Banjo Dan winter 2012 newsletter:

Let’s start off the New Year with a little bluegrass trivia.

  It was sometime in September 1972 when three young men in Marshfield, Vermont decided to see if it was possible to earn a few bucks playing bluegrass in the Green Mountain State.  Their first paying gig was at a rally in Waitsfield for a fella named Tom Salmon who was running for governor.  With our help, or maybe in spite of it, Salmon was elected.  And a band was born.  Willy, Al and Dan contacted Pete Tourin, an all-around musician living nearby, and asked him to join the group on bass.  The rest is history, as they say, laced with a bit of myth of course.  [And by the way, if you don’t own a copy of Banjo Dan and the Mid-nite Plowboys’ “Like a River – A Bluegrass Journey,” you should check it out – along with 17 classic performances from the band’s first 20 years the CD package includes a booklet recounting the band’s story, complete with vintage photos of all the early band configurations.]

            So here we are, entering 2012, and we’re celebrating four decades of music-making with our Fortieth Anniversary Tour.  Our 2012 itinerary will take us all around the Northeast, back to favorite venues from the past and on to promising new locations.  The excitement and drive are still there, big-time, and with our all-time best band configuration and loads of new original and traditional material, the music has never been better.  Catch us while you can!

 

            Before giving you a look at our developing tour schedule let me run a little story by you.  I just received a CD order from Wisconsin, with a lovely letter from a long-time Banjo Dan fan.  Mary had received our 1974 "Snowfall" LP as a gift years ago, and it quickly became a family favorite.  I guess she and her husband had practically memorized the whole thing!  Imagine her delight when she turned on her car recently and heard Big Al singing "Snowfall, it'll cover up your cares....."  Her husband had sneaked a Snowfall CD into the player, and there was that good ol' Banjo Dan music coming at her once again.  We love hearing stories like this.  Remember, folks, all those early records and cassettes are now available on CD, along with all the more recent releases.  Take a look at the Music tab on our website, www.banjodan.com.  It's all there.

            Speaking of CDs, Al has earned a “Songwriter of the Year” award from the Times Argus and Rutland Herald award for Sun Off Snow.  Be sure to pick that one up if you haven’t already.  The songs, the arrangements, and Al’s vocals are first-rate.  And Willy’s “Life, Still, With Mandolin” continues to garnish great reviews.  Check out the YouTube presentation of his wonderful song “Blue Ball (Path of Peace).”  Just click on the “Stop Global Warming” image on The Sky Blue Boys’ website, www.skyblueboys.com.

 

            And now for the schedules.  We’ll start this time with The Sky Blue Boys (Banjo Dan and Willy), as the duo has some winter gigs coming right up.

 

Feb. 4: South Burlington, VT, Studio Three, 50 San Remo Drive, 7:30 PM.  $20 with discounts available, 866-639-6577, www.studiothreevt.com.  This is a terrific new venue and a perfect place for acoustic music.  It’s been too long since we played in the Burlington area – what a great place for a return visit.

Feb. 11: Craftsbury, VT, The Music Box, 147 Creek Road, 7:30 PM.  802-586-7533, themusicboxvt@yahoo.com.  Tickets at the door.  I can’t remember what they cost, but whatever they are, it’s a deal.  This is possibly the finest little room we’ve ever played in.  Love the sound, love working right close to the audience.  You gotta catch this one.

Feb. 18: East Charleston, VT, Kingdom Coffeehouse at the Northwood Center, Ten Mile Square Road, 7 PM.  Just $10 ($5 for kids), at the door.  www.northwoodscenter.org.  How do they do it, way up there in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom?  A welcoming, cozy environment, a great gathering place on a winter’s night, and good old-time music.  Oh yes, hot drinks and baked goodies too. 

March 24: Northbridge, MA, Grass Roots Coffeehouse, at Rockdale Congregational Church, 42 Fowler Road, 7:30 PM.  $12/10, $5 students.  617-429-0347.  Bob Dick, from the great Front Range bluegrass band, runs this venue, which features topnotch acoustic music.  Bob will join us on bass for part of the show, so this is definitely an evening to look forward to.

April 1: Ferrisburgh, VT, Dakin Farm, 5797 Route 7, 12:30 PM.  Free.  www.dakinfarm.com  The annual sugar-on-snow party, with a fabulous pancake breakfast.  Come spend the afternoon with us – it’s party time at Dakin Farm.

June 7: Middletown, CT, Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, 7 PM.  The community comes together at the library for cultural events, and our contribution to culture is good traditional music.  We don’t get to CT too often – hope you can join us.

June 8: Turners Falls, MA, Great Falls Coffee House, 2 Avenue A,7 PM.  413-863-3221.  Another fine New England coffeehouse with an excellent traditional-music series; we’re proud to be part of it.

 

And now for the featured act, Banjo Dan and the Mid-nite Plowboys.  The gigs are just starting to roll in and I’m spending every day adding on to our anniversary tour.  We get underway with some good shows this spring:

 

April 14: Morrisville, VT, River Arts, 74 Pleasant Street, 7 PM.  Tickets: I don’t know, but they’re bound to be reasonable.  802-888-1261; www.riverartsvt.org.  We launch our tour right here in central Vermont with a show at River Arts, a wonderful local organization presenting cultural events of all kinds for Lamoille County communities.  We’ll be introducing some new repertoire – come out for some fun bluegrass.

April 22: Berlin, NH, Kieran Arts Center, 155 Emery Street, 2 PM.  603-752-1028, www.stkieranarts.org.  A rare Sunday afternoon concert.  We’re looking forward to getting back to this wondrous gothic church – just a fabulous setting for live music.

May 18: Middlebury, VT, Town Hall Theater, 8 PM.  Ticket prices to be announced soon.  Info from box office, 802-382-9222, www.townhalltheater.org.  We played at this wonderful concert hall for its grand reopening a few years ago.  Great to be coming back for our own show; looking forward to seeing our many Middlebury and Addison County Friends.

 

That’s it for the moment, folks, but other spring concerts are pending, and the summer’s looking big.  We’ll pass additional info along as gigs are added, and we’ll send you a full summer schedule in our spring newsletter.  Til then, keep warm, vote early and often, and we look forward to seeing you soon.

 

Banjo Dan