RECENT NEWS

BGP Summer Recap and Upcoming Fall Shows
SEPTEMBER 1, 2010

Greetings, Fans & Friends of BGP: As summer winds down, kids go back to school, and our routines begin to return to the more-predictable, we of the BGP want to re-cap our summer experiences and preview the coming season for you.

We had a great summer, thanks to those of you who came out to see us. We had a lovely early summer evening concert in Castleton, VT in June, and, we're pleased to say, good weather for this year's appearance at the Ossipee Valley Music Festival in Maine, late July.

Then, on July 30th, one of the most bizarre gigs of our varied careers occurred. As surreal and unlikely as it sounds, this is a true story: We were booked to play a private party in the Adirondacks. We knew in advance only that we should dress particularly well, and that this party was taking place at one of the most famed of the Adirondack Great Camps. It was magnificent beyond most our experiences.

The bizarre part is that it turns out that a very influential Texan owns the place and had invited a group of his good friends to spend a weekend at his fabulous summer retreat. Those in attendance included George & Laura Bush, and Clarence Thomas and his wife. We were totally taken by surprise at this turn of events.

We played for the small party, who were gathered in close proximity, for the better part of an hour. Dubya and Justice Thomas approached us afterward, under the watchful eyes of several Secret Service agents, and engaged us in pleasant, a-political conversation. They liked the music and were as affable and approachable as can be. For some of us in the band, this scene prompted a measure of internal personal confusion, but at the time, there was really only one goal: play the music !

So that's what we did; Taylor handled the front-work with his usual aplomb (no mean feat when Dubya is sitting ten feet away !), and we acquitted ourselves righteously (in a musical sense). Y'all would have been proud !

Then back to normal life with normal audiences (what a relief !) : August had us in Ridgefield, CT for a concert that got moved indoors for fear of rain and we had a swell evening of it in a lovely church. Then, a mad dash to near-Canada, where we played two days at the Champlain Valley Bluegrass & Country Music Festival in Alburgh, VT, in perfect weather. It was good to see some old bluegrass pals there, and make a few new friends, as well. Both the Ossipee and Alburgh festivals were well-run enterprises that deserve your future support.

Mark your calendars, folks - we don't have a lot of dates coming up, but the ones we have are good 'uns ! Friday, Sept 17 we return to Westport, NY, followed by Saturday 9/18 in Pawtucket, RI, and Sunday 9/19 in Harvard, MA (2 p.m. concert at the public library). October 22 has us playing our perennial concert in Groton, CT (always good to get back there!). In December, we have concerts in Framingham, MA (12/17) and the Vergennes Opera House in Vermont (12/18). There is a November date pending (Sat Nov 13) that we'll notify you of as we close in on it. Keep an eye on us here and on Facebook for updates. Dates, times, and ticket information are all listed at the Show Dates page of this website.

We thank you for your past support and look forward to sharing some great new songs with you in the near future. Harmoniously Yours,

BGP