Social Events
Tom Rigney and Flambeau
On Thursday evening, August 27, we will have a very well-known bay
area band for listening and dancing after dinner. The band is "Tom
Rigney and Flambeau". They play a mix of blues, cajun, zydeco and
swing. All very danceable, either just moving around or doing the
cajun and swing style steps. Tuesday evening,
there will be a brief dance lesson to
teach the most basic, but very useful, steps
for those who are interested.
You can learn more about the band at:
Rigomania. Sample music
tracks are linked to this home page or directly accessed
via Tracks.
According to one music critic, "there is no question that Rigney has
become one of the premier blues and roots music violinists in the
world, and continues to be a prolific composer of powerfully
compelling music for the violin, music whose influences come from an
extremely wide range of musical styles within the broad boundaries of
American Roots Music. As a composer, as a violinist, as a band leader,
Tom Rigney is a true American original."
Tom Rigney and Flambeau live performances are being broadcast to wide acclaim
throughout the US on
Public Broadcasting TV stations as part of the "Music Gone Public"
series.
So, put aside your physics discussions for a few hours and enjoy a
really unique experience.
Jorge Cham from PhDComics
Jorge is well-known for his comic strip about PhD students and their
travails and for amusing presentations lambasting various
disciplines. He will be speaking after the banquet dinner. We look
forward to an entertaining (perhaps embarassing) presentation.