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.