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Elegant Gypsies and the Happy Dutchman

 

Watertown Riverfest Appearances

 

Friday, August 1

 

Elegant Gypsies at 11:30 a.m.

and

The Happy Dutchman at noon

 

By Greg Ylvisaker of the Watertown Daily Times staff

 

Variety is something the sounds of Riverfest will not be lacking this year. The music styles of the Elegant Gypsies and the Happy Dutchman are very different, but both have attained success in their respective areas, and both will perform on Aug. 1.

 

Jim Waller and Holly Schuh are the Elegant Gypsies. Waller plays acoustic guitar and Schuh the violin. Waller and his guitar have been featured on several PBS documentary specials, and the Gypsies are well known at festivals like Bastille Days. They play a wide selection of music from Mediterranean to Celtic to "timeless American standards," according to the ACA Entertainment Web site. Schuh said the responses they get from their audiences differs from place to place.

 

"Coming up we will be playing at Bastille Days," Schuh said. "If we are do a strolling performance there, requests are mostly for traditional French music. If we stay on stage, they tend to be for traditional Gypsy tunes."

 

Waller and Schuh have been playing together for quite some time. Schuh said they have a hard time deciding if they've been together for 13 or 15 years. The background for her musical training was mainly classical and European styles with "a little fiddle thrown in." Waller's focus was more in tune with Spanish guitar and Bluegrass.

 

With such a diverse background, Schuh said they began playing the different styles they do because they could combine most of their talents into these styles. This will be their first time performing at Riverfest.

 

"We are really looking forward to it," Schuh said. "We teach music at a music store in Hartland owned by Jeff Hale who is from Watertown. We've heard about Riverfest before, now we get to experience it."

 

Their show will begin at 11:30 a.m.

 

 

The Happy Dutchman are a polka trio with over 50 combined years of polka playing experience. Norb Stephan , Larry Way and Ken Olson get into character, wearing traditional lederhosen and strolling through the crowds as they play. Stephan plays the clarinet and saxophone, Way the accordion, and Olson the guitar.

 

Stephan said the group has a nearly endless repertoire of polka, waltzes and many other types of German music. He also said they have all played with many different groups, ranging in size from a seven piece group or larger to two and three piece groups like the one playing at Riverfest.

 

"The best part about playing polka for me is the enthusiastic reception we get from the audience," Stephan said. "The people who co1me to see us really appreciate the style of music we play. They are generally a happy group that come from an ethnic background associated with our style."

 

Stephan is not a Riverfest rookie, having played here about three years ago. He was unsure if the other members of the band had performed at the festival in the past. They will begin at noon.