Bennington Dog House Band CD reviewed in Boston Globe

In the Sunday Boston Globe's March 22, 2009 edition, writer Jan Gardner reviewed the Dog House Band's CD in the paper's "Shelf Life" column. The CD, "Let's Doghouse: A Tribute to Liam Rector," has already generated a $2000 donation to the scholarship fund named for the late founding director of the Writing Seminars. A special thanks to Bennington WS alumnus Chris Cutter for his promotional assistance.

The article is below:

Writers' riffs
Writers living in the Doghouse at Bennington College gather almost nightly for jam sessions. The late Liam Rector, longtime director of the Bennington Writing Seminars, didn't play an instrument himself, but he loved to listen to his fellow writers: guitarists David Gates and Sven Birkerts, vocalist Rebecca Chace, bass player Lee Clay Johnson, and others.

Rector lived in the Doghouse - so nicknamed because it's the living quarters for faculty with dogs - with his wife, Tree Swenson, and their dog Keeper.

After Rector died, in 2007, his friends in the Dog House Band settled on a way to pay homage. They've released a CD, "Let's Doghouse: A Tribute to Liam Rector," a rollicking, witty, and occasionally mournful mix of blues, country, and bluegrass songs. Standouts include "The Bottle Let Me Down," by Merle Haggard, and "One's on the Way," Shel Silverstein's tongue-in-cheek tune about a tired, pregnant mother whose husband isn't much help.

Profits from CD sales will fund a longtime priority of Rector's - scholarships for MFA students at Bennington, says Birkerts, director of the Bennington Writing Seminars. Details at www.thedoghouseband.blogspot.com.

Click here to see the full article or visit http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2009/03/22/shelf_life/