Save The Bilge Pumps!

[Corinne Bagley]

Hey everyone,
I am helping with a petition to keep a band called "The Bilge Pumps" at TRF.
All I ask if for you to send a message to Jeffrey Baldwin producer@texrenfest.com
PLEASE ! ! !!
Let him know that we want to keep the Pirate group at TEX REN FEST. If we get enough people to email, he may change his mind about letting them leave.
All they want is a stage to perform on ( that is big enough ) to gather a crowd. Right now they are on a small Gazeebo with hardly any seating. Most people leave because there is no place to sit.
With a proper stage they will be able to entertain a larger crowd and make enough money to provide for their families.

Please help them,

Thank you,

[Grov]

I agree, they need a bawdier place to spread out.  Not a small group so that gazebo has them squeezed up tight and unable to really do their physical comedy.

[Sir Martin]

I am a Bilge Pumps fan, so I am replying to this with the utmost respect for the band.  The Bilge Pumps are a fantastic group, but I am uncomfortable with requests for online petitions without the explicit approval of the person or persons involved.

Jeff Baldwin and TRF management are aware of how large the crowds are for entertainers on every stage at the festival.  The statement that Jeff Baldwin "may change his mind about letting them leave" is equivocal at best.   It implies that The Bilge Pumps will not be back next season ... do we know that for a fact?  Does it mean The Bilge Pumps have threatened to leave if not offered a larger venue?  The statement that "With a proper stage they will be able to entertain a larger crowd and make enough money to provide for their families" is a questionable remark.  Have band members actually said that they cannot feed their families if they do not have a larger stage?  The band's official web site makes no mention of any of the above assertions.

The Bilge Pumps will have to speak for themselves.  I have emailed Bilge Pumps spokesman Craig Lutke and requested an official response from the group.  Until a response is recieved, I ask that R/F forum members do not contact TRF management with petitions based upon this unverified request.

* thread locked pending contact from The Bilge Pumps *

[Sir Martin]

I received a response from Craig Lutke (Maroon) regarding the information posted above.  He advised that there are some elements of truth in the message, along with some misinformation.  Fans can be very passionate about their favorite acts, but we really needed to hear from the performers involved.  Craig is a real gentleman and contacted me after updating his blog on The Bilge Pumps web site.  The official status of the band can be found here:

http://thebilgepumps.com/blog.cgi

I wonder if it is totally out of the question to erect a new stage with more seating than The Wharfside Music Gazebo, yet not quite as large as, say, The Globe Stage?  The reason I say this is because if Circa Paleo will be returning, they could alternate performances on a mid-sized stage with The Bilge Pumps thereby allowing a full day of shows with adequate seating.