivu, lydia's duo album with...
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7. Growing and changing
1. A Bird’s Eye View - Pete Sutherland (Burlington, VT). This song is from Pete’s album Farmland, a collection of story songs and ballads written in collaboration with students across northern Vermont. www.petesposse.com 2. Young by Anne Sexton, read by Lissa Schneckenburger (Brattleboro, VT)....
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6. Sunlight and shadow
1. Dark Skies Again - Low Lily (Brattleboro, VT). This song is from Low Lily’s album 10,000 Days Like These. The song features Liz Simmons (vocals, guitar), Lissa Schneckenburger (vocals, fiddle), and Flynn Cohen (vocals, mandolin). www.lowlily.com 2. Onion River Waltz / Cider - Julia Wayne...
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5. Feel better
1. Feel Better - Lissa Schneckenburger (Brattleboro, VT). This song by Lissa (fiddle, vocals) also features Stefan Amidon (drums), Corey DiMario (double bass), Ryan McKasson (viola), Alec Spiegelman (pump organ, woodwinds) and Jed Wilson (piano). It is recorded on Thunder in My Arms, available at...
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4. Solace in nature
Intro: A Great Wagon (excerpt), by Rumi, read by Julie Vallimont. 1. Peggy's Maggot / Slangpolska / Veery - Aaron Marcus (Montpelier, VT). These tunes by Aaron Marcus are featured on their album Men Don’t Cry. The recording of a veery is from an actual bird. 2. Untitled by Sarah Hirsch, read by...
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3. Planting gardens
1. Summer Garden - Julie Vallimont (Brattleboro, VT). Julie wrote this tune during a backyard hang with friends, inspired by a wonderful week at Pinewoods Camp. It features Julie (accordion), Yann Falquet (guitar), and Andrew VanNorstrand (fiddle) and is found on Julie’s album Dark Sky, Bright...
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2. Hope for spring
1. Hope Lingers On - Low Lily (Brattleboro, VT). This beautiful anthem, written by Lissa Schneckenburger, is from Low Lily's album 10,000 Days Like These. The song features Liz Simmons (vocals, clapping), Lissa Schneckenburger (vocals, clapping), Flynn Cohen (vocals), Stefan Amidon (vocals), and...
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1. Remembering joy
1. Petronella - Lissa Schneckenburger (Brattleboro, VT). A traditional New England dance tune, recorded by Lissa Schneckenburger on her Dance album, available at www.lissafiddle.com. Joining her are Bethany Waickman (guitar), Eric Merrill (viola), and Jeremiah McLane (accordion). 2. There and…
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About this show
A podcast of comfort and community through traditional music and poetry, hosted by Julie Vallimont.
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Julie Vallimont
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