The
Rockville Dixie Rascals, comprised of members of the Rockville (MD) Concert
Band, were born on July 4th, 1997, initially to provide interlude
music after the Concert Band's annual
outdoor concert.
They were such a hit, they decided to continue as a permanent
ensemble. The
Rockville Dixie Rascals perform at various functions several times per year and have played many venues, including concerts at the
dedication of Reagan National Airport, the National Cathedral, the Rehoboth
Beach and Bethany bandstands in Delaware, the Strathmore Hall Art Center, Montgomery
County's First Night Celebration in Silver Spring, B&O Railroad's
125th Anniversary of the Rockville Station,
the
Columbia Festival of the Arts, the Kensington Historical Society, as
well as performances at several churches and other private
engagements. The Rascals
also performed on a Mississippi riverboat showboat float (see photo)
in the National
Independence Day Parade in Washington, DC on July 4th, 2000.
On June 24th,
2000, they performed for
Family Day at the Corcoran
Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, which resulted in their first CD.
Their second CD is another live performance recorded on November 5th,
2000, at the Chevy Chase United Methodist Church with the church choir
in celebration of All Saints' Day. Both
performances were professionally recorded by Frank
Letkiewicz, Cradle Rock Studios, Gaithersburg, Maryland.
On June 21st, 2005, The Dixie Rascals
recorded most of the tracks for their latest CD,
The Dixie Rascals Play Blues and Other Goodies. The
remaining tracks were taken from a live concert videotaped at Riderwood
Village on July 19th,
2002. This was the last concert in which Dave Rice, son of Head Rascal
Rip Rice, played trumpet with the Rascals. Dave passed away suddenly on
July 3rd, 2003. This latest recording is dedicated to
the memory of David Womack Rice, DDS, one of the finest musicians it has
been our privilege to know.
Please see the CD Order page to get
one or all the Rascals' CDs and visit the Audio page
to hear MP3 excerpts.