Countercurrent is a powerhouse acoustic folk duo based in Olympia, Washington, featuring driving guitar, lyrical fiddle, harmony vocals, and foot percussion.
Bringing the deep drive of dance music to every performance, their arrangements blend both traditional and modern influences with astounding musicianship and fluency. They have achieved nationwide acclaim for their high-energy style, which draws on deep traditional roots from Ireland and North America while incorporating new influences to create a sound that is at once unique and timeless. A repertoire of songs that includes potent contemporary anthems, trad ballads, old-time hollers, and biting political content leaves no room for boredom. Alex’s driving guitar and gifted songwriting, Brian’s lyrical fiddle and rock-solid foot percussion, and the duo’s lively interplay, tight vocal harmonies, and unstoppable groove make a Countercurrent performance an event unlike any other. Wherever they go, the question remains the same: “How does that much sound come from just two people?”
Performing together since 2009, they have played at such venues as Club Passim (Cambridge,MA) The Freight and Salvage (Berkeley,CA), The Flurry Festival (Saratoga Springs, NY), and have frequently been the closing band for The Northwest Folklife Festival (Seattle, WA). Countercurrent is one of the most in-demand bands for contra dance weekends and camps across the country. Being highly collaborative musicians, Alex and Brian are part of several other bands (together or separately) including One Dollar Whiskey, Gallimaufry, The Iona Fyfe Trio, The Engine Room, Dear Crow, and others. Alex Sturbaum is a songwriting sensation, gaining notoriety across the continent for their work bringing visibility and queer representation in newly composed trad folk songs. Brian Lindsay is also one of the region’s top sound engineers for acoustic performances and recordings, and uses his expertise to ensure that every Countercurrent performance is a stellar auditory experience.
What does the name mean? In nature, when two flowing bodies moving in opposite directions share energy with each other, the process is called countercurrent exchange. This is the biological phenomenon that allows animals in cold environments to return heat to their core rather than losing it to the air, or enables the human body to concentrate elements that are otherwise dispersed in our bloodstream. In this musical duo, the exchange between Alex and Brian produces a potent flood of music that is astonishingly greater than the sum of its parts. This flux of energy between two musicians, between band and audience, between musicians and caller and dancers; is why the band is called Countercurrent.
Alex Sturbaum (they/them) is a one-of-a-kind performer. Steeped in musical traditions from both sides of the Atlantic, they are equally comfortable performing for dancers in a crowded grange hall, singing original songs at an intimate house concert, belting out sea shanties at a pub sing, or playing bluegrass music at a festival. Alex’s love for the music and joy in performing it is evident in every note they play.
Alex grew up in Cincinnati OH, on the banks of the Ohio River. Born into a musical household, they soon fell in love with the jigs and reels of Irish and Scottish music, the sea songs of the Canadian maritimes, the fiddle tunes and ballads of Appalachia, and more. Alex studied at the Riley School of Irish Music in Cincinnati before attending Oberlin College, where they began playing music for contra dances and never looked back. When not performing music, Alex also organizes community music events, produces albums for other musicians, teaches lessons on many instruments, and enthusiastically educates friends about marine biology.
Website: https://www.alexsturbaum.com/
Brian Lindsay (he/him) has been dancing since he could walk, singing since he could speak, and holding a fiddle to his chin for most of his life. Surrounded by both contra dance and Irish music and dance throughout his childhood, Brian spent much of his youth going to sessions in the NY area and studying with respected Irish fiddle player Brian Conway. An accomplished performer and Mid-Atlantic Irish Fiddle champion by the age of 17, Brian has also finds the influences of many other musical styles and traditions make their way into his playing. The dynamic, living tradition of contra dance embraces the new and the old, and the creativity in Brian’s playing draws on both a wealth of traditional influence and an enthusiasm for new things. Brian is also an accomplished and sensitive sound engineer, both for recording and live sound applications, and provides live sound support for concerts and festivals across the Pacific Northwest. He lives in Pierce County Washington, and sometimes finds time outside of music to pursue his passions for farming, woodworking, and rock climbing.
Website: https://brianlindsaymusic.com
Other musical projects that Alex and Brian are involved in include:
Gallimaufry: high-energy, 5-piece contra dance band with cello, drum kit, trumpet, Brian on fiddle, and Alex on guitar & accordion.
Dear Crow: a collaboration between Brian Lindsay and Penka Jane Culevski. Old-time tunes with sweet double fiddles, tight vocal harmonies; a sound that is both nostalgic and bright with possibility.
The Waxwings: some of the sweetest dance music in the Northwest, the trio of Jesse Partridge (fiddle), Amy Englesberg (piano & accordion), and Alex Sturbaum (guitar & accordion) puts out wonderful vibes. Frequently performing with guest Brian Lindsay on fiddle & clawhammer banjo.
Alex Sturbaum: solo project
The Brothers Lindsay: Brian Lindsay & Colin Lindsay, a sensational array of fiddles, concertina, and banjo, often accompanied by Alex Sturbaum on guitar.
Hey George: a relatively new project, bringing the joys of American old time tunes and songs, with fiddle and banjo accompanied by Irish style guitar and bouzouki. A truly trans-Atlantic exploration of traditions. Alex Sturbaum, Brian Lindsay, & Jesse Partridge.
The Vashon Sessions: an experiment in musical collaboration across genres. Each year, we bring a group of about a dozen traditional singers and instrumentalists together on Vashon Island for a few days, and facilitate sharing, arranging, and recording the results. The result is available to stream and download online.
Photos this page by Doug Plummer