Venus for the Holidays

We’re practicing some new tunes to share! (pictured: Robin, Amy, Betsy)

Who doesn’t need a little a cappella joy for the holidays? We’re on it! Venus will bring you our unique combination of rock, jazz, swing and some holiday tunes with a twist to. We’re thrilled to be hosted by the Garrett Park Women’s Club at their charming historic venue in Kensington, Maryland. There will be light refreshments, too. Join us!

When: Sunday, December 15th, 4:30-6PM

Where: Historic Town Hall,  10814 Kenilworth Avenue, Garrett Park, Maryland 20896

Tickets: $12 in Advance, $15 at the Door (Small venue–buy early!)

Aca-Tastic Birthday

Our favoriate Venusians Robin (front and center) and Dolores (fuschia, third from right) recently celebrated birthdays. This photo is not recent, as you can tell from the holiday greenery, but who wants a current photo for their birthday? To celebrate, Venus sang for R&D’s awesome house party. We love house parties.  Are you having one this spring or summer? Give us a shout…we’ll be there before you can say “canapé.” You can email us at venusdminor (at) gmail (dot) com. Or if this is an aca-emergency, call 301-651-3707.

Want to tell us something, or add your name to our mailing list for our next concert? Jot your info here. We promise not to spam you!

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Venus Featured on Acaville Radio

Did you know you can stream a cappella music ALL DAY LONG via   Acaville Radio?  We didn’t, until they called us to come to their travelling studio for an interview and some songs. You can hear us on The Spotlight on Tuesday, May 5th at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific on the Acaville website. We’ll be re-broadcast on Saturday, May 9 at 6am Eastern and again at 6pm Eastern. Have a listen! And download the Acaville app for your phone from the iTunes store here.

Space, the Final Frontier

Apparently Lady Gaga plans to sing in outer space.She’ll be transported on Virgin Galactic (insert joke here, but this is a family-friendly blog…). Apparently, she told US Weekly that she has to do a special month of vocal training “because of the atmosphere.”

We know just what she means. Sometimes the atmosphere at the parties where we sing can get downright difficult. All that laughing and eating and drinking. So we are taking a page from Lady Gaga and doing a month of preparations for our next gig. It’s not in outer space, but it is outside the Beltway, which is almost the same thing in terms of travel time. We’ll be singing at the Blueberry Hill annual Holiday Party Extravaganza in mid-December.

If you’d like Venus to sing on your space ship or party, please ping us at venusdminor@gmail.com.

More Pics from Lubber Run Concert

Thank you Lubber Run fans!

Well, despite the threat of rain and some actual rain, we all had a fabulous time singing for the packed crowd at Lubber Run ampitheater this past weekend! Thanks again to The Tone Rangers for the invite. Here are a few pics, and we’ll load some more shortly

Betsy “Venus” Erickson

Venusians Amy DeLouise and Kristin Bass

Venus Sings Lubber Run

Venus Sings July 27 in Support of #Mimolette

As many of our fans know, we are as much lovers of cheese as we are of a cappella. So when Venus heard that the FDA was blocking imports of the beautiful French cheese Mimolette (see story in Washington Post) , we knew we had to do something!   So…we are heading back to one of our favorite outdoor summer concert venues–Lubber Run Ampitheater in Arlington–to sing our hearts out for cheese fans everywhere.  We’ll be selling our new CD Digital Redemption, and using the proceeds to purchase the last remaining rounds of mimolette we can find for rehearsal snacking. Join us at this fabulous concert, where we’ll be appearing with our friends The Tone Rangers . The concert begins at 8PM. Location: N. Columbus Street and 2nd Street N., two blocks north of Route 50. For the full summer schedule at Lubber.

Venus Sings at Lubber Run July 27

This is not Lubber Run. But it was a fun gig!

We’re thrilled to be invited back to one of our favorite outdoor summer concert venues–Lubber Run Ampitheater in Arlington–  where we’ll be appearing with our friends The Tone Rangers . The concert begins at 8PM. Location: N. Columbus Street and 2nd Street N., two blocks north of Route 50. For the full summer schedule at Lubber.

Ms. Minor’s Summer Wine Picks

It’s time to roll out the summer barbecue, lounge by the pool, and pop the cork on some lovely summer wine pairings. What to choose? Not to worry, Ms. Minor can provide you with some of her favorites.

Patti suggests “a lovely light Albariño; classic Chablis (the real kind…not the California jug wine) or Sauvignon blanc ESP with a nice bright goat cheese. Now I’m hungry!”

Robin likes Hugl Weine – Gruner Veltliner from Austria, ” and any sauvignon blanc from the Marlboro region of New Zealand.”  Speaking of which, Kristin says “I vote for Kim Crawford, Matua, and Babich.  The Babich story is pretty swell – they were Croatian immigrants who built this fabulous winery; the matriarch talks about how when she got to NZ she would just cry because she was so far from home and so isolated.  Obviously she found another Croat to marry and it all worked out.  Interestingly, her maiden name was Grgic, so she may have been related to those who started Grgich wines in the U.S. as the c at the end of a Croat name is pronounced like a ch in English.  Speaking of which, the California Grgich chardonnays are usually wonderful.

I would also add Lis Neris, an Italian winemaker in Friuli.  The chardonnay is yummy but all the whites are good.  Jermann’s pinot grigio is pretty good, as are most of their wines (they are a major higher-end producer in Piemonte), but so is Zenato’s at probably a third of the price.  Zenato also makes a very good wine called Lugana San Benedetto, which I think is of the Lugana grape.  You can sometimes find Zenato at Total Wines.  And finally–and this is a stunning wine at special-treat prices in the U.S.–I highly recommend Cervaro della Sala from Castello della Sala, which is produced by Antinori.  It’s an Umbrian wine.  I spent an evening in London with my friend Tom talking and eating and drinking a 2007 Cervaro della Sala, which was so good I took a snap on the iPhone to remember. ”

Chilean whites are coming into their own.  We’ve heard good things about De Martino 347 Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, although no one has brought one to rehearsal yet.

Betsy says “Silver Lake Cabernet.  I know, I know, you’re supposed to drink white wine in the summer.  But this is an awesome full-bodied cabernet, perfect with a grilled steak and summer veggies.”

And this just in from Dolores…

“The empty bottle next to me says CASAL GARCIA, since 1939 Vinho Verde “Young and Refreshing”  Product of Portugal (of course). Since it’s the one I had last night, it’s my favorite.”

OK fans, keep us posted on your doings and see you at the next cocktail party!

Venus Sings this Saturday, May 11th

From Shawn Colvin to Cole Porter, Venus serenades fans for a Mother’s Day weekend a cappella extravaganza at the Garrett Park Town Hall. Last year’s concert sold out early, so order your tickets today!

When: Saturday, May 11th at 7:30PM.

Where: Garrett Park Town Hall, 10814 Kenilworth Avenue, Garrett Park, MD

Details: Wine and other refreshments available for purchase, along with Venus CD’s and logo items.

The concert is brought to you by the Women’s Club of Garrett Park, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Betsy White Emergency Fund, created in 1969 for families who find themselves in urgent financial need due to fire, health or other family emergencies.

Tickets: Fans, we’re sorry to advise you that our Advance Ticket Sales are now closed. But we’ll still have tickets at the door for $12.00 We’ll see you at the venue!

Parking: on the street, or if you go past the venue and turn right, there are plenty of spaces in the school parking lot. Please arrive early to ensure a seat–it’s cozy…thus fabulous for a cappella!.