Howard Blumenthal began performing folk, bluegrass and acoustic music in Western New York State in the early 1970's. A week at Jay Ungar's Fiddle & Dance Camp in Ashokan in 1983 convinced him that fiddling for Contra Dancers was his destiny.

Howard began learning New England dance tunes on the mandolin because it had frets and was easier to play than the fiddle (or so he thought at the time).

Fifteen or sixteen Northern Weeks at Ashokan and hundreds of fiddle tunes later, he finally had accumulated the skills (& courage) needed to play for dances. He has a rhythmic style that dancers find irresistible and uplifting.

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