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Springing forward. Daylight Savings Time kicks in this weekend, and just like that it also feels like spring is in the air. Great weather is predicted for the tons of fun going on around the state these next few days, so get an extra hour of sleep on Saturday to make up for the one that will be lost when the clocks are turned back. Forget about spring cleaning – get out of the house and see some live music instead! The roads to Sebastopol are paved with bluegrass! -- The CBA’s Sonoma County Bluegrass & Folk Festival will be happening on the 13th, and the bands to see there, in order of appearance, are 49 Special, Lone Prairie, Dr. Elmo & Wild Blue, Evo Bluestein, Rita Hosking & Cousin Jack, Blue & Lonesome and The Kathy Kallick Band. This is a wonderful one-day indoor festival that also includes jamming and workshops. For ticketing info go here. You can watch a real nice video promo of the fest here. Thanks to Mark Hogan for all of the hard work that he does putting this event together. BOB Fest -- The NCBA presents Bluegrass On Broadway in Redwood City, and it started on the 11th and runs through the 14th, with concerts, films, workshops, and more. Go to the site for complete info. Bill and Meghan on tour -- Bill Evans & Megan Lynch are all over the state this next week. See them playing at Bernie's Guitar in Redding on the 12th, doing workshops there earlier in the day on the 13th, dashing down I-5 to play a concert at Ifshin Violins in El Cerrito on the evening of the 13th, at Braemar Country Club in Tarzana on the 16th, at the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena on the 17th, at Acoustic Music San Diego on the 19th, and at Boulevard Music in Culver City on the 20th. Del and the boys -- The Del McCoury Band is in NorCal and Nevada these next few days, so get out and see a show. See them at the Mystic in Petaluma on the 12th (Under the Radar opens), at the Nugget in Sparks, NV, on the 13th, at The Great American Music Hall in SF on the 14th, and at the Studio Theatre in Davis on the 16th. Kathy Kallick in Livermore -- Before closing out the fest in Sebastopol on Saturday, The Kathy Kallick Band will also be playing lots of songs from the just-completed album Between the Hollow & the High-Rise at the Asbury United Methodist Church, 4743 East Avenue, in Livermore on the 12th starting at 8 p.m. There’s also a jam at 6:30 p.m. in the chapel and, if you’re hungry, you can buy a chili dinner for only $5. Celtic time in Sonora -- Get a head start on St. Patrick’s Day by going to the Sonora Celtic Faire on the 12th-14th. Some of the acts that you can see there are Sligo Rags, Wicked Tinkers, Molly's Revenge, 1916, Nine 8ths Irish, Black Irish, Golden Bough and Chris Caswell. Twang night in SF -- Shelby Ash Presents a quadruple bill of country and bluegrass music in SF on the 12th at the Café du Nord with The Trainwreck Riders, The Brothers Comatose, Kemo Sabe and Dead Westerns. Four bands for the price of one! Each band guaranteed to make tens of dollars! Suzie Glaze in Altadena -- Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome Band, with special guest singer/songwriter Shaun Cromwell opening at 8 p.m., will be appearing at the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena on the 12th. Ragtime and Tin Pan Alley in Chico -- On the 12th there will be a Ragtime and Tin Pan Alley Open Mic at the Terraces in Chico at 6:30 p.m. Performers are invited to enjoy the music from the mid 1800s to 1950s as well as acoustic music that fits in with the sound of this era. There is no charge for this second Friday of each month event. Fiddle tunes, country, bluegrass, folk, blues, Cajun, boogie-woogie and more are welcome. Performances are held to the ten minute rule. Brief historical presentations about the era’s music and/or composers are encouraged. The address is 2750 Sierra Sunrise Terrace, off Bruce Road. For more info contact Bernie or Bob LoFaso at b_lofaso@hotmail.com or ragtimeandtinpanalley@hotmail.com. Wrangling Belle -- Pam Brandon, a.k.a. Belle Monroe, is one of the hardest working gals is the music biz. Besides leading her own bluegrass band the Brewglass Boys and the swing band The Chazz Cats, she also sings in the Western swing band Lost Weekend. Now she is playing bass in a new Americana trio called Lil' Anne & The Tune Wranglers, featuring Anne Arnhym-Yanito on rhythm guitar, Pierre Laik on lead guitar, and Belle on bass. You can see them playing on the 12th at The Uptown in Oakland along with Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys and The Hi-Rhythm Hustlers starting at 9 p.m. On the 13th she will be playing bass with Savannah Blu in Bolinas. Jammin’ in Paso Robles -- "Matt's Jam" takes place every Saturday from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Matt's Music, 617 12th Street, in downtown Paso Robles. For more information call (805) 237-0054. AVB in Martinez -- The Alhambra Valley Band can be seen pickin’ bluegrass at Armando’s in Martinez on the 13th starting at 8 p.m. Kitchen Help in Alameda -- The place to be in Alameda for bluegrass on Saturday night is McGrath’s Pub, when the band Kitchen Help takes off their aprons and chef hats and starts pickin’ some hot tunes at 8 p.m. Grits in San Gregorio -- Harmony Grits will be pickin’ bluegrass on the 13th at the San Gregorio General Store south of Half Moon Bay from 2-5 p.m. No cover, you can have a beer and also get you shopping done while you are there. Turn your radio on -- Tune into Peter Thompson’s Bluegrass Signal radio show on KALW (91.7 FM) in SF on the 13th from 6:30-8 p.m. The show this weekend is titled Across the Tracks, and it will feature new recordings of bluegrass and old-time music. Hear selections from Larry Stephenson, Josh Williams, Special Consensus, Bill Emerson, Patuxent Partners, Downtown Mountain Boys, Mountain Laurel, Betse Ellis, and others. You can listen online on the KALW web site, and the first hour of the show is also broadcast five times each week on BluegrassCountry.org. Ricky Skaggs goes back to college -- Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder will be playing at Cal State Northridge on the 13th and at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo on the 14th. Stephanie Bettman in Covina -- Stephanie Bettman and Luke Halpin will be sharing the bill with John Batdorf at The Fret House in Covina on the 13th starting at 8 p.m. She is a singer/songwriter/fiddler extraordinaire who has been generating a buzz in bluegrass/country circles with inevitable comparisons to Alison Krauss and Emmylou Harris. Blu grass in Bolinas -- If you can find the town of Bolinas in west Marin County on Saturday night, then you can see Savannah Blu pickin’ some bluegrass at Smiley’s on the 13th starting at 9 p.m. Jammin’ in Modesto -- There is a jam in Modesto that takes place at Ingram and Braun’s Musik Shoppe on Saturdays from 3-5 p.m. at their location at 503 Bangs Avenue. Upper crust jam -- On the 13th from 2-5 p.m. the Butte Folk Music Society sponsors a free acoustic jam at the Upper Crust Bakery, located at 130 Main Street in Chico. Everyone is welcome (including children) to go and play music, share songs, sing-along and get acquainted with others who love folk music and Americana. The Bluegrass Mix -- The site called The Bluegrass Mix streams bluegrass online 24/7. Sky Powers has a show called Pacifically Bluegrass, and it airs every Saturday evening from 4-7 p.m. out here in CA. He plays a fine mix of bluegrass, both old and new, with an emphasis on new releases and he also devotes a portion of his show to playing and promoting the bluegrass bands of the Pacific West and Rockies. On the 13th hear cuts by Don Rigsby & Midnight Call, Paul Williams & The Victory Trio, Long Road Home, Mark Brinkman, Joy Kills Sorrow, The Infamous Stringdusters, Greensky Bluegrass, Black Prairie, and Martin Gilmore. He also welcomes requests, so email him at sky@bluegrassmix.com. Cool dudes -- The Grateful Dudes will be playing bluegrass on the 13th at Vincenzo’s Pizza in Newhall from 7:30-10:30 p.m. Band members Bill Bryson, Dennis Fetchet, Scott Micale and Rodger Phillips have been playing at Vincenzo’s for over 20 years now. Down home music -- Michael Stadler & Mary Gibbons, together with Jon Mitguard on steel and dobro, will be playing an in-store concert at Down Home Music in El Cerrito on the 13th from 2-3 p.m. They’ll be playing their particular blend of country, originals, and bluegrass-inspired songs in a rare trio format. Stop by, listen to some live music, check out the posters, and rifle through the bins. You never know what treasure you will find. Oak Grove in Walnut Creek -- The Schwartz family band known as Oak Grove (featuring some members of OMGG) will be pickin’ bluegrass at the Farmers Market in downtown Walnut Creek, at the corner of Cole and Locust, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the 14th. Buy some veggies and listen to bluegrass. Sunday morning fun -- The Fruit Jar Pickers play every Sunday from 10-noon at the Rough and Ready Opry Palace (near Grass Valley). This is an acoustical event somewhere between a jam, a concert, and sing-along. Mandolins in west Marin -- On the 14th the annual Inverness Mandolin Gathering will be taking place in a private home out in west Marin County in the town of Inverness. The Gathering goes from noon until the music stops, and it is open to everyone who owns a mandolin, plays a mandolin or just enjoys mandolin music. For info call David Crummey at (530) 739-3183 or email dcrummey@snowcrest.net. Autoharp workshop in Sacto -- After performing at the fest in Sebastopol Evo Bluestein will be teaching an autoharp class on the 14th at The Fifth String in Sacramento from 1-3 p.m. Slow jam at the Freight -- Ran Bush will be hosting the Sunday afternoon Slow Jam at the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley on the 14th. The jam is from 1-4 p.m., and the cost is $14 at the door or $135 for a six month pass. Contact Ran (510) 525-8156 with questions or for more information, or go the link above. Jammin’ in Gilroy -- They’ll be gathering to jam at St. Stephen's Church, 651 Broadway, in Gilroy on the 14th from 2-5 p.m. The jam takes place on the second Sunday of each month. For more info, call Terry at (408) 310-9648. Jammin' in Altadena -- On Sunday the 14th from 12:30-3:30 p.m. there will be a bluegrass jam at the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena, which is connected to the coffee house and seats 49, so there is plenty of room for players as well as spectators. Players tend to be intermediate to advanced. This is an acoustic event without amplifiers or microphones. The coffee house offers a wide selection of drinks and pastries. For info contact David at french10@pacbell.net. Comatose in Sonoma -- At Murphy’s Irish Pub in the town of Sonoma on the 14th starting at 6 p.m. The Brothers Comatose will be playing a mix of bluegrass and Americana. No cover, fine food and beer at reasonable prices, and kids are welcome. Jammin’ in Orangevale -- From 1-5 p.m. on the second Sunday of each month the California Old-Time Fiddlers’ Association meets at the Orangevale Grange Hall, 5805 Walnut, in Orangevale. (916) 966-9067. B. Judd, Bluegrass Philosopher -- “I do not believe in an afterlife, although I am bringing a change of underwear just in case...” The Almost Daily News is updated almost daily. If you have news that you would like to share with our bluegrass community, let me know and I’ll spread the word. E-mail me here. |
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For the BOCD'ers in our group (you know who you are) here's more…. CBA Regional Newsletters Cybergrass, The Internet's Bluegrass Magazine Bluegrass World Bluegrass Music Profiles-Bluegrass News The Bluegrass Blog The Bluegrass Works And for our mandolin playing friends, we recommend you check out what's going on over at Mandolin Cafe. 
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March President’s Message Today's column from Darby Brandli Friday, March 12, 2010 Festival Season Prep 1. Mark the calendar (check) 2. Purchase Early Bird tickets (check) 3. Request the time off from work (check) 4. Work on my “to do” list (in progress) We park our now vintage VW camper in the garage all winter and this winter has been the wettest we have experienced in a few years. The garage is feeling damp and the camper, which doubles as camping gear storage during the off-season, is begging for attention. When the weather clears a bit on a day or weekend off we really should inventory what was tossed in after our last camping trip in the Fall. I know we removed our grandson and the puppy but I am certain there is rodent food left in the cupboard and certainly the sleeping gear could use a trip to the laundromat. It is time to prepare for Festival Season 2010. Some of you only need to prepare your camping gear but others of us are busy preparing the actual events for your enjoyment. The CBA season begins in March with the Sonoma County Bluegrass and Folk Festival (Sebastopol March 13th) followed by a Board meeting the next day. The next weekend is An Evening at the Grange with the Gibson Brothers and the Tuttles this year (Morgan Hill, March 20th). Fortunately for the CBA, Mark Hogan and Tim Edes are old hands with these very |
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