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Electric guitars at historic Herter Hall? Doggone right
BY MARGO OXENDINE • CONTRIBUTING WRITER
 | | The British Invasion party, slated for Saturday, Sept. 8 at Garth Newel, is a great night to howl, as evidenced by this fab five. Barking Dogs, from left, are Marty Diamond, Linda Wesley, Jay Batley, Sally Johnson and Amory Mellen III. (Photo courtesy Amory Mellen III) |
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WARM SPRINGS - What's the most fun you can have just once a year? The British Invasion.
Boomers take note: If you want to feel like you're 16 again, with no worries other than finding the perfect go-go boots, experience the British Invasion next Saturday.
We can thank Barking Dog Productions for the chance to do the boogaloo, the Freddy, and any number of other obscure dances that marked teen life in the 1960s.
Who, or what, is Barking Dog? It's the who, but not the band.
Barking Dog is a group of hipsters who love great music, have a sense of humor, and will work like dogs to bring Bath County the kind of music it rarely gets to hear. It all started in 2002, when Jay Batley, Marty Diamond, Sally Johnson, Amory Mellen began chatting about the lack of good dance music here. Since Batley and Johnson had radio shows on WCHG, they decided to bring a rock band to town as a fund-raiser for the radio station.
That first concert, held at Batley's Camp Mont Shenandoah in Millboro Springs, was a great success, and raised several thousand dollars. Since then, "The British Invasion" has morphed into a much-anticipated annual event, complete with costumes, food, drink, and, of course, a fab band called "The English Channel."
The band, from Richmond, actually has ties to Bath and Highland. It's led by Bob and Julie Quarles. Bob has family in Bolar, and the couple owns property in Mountain Grove. Find out more at www.thenglishchannel.com.
But back to Barking Dog. The group organized in 2003, adding Linda Wesley to the roster. In 2004, Jacob Yarrow and Sarah McWilliams joined in the fun. Soon, the Bath County Arts Association recognized a good thing, and partnered up with "the Dogs." Ditto for Garth Newel, where Yarrow serves as executive director.
Barking Dog Productions has brought the Piedmont blues to Bath, with the duo Cephas & Wiggins, as well as the acoustic blues of John Hammond. It has brought none other than T.S. Monk to jazz things up, and then laid things back with folk artist Mike Seeger.
The success of these shows helped lead to the birth of the Virginia Blues and Jazz Festival in 2006 - a joint production of Garth Newel, the Arts Association, and Barking Dog.
By now, you must be wondering, why Barking Dog?
One morning, Batley was awakened about 3 a.m. by just that - barking dogs. For some reason, this led him to suggest it as the name for the group, and the idea was embraced by all. Then came a fetching logo, designed by artist Karen Diamond, Marty's wife. And the rest, as they say, is history.
It's difficult to say what is most fun about the annual British Invasion. It could be the opportunity for a rock and roll-starved audience to dance like teenagers, no matter what their age.
"That was the most surprising and delightful thing," Johnson and Diamond noted this week. "From that very first party, everybody danced - people in their 20s, people in their 70s, and everybody in between. The band heads to the stage and - boom! - everybody starts dancing. The band says this is their favorite gig that they play."
Another tasty aspect is the good food - this year, it's fish and chips, chaps. But it's probably the costumes that are the most fun of all. About one-third of the British Invasion partygoers dress the part - Nehru jackets, A-line shifts, garish Pucci-print polyester dresses, bell-bottoms, love beads and, of course, go-go boots. Men without much hair suddenly appear with long locks - streamin', flaxen, waxen - if you don't understand the reference, count yourself young.
Women who wouldn't be caught dead in polyester any other day of the year actually seek it out and whip it up into mini-dresses.
But you don't have to dress the part to have a good time."People can feel completely comfortable, even if they don't want to dress in costumes," notes Johnson. "A lot of people come to the party just to look at the people who do dress up."
The British Invasion comes to Garth Newel Saturday, Sept. 8. Call Garth Newel for tickets, 839- 5018, or visit www.garthnewel.org. The hep happening gets under way at 6:30 p.m., and music starts at 8. Dinner is included in the price of admission, and there's also a cash bar. Proceeds will benefit the Bath County Arts Association.
By the way, history will be made: This will be the first time electric rock guitars grace the Herter Hall stage. You're bound to enjoy yourself, yeah, yeah, yeah.
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