GOATS IN THE GARDEN
The Avant Gardeners

The newest Avant Gardener cd is a classic Gardener mix of original melodies, rockin' dance music, swing and soulful ballads and waltzes.  The clan gathered last summer and put down some earthy tracks right at home on the Decca farm (see the Bill Dudley video!).  Dave Wiesler, Dan Sebring, Jubal Creech joined Laura and George at home for what amounted to a mini festival, and this cd was born.  Special guests Ralph Gordon on bass, Andrew Marcus on accordion and Jeff Romano on guitar added some spice on a few tunes, and the Gardeners are proud to present their newest harvest, Goats in the Garden. 

Listen to a sample here:

Tulip Bandits with the Avant Gardeners just released!

The Avant Gardeners new cd, The new album features, Laura on fiddle, Dave Wiesler on piano, guitar and mandolin, George Paul on piano and accordion, Roger Gold on guitar, Stuart Kenney on bass and banjo and Scottie Williams on percussion, with guest artist, Bobby Read. The tunes are mostly original with a few traditional tunes done up in the inimitable Avant Gardeners style. Also featured are a tribute to Ray Charles, soulful singing by Laura, and some definate contra madness with tastes of latin, rock, blues, Irish, Cajun and old time.

mp3 Files: Tulip Bandits
Click to listen!

You'll want to check out this cd -
especially if you know and love Stronger than Dirt!

KATCHEMAK BAY WALTZ
Laura Light, George Paul and friends

Twelve romantic, jazzy, original waltzes for your dancing and listening pleasure!

LOVE IN THREE QUARTER TIME
Laura Light, George Paul and friends

mp3 Files: Kachemak Bay Waltz
Click to listen!

•	Scarborough Fair - mp3
•	Freyda's Waltz - mp3

Laura Light and George Paul met in April of 2002 on what might be called a musical blind date. Laura travelled to Alaska to play for some dances and George was tagged to be her accompanist. The musical connection was immediate as they played their way from Anchorage to Homer. Then, after a successful tour capped by a boat trip across Kachemak Bay, Laura went back to Virginia and her life as a touring fiddler. A year of very long distance courtship ensued, followed by a wedding in March 2003. Now in the spring of 2004 - the first offspring! Kachemak Bay Waltz is a collection of waltzes written and performed by George and Laura with friends and sometimes fellow Avant Gardeners Bill Dudley and Roger Gold on guitar, Ralph Gordon on bass and cello, Dan Sebring on guitar, mandolin and twin fiddle, and special guests Mary Gordon hall on vocals and Paul Brier on trumpet.

The compositions are touched by traditional folk, jazz and classical influences as well as by their love for the road - the music, the dancers, their friends and family. It is truly a family album.

Thanks to Bill Dudley, head honcho engineer and co-producer, Paul Brier, save the day engineer and trumpeteer, Paula Bishop, artiste on the computer and chocolate goddess and of course to our families, our friends and all the beautiful dancers.

This album is dedicated to the memory of Freyda Epstein.

Order online with a Credit Card using PayPal:

Or, order by mail - send $15 plus $2 postage to:
Laura Light 2241 Decca Lane Charlottesville, VA 22901
or email order to laurafiddle@gmail.com.

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STRONGER THAN DIRT
The Avant Gardeners


All original tunes and songs. Homegrown, funky and hot!

"People are going to LOVE this CD!"
- Charlie Pilzer, grammy award winning mastering engineer at Airshow studios.

mp3 Files: Stronger Than Dirt
Click to listen!

•	Stronger Than Dirt - mp3
•	It's Never Too Late - mp3

This highly original, organic collection of fiddle tunes, soulful songs and hot swing is sure to plant seeds of joy for every Avant Gardener fan. Laura's sweet vocals and heartfelt songs, Dave's masterful piano work and compositions, and Dan's hot swing guitar licks and whimsical tunes weave a tapestry that covers a lot of musical territory. The response has been overwhelmingly thumbs up!

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NO GRAVITY
Laura Light and Friends

mp3 Files: No Gravity
Click to listen!

•	Bright Morning Stars - mp3
•	Meant to Be - mp3

The CD, No Gravity, was a year in the making with friends on both coasts, and quite an adventure for me. This was my first solo effort and my first unveiling of my songwriting and tune writing efforts. There is quite a variety of tunes on the CD, including jigs and reels, waltzes, gospel, swing and salsa! Most are originals with some twisty treatments of traditional tunes or friends' compositions, but all the music comes from my many years playing traditional roots and dance music, and each tune or song is a story from my life. Click here to listen to previews from the CD.

I had lots of help! The CD features my friends and wonderful musicians Anthony Blea, Marco Obregon, Javier Navarrette, Saul Alonso (Charonson), Freyda Epstein, Ralph Gordon, Piper Heisig, Christen Hubbard, Paul Kotapish, Peter Langston, Grey Larsen, Paddy League, John Light, Lisa Light, the Mando Mafia: Kelly Perdue, Pete Marshall, Rick Friend and Vaughan Mairs, Gabe Mann, Dan Rublee, Alan Senauke, Jeff Spero, Daniel Steinberg and Dave Wiesler. It was recorded on both coasts and co-produced with my dear friend, Bill Dudley, of Tampa, Fla.

I hope you enjoy it! And look out for upcoming albums with Dave Wiesler and Dan Sebring, original songs and tunes written or co-written by all three of us, and another solo album of mine, "Love songs for friends and family."

"Fiddler, Singer, composer... Laura Light is not just one of these, but all of them. She has a lot of loves and plays/sings/writes about them in this heartfelt and fun album. Surrounded by a talented group of musicians, she takes us from Quebec to Cuba, from the age of millwheels into the new Millennium, all the while betraying the love of tradition that I particularly love in composers."
Praise for "No Gravity"
-- singer, songwriter John McCutcheon

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OTHER RECORDINGS:

BEDTIME FOR BONZO, the Velcro Monkeys:



the swingiest of contra dance music!
OUT OF PRINT, COPIES ON REQUEST

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THE GREAT WALTZ, Childsplay



A collection of beautiful waltzes from around the world, traditional as well as modern compositions, played by an international fiddle orchestra of premier folk violinists including Matt Glaser, Mary Lea, Kerry Elkin, Laura Light, Ruthie Dornfeld and pianist Peter Barnes, bassist Ralph Gordon and many others.

Order online with a Credit Card using PayPal:

Or, order by mail - send a check or money order to:
Laura Light 2241 Decca Lane Charlottesville, VA 22901
or email order to laurafiddle@gmail.com.

Cassettes--$10.00 CDs--$15 (Please add $2 shipping)

12 Gated City, Childsplay

Another great collection of dance tunes by Childsplay from a variety of folk dance traditions. www.Childsplay.org

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Cassettes--$10.00 CDs--$15 (Please add $2 shipping)

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Hands Against Hunger:



Shenadoah Valley and Charlottesville folk musicians banded together to fund the Jefferson Area Food bank. Terrific concert recording including: UFO, Mike Seeger, Freyda Epstein, The Mando Mafia, The Jig is UP and many more...

Order online with a Credit Card using PayPal:

Cassettes--$10.00 CDs--$15 (Please add $2 shipping)

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Order online with a Credit Card using PayPal:

Cassettes--$10.00 CDs--$15 (Please add $2 shipping)