17th and 18th Century English Country Dance, Irish and Colonial Music
Al Petty, Deirdre Sweeney Playing for Wayside Inn-Steppers, 2008
2009 Wayside Inn Colonial Faire
Paul Revere House July 2009
Quaboag Plantation 350th Anniversary Ball
Jan 2010, Dirk, Brian, Matt, Frank at the Salem Cross Inn, W.Brookfield, MA
Daffodil Ball, Weston, MA April 2010
The Colonial Minstrels recreate the sounds of colonial era America, when hornpipes, reels, jigs, slides, contradances and minuets were all the rage.
Whether at the 300 year old Wayside Inn in Sudbury, MA, a local outdoor festival, sitting in an Irish pub or colonial tavern (we were just at the Salem Cross Inn!), or playing for friends or patrons at private parties, it's always a well-received show. This is due to the pleasing folk/celtic sound, quality of the musicianship, and the historical (or casual) setting where it is usually presented (eg, it just sounds cool in an old tavern or harvest festival!).
Much of the music has been painstakenly researched and "field tested" to bring about the best sounding tunes we could find (we've collectively gone through hundreds of tunes). The result is interesting, ear pleasing music. The band currently consists of 3 flute/whistle players, 2 mandolinist, 1 guitar player, and 1 fiddler. It seems to be the perfect balance.
For Bookings:
For engagements, contact us at 978-874-0530 or send a note to apetty at massed.net. Our home base is the Wayside Inn in Sudbury MA, but we travel from NY to Maine for gigs. We are extremely reasonable in our pricing (occasionally we barter for beer and food), and we do volunteer work for non-profits as our schedule permits.
We are available for dances, fife & drum gigs (we've played just about every local venue there is), historical festivals, small parades, political & corporate events, really pretty much anything. Dancers are also available (we play with the Wayside-In Steppers when needed).
Do you have a special talent, love for this music (or dance), and have interest in joining our group? We're happy to invite you over for some fun and see what music we can make together! Please do send a note. See the item on the left for music lessons, which some of our members can also offer.
