The Lamprey River Band is a traditional New England country dance (contradance) band. I should say right away that I am writing as the founder of the band and a member for over 35 years as I write (winter 2020). The band comes out of the tradition of the larger country dance orchestra; we are modeled loosely after the Canterbury Country Dance Orchestra and the Maine Country Dance Orchestra.
We play for public dances and private dance parties to promote enjoyment and community on the part of the dancers. We started in 1983 and continue to exist for the enjoyment it brings us as musicians, and for the enjoyment we bring to our dancers. Our playing is characterized by a strong beat, clear melody and clear melodic phrases, all characteristics desirable in any band playing for New England dancing.
A quick mention of why the Lamprey River Band pages are so near the beginning of the Dance website. First, we are the oldest band that plays regularly in the Seacoast area of New Hampshire, and during much of that time our dances were the largest in the area. Therefore the band ends up being involved in many aspects of dancing in this part of the state. Second, this is the band's only website, and making it prominent helps with publicizing our dances.