Episode 31 - Karina Wilson

The intro and interstitial tracks from today’s episode are Late for the Dance/Red Prairie Dawn performed live by the Karina Wilson Trio, Bright New Morning, a singlewritten and performed by Karina with Bard Edrighton on banjo and guitar, recorded at Torreon studios in Santa Fe, NM, Smithy Hill from the Reverie album Violet, and Celeste, also from Violet, featuring Terry Wergeland and Marni Rachmiel.

See the Contra Pulse website for transcripts and more.

And the Country Dance and Song Society for information about Contra and English country dance across the continent.

See and hear Karina Wilson in action:

• Karina has been playing for contra and ECD since she was a teenager!
  • Here she is with Jeff Spero in Santa Barbara, CA
  • And with Larry Unger in Denver, CO and in Paris, France (joined by David Brown)!
  • Here she plays for an English Country Dance at May Madness in Prescott, AZ
     
• She is involved in countless other musical projects such including
  • Lone Piñon, a New Mexican string band, or “orquesta típica”
  • Broomdust Caravan playing “cosmic country and blues”
  • A new project, Karina Wilson and Big Heart Band - here’s their music video “Blood Moon”
  • Being in quarantine didn’t stop the music - hear her perform with her trio in the fall of 2020 (with musicians Mohit Dubey and Michael Chavez)
     
• As you heard in the interview Karina is passionate about understanding traditional music from within the geographic and cultural contexts in which it has developed. She shared some of the fruits of her explorations with us:
  • Hear the band Lone Piñon perform a polka by elder violinist Mariano Romero and Tomas Maes (mandolin) of Santa Fe.
    • Here’s an archival recording of Mariano Romera and his group Los Villeros Alegres that Karina shared
  • Fom the Michoacán region (a state in Mexico) she has been inspired the fiddler Juan Reynoso - here he plays a pasodoble at the 2000 Festival of American Fiddle Tunes
     
• One of Karina’s biggest influences was her father, longtime dancer, dance caller and folk community icon in the Santa Fe region. He passed in 2011 but his legacy remains strong in dance communities throughout the Southwest.
  • Hear Richard call at “Boo Camp,” a local halloween dance weekend outside of Santa FE in 2007. Here’s another (spooky!) video (if you look closely you might catch Karina in a fairly epic Halloween costume...
  • Here is a little documentary created about Richard right before he died
  • Erik Erhardt and Lauren Lamont of New Mexico wrote a book about Richard called “All Join Hands” with his dances, poems, stories, and stories about him and his community in it.