Hands4

Fran Tewksbury (flute, whistle, percussion) also plays in Hapsala and the Portland Megaband. Fran has a long history with contra dancing and contra dance music as a former resident of Massachusetts, a founding member of the Oregon Country Dance Orchestra, and one of the first to play, in 1982, for contra dancing at the Northwest Folklife Festival. Soaring across the music, her whistles and flutes add a bright and lively energy to the Hands4 sound.

Keith Moe (fiddle, mandolin) is a 20+ year veteran of the Portland Megaband. He also plays in Bandwidth and was a third of The Steeltones contra dance band over its 5-year run. He played classical violin, tenor guitar, and uke in his younger days before discovering Scottish fiddle in Maine in the early '90s, which led him eventually to the joys of contra dance and its music. Keith lays down a steady lead and groove on fiddle, octave fiddle, and mandolin.

Carl Thor (piano) also plays in Cascade Crossing, Celtinalia, Bandwidth, Austen City Limits, and is a 20 year veteran of the Portland Megaband. A lifelong musician, he came to traditional music in the early '90s via the hammered dulcimer, when he began performing as a founding member of the Celtic band, Talisman. His varied, driving, and rhythmic piano style propels the music and the dancers ever forward, and his hand is evident in many of the band's tunes, harmonies, and arrangements. Carl is an organizer of the Contra in the Couve! dance series in Vancouver, WA.

Rich Goss (percussion) joined Hands4 in 2008 after performing in several Austin, Texas bands, most notably Mockingbird, prior to moving to Portland. He is a member of Cascade Crossing, Talisman, and the Portland Megaband. Also an active caller and choreographer, Rich calls for contra dances throughout the Northwest and across the U.S. He has long been active as a dance organizer, both in Austin and in Portland.