2008-07-06T02:29:42Z Casper Band Copyright 2008, Casper Band SPHPBLOG from 4 to 8pm. There will be a concert by the Fort Lee Army Band and a spectacular fireworks show after we finish (ya think the Army knows a lil' sumtin' about fireworks, eh?)Check out the link below for info.

We want to give a special shout out to Randy Cooper and the good people at The Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce for another successful "Celebration of the Vine" event this past Saturday. They were wonderful to us! (The portable AC unit for the stage was a lifesaver, guys!) Good wine, friends, food and music!
It's always nice to see our fans and meet new ones too! This festival is definitely picking up speed and is only going to get better! We look forward to many events with these folks. If you want to get involved with this event or any business venture you can e-mail them at www.chesterfieldchamber.com

Back to Casper news. We are on vacation from July 5th to 16th and have some other public appearances later in the month; Staunton, Buena Vista and the Rockbridge County Fair. See the website for the full itinerary. Lastly, our former keyboardist and trumpet player, Bill Gaines will be making his triumphant return to the band very soon so stay tuned! See you kats and kiddies on the road!
Cheers!
Casper]]> http://casperband.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry080701-044907 2008-07-01T00:00:00Z 2008-07-01T00:00:00Z Nope kids, we only get the Rolling Stone treatment when we play outside the US or do fly dates across the country, which these days with the economy and the cost of getting a 9 piece band in the air, are few and far between, but it only makes it more special when it does happen.

Thanks for those who have made it out to the first few dates of the summer! Here are some of the places we will be this month:
Visions, Midway, the Smith Point Bluefish Tourney in Reedville, and the Chesterfield Wine Festival. All info is on the calendar and we will send out a reminder or two if we can.

Looking ahead to July, we are playing at Fort Lee Army Base for July 4th! I bet the military puts on a good fireworks show! More details will follow for that show. We will be taking our annual summer vacation after that and then back out we go!

If you take pictures of us or yourselves at our shows, send them in, we may be able to post them in our photo section. Until we meet again loved ones,
Cheers!

Casper]]> http://casperband.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry080602-054945 2008-06-02T00:00:00Z 2008-06-02T00:00:00Z Hi y'all. How have you been? Oops you can't answer. We are fine and have been steady since last we talked. The band is busy learning some new stuff for the summer run. Looks like we will be playing some of our fav summer venues as well as some new ones. Be sure to check the schedule for updates. This month (this Saturday) we have a double header. The AM gig is at the Heart of Virginia Festival in Farmville at the Airport. It looks to be a lot of fun and we are looking forward to seeing all of our new fans up there. We have to then get right back on the road for a late nighter for Virginia Tech in Blacksburg...whoa!
We also are headed back to begin one of 3 dates at the Old Towne Civic Center on the 15th, be there or be square..
More dates are being added, so stay in touch. Lastly, please remember the victims from the recent Tornadoes in Colonial Heights and Suffolk in your prayers..

Cheers!(especially to those folks)

Casper]]> http://casperband.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry080501-120138 2008-05-01T00:00:00Z 2008-05-01T00:00:00Z With spring comes pollen, turning our cars and homes into green things. Those who are allergic LOVE this season don't we? Welcome to another episode of "The Caspers".
We are playing at Aylett Country Day School tomorrow night for an Oyster Roast, tickets are available....yummy.
We are set to play the Old Towne Civic Center next month in the first of 3 concerts there this season.Also, there is a new music after hours concert series in South Hill, VA that we are slated for in the next few months, so watch the calendar and your e-mail for details.
We have begun to update the website with new pictures in the photo and bio section. Look for that to be completed soon. There are a few new adds for the summer itinerary but we can't speak of them just yet, but we hear they are special! A sneak peak, there is a beach music festival in Buena Vista that we will be on along with some other great bands.
We are learning some new material too and freshening up a few things for the summer run.
So stay tuned kiddies..

Cheers!

Casper
]]> http://casperband.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry080411-033438 2008-04-11T00:00:00Z 2008-04-11T00:00:00Z
To us, the most important people at the event were the Casper VIP's (our wives and families). Some folks don't realize that our families spend sometimes 40 to 50 weekends out of the year, many nights during the week and long nights without us. That's alot of birthday, wedding, anniversary and social events that we miss together. Some people in our band haven't spent New Years Eve at home in over 20 years! Often, when our wives and families manage to join us at a show, the accomodations aren't always stellar. So, it's not often, but THANK YOU! (Honey, Mom, Dad, Sis, Bro, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Cuz Removed, Fido, Socks, etc)

We also want to thank the sponsors of the party this year! Some are new sponsors (Welcome!), some return year after year and we are grateful to you for providing a nice party for us and the fans! We trust you had a good time and hope the donation to "Noah's Children" was huge! This party would not exist without you..so a very warm 'Thank You' from the band.

Catch us at Vision's on the 29th and check the schedule for an upcoming show in South Hill next month! Until then..
Cheers!

Casper]]> http://casperband.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry080320-040820 2008-03-20T00:00:00Z 2008-03-20T00:00:00Z Just a quick update for our February shows and there will be a special blog later this month. More in a sec.
Tomorrow night (Feb 8th), Casper travels to a new venue! We will be at Mulligan's Sports bar in Farmville, VA (about an hour from Chesterfield for you hardcore fans). Saturday we will be in Fishersville, VA for the annual Valentines Day Dance at Augusta Expoland. Ticket info is not known as of this writing. Later this month, we will be back at Vision's Lounge in Richmond.

Many of you have asked about us returning to the Midway in Mechanicsville. Well, Good news, we just booked a 2-nighter there for June!
Next month is the Annual Friends of Casper Party! Details and Sponsorship are still being worked out by Casper management so information is not available yet. Later this month, we will post a special blog for invitation information and how to get them.

And while we're on this subject, we need a favor...
Every year, we are flooded with requests for this event, and as our fan base grows, the more requests we get. Because of the venue size, and the sponsors needed to put this show on, invitations for general public are very limited. PLEASE do not ask for an invitation if you are not sure you can attend. We don't want any one to miss out. Check the blog and watch your e-mail.

Cheers!

Casper]]> http://casperband.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry080207-070206 2008-02-07T00:00:00Z 2008-02-07T00:00:00Z Welcome to 2008! Time to reflect and to look forward, to break resolutions, start new ones and return Christmas gifts!
We thank the faithful who attended our annual New Years Eve show at the Holiday Inn Koger Center. Many of you make it a tradition and we have new friends this year too. We thank our guys, our faithful DJ Dave and our buddy Ozone from 107.3 along with the Holiday Inn Staff for a smashing gig! Shaun would like to thank Brian at Charley's Guitar in Dallas for his new guitar! (Maybe he'll keep this one!?)

The beginning of the year is typically slow for most bands of our nature, but we are actually fairly busy this month. We will be in Fredricksburg, Petersburg and some other private shows along with a quick stop at back at Visions (Hoilday Inn Koger) this month.
We hopefully will have ticket info for the band party coming up in next month's blog! You folks enjoy life and start your new year off right with a trip out to see us! See Ya!

Cheers!

Casper


]]> http://casperband.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry080102-041238 2008-01-02T00:00:00Z 2008-01-02T00:00:00Z Hi Y'all!
A very southern Murreh Christmas! Guess you folks have done all the shopping and credit card burnin' that we are starting to do?
And so the Christmas Tour kicked off last Saturday in Charlottesville, lots of pretty decorations and people at these functions as always. We have a bit of travelling to do, but most shows are around here and we've even got a quick add right before Christmas at the Petersburg Civic Center! (hint: the band loves cash :)
We worked up a cool Otis Redding medley along with some newer Top 40 for you folks, Levie is smokin it up too! Tickets are on sale for our 19th NYE at the Koger Center and are starting to pick up speed, so don't wait! Overall its been a very blessed year for Casper, we have our health, great fans and some interesting shows to look forward to in '08, so life is grand!
We want to thank all of you who support us and this website and wish all of you a very Merry Christmas! See you this month or in '08!

Cheers!

Casper
]]> http://casperband.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry071203-103518 2007-12-03T00:00:00Z 2007-12-03T00:00:00Z October was good even if we didn't play a gig last night.Thank all of you who supported us at the food fest gigs and to our dear friends at Effinger VFD...ladies, the food was DYNOMITE!
November is moderately busy. We have a double-header (2 gigs in a day) on the 10th where we will play for Harley Davidson in Colonial Heights in the morning (public invited) and back to Koger Center for an evening with the Chesterfield Quarterback League..(get ready y'all!) We also just added what will be probably our last public show of the year at Visions on Friday the 16th. Some private shows and brief road trips fill out the rest of the month.
Tickets are on sale for our 20th anniversary New Years Eve performance at the Holiday Inn Koger Center. See the website for link and info about that as well as other gigs. Hope to see you Kats and Kitties out this month!
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us to all of you.

Gobble, Gobble

Casper

]]> http://casperband.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry071101-054225 2007-11-01T00:00:00Z 2007-11-01T00:00:00Z
Looking at the month, we are also doing an open house at the Enon Fire Dept this Sunday afternoon. Later on, we will be seeing our friends at the Hopewell Moose (12th)and a pop up appearance in Buena Vista at the Effinger Fire House on the 27th. As always check the website for ticket/show info. Jason has a Birthday this month too! So...come hang out with the boys this month and...bring your appetite!

Cheers...Urp! ('scuuuuze me!)

Casper
]]> http://casperband.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry071002-080037 2007-10-02T00:00:00Z 2007-10-02T00:00:00Z August was a good month for us. We had great crowds for Visions, and at Fort Lee this past Friday with "Lakeside"! We want to thank Billy and the crew at Mid Atlantic Productions and "Fun Bobby" for helping us get the shows on!

Donnie and Howard have birthdays this month, but we aren't releasing their ages under fear of lawsuits :)

We play the final Thursday in Old Towne (petersburg) this month and also the annual benefit for Warren' Hope (see link). Please support this wonderful charity. Our fans help this event every year and we are grateful!

Looking ahead to next month, we are at the Midlothian Food Festival and the Atlee Fall Festival! Hope to see you at all of these great shows! Until then..

Cheers!

Casper]]> http://casperband.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070904-045418 2007-09-04T00:00:00Z 2007-09-04T00:00:00Z
We came back to a 4-banger for the end of July. The Midway was packed both nights and we always have a good time there. The Festival of the Grape in Chesterfield was a success. It was hot, but such a nice place for a wine fest and the crowd and staff really dug us. That evening we played the Music of America Festival at Rockahock Campground in Lanexa, VA. Rockahock has a beautiful campground and concert area. We will be headlining our own concert there on Saturday August 11.

This month..(tomorrow!) We head back to Petersburg for a concert at Old Town Civic Center (recent add) and return to Visions at the Holiday Inn Koger on the 10th. We have some private events and on the 31st, we open for the legendary Lakeside at Fort Lee. So y'all stay tuned. BTW, Welcome to the many new fans we made this past weekend and thanks for signing up! Be sure to stay in touch with us, ya never know when we can pop up on a show! Looking ahead to next month, the Bay Seafood Festival is now sold out, sorry for those who couldn't score tickets..See you Cats and Kitties on the gig..
PS. A special shout-out for our good friend Paige...you get better young lady, we love ya!

Cheers!

Casper]]> http://casperband.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070801-043755 2007-08-01T00:00:00Z 2007-08-01T00:00:00Z A very patriotic greeting from your all-american band!...(well, Shaun is from Poland...just kidding! :)
Been a hot one folks. Hot, but good for the boys. We have managed to stay busy these last few months, and have some recent adds for the summer as a result of near sold out performances!
We played or tried to play a private event Friday night at Maymont Park and...didn't quite make it past the dinner set. The rain came..HARD. Needless to say the equipment got a good summer cleaning. Saturday night we sold out Visions lounge to capacity (over 440 people in that night club!!) Thank you all!

Here's a brief update for the July itinerary. Tomorrow night, we are in Farmville, VA for a pre-4th of July concert. Friday the 6th, we are back at the Fort Lee Army Base Concert Series for our second of 3 appearances there. Saturday, we have a private event in Charlottesville. The band will be on a well-deserved and needed vacation for the middle two weeks of July. We return on the 26-27 with 2 shows at Midway in Mechanicsville.

We have a Double Header on July 28th. First, we will play a wine tasting festival in Chesterfield in the afternoon and then on to Lanexa, VA to close out the American Music Festival at the Rockahock Camp Grounds. We have 2 recent adds for August, a return show at Petersburg Civic Center on the 2nd and a return to Visions on the 10th. Details are on the web. Hope everyone has a Safe and Happy 4th!....Don't play with matches!!! ( I can hear my Mom now...)

Cheers!

Casper
]]> http://casperband.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070702-091603 2007-07-02T00:00:00Z 2007-07-02T00:00:00Z Welcome to another episode of "The Caspers" (as we have been announced before..no kidding). In our last episode, young sax man Howard was getting married...It was a truly fun gig, many local and even some semi-national stars were in attendance. The band played, Howard got Plastered, we got rained on during load out...a successful gig! It was a beautiful night and we congratulate our bro! May and June have been busy for us and more dates are being added.

We had a record crowd at the Petersburg Old Town Civic Center last Thursday! Thank you all for that and for our new friends too!
For thise who missed us, we are doing the last concert of the season there in September

This just in...Casper will be playing the Fort Lee Army Base Concert Series in Petersburg, VA!! The dates are June 15, July 6 and August 31 when we will (drumroll please)..open for national recording artists..LAKESIDE! Dates and some info are on the schedule, more will be added soon. We are also going to play at the Farmville Airport on July 3 (more details to follow there as well) We return to Vision's Lounge at the Holiday Inn Koger in the end of June and after a brief band vacation in mid-July, we return to the Midway for a 2 nighter! So..plenty of opportunities to see your bright, shiny faces in all the happy places :)) (see, I can really rhyme!...I oughta try this rap thing out, eh?)

Cheers!

Casper
]]> http://casperband.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070607-051038 2007-06-07T00:00:00Z 2007-06-07T00:00:00Z "H" and his lovely bride to be, Kathey have been together for a long time and have finally decided to make it official! We are excited and hopeful for the best of all things for our bro and the future "Missus H" Congratulations!

While "H" and "K" are honeymooning in some secluded paradise, our good friend, Gary Hartle from "Flashback" will be filling in for him on what will be a very busy week for the band! We are set to play 6 gigs in a week. Friday we kick off in Petersburg, Saturday in Richmond for Howard, Sunday in Charlottesville, Tuesday in Williamsburg Friday back in Richmond and Saturday we finish the run in Alexandria...whoa, welcome to the road, Dorothy! :)

The Friday gig in Richmond is listed on the site as public; however, its is actually a private benefit. If you are interested in coming, e-mail the website and we can get the contact information for you.

We have 2 shows slated for the Midway this month and our fist official outdoor concert of the summer at Old Town Civic Center at the end of May, so we expect to see your smiling faces there!
We are learning a new medley right now that you will all love, and hopefully we will have it ready soon (if we can stay off the road long enough to actually rehearse!) Stay in touch and check in often, folks!

Dum Dum da Dum! (okay, I'll stop now...)

Casper
]]> http://casperband.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070501-104759 2007-05-01T00:00:00Z 2007-05-01T00:00:00Z The band party has come and gone of course. We were suprised we didn't get many pictures from that night. We kinda forgot and then a cool thing happened. We were just coming home from a gig in Fredricksburg and stopped in Sheetz to grab some java for the ride home when we ran into Jason's friend, Paul. Paul is your all around talented guy. He is a great photographer, a great guitarist and a great lighting tech. He had taken pics of us at the band party and wanted to share. We were pleasantly suprised!!
So thanks very much Paul!!
Barry just had a birthday! His lovely bride had a sort of suprise party for him over in Chesterfield at a nice Italian restaurant last week and it was very cool. Other news, Howard (takes the plunge)..er..um..gets married next month!! Yes, the excitement builds....
The band will perform and we expect no less than a blast at his nuptuals, it also should be a whos who in the Richmond music scene. This will be a private event, but we will give you the play by play fer sure in an upcoming blog
Catch us at the Midway for a 2 nighter next week or wait until the end of may for our first outdoor concert of the summer at Petersburg Civic Center. Y'all take care now, ya heah?!

Cheers!

Casper]]> http://casperband.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070404-034303 2007-04-04T00:00:00Z 2007-04-04T00:00:00Z Well the Annual Friends of Casper Party was a smashing success! We were able to raise a substantial contribution for the charity "Warren's Hope", and that was due in part to the great friends, sponsors and fans of our band..so 'Thanks' to all of you for coming out! It was nice to see the fanclub, meet new friends and see old ones we haven't seen in awhile.

March is here (still no significant snow), and the boys are gearing up for the spring and summer runs. We have some new and 'refreshed' material to play, so come check us out. For our friends "over the mountain", we'll be seeing you in Harrisonburg and Buena Vista this month. Next month we are back at the Midway and it won't be long until the Thursdays in Old Towne Concert Series kicks off. We have two appearances slated for this season, so keep checking the calendar. If anyone took pictures of the band at any recent shows, send a copy to the webmaster and maybe they will make it on the website photo section? (yes, its time for the hillbilly pics to come off). And thats the way it is kids...until next time. See ya on the road..

Cheers!

Casper]]> http://casperband.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070309-103337 2007-03-09T00:00:00Z 2007-03-09T00:00:00Z
As the fanclub has been notified already, the Annual Band Party on March 3 has some changes this year. One change is that tickets are extremely limited. If you want and invitation, you need to e-mail the website with your address. Invitations are first come/first served. No photocopies and one invite per request, please. Management is working to make this event larger, but until then, we have to deal with this, sorry in advance for any trouble, folks.

Casper is on the radio in Myrtle Beach, SC!! Our song "Diamond" from BURNIN UP, found its way into regular rotation on 94.9 The Surf. (Beach Music Station) We understand it has been as high as #14 on the weekly Top40!! ROAD TRIP!!!:)))
Anyway, Petey, the songs writer, is understandably passing cigars out! Don't worry, we won't let it get to his head ;)
If you want to have some mindless fun and see us conquer another town..log on and register http//www.94.9thesurf.com and register. You have to vote for 39 other songs, but you get the picture..
Thats all for now folks. Catch the band at Visions on Feb 24th or at the band party if you can. Until then...
Cheers!
Casper]]> http://casperband.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070214-120932 2007-02-14T00:00:00Z 2007-02-14T00:00:00Z We have a week of 70+ degree weather followed by 20 degree weather. Blizzard conditions followed by trees blooming the next week...and everybody gets sick..Yay!
We had a blast on New Years Eve! Fans suprised us from Whitestone, VA to Nashville, Tennessee. You guys were gracious and kind as always. We got invited to so many room parties on our breaks and after the show that we lost count! Just so you folks know, its hard to come visit during the show on a break..15-25 minutes is not alot of time to visit, cool down, change clothes, go potty, get a drink... (you get the picture) I guess Santa has the same predicament!
A few fans were asking about our new CD release. No real news to give on that at this time other than it is on hold still. We will be sure to announce any details right here.

We have a show at Vision's Lounge this weekend and 2 trips to Fredricksburg and Charleston, SC this month. Next month, we have the Annual Valentines Day Dance at Augusta Expoland in Fishersville, VA and a Midway Lounge appearance. The Annual Band Party is close too! We are revamping our shows and learning newer material for 2007. As always, check in often for news and new dates for the band. We will be updating the photo section again soon. Once again, thank you all for the support of the band and we hope the new year is prosperous for each of you. See ya on the road!

Cheers!

Casper
]]> http://casperband.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry070109-034513 2007-01-09T00:00:00Z 2007-01-09T00:00:00Z Christmas is fun for the boys, we always make it a point to get in on the good fun, food and drink at most of the parties we play this time of year. Santa has been early this year! Donnie got a new organ and Shaun got a new guitar!! We have a few more shows and one road trip to North Carolina to make before Christmas, but it has been a good year for us, new bass player, new tunes and new website!
Our last public appearance is (tonite) December 8th at the Petersburg Civic Center. Then we have our New Years Eve Show (in our 17th year!) at the Holiday Inn Koger Center. Then we will be revamping our songlist and show in the January/February for the Spring/Summer runs. In the meantime, we want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Ho, Ho, Ho!!
Casper]]> http://casperband.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry061208-065906 2006-12-08T00:00:00Z 2006-12-08T00:00:00Z
Another thing we are thankful for are our two lead singers..Petey and Levie! This month is their 17th year in Casper! They joined at the same time and have greatly contributed to our success as a band. Petey and Levie are alot of fun on the road and on stage and play amazingly off of each others musical talent. The energy, the dancing, the interplay..they bring Casper's jam every night!
That's alot of miles, shows and memories. The stories we hear from these guys could fill a novel easily. Most of us have been in the business for along time, and many of us have done long stints in many bands, but 17 years is a milestone. Congrats to you guys, here's to many more miles with you!

October was good, we did a bit of traveling, saw some sights and learned some new tunes. We are gearing up for the "Santy Tour", a busy December that will involve a bit of travel, but not too much. We were going to open for "The Manhattans at Fort Lee this month but their schedule was rerouted, so our friends at Vision's asked us to play instead. Our last club date of this year will there on November 18th. December will be capped by our annual New Years Eve Show at the same venue. Make sure to check our schedule for details. Stay tuned for a Christmas message sometime in December!
Thank all of you for being there for us!

Cheers!

Casper]]> http://casperband.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry061108-041706 2006-11-08T00:00:00Z 2006-11-08T00:00:00Z The next day we went to Ashland for the Fall Business Expo and it was our first time there. They are great folks too and were very accomodating. The food and the classic cars were awesome and we appreciated the fans hanging on until the show was over! We hope to be back next year! Next up, we are playing private shows in Richmond and Nags Head, NC, this weekend. We haven't been to the beach in awhile so it will be fun. Btw, any questions you folks have for the band should be directed to our webmistress Miss Terri or the contact info on the site. You are welcome to leave your comments here, but this blog is just for informative purposes. Thank you all for the support and check you later! Cheers!
Casper]]> http://casperband.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry061009-113927 2006-10-09T00:00:00Z 2006-10-09T00:00:00Z For those who don't get out to see us much, we just finished a 3 night club run. We did Thursday (21st) and Friday (22nd)at the Midway Lounge in Mechanicsville and finished up Saturday (23rd)at Visions in the Holiday Inn Koger Center. We had a blast with the crowds and got to see our longtime fans and some old friends that made 'public appearances' to suprise us...from Lexington! The Casper Fan Club was out in force Friday Night and 'tore up' the floor at the Midway! The band would like to thank the staff at both clubs for taking good care of us as always!

We debuted our new Morris Day & the Time medley from the Prince/Purple Rain era of the 80's. That piece of material is definitely a work out for all the band members, but is getting a great initial response. Donnie (musical director, keyboards) did an excellent job arranging it! Look for more cool tunes coming soon. We love getting to play in public, it gives us a chance to see you folks and the gigs are layed back a bit more than wedding or corporate jobs, plus they are usually close to home!

Upcoming shows for us include a benefit for Warren's Hope at the Holiday Inn Koger and next week we are doing the Midlothian Food Festival and The Hanover Fall Business Expo at the Hanover Air Park. As always,check our schedule for showtimes, links and any admission/tickets required. As Jed Clampit used to say "Y'all come back now, ya heah?"
Cheers!
Casper]]> http://casperband.com/pblog/index.php?entry=entry060925-073549 2006-09-25T00:00:00Z 2006-09-25T00:00:00Z