Bands, Tunes research and Dance music

Ceilidh bands

Mary plays keyboard for English country dance music. While living in Yorkshire Mary regularly played keyboards in the Herb Boys band and at the sessions at the Bridge in Ripponden - the Monday night sessions which are the focus for the Village Music Project initiators.

Fendragon

Anahata and Mary form half of a ceilidh band Fendragon, based in the Cambridge area, along with Dave and Gina Holland - talented young musicians who have appeared on our first three Wild Goose CDs. Fendragon was booked for the Chester Folk Festival ceilidh in 2006 and has performed at many public ceilidhs in England.

English Rebellion

Mary is also part of the ceilidh band English Rebellion ( Nick & Mary Barber and Anahata) which made their grand debut at the Anchor Gardens at Sidmouth International Festival in 2003, appeared at Shrewsbury Folk Festival in 2007 and Chester Folk Festival in 2008. They are booked at Sidmouth Festival for 2010, in between public and private ceilidhs around the country.

Ethel's Cats

This band line-up has Mary on English concertina, Anahata on melodeon and Dave Parker on sousaphone. We all met up together playing music for Pig Dyke Molly, and took it from there!

Four Hand Band

This is Mary on keyboards and Anahata on melodeon or Anglo concertina - our small but perfectly-formed economy ceilidh band.

Tune research

Mary is currently working in collaboration with others on transcribing tunes from the William Clarke of Feltwell ( Nr Brandon) Manuscripts, owned by Peter and Lyn Law of Chester. Mary and Anahata ran workshops at Gleanings, Shropshire in 2010 and Lewes Folk Club in 2009 based on the tunes from these manuscripts.

Molly Dance

Mary and Anahata are part of the band for Pig Dyke Molly, a dance team based in Peterborough which has been booked for many festivals in the UK and has performed in the US and more recently in Bourges, France.