Collaborations
Peregrine Road
Peregrine Road plays captivating acoustic music that occupies a sweet spot somewhere between chamber music and folk music, with complex arrangements and lush textures alongside raw energy and multi-cultural influences. Karen Axelrod and Rachel Bell have quickly become known together as a powerhouse duo capable of a huge variety of styles, in demand throughout North America and beyond for concerts, workshops, festivals, English country dances, contra dances, and other events.
Their music is rooted in Celtic, English, French, Quebecois, New England, and Appalachian traditions while at the same time being infused with the excitement of new compositions and dynamic improvisation. Audience members frequently remark on Peregrine Road's exquisite musicianship and mastery of their instruments, as well as their outrageous humor and ability to connect with listeners of all ages and walks of life. Follow Peregrine Road on Facebook!
“Peregrine Road was wonderful! Beautiful and unique music performed by a pair of total virtuosos, enlivened with anecdotes and explanations that made the concert fun for everyone—kids, students, faculty, and community members."
—Dr. Joshua Groffman, Asst. Prof. of Music, University of Pittsburgh
Susan & Rachel
Susan Kevra and Rachel Bell have been working closely in a variety of contexts ever since their auspicious meeting at Ashokan Northern Week years ago. One of their first discoveries was how exquisitely accordion and clarinet sounds blend together, especially with the added magic of shared aesthetics and a like-minded approach to dance music. The pair sings together, plays together, and teaches together.
They are sought after for camps, festivals, and dance weekends because of the quality of their musicianship and the versatility of their combined tool kit for English country dances, bal folk dances, contra dances, and concerts. They have become widely known for their composition collaboration, with Rachel composing new tunes and Susan creating choreography to fit those tunes like a glove. These new tune and dance collaborations are circulating widely throughout North America and beyond, and most English country dancers will recognize “Trip to Provence” and “Moonflower,” among others. Susan and Rachel plan to publish a collection of their work.
Constellation
In 2023, Susan and Rachel launched their new English country dance band, “Constellation,” which is the two of them plus one of several fantastic piano players, including Dave Wiesler and Jacqueline Schwab. This trio is excited for concerts, English country dance weekends, bal folk and couple dance gigs, and camps coming up in the next year. Click here to listen to some tunes, here to follow the band facebook page, and here or here for some video samples.
Alchemy
Alchemy brings together three dynamic players steeped in traditional English Country Dance and contra dance music: Rachel Bell, Karen Axelrod, and Eric Martin. Individually, they have performed across the United States, Canada, and Europe. As a trio, their improvisatory style brings a contemporary and innovative feel to both traditional and newly composed tunes and songs. From driving Scottish Reels to French Mazurkas and everything in between, Alchemy delights the listener with heartfelt performances with a touch of whimsy. Alchemy plays English country dances, contra dances, concerts, and more, and is in high demand for English country dance weekends and other special events.
Eloise & Co.
Eloise & Co. features the combined creative force of two of the country’s most sought-after acoustic traditional musicians, Becky Tracy and Rachel Bell. These two, sometimes playing as a duo and other times joined by one of several powerhouse backup players including Owen Morrison, Bethany Waickman, Rachel Aucoin, and Andrew VanNorstrand, crank out dance and concert music with unbridled energy and soaring beauty.
Originally thrown together at a gig where Becky led the contra dance portion of the evening and Rachel led the French dance part of the evening, they have continued to fuse these two elements into their concerts and dances, as well as adding songs and original compositions to the mix. Their first recording, “More, Please” was released in July of 2018, and as it name suggests, they are already dreaming of the next recording. Follow Eloise & Co. on Facebook and click here to learn more.
“It would be difficult to overstate the sheer joy experiencing Eloise & Co. brings. It exhibits my favorite combination of exuberant, even virtuosic playing with loose precision—a favorite oxymoron—and earthy, vulnerable vocals. Having recorded a great deal of Celtic, acoustic, Americana, et. Al. Over the years, 'Eloise's' qualities make its performances instantly accessible.”
—Alfred Grunwell, recording engineer and sound technician
Seaglass
Seaglass is an exhilarating dance and concert band that combines the diverse talents of three seasoned and dynamic musicians: Andrew VanNorstrand, Eileen Nicholson Kalfass, and Rachel Bell. They have a unique, wide-ranging repertoire from classic New England contra dance tunes to French BalFolk and English Country Dance music, weaving in roots-rock grooves and captivating improvisations. Their concert repertoire encompasses vocals that appeal to a wide audience, with everything from swing to cowboy songs.
Seaglass has been received with great enthusiasm by dance and music communities from the Northeast and Far West of the United States to Paris, France.
Andrew & Noah Band
Andrew and Noah VanNorstrand have been bringing their brand of high-energy contemporary acoustic music to concert halls, festival stages, living rooms and dance floors across North America for many years. Their original music is an organic, rootsy blend of old-time Country, Bluegrass and Americana, Celtic and Appalachian fiddling, Alternative Folk-Rock and vintage Swing, dance tunes from New England to New Orleans and various world music influences.
In the fall of 2009 they formed the Andrew & Noah Band—with Rachel Bell on accordion. The group has developed a uniquely engaging sound that features intricate arrangements, explosive improvisation and deep, irresistible dance grooves.
Rachel credits her years traveling, performing, and recording with the Andrew & Noah Band as one of the primary forces in developing her performance chops and her concept of rhythm and ensemble work. There’s nothing quite like diving in at the recording studio to arrange all the parts of a 7-piece roots rock band, striving for the most impactful performances and the fullest use of all available textures. Although the band is no longer active, those sounds still guide the way for Rachel, and she continues to collaborate with Andrew and Noah in other contexts whenever she can.