| When: | Friday, April 24 @ 7:30pm |
| Where: | Christ Church – 20 Carroll Street, Poughkeepsie |
| Adults: | $15 |
| Students: | $5 |
| Children Under 12: | Free |
So, “Who’s is playing what?,” you ask inquisitively? Enter your answers into the form below and send your answers to us. See if you can figure it out.
Dick Bowden’s Flying Circus is the band of bands! And revealing the names of the band members is the equivalent of Snowden’s leak of the NSA spying…of Julian Assange’s Wikileaks. Fortunately, HVBA has been contacted by the master whistle blower within the bluegrass community.
Just as Edward Snowden, Julian Assange, and Deep Throat are among the famous “leakers” in history. We are pleased to able to add one of own to the list.
And just as Deep Throat’s identity remained secret for many years, our source, too, needs to have his/her identify protected. As you can imagine, HVBA members have been sworn to secrecy in order to protect the safety of this valuable source. If necessary, the editor of our website may simply have to serve a long prison term for the sake of protecting the First Amendment (Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right ……).
So … what exactly WAS Dick Bowden’s response when he was informed of the leak? It is no surprise that Dick firmly pleaded with us to not to use REAL names, stating: “We’re sensitive about that. Tell [the editor] it’s Witness Protection kind of stuff… ”
Are you kidding, Dick? There is simply NO way that the HVBA wants to keep this news from the public. Our members need to know these kinds of secrets. Some day, maybe a movie will even be written called the “Inside the Mind of an HVBA Leaker” or “Citizen Five” and, by then, we’re sure that even Dick will understand.
Ah, seriously, it is too early to leak the names and so we’ve gone ahead and warned our own “Deep Throat” to be prepared to head for Russia. In the meantime, see if you can name the band’s members.
Dick Bowden’s Flying Circus
- ________________________ (Mandolin)
- ________________________ (Guitar)
- ________________________ (Bass)
- ________________________ (Banjo)
The well-known bluegrass musician and band leader, Dick Bowden, having learnt the hard way that there is more money in booking bluegrass than playing it, has formed a Light Entertainment Squadron (detached) known as Dick Bowden’s Flying Circus. Without a doubt, it is something completely different in the bluegrass field! (Wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more, say no more.)
Mr. Bowden, as impresario, has combed the ranks of the services of the Allies and gathered together a number of the finest talents in bluegrass music and military aeronautical science. (Total number currently approaching reinforced battalion strength.) Due to the exacting and exhausting nature of the Flying Circus programme, show assignments are rotated among these many brave volunteers.
Mr. Bowden has been very fortunate to secure Colonel F.Sts J.H.R.S.M. Buff-Orpington, RAF (retired) (Mrs) on extended detachment from Her Majesty’s service, to command the Flying Circus. The Colonel leads the programme, plays guitar or banjo, and assigns various musical duties to the many service members. The Colonel also has been granted the power of summary court martial.
The Colonel has a secondary ambition to be the first British officer to summit the twin peaks of Mount Everest with a bluegrass band.
For the Hudson Valley Bluegrass Association show Friday April 24, The Colonel has drawn an all-New-York, all-Hudson-Valley unit of musicians. Although veteran performers one and all, this will be their first appearance before the HVBA audience. They expect a WARM patriotic welcome from their neighbors!
Playing bass fiddle, The Colonel presents The Honourable Arthur Pewty, of the Queen’s Bench, Hamilton Bermuda. Judge Pewty is wintering in the Hudson Valley to escape the unpleasant Bermuda winter. Judge Pewty may also be prevailed upon to render a “flat pick” guitar selection.
Playing the mandolin and singing, The Colonel presents Dr. Honoria Butcher, U.S. Army M*A*S*H (ret.). She excels at the mandolin style of Bill Monroe and has both a lovely voice and lovely plumage. But the plumage don’t enter into it. Dr. Butcher is usually willing to conduct impromptu surgical clinics during intermission. And like all stout-hearted Flying Circus aeronauts, she works without an anesthesiologist.
Playing guitar and singing lead is “Big E”, a native of Hip’n’snitch Oklahoma, now residing in a cabin in the Hudson Valley mountains monitoring world-wide sea level rise. Big E is one of the strongest rhythm guitar players under the Colonel’s command, and his knowledge of traditional bluegrass songs, especially Stanley Brothers material, is legendary. Big E also has imported a number of deserving, if less well known, songs into his personal repertoire. While he is also a veteran, he is not permitted to say much about his past service to the Allies. It is suspected that due to a mix-up in paperwork he was mistakenly assigned to the Canadian Forces SEALS and clubbed by a Newfoundlander in a tragic case of camouflage excellence.
Scattered like land mines throughout the programme of traditional bluegrass music, The Flying Circus will also present humorous vignettes or “skits” to keep the audience confused. The Colonel finds that many audiences are bored to the point of stultification, and badly need confusing. No need to thank him, it’s all in a day’s work for “Confuse An Audience, LLC”.
The editors would like apologize for the extremely poor nature of that last product placement. We’ve spoken to The Colonel about that repeatedly.
Dick Bowden and the Hudson Valley Bluegrass Association cordially invite bluegrass and acoustic music and light entertainment fans to turn out in droves for the April 24 appearance of Dick Bowden’s Flying Circus, at Christ Church, 20 Carroll St., Poughkeepise NY. For further information do consult the HVBA.org website, and the Facebook page “Colonel Buff Orpington”.
You may carry on…