The New Baldones — Founded in October 2007

Bob Hoot and Doug McLeod met on the sidelines of their sons' youth football team. They started talking about music and figured out that they had each played in bands in high school and college days.

After several informal jam sessions, Bob contacted a friend and former co-worker, Dave McGuire, who played drums. And thus the core of the Baldones was formed. Upon a search of bands and names ... they became The New Baldones.

The New Baldones was formed with the core of Bob Hoot (guitar/vocals), Doug McLeod (bass/vocals) and Dave McGuire (drums). They were joined by guest guartists and a horn player. The New Baldones were accompanied by guest vocalist Pam Stampen and guitarist Dave Boyd on their first album release entitled Lives Collide. In the summer of 2012, these veteran musicians recorded 11 songs written by Hoot at Blast House Studios in Madison, Wis.

"The band was able to get all the tracks laid down in a very short amount of time because we had rehearsed and played these songs a lot before we entered the studio. That is except for one track that we had only played a couple of times and never altogether as a band," said Hoot. "In the end, we self-produced this album. But I have to give credit to our engineer, Landon Arkens for giving us his objective ears and technical skill to help create the sound we wanted."

June 2013 — The New Baldones welcomed Harvey Briggs to its ranks. No determination has been made about the status of his follicles, but his musical contribution was undeniable. Harvey has been playing guitar and singing ever since he noticed girls at age 13. He has played in various clubs from Detroit to Nashville, Madison and Baudette, Minnesota. In addition to rock and blues covers, Harvey has written songs about the human condition, lost love and deceased celebrities.

October 2013 — The New Baldones returned to Blast House Studios and recorded a 12-song album entitled Ornate Fiction. The lineup included veteran Baldones Bob Hoot, Doug McLeod and Dave McGuire with the welcome addition of Harvey Briggs. The New Baldones continued to evolve and refine their sound. "On these cuts, we tried to make them tight without a lot of bells and whistles. We want to capture the best of our live sound," said Hoot. "Once again, Landon Arkens helped us get the most out of the songs and our performances."

August 2014 — Veteran drummer Dave McGuire left The New Baldones to concentrate on his primary band (The Roadhouse Drifters). His steady and imaginative contribution is missed.

Spring 2015 — The New Baldones returned to the studio in March and April 2015 and recorded 12 new songs. The album entitled The Last Bookstore features The New Baldones with drummer, Matt Barnidge (drums) and a guest appearances by Jimmie Nahas (drums), Isabel Bernauer (backup vocals), Bruce Geiger (backup vocals) and Mike Massey (keyboards).

The New Baldones played two great shows in the summer of 2015 — Make Music Madison at the Memorial Union Terrace and the sixth annual Rockin' the Hills to benefit MOM. Drummer Matt Barnidge played the show at the Terrace in a rousing reprise of his work on the album entitled The Last Bookstore. The Baldones thank drummer Tom Crozier for sitting in for Rockin' the Hills.

The New Baldones lament the departure of Harvey Briggs from the band, but the demands of work and family always come first. Harvey is now TNB emeritus and is always welcome to sit in with the next iteration of the band — Tent Show Troubadours.

January 2016 — The Tent Show Troubadours released a 14-song album entitled Tent Show Troubadours — Original Music in a Variety of Flavors. The album remixes and remasters songs from the three albums recorded when they were The New Baldones. Tent Show Troubadours have added new players to the band. Drummer Chris DiBernardo and vocalist Jenniper Hylbert fill out the lineup of Tent Show Troubadours.

February 2016 — Tent Show Troubadours pick up where The New Baldones left off. Bob Hoot (guitar, vocals) and Doug McLeod (bass) are still the foundation for the group, but it was time for a change. Over the seven years of The New Baldones, band members have come and gone. With the departure of Harvey Briggs (guitar, vocals), it seemed like the right time to hit the reset button. Tent Show Troubadours still performs songs from the three Baldones albums.

April 2016 — Tent Show Troubadours release 12 new songs on their latest album titled Tangles Ways.

Reviews of The Last Bookstore

 Snap Download review of The Last Bookstore

Divide and Conquer review of The Last Bookstore

Photos from The New Baldones days  

The New Baldones Music on YouTube