Eric & Polly Rapp

As of today, our site has moved from Hostbaby to Bandzoogle. We've tried to make sure everything looks right and works as it should, but if you notice any problems, just let us know! And if you haven't before, why not bop over to the Guestbook and say hi? We love to hear from you!

Wow, it's been a long time, but since we've updated the web site we thought we'd try reactivating the guestbook and see whether the spam filtering has improved. If not, it'll disappear again. 

We played a half-hour set last night at this event in Belle Plaine, Minnesota, which came with pumpkin painting, metal casting, snacks, hot beverages, and a cozy firepit. What a great way to enjoy a mild autumn evening!

After 12 years, our website has undergone a facelift. Hostbaby had been pestering us to move to the new site wizard for some time, and since the old site wasn't behaving properly anymore, we decided it was time to get it done. Let us know how you like the new look!

Smalltown Eclectic has posted photos and videos from the June 25 open mic we attended. Check it out!

Over the past couple years we've mostly been performing at nursing homes, schools, church gatherings, and the like. Last night we visited a local open mic, "Smalltown Eclectic," in a nearby town. Eclectic is definitely the right word! We heard an 11-year-old girl playing fiddle, an older guy playing "Moon River" and "It Was a Very Good Year" on keyboard, some punk, some metal, some movie/tv music, a young man with two good originals on acoustic guitar and harmonica, and a very talented host who accompanied herself beautifully on keyboard on a moving original and a refreshing cover of an old Creedence Clearwater Revival hit that outshone the original. We did a few of our tunes and were well received and look forward to visiting again.

While we're mostly known for our blend of folk, country, and country-gospel, we've long had a soft spot in our hearts for hymns--after all, we met in a church choir, right? Now and then since moving to Minnesota we've enjoying singing them with another married couple in the area, and recently we got an opportunity to record one of them. I had heard of a congregation that was looking for a recording of a new hymn, "Gracious Savior, Grant Your Blessing," for an upcoming wedding. It is a new text by Rev. Stephen Starke on the subject of weddings, set to the old Welsh tune "Hyfrydol," composed by Rowland Prichard. No recordings could be found, so I suggested that perhaps our quartet could record it for them. The result is now posted on our Music page, under "Unreleased Songs." We hope you enjoy it.

This morning I happened to hear our song "Ten Ways to Stay in Love" on local public radio station KJGT. Great little station--they play Frank Sinatra next to Steve Miller next to Lady Gaga next to local artists. You just never know what you might hear!

This summer we will be moving to Green Isle, Minnesota, a small town (population around 550!) a bit west of Minneapolis, where we expect to stay put for at least a few years. We will probably be there by August--look for us at St. Paul's Lutheran Church!

Do you realize this year is the tenth anniversary of the release of our first CD, I'll Remember You, Love, in My Prayers? So much has happened over those years. When we started planning the album, we didn't have a daughter. Now she's in third grade. We belonged to a different congregation and denomination. We lived in a different state. We had different career plans. A bunch of our loved ones were still living who have now left us. But through it all, we've had our music and our musical friends to keep us company. And we've had the One who made us, redeemed us, brought us together, and gave us every good. Definitely worth celebrating.