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The Ditty Bops: Bicycling to Peddle New CD

NPR | By Melissa Block
Published August 17, 2006 at 3:05 PM EDT

For its summer tour, the musical duo the Ditty Bops isn't traveling cross-country like most bands. For most of the trip, Abby Dewald and Amanda Barrett are riding their bikes. Dewald and Barnett are promoting their new album, Moon Over the Freeway.

The Los Angeles-based pair set off from California on May 25 and will end the tour on Aug. 30 in New York, performing along the way.

Dewald and Barrett say they decided to travel by bike in order to slow their pace down, see the country and meet people.

The duo's music is a retro mix of cabaret jazz, vaudeville and western swing. Barrett plays the mandolin, dulcimer and washboard, while Dewald plays acoustic guitar. Their act also includes plenty of costumes and props: skeletons, coffins, rollerskates, mustaches and wigs.

They talk about the longest ride they've done so far (113 miles through the Nevada desert), being chased by dogs (an everyday occurrence) and Barrett's rumoured fire-eating abilities (false).

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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As special correspondent and guest host of NPR's news programs, Melissa Block brings her signature combination of warmth and incisive reporting. Her work over the decades has earned her journalism's highest honors, and has made her one of NPR's most familiar and beloved voices.
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