Dave met Sharon Goldwasser through the Tucson Friends of Traditional Music contra dances shortly after he moved to Tucson in the early 1980's. They met up with Mike Smith through sessions and dances in 1993. Two years later, they formed the band Round the House. Dave also plays with an old time band called the Privy Tippers.

MIKE SMITH

Mike Smith has been playing rhythm guitar since 1965. Over the years he played old time, blue grass, jazz, big band, and

contradance music. In 1985 Mike attended a folk festival in Juneau, Alaska where he met Mick Moloney of Green Fields of America. Mick introduced Mike to Irish music.

Mike joined Dave Firestine and Sharon Goldwasser to form Round the House which plays Irish, old time, and contradance music. He explained that main differences are rhythmic. Old time music is closer to Irish/Celtic than it is to blue grass. Irish and old time music put the emphasis on the first and third beats, while blue grass puts it on the second and fourth beats. Old time music is more syncopated that Irish music and tends to be more choppy than contradance music. Mike's play of the rhythm guitar plays a big role in defining the style of music played by Round the House.

"Smith is the master of simple but elegant accompaniment, staying tastefully sparse on airy songs and providing the steady springboard from which Goldwasser and Firestine fly on the reels and jigs,"according Tucson Citizen reviewer Daniel Buckley

SHARON GOLDWASSER

While Sharon Goldwasser had played some fiddle as a child, she was a mandolin player early in her adult life. She migrated over to the fiddle because she felt the fiddle was more expressive. However, she felt frustrated by her lack of distinctive style.

In the late 1980's Sharon met Dave Firestine through contradance. Dave was playing with New Potatoes at the time and introduced Sharon to Irish music. For Sharon, the big breakthrough came in 1994 at a music festival in California where she met the great fiddle player Liz Carroll. They reconnected at Gaelic Roots and again recently in California and last year Liz gave a workshop in Tucson.

Over the years, Sharon continued to expand her skills by going to various music camps and workshops such as Gaelic Roots and developed contacts with Irish musicians from all over the world. "Goldwasser has swallowed the Irish fiddling tradition whole, with all its slurs, slides and ornamental spins" according to Tucson Citizen reviewer Daniel Buckley.

Dave, Mike and Sharon formed Round the House in 1995. When they organized a seisiun that was later moved to the Harp and Shamrock, the band came in contact with the Tucson Irish community. They soon were invited to house parties and played at fundraiser for the newly formed Bracken dance school of Tucson in 1996. During the period from 1995 to 1998 the band was totally instrumental.

This changed in 1998 when they added vocalist Claire Zucker.

CLAIRE ZUCKER

Claire Zucker joined Round the House in mid 1998 as a vocalist although her background was that of a dancer and

dance caller. Claire was born in East Tennessee and learned clogging. Over the years she developed her own style of clogging that is similar to a traditional Irish sean nos dance style. Claire continues to use her form of clogging on a board as a percussion instrument. She would use that experience as a percussionist when she took up playing the bodhran when she joined Round the House

In the early '90's Claire Zucker and Sharon Goldwasser were involved in a contradance group called the "Hot Desert Love Toads" where she performed as a dancer and contradance caller. They stayed in touch and Sharon knew that Clarie could sing.

While Claire did not become a band vocalist until joining Round the House, she has been singing all her life. She grew up listening to people like the Clancy Brothers, Mary Black, Joannie Mitchell, and Judy Collins. But once she joined the band, she has really worked on her singing by taking vocal lessons as well as instruction on Irish Gaelic.

Claire's vocal style is the most evident change between their first CD, "Keep This Coupon" and "`til the wee hours". The vocal lessons resulted in a voice that is richer, more powerful, and shows greater range. Claire uses her expanded vocal skill to take on a much greater variety of material.

'TIL THE WEE HOURS

The CD "'til the wee hours" reflects the evolution of the band from being entirely instrumental to one that does almost 50% vocals. Clarie Zucker is featured on six songs while Dave Firestine does one song (about being a goat that plans to become a bodran).

The instrumentals on this CD reflect the band's confidence in their uniquely American interpretation of Irish music. Most of the tunes are up tempo and incorporate the use of both the fiddle and the mandolin as melody instruments. One of the tunes, "Wilshire Lasses" was composed by Sharon Goldwasser.

According to reviewer Aiden Crossey, Lewisham, London, UK, "The tune selections reflect both a grounding in the classics of the Irish tradition and an ear for newer material which nevertheless captures the elemental soul of the music. The band are at once traditionalist and experimental, true to the music's spirit but willing to move beyond conventional boundaries".

Claire Zucker's vocals include an up tempo versions of "Spanish Lady" and "Casadh Cam na Feadarnai" followed by the lovely ballad "A Stor Mo Chroi ". She follows with the classic "Spancil Hill" and then does the up tempo "Willy Taylor" accompanied only by the bodhran. Claire finishes with the up tempo sing-along song "My Irish Molly-O" and accompanies herself by clogging. (The lyrics are from 1905 but the tune is much older).