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FOOT-NOTES

About the Artist

Photo of Foot-Notes

Foot-Notes formed in 1991 in large part to carry on a tradition of monthly old time dances in a rustic two-room schoolhouse in Highlandville, Iowa, where area residents have been gathering for years. The old time music they play reflects their ties to Norwegian-American communities, including Decorah, where they now live.  Most of their repertoire consists of dance tunes that were popular at house parties, barn dances, and "bowery" dances in northeast Iowa around the turn of the century and into the first few decades of the 1900s.  The band has also incorporated a number of especially danceable tunes from a variety of other traditions-- including Swedish, Finnish, Faroese, Russian, Irish, and American folk.

Foot-Notes is:
Beth Hoven Rotto, fiddle
Jim Skurdal, mandolin & lead vocal 
Jon Rotto, guitar & vocal 
Bill Musser, acoustic bass & vocal

Past Performances

Photo of September 2, 2008 Performance

September 2, 2008

The Iowan ensemble performs Scandinavian and Scandinavian American oldtime dance music, originating from popular turn-of-the-century dance tunes at barn dances, house parties, and “bowery” dances. Part of Masters of Tradition.

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