The Two Bobbies

Now, who could be surprised to hear Bob Dylan say that the lyric that's inspired him most was penned 214 years ago by our own dear Rabbie Burns? You can read about it in The Guardian (thanks to Tom McKeith for the tip) and read the poem itself right here:

A Red, Red Rose

O my Luve's like a red, red rose,

That's newly sprung in June:

O my Luve's like the melodie,

That's sweetly play'd in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonie lass,

So deep in luve am I;

And I will luve thee still, my dear,

Till a' the seas gang try.

Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,

And the rocks melt wi' the sun;

And I will luve thee still, my dear,

While the sands o' life shall run.

And fare-the-weel, my only Luve!

And fare-thee-weel, a while!

And I will come again, my Luve,

Tho' 'twere ten thousand mile!

So I guess we'll be adding a few tunes from this latter-day Rabbie to our set list for Burns Supper 2009! And you can join Mr. Dylan right now, and fill your own heart with the words of the Bard at www.robertburns.org/works/. Have yourself a glorious day!

'Arf Pat's, September 19

So me and Fiddlin' Dave are in this pub, and a fellow walks up to the bar and says, "Two dogs, please." A minute later he's stepping away with a glass in his hand. A puzzled Dave scratches his furrowed brow with a rosin-dusted finger and asks him, "Two dogs?" The guy points at his pint glass, a mix of ale and stout, and says "Yeah -- It's 'arf and 'arf." (Groans all around.)

And here it is, almost 'arf-way to St. Patrick's, and we of Riggity Jig are inviting you to a fine night of music and good cheer at Little Prague Bohemian Restaurant, local gathering place and cultural center for the Czeltic czommunity of greater Yolo County. We'll be playing at 6 pm (til ???) on Friday, September 19, and we'd love to see you there! To make your dinner reservation now, call 530-756-1107. Besides the main dining room, Little Prague has tables on the patio and in the bar, so make sure to ask for a spot close to the band. We're hoping fair weather will put us out on the patio this time around.

See you there!

Meet Me at the Fair!

Riggity Jig will be playing on stage at the Yolo County Fair again this year. Friday, August 15, we'll be on the East Stage from 4 to 5:30, squinting into the setting sun. We'd love to see you there! 

At last year's fair, we ended up playing backup for Dave Bender's Channel 13 weather report, broadcast live from the fairgrounds. Who knows what could happen this year?

The best way to find out is to be there! Tell your friends! Get some recycled paper and print out a dozen flyers (type or photo version) to pass out on the street. We're always passing out on the street -- It's fun!

See your at the fair! 

To Market, to Market . . .

Our flash jam turned out to be on a very smoky day, so we shifted indoors to Fiddlin' Dave Riggs's house about a block from Pioneer Park. Three fiddlers from the Scottish Games fiddlers' jam managed to find us there, and we had a fun evening swapping tunes. We'll plan another jam soon, and hope to keep it outdoors on a clear . . . and cool . . . evening then.

Next gig: Catch us Saturday morning, July 12, at the Woodland Farmer's Market in Freeman Park (between Main and Court Streets, a few blocks west of East Street). The market runs from 9 am til noon. Besides great music and fresh produce, the July 12 market will feature a classic car show and kids' science activities from Explorit Science Center.

We're also booked to play the Yolo County Fair again this year, starting at 4 pm on Friday, August 15. Watch for details. Last year we ended up playing backup for a live TV weather report from the fair!

Flash Jam!

What do you get when a tree that's full of ripe plums gets struck by lightning?

That's right: It's a Flash Jam!

That's also what you get if you use electronic means to announce a drop-in music session on short notice. Which is what we're doing here!

Friday, June 27, starting 6:30-ish, Riggity Jig will be hosting a jam session at Pioneer Park, corner of Branigan and Farnham in Woodland, California. All are welcome to sit in with the band, sing along, hum, bang your handtools in time, or just listen while your kids play on the playground.

So make time in your schedule! It's literally the last Friday in June, 2008, ever! Maybe the smoky haze will let up! Maybe they'll turn the sprinklers on! But you may never know if you don't drop by.

We'll be watching for you!

Almost Famous!

The local, beta version of Riggity Jig's global media blitz continued Monday with a write-up and some great photos -- one on the front page straddling the fold -- in the Davis Enterprise! Take a look at the the pix at the Enterprise website. No, that's no 'zouk I'm holding, but it sounds a lot more interesting that a mandolin -- or maybe it's easier to spell for the caption?

The reporter waxed rhapsodic and he spelled our names right, too. He also included our URL, and properly captured the lilt of Lee's pennywhistle, "like it's rolling over green hills." Ahhh.

In contrast to Saturday night's cold and rain, Monday night we played outdoors in pleasant weather on Little Prague's patio, and once again to a fine, appreciative crowd. Thanks to Vaclav and Eva for making us feel so welcome and so well fed.

Now it's back to our day jobs as we plan the next step in our plan for global domination. See you then!

A Fine Night, & More to Come!

Thanks to all who came to listen to Riggity Jig on March 15 and cheered us on. If you missed us Saturday night, all is not lost: We'll be back at Little Prague for the genuine St. Patrick's day, Monday night March 17 from 6 to 9 pm. Once again, reservations are advised.

Thanks also to our generous tippers, all of whose tips are going straight to St. Baldrick's to fund childhood cancer research. Riggity Jig's shaving team (see photo) has raised around $700 so far, with a goal of $1,000. Visit our team page if you'd like to make a donation, too. This year's preliminary total for all St. Baldrick's Day contributions worldwide is in excess of $8 million. That's a lot of pipettes and Petri dishes, but every extra penny will help.

It's still a little bit of a shock every time I look in the mirror and see that hairless scalp. But I know it will grow back, and I'm grateful that I when I lost my hair it was by choice. All of those kids and adults who lose their hair to chemotherapy have a choice, too, I suppose, but it's a much tougher one than I've ever had to face. Thanks to the good folks at St. Baldrick's Foundation for raising so much money to help these folks and for raising my own consciousness about one little bit of what they face each day, too.