Bands and Ensembles
I play with a number of different groups, each with its own unique character. Here's a quick summary:
- Thistle House: Scottish country dance
- Goldcrest: English dance, contra dance, couple dance
- Cabaret Sauvignon: concerts, contra dances, couple dance, weddings
- The Avant Gardeners: concerts, contra dance, couple dance, swing
- Laura and the Lava Lamps: contra dance
- The Gigmeisters: contra dance, couple dance, swing, English country dance, vintage dance, Viennese waltz, weddings
- That hot Unnamed Trio of Clark, Taylor, and Wiesler: contra dance
- Green Light Karma: contra dance
- Rhapsody: contra dance, couple dancing, English country dance
- Work with Hanneke Cassel: Scottish country dance, contra dance, concerts
- Work with Earl Gaddis: Scottish and English country dance, couple dance
- Work with Susan Brandt: English country and contra dance
Thistle House
Thistle House is a Scottish dance band rewired for high voltage. Consisting of David Knight on fiddle, Dave Wiesler on piano, and Dan Emery on highland pipes, small pipes, and wooden flute, Thistle House is guaranteed to pump adrenaline into the most tired feet -- especially when the pipes start up! All three musicians are avid and accomplished Scottish country dancers as well as nationally recognized musicians, and this guarantees that the music they make will always be danceable and exciting.
return to topGoldcrest
Named for a British songbird with close relatives in the Americas, Goldcrest emerged in the spring of 2002, when pianist Dave Wiesler got two of his favorite musicians together to form a trio for English country and contra dance. The chemistry was right, and the group has been scheming ever since for more opportunities to play together. Goldcrest features Daron Douglas on fiddle, multi-instrumentalist virtuoso Paul Oorts, and pianist Dave Wiesler, all seasoned musicians of national reputation, steeped in the folk dance traditions of Appalachia, New England, and the British Isles.
return to topCabaret Sauvignon
Although originally French, the Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety is considered to produce its finest wines on American soil (even the French grudgingly admit it). Similarly, Cabaret Sauvignon is a band with the right chemistry: four members who draw from varied musical backgrounds and European roots to make something entirely new. Members include Andrea Hoag on fiddle; Karen Ashbrook on hammered dulcimer, wooden flute, and percussion; Paul Oorts on mandolin, bouzouki, tenor and five-string banjos, guitars, and musette accordeon; and Dave Wiesler on piano and guitar.
The Cabs are noted for their energetic and creative dance sets, but their true strength lies in concert. Their repertoire includes a lot of Dave's compositions, and the musicians are featured on much of his recording, Cracks and Shadows. Karen and Paul's new CD, Celtic Cafe, features some of the Belgian and Celtic repertoire. Andrea's solo recording Fire and Water (also on Azalea City) is illustrative of the Appalachian and Scandinavian influences in the group's repertoire.
Full bio on Cabaret Sauvignon
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The Avant Gardeners
Fiddler Laura Light, Dan Sebring, and Dave Wiesler originally formed this high-energy trio. In 2003, Dave moved away from Charlottesville, VA, where the band is based; Dan gave up traveling long distances; and Laura married another pianist -- George Paul -- who joined in also on percussion, and accordion. The personnel have been more fluid ever since, but the drive, energy, and wacky sense of humor persist for all lineups.
At dances, the Gardeners blend Laura's improvisational touch, Dave's driving piano and guitar, Dan's electrifying rhythm and melodic fills, and George's high-energy riffs for a wild ride that teeters betweeen traditional, swing, and rock and roll. Concerts mix hard-driving traditional fiddle tunes and original instrumental pieces with subtle or humorous original songs. Dave is featured on much of Laura's CD No Gravity, and the group has its own recordings Stronger than Dirt (2002) and Tulip Bandits (2006).
More info about the Laura Light or the Avant Gardeners
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Laura and the Lava Lamps
Formed in 1994, the Lamps consist of fiddler Laura Lengnick, bassist Ralph Gordon, and Dave Wiesler on piano and guitar. Drawing on various musical influences ranging from Celtic music to old-time to popular music, the Lamps have played regularly for dances throughout the mid-Atlantic region and have been invited to play at special dance events in California, the Midwest, New England, and throughout the southeastern US. Their first CD, Primordial Groove, was released in 2000 to great acclaim.
More info about the Lava Lamps
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The Gigmeisters
The Gigmeisters were forged in the late 1990s from some of the most popular instrumentalists at the Glen Echo Spanish Ballroom. The band includes Alexander Mitchell on fiddle and mandolin, Paul Oorts on musette accordeon plus all types of plucked strings, Ralph Gordon on bass, and Dave Wiesler on piano and guitar. The reason these four played so often at Glen Echo is readily apparent from their high-energy dance music, their rhythmic intensity, and their virtuosic performances in an astounding variety of styles, ranging from contras and squares all the way to Viennese waltz and vintage dance music.
return to topClark, Taylor, and Wiesler
Featuring Mat Clark on fiddle and mandolin, Dave Wiesler on piano and guitar, and Bob Taylor on bass, this band was invented at the Heritage Folk Festival in Philadelphia in fall of 2003, shortly after Dave moved to Delaware. The chemistry was right, and the trio has kept on playing for contra dances in the Philadelphia area, despite not being able to agree on a band name.
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Green Light Karma
A new DC-area contra dance band, Green Light Karma is David Knight on fiddle, Andrew Marcus on accordion, and Dave Wiesler on piano and guitar.
return to topRhapsody
Rhapsody is a ensemble with a decidedly elegant flair. Led by Marty Taylor on recorders, whistles, and concertina, it also includes Alexander Mitchell on violin and mandolin, Dave Wiesler on piano and often Ralph Gordon on bass.
return to top... and more...
Quite a lot of my work is freelance -- not associated with a particular band. The associations are too numerous to list here.