Hotpoint Stringband: Buy CDs

Our newest CD of contemporary American contradance music is now available, and we keep hearing that it has really captured the energy and drive that Hotpoint is known for. It’s called Hotpoint Special (named after a tune Larry Unger wrote for us) and we’re really excited about it. It’s primarily original and traditional dance tunes, with a few vocals and waltzes. The tracks on the disc are:

1. Bus Stop Reel 2. Monticello/Owen Sound/River Falls 3. Pocatalico 4. Bridgewater Boys Breakdown 5. Mannington #9 6. Full Half/Thanksgiving Morning/Old Brown Shoe 7. Caminos de Galicia 8. Marley's Reel 9. Juneteenth/Opera Reel 10. Oklahoma Redbird/Le Jour de Fete 11. Hotpoint Special/Trip to Sofia 12. I Am Alive (Song for Carlotta)

Here it is -- The Road to Burhania! Observant folks may notice a similarity between the title and the last name of two of the band members; there is, in fact, a connection. It's the name of a fiddle tune by Al Cantrell referring to, according to Emily Cantrell, "the path to Mark & Hilarie's house for dinner." I hope you had as much fun listening to this recording as we had making it! It ranges from sultry to sweet to goofy, and nicely showcases our legendary energy, or so we've been told. Our pal Rusty Smith adds guitar on some tracks, and Nick and Joe Crum share bass duties. Along with a map of our world, you'll get:

1. Swingin' On a Gate / Round II / Jerry Can Dance 2. Avel Vor/The Golden Stud / Sligo Creek 3. Staten Island Hornpipe / Stop Press 4. The Cuckoo 5. Ghoulardi's Reel / Mountain Jam 6. Sandy Boys 7. The Irish Reel / Miss Mairi MacPhail of Laxdale 8. La Partida 9. Big John MacNeil / Elzic's Farewell 10. Folding Down the Sheets / Marche a Queteux Pomerleau / The Road to Burhania 11. Buffalo Gals / Barlow Knife

(This is not a Hotpoint Stringband CD, although Hilarie is a member of the HPSB and many of her bandmates appear on the recording.)


Hilarie has been playing clawhammer banjo since the early '70s, and currently plays with the Hotpoint Stringband, a nationally touring contradance band. She was finally persuaded to release a solo (sort of) banjo CD; this is not solo clawhammer banjo, for the most part, but Hilarie's banjo is the consistent thread running through this recording which also features The Cantrells, Mark Burhans, Mark Hellenberg, Nick Weiland, Matthew McElroy and Bernie Nau on various tracks.

The "Pretty Polly" track was used in episode 18 of the HBO show Deadwood.

Our first CD, recorded in 1999, was mostly contradance tunes, with three pretty waltzes. Some former Hotpoint-ers and friends joined us on this...bass was handled by our pal Joe Crum and Pete Shew plays guitar. Marian Funk adds a little accordion. Sandy Plunkett, who used to draw Spiderman for Marvel Comics, borrowed our shoes to draw the cover, and I happen to know that Marlene still has those shoes. The CD includes:

1. Steppin' on Cords/Gaspe Reel/Calypso 2. St. Anne's Reel/Jeff Davis 3. School Marm 4. Lost Tribe/Tetris (Korobushka)/McGoohan's Reel 5. Three in the Hill/Girlfriend of the Whirling Dervish 6. The Willow Waltz 7. Cleo/Mr. Fiddle/Tipsy Gipsy 8. Hunting the Buffalo/Rock-a-bye Baby 9. Bandura Waltz 10.Tam Lin/Powwow 11. Pateroller 12. Cantrells' Retreat