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Ditty Bops 2006 Summer Bicycle Tour

The Ditty Bops -- Amanda Barrett and Abby DeWald -- have developed a following for their eclectic mix of Western swing, ragtime, early jazz and musical theater, and now they want to be known for their cycling prowess as well.

The Ditty Bops are embarking on their 2006 Summer Bicycle Tour in which they plan to bicycle across the United States from Los Angeles to New York, and they plan to stop in Kansas City, St. Louis and Chicago on their journey. They're slated to be in Kansas City, Mo., on July 23; Columbia, Mo., on July 26; St. Louis on July 29, Springfield, Ill., on July 31, Bloomington, Ill., on Aug. 1; and the Old Town School of Folk in Chicago on Aug. 5. They are still looking for venues in Kansas City, Columbia, St. Louis, Springfield and Bloomington and any communities in between that would be interested in a performance. Here's their press release about the tour:

This summer we are embarking on a bicycle tour of America in support of cycling, clean air, and our new album "Moon Over the Freeway". Our new record will be released on May 23rd. We will play KCRW (a Los Angeles radio stationon the morning of May 24 and that night we will have our record release show at The Derby. On May 25th we will depart by bicycle from LA and set out toward NY. You too can help in our adventure by joining us on our rides or emailing us with unique places to play, stay, or visit en route to New York City. Here is our general route for the tour so far: CALIFORNIA:LA, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Sacramento. NEVADA: Nevada City, Tahoe, Reno, Fallon. UTAH: Salt Lake City. COLORADO: Steamboat Springs, Fort Collins, Denver, Frisco, Boulder. KANSAS: Oberlin, Lucas, Lawrence. MISSOURI: Kansas City, Boonville, Columbia, St. Louis. ILLINOIS: Springfield, Bloomington, Chicago. WISCONSIN: Madison, Milwaukee. MICHIGAN: Walhalla, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Ann Arbor. OHIO: Cleveland. PENNSYLVANIA: Pittsburg, Philadelphia. WASHINGTON D.C., MARYLAND: Annapolis. NEW YORK: New York City. After NY we will fly to: WASHINGTON: Seattle and ride to OREGON: Portland, Eugene. This route is subject to change. If you know of any towns on this general path that would like to host a concert, or a venue that we might not know about please email our booking agent Brian Swanson (brian@mpartists.com). This could mean theaters, music stores, bike shops, farms, etc.... We look forward to seeing you along the ride this Summer!

You can hear some of their music and see some of their music videos at their Web site. They've already received national exposure on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and the "Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson."

I've offered my tips to Amanda and Abby. I referred them to the League of Illinois Bicyclists' recently published Route 66 Trail between St. Louis, and I warned them cycling in the St. Louis region can be difficult in July because of high temperatures and high humidity.

Here's hoping the Ditty Bops have a successful tour, both on stage and on their bicycles. Thanks to Jeff Jackson of the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation and the C.I.C.L.E. for spreading the word.

Roger 2 comments 12:37 PM

Comments:

hope they do a audio blog while on the road. i found it easier to update by a cell phone than trying to find an internet connection while you are on a bicycle tour.

i setup an audio blog for bikeandsee.blogspot.com i think they have another month of riding left.

# posted by  Caridad : 2:36 AM

 

I may have to see them when they are in Springpatch or Chi-town...thanks!

# posted by  Bike : 1:01 PM

 

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