Flying Shoes Radio Hour
Episode 9 - Rose Jackson, Helen Kuhar, Guillaume Sparrow-Pepin
Episode Summary
This episode we get to explore the interconnected musical journeys of three incredible musicians: Guillaume’s band Nova and Rose’s Polaris inspired Helen’s teenage dancing in Washington State, while both Rose and Guillaume were profoundly shaped by mentors Becky Tracy and Jeremiah McLane of Nightingale. The trio’s shared love for balfolk music thrives in Massachusetts and Vermont’s vibrant scenes, and Helen and Rose’s duo Dearest Dear debuted an arrangement from their upcoming EP. They dive into their their heartfelt appreciation for the contra dance music community’s generosity; especially how mentors championed their early efforts despite limited skill, and deep feelings that music occupies a central part of their lives.
Episode Notes
Download or view the full transcript.
Guillaume Sparrow-Pepin
Contact Guillaume at gsparrowpepin@gmail.com
Guillaume plays in other bands, including:
- Nova with Kathleen Fownes and Everest Witman
Helen Kuhar
Contact Helen via website helenkuharmusic.com, IG instagram.com/helengracekuhar/ , and Helen Kuhar - YouTube
Helen plays in other bands, including:
Helen also appeared in Ep7 of the Flying Shoes Radio Hour Podcast, with Nobody’s Business - Listen here
Rose Jackson
Contact Rose via website rose-jackson.com and Instagram @fiddler_gal
Rose plays in other bands, including:
- Stove Dragon with Oliver Scanlon, Sam Zakon-Anderson & Max Newman
- Dearest Dear with Helen Kuhar - Instagram @dearestdearduo
- Polaris with Sam Zakon-Anderson, Marta Bartholomew & Jesse Ball
References:
Curious about topics that were referred to in the podcast? Here are some, with links:
- The band talked about bal folk or balfolk, specifically Brattleboro Bal Folk with Eloise & Co (Becky Tracy & Rachel Bell), which is a genre of folk music that especially inspires Guillaume & Rose (and they’ve brought Helen into the fold)
- David Kaynor was a musician, caller, and organizer who led the monthly open band and open jams which Rose mentioned. (David received the Lifetime Contribution Award from CDSS in 2021. Ep. 28 of From the Mic, another CDSS podcast, features a 2011 interview with David. Many of his papers and recordings are in the David A Kaynor collection in the Special Collections Archives at the University of NH in Durham)
- Guilford Community Church choir was led by Tony Barrand, Andy Davis, and Peter Amidon when Guillaume was growing up
- Nightingale was the Vermont trio of Becky Tracy, Jeremiah McLane, and Keith Murphy, all of whom influenced Rose, Guillaume & Helen
- Northeast Heritage Music Camp is a program in VT’s Green Mountains, where Rose participated and now serves on the board
- Pete Sutherland influenced Rose, both for fiddling and singing
- Village Harmony and Northern Harmony, the Vermont camp and touring ensembles founded by Larry Gordon, where Guillaume learned from many people, including South African singer, Matlakala Bopape
- Young Tradition Vermont (YTV) is the program of Vermont Folklife, which Rose participated in as a touring group member and a mentor
- Youth Dance Weekend (YDW) was where Rose, Helen & Guillaume played one of their earliest gigs as a band
Tunes:
- Grimstock (trad) / Hen of the Woods (Helen Kuhar)
- Prettiest Girl (trad) song/tunes
- Wouldn’t It Be Nice (Rose Jackson) – this is the instrumental waltz
- Hanter Dros (Guillaume Sparrow-Pepin) - unnamed bc that’s the tradition
- Bon County (trad) a waltz but with singing
- Coffey’s (trad) / Bea Mae’s (trad)