In 2008 Gareth was asked by Dave (David to his Mother) Hunt to put a jolly band together at a musicians weekend as a pit band for the Saturday night concert.. He went for the glamour angle and asked five of the most talented and female traditional dance musicians to join. The result was so much fun they now play for English dance as PolkaWorks.
They are:
Jeannie Harris on melodeon and percussion. Jeannie was a pivotal member of the 70's group 'Magic Lantern' sometimes known as Madame Carrots. She was a founder member of the original 'Old Hat Dance Band' before leaving for bonny Scotland. Upon return she joined forces with Katie Howson to form a duo and they also played together in the reinvented 'Old Hat' band.
Sue Harris is one of the country's top hammer dulcimer players, and her solo album, Pastorela, has been widely featured on BBC radio 3. She leads a 25 strong community band, Bandamania, on the Welsh borders and runs several community choirs. She has many years' experience writing music for radio plays and theatre and regularly works as an artist in residence in schools and colleges. Back in the day she was in Umps and Dumps and The Albion Country band.
Nina Hansell has played English traditional music for 30 years and is most well known as the fiddle player from The Bismarcks. She also dances clog and Morris and has a passion for playing bouncy English tunes for ceilidh dancing
Katie Howson has been playing the melodeon since jumping off a bus over 30 years ago to buy one in a junk shop. Influenced by the older generation of English traditional players such as Oscar Woods, Katie plays mainly one-row in a swingy, highly rhythmic style and also plays two-row and mouth organs in this line-up. Katie led the Old Hat Dance Band and the Old Hat Concert Party, and plays for stepdancing and ceilidhs in East Anglia and beyond.
Fi Fraser plays fiddle and is one of the founder members of The Old Swan Band, she also plays and shares the calling with Token Women, is musical director of the Derbhyshire Volunteers, sings as a six piece with Coope, Boyes and Simpson, her sister Jo Freya and Georgina Boyes (mostly at Christmas which she now thinks is in April as that is when she is normally recording carols). She also does a lot of other singing and stuff with The Old Fashioned and with her sister in the Fraser Sisters. Generally busy.
Gareth Kiddier sits in the corner, plays piano, and does what he's told. He doesn't understand the discussions about shoes but is generally pleased to be there.