Gordon Peery has been playing for contra dances for over 30 years. His style has been described as barrelhouse Irish, and though the music is (usually) traditional New England tunes, he cites influences as diverse as Oscar Peterson, The Rolling Stones, and Brian Wilson. His playing is noted for a high level of energy, and orchestral implementation of chords and embellishments.
From 1985 – 1995 Gordon played with fiddler Kerry Elkin in the renowed contra dance band Fresh Fish, and in this capacity toured throughout the United States and was on the staff of many dance camps including Pinewoods, Ashokan, Buffalo Gap, the New England Folk Festival, Champlain Valley Folk Festival, and Old Songs. With Gordon and Kerry at the core, Fresh Fish were often joined by additional musicians. Their 1991 album Turning of the Tide included David Surette, Danny Noveck, Dirk Powell and Ruthi Dornfeld.
During this time Gordon also formed the New Hampshire Fiddlers Union, Randy Miller, Rodney Miller, and Skip Gorman. The group came together specifically to record The Music of John Taggart, an album of fiddle tunes discovered in the memiors of John Taggart, who lived from 1854 to 1943.
With the band Celticladda (Randy Miller on fiddle and Bill Thomas on Uillean pipes and flute) Gordon has recently been playing at dance camps and festivals throughout the U.S. They have also developed a concert repertoire (which gives all the band members a chance to share their excellent stories and jokes). Celticladda was recently joined by Gordon’s son Spencer on electric guitar for an evening of Celtic fusion at Harlow’s Pub in Peterborough, NH, and they look forward to pushing that envelope again.
Gordon also plays in various configurations with jazz, blues and rock musicians. He can provide instrumental music for wedding, funerals, and other meaningful gatherings, as well as parties or public events where instrumental music provides background support.
The Day Job
Mornings generally find Gordon over in Hancock, NH, where he is the business manager for Our Town Landscaping. In the afternoon he enjoys looking out at the Contoocook River at his office in Peterborough, where he operates Center Pond Communications, a business incorporating web design, writing and graphic services, and other projects under the broad umbrella of Information Architecture.
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