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Earlier this month, the LA-based and green-minded The Ditty Bops (MySpace) completed their six week Summer Farm Tour (which began at the Henry Fonda Theater) with a performance at Farm Aid at Randall's Island in New York, complete with an introduction by actress and fellow environmentalist Daryl Hannah.
I had the unique opportunity to follow the band in Northern California, Chicago, and New York as they toured across the country in their biodiesel-powered van, and while Farm Aid was quite a large spectacle, for me, it was their private intimate shows -- for the cows of the Straus Family Creamery in Marshall and the goats of Redwood Hills Farm in Sebastopol -- that were the most memorable and embodied the spirit of their tour in terms of raising awareness of family-owned farms and sustainable agriculture as well as organizations like The Growing Connection and Farm Aid.
Tomorrow, The Ditty Bops mark their return to LA with a performance at The Hollywood Bowl, as part of the Big Top Bowl: A Global Circus Celebration, sharing the bill with Bob Moore's Amazing Mongrels and the Peking Acrobats. Gwendolyn and the Good Time Gang as well as Quazar and the Bamboozled are part of the pre-show activities, which start at 4:30 PM.
More from Farm Aid as well as photos and video from the aforementioned farms in Northern California after the jump.
Straus Family Creamery:
Redwood Hills Goat Farm:
Farm Aid:
Check out The Ditty Bops' Summer Farm Tour Blog here as well as their videos from the tour, including their camera's POV at Straus Family Creamery and Redwood Hills Goat Farm here.
And more photos to come from the Summer Farm Tour here.
Special thanks to Abby DeWald, Amanda Barrett, John Lambdin, Greg Rutledge, and tour manager Paul Natkin for their support during the tour.
