2008 Newsletters and Schedule, Banjo Dan and the Mid-nite Plowboys AND the Sky Blue Boys

Hi to all our old friends and welcome to those of you who have recently signed up for the Banjo Dan Newsletter. I hope a lot of you got to hear us on Vermont Public Radio’s “Vermont Edition” a couple weeks ago. We’ve been visiting radio stations for interviews and live music, and generally doing everything we can to spread the word about “Fire in the Sugarhouse.” It’s getting some fine reviews, and we’re selling it at outlets all around the state, as well as a few stores in NH and ME. If you haven’t got you copy yet, you can just visit www.banjodan.com and order from there. We really think you’re going to love it.

Meanwhile, we’ve added a couple gigs to the schedule, along with additional details on shows I told you about earlier. Here you go:

Banjo Dan and the Mid-nite Plowboys:

August 7: Tunbridge, VT, fair grounds, 7-9 PM. The Good Sam Club, an RV organization, is sponsoring a whole weekend of entertainment and recreational events for RV persons and guests. Contact Stan Hodgeman, sh34jh43@hotmail.com for details.

August 9 and 10: Lake Champlain Bluegrass Festival, Alburgh, VT. One of the best bluegrass festivals in New England, headlined this year by none other than Del McCoury. If you get to one festival this summer, make it Lake Champlain. www.lakechamplainmusic.com

August 15: Criterion Theatre, Bar Harbor, ME. This fine theatre sits on a picturesque bay just outside Acadia National Park. We can new tell you the showtime is 7:30 PM. You can get tickets ($15 downstairs, $20 balcony) at the box office any day after 6 PM, and the room is big enough that we expect tickets to still be available at the door.

August 16: The Junction General Store and Entertainment Park, Rte 11, Brownville, ME, 7 PM. Our concert is part of a weekend community celebration including Civil War reenactments, parades, kayak trips and music. Details at www.thejunctiongeneral.com.

August 23: Haskell Opera House, Derby Line, VT and Stanstead, Quebec. Our annual concert at one of New England’s most wonderful venues, straddling the US-Canada border. Fabulous room, terrific acoustics. All tickets $16, US or Canadian, in advance (not a bad idea, as we always pack the house) at Wood Knot Bookshop in Newport, or at the door. www.haskellopera.org

August 31: Bromley Mountain, Vermont. 1-4 PM PM. Three hours of free music on the deck as part of the resort’s family fun day. www.bromley.com

Sept. 28: Eastern States Exposition, Springfield, MA. Rides, fairfood, parades and music. It’s The Big E, folks. We’ll do a few sets on the balcony of the Vermont Pavilion, which features free Ben and Jerry’s, cider donuts and other VT fare. www.thebige.com

The Sky Blue Boys

October 3: Church Street Cafe, Lennoxville, Quebec. A rare chance for our Canadian friends to catch New England’s premiere old-time country duo. Details from blackcat@netrevolution.com.

November 15: Music Box, Craftsbury, Vermont. A wonderful, intimate performance space; one of our very favorite venues.

Hi Friends. We’ve enjoyed running to a lot of you on the acoustic music trail this summer, and look forward to seeing a lot more of you at shows by Banjo Dan and the Mid-nite Plowboys and The Sky Blue Boys.

The Sky Blues just added a summer show which we think is going to be tons of fun. On Friday, July 25 we’ll be doing a special program at Barrett hall in South Strafford, Vermont, with Master Storyteller Willem Lange. It starts at 7 PM, and tickets are $10 at the door. You can reserve tix or get directions by calling 802-333-9004.

If you’ve enjoyed Willem on Vermont Public Radio, or heard his recordings or read his books, you know this guy is the real deal: droll, witty, one of a kind, with a wealth of great true and semi-true tales from the North Country. Add a full set of The Sky Blue Boys’ old-time duets, parlor songs and acoustic country and, by golly, you’ve got a fine evening of entertainment! Willy and I are really looking forward to this one – and we’ll be looking for you, too!

And don’t forget Banjo Dan and the Mid-nite Plowboys performing the very next day at the grand opening of Town Hall Theater in Middlebury. That’s another gala event, with all kinds of music and festivities. Check www.townhalltheater.org for details. And be ABSOLUTELY SURE to catch the Plowboys at the Lake Champlain Bluegrass Festival on August 9 and 10. In fact, come on the 8th too, for the only Vermont appearance this year by the great Del McCoury.

We’d like to welcome new subscribers to the Banjo Dan e-newsletter, and to thank all our friends and fans out there, whether you’ve been with us for the past 35 years or the past 35 days. It’s folks like you who keep us going by coming out to the shows, buying the CDs, and sending us words of appreciation and encouragement from time to time.

We’d also like to say a huge THANK YOU to all those who have ordered our new CD, “Fire in the Sugarhouse.” The response has been tremendous. We Plowboys are pretty proud of this one, and we hope you’re loving it. . And by the way, if you haven’t ordered your copy yet, you can do so by sending $17 per CD to Banjo Dan, 23 Roberts Street, Montpelier, VT 05602. You’ll be glad you did; so will we.

OK, we’ve got a few additions and changes to the concert schedules, so here we go:
Banjo Dan and the Mid-nite Plowboys
June 18: Woodstock, VT: 6 PM, free concert as part of a community picnic and farmers market. .
July 9: Bethel, VT, community bandstand, 7 PM. Free to the public.
July 26: Middlebury, VT, grand opening of Town Hall Theater. A gala event with VIPs, refreshments, ceremonies and all kinds of entertainment. We’ll be doing two shows, afternoon and evening. www.townhalltheater.org
August 7: Tunbridge, VT, fair grounds, 7-9 PM. The Good Sam Club, an RV organization, is sponsoring a whole weekend of entertainment and recreational events for RV persons and guests. Contact Stan Hodgeman, sh34jh43@hotmail.com for details.
August 9 and 10: Lake Champlain Bluegrass Festival, Alburgh, VT. One of the best bluegrass festivals in New England, headlined this year by none other than Del McCoury. If you get to one festival this summer, make it Lake Champlain. www.lakechamplainmusic.com
August 15: Criterion Theatre, Bar Harbor, ME. This is a wonderful little theatre on a bay just outside Acadia National Park. We don’t have all the details yet, but you can get info on time and tickets from rob@criteriontheatre.com.
August 16: The Junction General Store and Entertainment Park, Rte 11, Brownville, ME, 7 PM. Our concert is part of a weekend community celebration including Civil War reenactments, parades, kayak trips and music. Details will be posted soon at www.thejunctiongeneral.com.
August 23: Haskell Opera House, Derby Line, VT and Stanstead, Quebec. Our annual concert at one of New England’s most wonderful venues, straddling the US-Canada border. Fabulous room, terrific acoustics. All tickets $16, US or Canadian, in advance (not a bad idea, as we always pack the house) at Wood Knot Bookshop in Newport, or at the door. www.haskellopera.org
August 31: Bromley Mountain, Vermont. 1-4 PM PM. Three hours of free music on the deck as part of the resort’s family fun day. www.bromley.com
Sept. 28: Eastern States Exposition, Springfield, MA. Rides, fairfood, parades and music. It’s The Big E, folks. We’ll do a few sets on the balcony of the Vermont Pavilion, which features free Ben and Jerry’s, cider donuts and other VT fare.
www.thebige.com

The Sky Blue Boys
June 6: Old Firehouse, Tinmouth, VT, 7:30 PM. A wonderful little concert space. $8 at the door.
June 19: Queechee, VT, 6:30 PM, free concert on the green.
August 12: Stowe, VT, 6:30 PM, free concert at the gazebo.
August 27: North Hampton, NH, 5:50 PM, free concert at the bandstand.
October 3: Church Street Cafe, Lennoxville, Quebec. A rare chance for our Canadian friends to catch New England’s premiere old-time country duo. Details from blackcat@netrevolution.com.
November 8: Community Center, Litchfield, CT, 7 PM
November 15: Music Box, Craftsbury, Vermont. A wonderful, intimate performance space; one of our very favorite venues.
And that’s how it is, May 26, 2008. Thanks again, and we’ll be looking for you this summer and fall. Banjo Dan

Well, neighbors, the first day of spring is just around the corner, and this year Banjo Dan and the Mid-nite Plowboys are not about to wait for summer to crank up the bluegrass machine. In fact, we’ve got some really good spring concerts coming up here in the Green Mountain State. With several more shows awaiting confirmation, here’s what we’ve scheduled so far:

April 12: Vermont Academy, Saxtons River, VT, 7:30 PM. The Plowboys kick off the season and launch a slew of great new songs at VA’s Horowitz Hall on Pleasant Street. Tickets are available at the door for $12, but just $10 in advance from Brattleboro Books, Village Square Booksellers in Bellows Falls, and Vermont Academy.

April 25: Vergennes Opera House, Vergennes, VT, 7:30 PM. A beautiful historic opera house on Main Street is the setting for Banjo Dan’s historic return to his home community of recent years. Tickets $15 for adults and $10 for kids under 18 in advance from Classic Stitching on Main Street, Vergennes or at the door. www.vergennesoperahouse.org

May 3: Chandler Music Hall, Randolph, VT, 7:00 PM. We’re really excited to get back to the Chandler after many years, where our concert will cap off the Fiddlehead Festival, a day-long celebration of agriculture and the Arts. All tickets just $10. www.fiddleheadfestival.com and www.chandler-arts.org

June 18: Woodstock, VT: 6 PM, free concert as part of a community picnic and farmers market. .

July 9: Bethel, VT, community bandstand, 7 PM. Free to the public.

July 19: Haskell Opera House, Derby Line, VT and Stanstead, Quebec. Our annual concert at one of New England’s most wonderful venues, straddling the US-Canada border. Fabulous room, terrific acoustics. All tickets $16, US or Canadian, in advance (not a bad idea, as we always pack the house) at Wood Knot Bookshop in Newport, or at the door. www.haskellopera.org

August 31: Bromley Mountain, Vermont. 1-4 PM PM. Three hours of free music on the deck as part of the resort’s family fun day. www.bromley.com

There’s be more, folks. Meanwhile, The Sky Blue Boys are going to be pretty busy too. Vermont’s answer to the perennial Trivial Pursuit stumper (what country-music duo plays more styles on more instruments more often than not, more or less?) will appear at the following:

March 22 and 30: Dakin Farm, Ferrisburgh, VT, noon to 3 PM. Free sugar on snow and other goodies plus us.

April 18: UU Fellowship Meetinghouse, Bennington, VT, 8 PM. A welcoming coffeehouse setting at 108 School Street. $14 at the door. More info: 802-440-9816, or info@uubennington.org. www.uubennington.org

May 14: Crandall Public Library, Glens Falls, NY 7 PM, at their temporary location, 221 Glen Street

June 6: Old Firehouse, Tinmouth, VT, 7:30 PM. A wonderful little concert space. $8 at the door.

June 19: Queechee, VT, 6:30 PM, free concert on the green.

August 12: Stowe, VT, 6:30 PM, free concert at the gazebo.

August 27: North Hampton, NH, 5:50 PM, free concert at the bandstand.

October 3: Black Cat Care, Lennoxville, Quebec

November 8: Community Center, Litchfield, CT, 7 PM

That’ll do it for now, folks. We’ll be in touch later with more details and more gigs. Meanwhile we invite you to check www.banjodan.com for info on our CDs, and as always we thank you for supporting real live music. See you soon – Banjo Dan

Banjo Dan and the Mid-Nite Plowboys

Banjo Dan and the Mid-nite Plowboys:

The Sky Blue Boys