I had never heard of Bohemian Grove before.  But my friend spent several days there, nestled among the astounding redwoods of northern California, three thousand acres of nature preserve, replete with camp cabins, cookouts, music, good times, good friends.  And powerful wealthy Republican men.  Lots of them.  You see, apparently Bohemian Grove is a kind of Burning Man, or Sturgis rally, or annual Woodstock, for the conservative and establishment powerful.  Its annual summer meetings date back to the 19th century, the waiting list is literally thirty years long, you’ve got to be recommended by an existing member, and entry dues are tens of thousands of dollars.  Supposedly, no business is to be conducted while there, although it seems no one obeys that rule, and just being there is a kind of networking business.  Oh, and one more thing – no women are allowed.  My friend, however, says that there are many artists and musicians who attend, although it’s hard to see where they fit in to a gathering of business, corporate, government, and military officials.

My friend’s father had been going for years, but had just been admitted as a formal member, and was now taking his son, my friend.  I learned all of this, by the way, when my friend visited me at my own country retreat outside of Houston, as we had decided to have our own boys only weekend away from our wives and children.  There we sat on the balcony, the sun setting, as he described this strange spectacle of the establishment goofing around in the trees, urinating out in the open, and attending impromptu concerts from musicians in attendance like Steve Miller – you know – “some people call me the Space Cowboy, some people call me Maurice.”

Later that evening we drove to Round Top Texas to attend a classical concert at the nationally known Festival Institute, a beautiful concert hall set on a campus of gardens, woods, and fountains.  The festival orchestra appeared: an accomplished group of young musicians from all over the nation and the world, violinists, cellists, horns, bassists, and at least half – women.  On the program was Brahms violin concerto in D Major, one of the most famous of all violin concertos and daunting for the difficulty of its dynamic violin solos.  Having the honor that night – a middle aged woman, Jorja Fleezanis, the concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra and a popular violin teacher of young musicians.  Tonight, she worked, bobbing and weaving and swaying and bowing furiously, bringing forth the depth and emotion of Brahms’ concert.  The slow second movement brought tears to my eyes.  As the audience stood on its feet applauding and cheering, one could feel the affection her smiling students in the orchestra had for her.

There may be good pickin’ and singin’ around the campfire at Bohemian Grove, and my men’s only time with my friend at my place was wonderful.  But the real music, the real accomplishment, the real establishment, was put on by the women and men on stage in Round Top, Texas, a multi-ethnic, multi-national, multi-gender orchestra convened in the middle of Texas, and open to the public for the price of admission.

I’m Leo Gold.  This is The New Capital Show.