Dave 2024 promo
Photo by Paul Bestock

Dave Bartley

Dave Bartley plays guitar, mandolin, cittern, and several other stringed instruments. He has played many styles of music over the years and continues to range over several genres. He has performed throughout the US and Canada, and in England, Australia, France and Greece. It is difficult to count the number of bands in which he plays.

Dave has composed nearly 400 dance tunes. A waltz he wrote and KGB recorded, The Clock Stopped, is used to teach cross-step waltz in much of the US and other parts of the world. A reel he wrote, Vladi on the Trans-Siberian, seems to be popping up at dances and jam sessions all over the place, including on five recordings (see below).

Find Dave's upcoming gigs here.
Dave plays in these bands and on these recordings.
Dave's biography is here.
Contact him for information or bookings.

 Dave with cittern
Photo by Paul Bestock
Avant Gardeners Asheville

Calendar and News


  • Calendar updated on September 9, 2025. No public gigs in September.
  • Roguery has completed the tracking for Impropriety Volume 7, due out later this year
  • After 31 years, KGB has retired as a band. I wouldn't rule out a reunion performance, but we are no longer touring or playing for dance events. It was an honor and a source of boundless joy, and I'll miss playing with Julie and Claude. Our recordings will continue to be available for download and streaming, and we have lots of Contra-Intelligence and Volga Notions CDs.

October

  • Sat, Oct 4, Laurie Andres, Olga Hauptman, and Dave play for the Costumers of Color Global Salon, Seattle, WA, Laura Mé Smith, dancing master
  • Fri, Oct 10, 7:30pm, Keltoi plays a concert at Calvary Chapel, Sequim, WA
  • Sat, Oct 11, 7:30pm, Keltoi plays a concert at Quimper Grange, Port Townsend, WA
  • Sun, Oct 12, 2:00pm, Keltoi plays a concert at Village Green Community Center, Kingston, WA
  • Tue, Oct 14, 7:30pm, Anita Anderson, Brian Lindsay, and Dave play for an English Country Dance, Seattle, WA, caller TBA
  • Fri, Oct 17, 7:30pm, Ginsu (Marni Rachmiel, Claude Ginsburg, and Dave) plays for the Emerald City Contra Dance, Seattle, WA, Maya Roe calling
  • Thu, Oct 23, 7:30pm, Ryan McKasson, Julie Bennett, Dave, and a fiddler TBA play for the Lake City Contra dance, CITY, caller TBA
  • Sun, Oct 26, 6:00pm, Keltoi plays a concert at The Wabash Project, Mt Vernon, WA
  • Fri, Oct 31, 7:30pm, Sky Leuba, Todd Citron, and Dave play for the Emerald City Contra Dance, Seattle, WA, caller TBA

November

December

  • Fri, Dec 5, 6:30pm, Keltoi plays a holiday concert, Vashon, WA
  • Sat, Dec 6, Anita Anderson, Sande Gillette and Dave play for a JASNA Regency Ball, Seattle, WA, Laura Mé Smith, dancing master

2026

Dave is a member of these bands

  • The leading edge contra and English band KGB has retired, but their 30 year legacy remains. Claude Ginsburg and Dave will continue to play for contra, English, and couple dance in:
    • Pachelbel's Bazooka with Anita Anderson
    • Wergleyburg with Terry Wergeland
    • GinSu with Marni Rachmiel
  • Keltoi - traditional music of Scotland and Ireland, with Richard Hill, Bill Woods, Cameron St. Louis, and Vienna Scheyer (Richard, Cameron, and Dave also play as the Beltane Boys)
  • Contra Sutra - An exciting contra dance band with Marni Rachmiel, Ryan McKasson or Ben Schreiber and often a percussionist. Contra Sutra has a few variants, including Condor Sutra with Hayden Stern and Julie Bennett, and Three Piece Sutra with any of various other fiddlers.
  • Roguery - A versatile English (and contra) dance band with Anita Anderson, Shira Kammen, and Jim Oakden
  • Bag o'Tricks (aka Tricky Brits) - A contra dance and English Country Dance band with Anita Anderson, Betsy Cooper and Sande Gillette
  • Joy Street (formerly Valse Café) Orchestra - Viennese waltzes and other ballroom dance music from latin to swing
  • The Irish Experience, electric Celtic music
  • Bands with fiddler Rodney Miller: SPIN with Anita Anderson; The Intoxicators with Marni Rachmiel
  • Dave plays occasionally with Rouge, French cafe music featuring chanteuse extraordinaire Elle Rayor
  • Bands with other names and other people.

Photo by Paul Bestock

Selected discography

From bands Dave is in:

Dave plays on these:

These include compositions of Dave's:

  • Gallimaufry, Places Left To Go (Vladi on the Trans-Siberian)
  • Stringfire, Spindriftin (Vladi on the Trans-Siberian)
  • Perpetual e-Motion (Vladi on the Trans-Siberian)
  • Elixir, Super Tonic (Ring of Kohala)
  • Stringdancer (Crimea River)
  • Lift Ticket, New Balance (Vladi on the Trans-Siberian)
  • Hotpoint, Hotpoint Special (Trip to Sofia)
  • Skylark, Spreading Our Wings (Crimea River, Ferris Eugene)
  • Giant Robot Dance, Live at the Butterball (The Dancers of Teeth)
  • Pigtown Alley (Volga Notions, The Clock Stopped)
BoT Chippenham

© 2025 Dave Bartley