Ti' Acadie

(TEE Ah-kah-DEE)
 

Ti' Acadie at Sebasco
 

Ti' Acadie is a dance band and folk trio from Maine, part of the region including the Canadian maritime provinces known as Acadia (Ti' Acadie means "a little Acadia"). This versatile group is equally at home playing for concerts, contradances, or Cajun dances. Band members are Pam Weeks on fiddle, mountain dulcimer, guitar, singing; Jim Joseph on button accordion, 5-string banjo, mandolin, fiddle, jaw harp, percussion, feet, singing; Bill Olson on guitar, bass, singing, calling. They play a variety of music including traditional French Canadian and New England dance tunes; Cajun waltzes, two steps, Cajun blues and Zydeco tunes; old time southern tunes and songs often sung a capella in 3 part harmony; original tunes written by band "tunesmith", Pam Weeks, which range from sizzling reels and jigs to mesmerizing aires and sweet waltzes. In a contradance setting, they will get everyone moving to the beat with Quebecois reels and old timey southern "hoedowns", but the evening will often be punctuated by Pam singing a Cajun waltz, or by a contradance done to a set of old time Cajun reels started off with just fiddle and ti' fer (triangle); and when these guys REALLY get going, with fiddle howling, guitar pulsing, accordion pumping, feet tapping.... LOOK OUT!!!

Pam Weeks is a talented multi-instrumentalist as well as a tunesmith.In Ti' Acadie Pam focuses on Cajun, Old Time, and Quebecois fiddle, and mountain dulcimer in an amazing flat-picking style all her own, but occasionally plays piano, mandolin, guitar, viola, cello, Celtic harp, flute,or saxophone. Her solid, rhythmic fiddle and dulcimer playing, often trading off harmony and melody with Jim, is the backbone of the Ti' Acadie sound.

Jim Joseph normally plays three button accordions (a 3 row Castignari A,D,G; a single row Acadian Cajun accordion in C; and a single row Martin Cajun accordion in D). These, along with everything else he plays,make it hard to see him on the stage through all the instruments. But he is back there,having a blast with all his toys!

Bill Olson takes care of the "bottom end" usually on guitar, but occasionally on upright bass. His driving guitar "chunk" can be heard on most clearly on the band's Cajun and French Canadian tunes.For old timey tunes he uses the traditional "bass run" flat picking style. Bill also calls contradances with Ti' Acadie (while playing! - how does he DO THAT??)and other bands, and has written scores of dances that are popular with other callers and dancers worldwide.
 

For Ti' Acadie "promo" info  click here.
 

2007 Schedule

  January       February      March     April       May       June        July       August      September      October       November       December

Saturday, January 13
BGLCD Genderfree Contradance  
w/ Bill calling  
1st Church of Jamaica Plain (Unitarian-Universalist)
corner of Centre and Eliot Streets
Jamaica Plain, Boston, MA
7:30-11:00pm   $10
www.lcfd.org/jp

Friday, January 27
Community Contradance  
St. Charles Church (parish hall)
Brunswick, ME
8:00-11:00pm  $8

Friday, February 16th
Contradance at the Guiding Star Grange
w/ Bill calling  8:00-11:00PM
401 Chapman Street
Greenfield MA
413-772-0501 or 207-225-2117
8:00-11:00PM
$8-10
contradance on one of the nicest dance floors we know of!

Friday, March 9th
AVCO Arts Day
Lewiston High School
Lewiston, ME
daytime
Bill and I will spend a half-day with the AVCO students
teaching contradancing

Friday, March 16
Arts in Residency

Hartford-Sumner Elementary School
Rte. 117
Hartford ME
day & evening
Jim and Bill will spend the school day teaching contradancing while I meet with instrumentalists
teaching traditional New England music. After an afternoon concert for the whole school
we'll top it off in the evening with a community potluck and contradance!

Friday & Saturday, March 30 & 31
Downeast Country Dance Festival
The Orion Performing Arts Center at Mount Ararat Middle School
58 Republic Ave
Topsham, Maine
This year we are one of the featured bands from Maine.
We will be playing for contradance sessions, teaching workshops on fiddling and calling,
jamming in the hallways and dancing up a storm when ever we're not working!

Sunday, April 1
private party
Jay, Maine

Friday - Sunday, April 20-22
NEFFA Folk Festival
Mansfield High and Middle Schools
Mansfield, MA
In its 63rd year, this festival is one of a kind! All kinds of folk dance, music,
storytelling, art, handwork, are represented here. Our sessions will be:
Saturday 7-8pm: Hotcontrasweetwaltzes w/ Bill calling
Saturday 9-10pm: Old France, New France - w/ other performers
Friday 9-10pm: Open Cajun Dance (as part of Jimmyjo & the Jumbol'ayuhs)

Friday April 27- Sunday, May 6
Ti' Acadie heads South to warmer climes!



Contact us:
  Pam Weeks
212 Upper St.
Turner, ME 04282
(207) 225-2117

Pam's Page       Pam's Tunes          Bill's Corner
    Jimmyjo & the Jumbol'ayuhs

This page is created and maintained by Pam Weeks .  Last updated: 11-7-06