When the Los Angeles-based Ditty Bops say they're taking their show on the road, they're talking about a long-distance bike tour.
The girl band duo is known for their love of bicycles; now they're combining the tour to promote their new CD — Moon Over the Freeway — with a cross-country bike ride.
Amanda Barrett and Abby DeWald will leave Los Angeles for New York on May 25, stopping along the way perform concerts in small towns and large cities. You can see their “committed” and “tentative” concert dates at their website.
Known for the bicycle-bikini calendar, the women also are known for their musical talents. Barrett (mandolin and dulcimer) and DeWald (guitar) play in clubs around the LA area.
As for bicycling, DeWald got started as a student at UC-Davis. The California city is known as the nation's most bike-friendly town. Her car was totaled in Los Angeles about five years ago, and she's been bicycling ever since.
“We decided to do the tour this way to promote not only our album, but also cycling and cleaner air,” says DeWald in a press release. “If we can ride our bikes across the country and play music, we hope others will be inspired to ride their bikes more often. It'll also be nice to move our bodies rather than sit in a mush pile in the back of a dirty van.”
The pair have been bicycling in the hills around Los Angeles for the past few months. They'll start their tour by heading up the coast to San Francisco. From there they either head north to Portland or veer across the state to Sacramento. Checking out the concert dates, it seems that they should check the mileage between locales like Cleveland and Pittsburgh, as they have concerts scheduled on subsequent dates.
http://bikeportland.org/2006/05/09/bikey-la-band-will-ride-to-portland-show/'>Via Bike Portland
1 pings
[…] taking to the road by bicycle, it’s usually guys or gals with small stringed instruments. The Ditty Bops nationwide tour with the ukelele and mandolin come to […]