Bios

Christos Govetas was born in the village of Proti in the province of Serres in Greek Macedonia. He is a well-known singer and an accomplished multi-instrumentalist. Since emmigrating to the US in 1978 he has played classical Turkish music with The Eurasia Ensemble, Greek, Turkish and Arabic music with Karaváni and regional Balkan music with Tito's Revenge and Akshámbelah in the Boston area. He has performed extensively world-wide and has taught and performed Greek regional music at music and dance workshops throughout the U.S. Currently he performs traditional Greek music with the nationally known bi-coastal band Ziyiá as well as with Pangéo in his present hometown, Seattle. Christos is the 1999 recipient of the prestigious Washington State Arts commision folk arts Fellowship honoring his cultural contribution to the Greek-American and Folk dance communities. He is also a member of Grammy nominated Bill Frisell’s Intercontinental Quartet.

Ruth Hunter has been singing and playing music of the Balkans since the early ‘80s. She has taught and performed at Balkan music and dance camps throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. Before moving to Seattle she played and sang with Medna Usta, The Bay Area Balkan Ensemble, The Balkan Noyz Boyz and The Balkan Appliances in the San Francisco Bay area and with Karaváni, Akshámbela and Tito’s Revenge in the Boston area. She now lives in Seattle and plays and sings with the traditional Greek group Pangéo, the Balkan-European quartet Cerise as well as Sultána.

Dave Bartley plays mandolin, guitar, cittern, tambura and numerous other plucked instruments. He has also written scores of tunes, some of which are working their way into repertoires around the country. Dave is a force in the contradance world, playing with KGB, BAG o’Tricks, Close Call and Tricky Brits. Dave has studied and played music of the Balkans and has played with local dance-troupe Radost, global songstress Gina Sala, Balkan dance-band Aegean View as well as Pangéo.

Hank Bradley was Washington fiddle champion for 1974, thanks to his draft board who endowed him in 1963 with a 2-year scholarship to study fiddle at Fort Bragg NC, in his spare time. He also plays fiddle with the Mountain Ramblers of Galax, VA, Croatian tamburitsa and violin with Ruze Dalmatinke of Seattle, and violin and bouzouki in the Greek communities of the US and Canada with Yiannis Novakis. He composes new tunes in the traditional musical dialects he has absorbed, and prefers an aggressive Southern fiddle style based on continuous, though not extreme, improvisation. He has taught Southern fiddle at Lark in the Morning in Mendocino, at Pinewoods Camp in Massachusetts, at the Augusta Heritage Festival in Elkins, WV, and was a regular member of the Port Townsend Festival of American Fiddle Tunes staff for its first decade. Hank's recording credits include two solo ventures, Music of the Poison Coyote Kid, and Hassle the Caller on which he plays fiddle plus the all rest of the string band. Exclusively his original tunes, many have become classics. Other recording appearances include with Jody Stecher, Cathie Whitesides, and others. He is teaching Greek music and bouzouki technique at Lark in the Morning Camp in 2008
Steve Ramsey began studying and performing Balkan music in 1976 in Seattle’s Radost Folk Ensemble. He served as Music Director for the group’s 1981 Eastern European tour. He moved to California in 1984 and performed with Mozarab and the Evergreen Middle Eastern Ensemble, producing their two recordings. Steve is a past President of the East European Folklife Center and has taught tambura at the Balkan Music and Dance Workshops in Mendocino. Upon his return to Seattle in 2000, he performed with Orkestar RTW, and in 2002, joined the acclaimed group, Balkan Cabaret. Steve currently plays plays baglama and tzouras in Pasatempo, and guitar with the Fetatones. He also performs on tenor guitar and sings in Kafana Republik. Steve's day job see him as General Manager of KBCS 91.3fm, Community Radio in Seattle/Bellevue WA.

Bill Lanphier An internet search for Bill Lanphier turns up at least four distinctly different characters. The musician Lanphier has performed with a diverse range of artists including Madonna, The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and premier world-music artists. The writer B.L. has contributed to playboy.com, Consumers Digest, World Book Encyclopedia, and National Lampoon Magazine. Lanphier the motorsports enthusiast has raced the Pikes Peak Hillclimb, the fastest and arguably most dangerous off-road race in North America. The photographer Lanphier has published thousands of magazine images in seven countries. Like Woody Allen's fictitious human chameleon Zelig, the real Bill Lanphier finds himself wearing.