DJ Astronomar‘s new Mutant Club EP just dropped and is free for download until June 6. The four track release features cover art from Brazilian heavy metal drummer Iggor Cavalera and is full of the quality electronic dance music tracks you’ve come to expect from Mar and his label Main Course. But you should really listen yourself.
Know what was hip in Juneau during the late eighties? I’ll give you a hint, it wasn’t the mash potato. It was contra dancing- and it certainly isn’t square. While it may not be the king of downtown Juneau dance moves, it makes a comeback every year at the Alaska Folk Festival. But how did this swinging sensation become such an integral part of folk fest culture? I joined the pros Anne Fuller, Odette Edgar, and Tom Paul at St. Ann’s Parish for a little dance lesson to find out.
The easy answer is that it’s fun and almost anyone over the age of 8 can do it. The contra world is incredibly accepting and you don’t need any experience to join in—but knowing the basics will help.
The Juneau Contra scene started up in the late Eighties when Tom and others traveled to the Dancing Bears dance camp in Anchorage and got hooked. The dance venue at the Alaska Folk Festival began in the early 1990s. Until then the dancing happened after hours in the festival’s main hall.
Tom serves as Caller at contra affairs, where his job is to tell the dancers how to move on the dance floor. Before every dance begins, Tom and experienced participants lead a run-through of the moves and patterns that will be featured in the next dance. Once the music kicks in, Tom is on mic giving the participants advance warning of the next move. His goal is to eventually drop out and just let people dance. Odette says the caller is usually thinking about a million things, including judging the tiredness or participants and making sure everyone gets a chance to dance with everybody.
And getting a chance to dance with everyone is a huge part of contra. Contra offers opportunities for social mixing and is a great way to meet people. When Tom started dancing he was single, but he quickly learned the names of all the women after a few jigs. Be prepared to change partners.
While contra dance shares some similarities with square dancing, the contra world has its own distinctions it’s proud of. The biggest difference is the organization of the dancers, instead of couples forming square patterns, they form long lines across the dance floor. Contra dancing also always happens to live music. While other styles might feature the old-timey classics, Anne says contra is all about the French Canadian, Scottish and Irish reels and jigs. For all the pickers out there, each dance sequence is 32 bars longs, 16A and 16B, which lasts about 30 seconds. Think of the melody of the Christmas tune “Good King Wenceslas” for reference. The band will change up the song midway through the dance, ending usually when all couples have gone through the line.
Though the “anyone can do it” part is true, contra dancing is a physical activity and there’s the potential to work up a serious sweat. Odette says a single night of dancing could easily be equivalent to a five mile brisk walk. Though there’s no strict dress code, there are some fashions that make life on the dance floor a little more tolerable. Anne, Odette and Tom all suggest wearing cool clothes and preferably soft-soled leather shoes that work well to slide across the floor. Tennis shoes also work but tend to be a little grippy, and high heels will just make you unstable, so save those for post-contra night on the town. Fashionable contra women wear big flowy skirts and men sometimes even wear shorts. Jeans are perfectly appropriate, just don’t set yourself up to be trapped in a sweater or flannel shirt.
Some of the mistakes first time dancers are pretty easy to avoid.
1.Make sure you’re close enough to the Caller to know what’s happening during the dance. If you can’t hear the caller, it’s hard to follow along.
2.Don’t get too carried away during your first contra experience. Some beginners think they need to skip around the dance floor when they can just concentrate on moving with the music.
3. Don’t just pair up with your friends, switch around and find experienced partners to ease you through the dance.
4. And don’t be worried about being alone.
“If you stand up and walk around, someone will usually snare you,” Odette says.
Still worried you won’t be having the time of your life?
“You can be as rowdy as you want, as long as you don’t mess it up for anyone else,” Tom promises.
Join Anne and Odette with the Bob McQuillen Tribute band Thursday night at 10:00 at the JACC and check out the Alaska Folk Festival Dance Schedule for more opportunities to strut your stuff this Folk Fest.
The Alaska Folk Fest is the crown jewel for late-night revelers and music fiends. It’s like Christmas, Fourth of July and New Year’s wrapped into one week for people who like to party, dance, and listen to an overload of amazing live music. While I wouldn’t normally consider myself a Barfly, I’m not a stranger to the downtown Juneau bar scene.
Folk Fest is a marathon week, the inexperienced and ill-prepared often find themselves tuckered out before the weekend has even hit. Serious mental and physical preparation is necessary for those looking to experience Folk Fest to the fullest. Some enthusiasts even plan ahead and schedule time off work to fully embrace all that the Alaska Folk Festival has to offer.
Most people only think about the amazing music at Centennial Hall when they’re thinking about Folk Fest. And that’s with good reason; Folk Fest has been around for 40 years and has something for everyone. First-time locals who’ve been practicing all winter for their 15 minutes in the spotlight, seasoned professionals who bring down the house and leave the crowd thirsting for more, and the yearly headliners who travel thousands of miles to grace us with their talent.
But when the last band finishes up at Centennial at 11:00 p.m., the music is already getting started at numerous bars downtown and the crowds are starting to pack in. Below you’ll find a guide to nightlife spots here in the Capital City and the festivities that will be taking place in town this week.
Downtown Juneau’s Bars and Jam Spots:
The Alaskan Hotel and Bar: (AKA ‘The AK’ or ‘The Kan’) The Alaskan is the Queen Dame of the downtown bars, the nucleus of the Folk Fest nightlife scene, and the host of the long-running ‘Open Mic’ on Thursdays. This 100 year old establishment is coming off an exciting year that included the filming of the reality TV show ‘Hotel Impossible’, a random black bear walking into the bar making national news, and a change in management. This is everyone’s immediate go-to when they think of Folk Fest bars. Consequently, this bar WILL get packed, no question about that. The bartenders also get extremely busy, so don’t be surprised if your wait for a drink is longer than usual. Be sure to experience the famous trampoline dance floor on a busy night!
The Alaskan has a full lineup of live music starting at 9:30 p.m. all week long that you won’t want to miss:
Tuesday: Blues Jam with the Tongass Tokers
Wednesday: Open Mic
Thursday: Open Mic
Friday: The Fairbanks Bluegrass Band
Saturday: Pastor Lunchmeat and the Pimentos
Sunday: The Gallus Brothers
Historically, the rooms upstairs in Alaskan Hotel have been late-night jam spots. But in recent years, the management has restricted entry to folks who are registered as guests.
The Rendezvous: (aka ‘the Vous’) The Rendezvous is the perennial challenger in Juneau’s music scene that has been making strides to unseat The Alaskan as Juneau’s live music bar. Don’t mind the neon signs, this place is a local’s favorite that always aims to please. Not as cramped as The Alaskan, but still not easy to get a drink here on busy nights. This place has a rocking sound system and seems to know what the people of Juneau like to boogie to. The dance floor has more space, but can still get quite crowded. It’s not uncommon to see people shuffle between ‘The AK’ and ‘The Vous’ to check out the competing scenes.
The Rendezvous has a full lineup of live music all week long that you won’t want to miss:
Wednesday (9 p.m.): Open Mic with Adam Wood
Thursday (9 p.m.): Rumblefish
Friday (9:30 p.m.): The Overby Family Band
Saturday (9:30 p.m.):RAISIN’ HOLY HELL
The Red Dog Saloon: The Red Dog always makes an effort every Folk Fest to show Juneau that they’re not just for tourists. They even hold off on putting sawdust on the floor so we don’t mess up our xtra-tuffs. You should wander down South Franklin Street to show them it’s worth the effort, you won’t regret it.
The Red Dog has a full lineup of live music this week that you won’t want to miss:
Wednesday (9:30 p.m.): Ian Leonard and Friends
Thursday (9:30 p.m.): Overby Family Band
Friday (9:30 p.m.): Tim Easton
Saturday Night (9:30 p.m.): Todd Grebe & Friends
Sunday (7:30 p.m.): Tim Easton
Rockwell: This newly remodeled bar and restaurant is owned by the same folks who own The Rendezvous and brings a little more class to the Downtown scene. Amazing Happy Hour food specials will draw anyone with a penchant for decent and affordable eats. Plus, they’ve got great live music lined up later on in the week:
Thursday (9 p.m.): Tim Easton
Friday (9:30 p.m.): Cousin Curtiss
Saturday (9:30 p.m.): Overby Family Band
Sunday: Shawn McCole Trio
The Triangle: Best people watching in Juneau and best snack mix, too. Wanna play buzztime trivia? This is your place. Often packed with the legislative crowd this time of year. Home to great Bloody Marys and a fun Sunday afternoon Jam Session.
The Imperial: Juneau’s meat-market club/bar. The Imperial typically doesn’t participate in the Folk Festivities but is a great place to escape from the fiddles and banjos. Stop in here if you want to dance the night away to hip-hop and top 40 dance hits. Also, if you’re hungry, grabs some delicious and affordable food at The Front Street Café. Oddly enough, The Imperial hosts a post-Folk-Fest Jam Session on Monday afternoon that’s really fun if you still haven’t gotten enough.
The Viking: Juneau’s other meat-market club/bar. Feel like shooting some pool? Feel like singing some Karaoke? This is your place. Venture into the back room for a day-glo overload, or head to the upstairs dance floor to hear DJ Manu spin the best electronic tunes you’ve heard in the Tongass.
The Arctic Bar: There’s nothing folky about this hole in the wall next to the Triangle. But hey, they’ve got an amazing classic jukebox, cheap drink prices, and colorful locals. Can’t go wrong there…
The Lucky Lady: (aka Juneau’s only Irish Pub) A personal favorite for various reasons and one of Juneau’s most underrated drinking establishments. Bring a crew of some good friends and you will soon own this bar. Don’t mind the locals, they’re friendly and harmless. I’ve heard some decent jam sessions here, not to be overlooked. Don’t miss the constant Irish Limericks playing in the bathrooms!
James Marcus hosts “The James Radio Hour” on KXLL; Thursdays, 7-9 p.m.
Last month, Juneau musician George Kuhar performed his new album with his band Playboy Spaceman the Rockwell ballroom.
One Heart Army was mixed, mastered, and created in Juneau. The band recorded the album with Betsy Sims at Juneau’s Studio A with musicians Nick Wagner, Jason Messing, Simon Taylor and Kuhar’s wife Bridget.
Kuhar’s title track, “One Heart Army” begins slowly with an acoustic intro, steadily marching forward, reaching a stadium rock epic chorus.
“I just finished mastering it about a month ago. I spent several months mixing it. I spent several years writing the songs and you know it’s been a real labor of love.”
Kuhar’s favorite song on the album is called “Pattern of Your Mind,” a space age medley cut with Wagners playful electronics, Bridget’s synthesizers, and a gritty guitar solo at the heart of the song.
“That song was kind of an experiment. It was very experimental in every way – the way it was recorded, the lyrics were written and it was a real pleasant surprise the way it turned out. The guitar solo was a first take, and that’s always a great feeling to play a take for the first time and go, ‘Well, I don’t think I could play it any better than that so let’s just leave it behind,’ and it just continued to grow on me.”
Though the album is full of upbeat rock and roll sing-alongs like “Teach Me To Love,” it is also filled with moments of beauty of vulnerability.
George and Bridget harmonize over handclaps and ukulele on the track “Sonneman” written after visiting the home of his friend Joseph Sonneman who died of Lou Gehrig’s disease. Sonneman had a miner’s cottage near Bullwinkles on Willoughby Avenue where Kuhar rented week-to-week when he first moved to Juneau. Years after his death, the house was converted into the Twilight Café where George went to get coffee one day.
“I went in their just to check it out because I’d been in there before and it was so different inside. And there must have been a trace of him left because when I walked out of there I wrote that song and then I went home and played it for Bridget on the Ukulele and she cried. So I guess I knew that was a song I needed to keep playing at that point.
It felt thick and dense, so you know, when you have those feelings they often turn into good songs. I mean as an artist you hope you’re creating work that’s dense with meaning and life and you just kind of have to get lucky I think.”
Kuhar says he doesn’t know if he got lucky yet. He thinks he’ll never know.
“I just hope that I put it out and people like it, or that they find some value in it.”
The album is now available for download on iTunes or you can find the CD at Alaska Robotics.
Nashville musician Sara Beth Go stopped by Excellent Radio to talk about eagles and bears – just kidding, she’s playing a wicked cool show tonight at the UAS Rec Center with her buddy Jessica Campbell.
Juneau’s Liz Snyder is opening for the duo at 7:00. Free pizza at 6:30.
Tune in tonight for an extra special edition of The James Radio Hour at 7 p.m. In the studio is guest DJ George Kuhar celebrating his album release tomorrow night at Rockwell. James and George will be spinning jams, talking about Playboy Spaceman‘s new album ‘One Heart Army’, and of course, playing your requests!
