Author: Michael Hall

What’s On The NCBS Website During The Coronavirus Crisis For Your At-Home Information & Entertainment

During the Coronavirus Crisis, here is the information you can find on this Northern California Bluegrass Society website:

Online Bluegrass:

A weekly guide to Online Bluegrass Performances of interest to Northern California bluegrass fans, posted Every Monday Evening at 10:00pm.

NCBS Events:

Current Status Of Upcoming NCBS-Related In-Person Events, updated approximately weekly as new information becomes available. This compilation includes both events presented by NCBS, such as the Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival and events that NCBS endorses or welcomes that are presented by others, such as the Brookdale Bluegrass Festivals.

Other Events:

Current Status Of Upcoming Non-NCBS In-Person Events, updated approximately weekly as new information becomes available.

Online Lessons:

Information about Bluegrass Musicians Offering Online Lessons during the Stay-At-Home period.

Online Music On GOF Facebook Group Page:

The 2020 Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival is off, so the NCBS Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Facebook Group Page is now a place for our musicians to post their music. Enjoy!

Recording Reviews:

Brenda Hough’s Recording Reviews will now appear on this website.

Society News:

In the next few months, we will also have additional bluegrass news about the activities of the Northern California Bluegrass Society during this unusual period when we are not able to gather in person to enjoy our music. Thanks for your support!

Please let NCBS President Michael Hall <hallmw@gmail.com> know if you have any questions or suggestions.

NCBS Website Directory Lists Online Lessons By Area Bluegrass Musicians During The Coronavirus Crisis

Bluegrass Musicians from around Northern California are listed in the new NCBS Directory to give online lessons to bluegrass students during the Coronavirus Crisis. This is a FREE service.

The Directory is listed under Resources in the index on the left side of this website. Loyal fans can have some fun by checking the directory and arranging ONLINE LESSONS. The price will be between teacher and student.

Sign Up To Offer Lessons: <webmaster@ncbs.us>.

Submit Your June 16-22 Online Shows For The Weekly NCBS Listing Published Each Monday Evening

Click for Calendar of Live ONLINE Bluegrass June 9-15.

The Northern California Bluegrass Society website publishes a Weekly Guide To Online Bluegrass Shows every Monday Evening At 10:00pm during the Coronavirus Crisis.

The next selective listing of shows of interest to Bay Area and beyond bluegrass fans will run on Monday, June 15. The listing will cover Tuesday-Monday, 16-22.

Musicians should submit their LIVE ONLINE SHOWS this coming week to Michael Hall <hallmw@gmail.com>.

 

NCBS Good Old Fashioned Facebook Group Page Is A Happening Place — Post Your Music!

The NCBS Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival will not happen this year due to the Coronavirus, but the festival’s popular Facebook Group Page  is still a happening place!

Local Bluegrass Musicians are invited to post their music on the Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival Facebook Group Page. For more information about the page, contact NCBS board member (and GOF festival director) Bruce Bellochio <Bbellochio@gmail.com>.

Good Old Fashioned Facebook Group Page

 

Current Status Of Various Non-NCBS In-Person Bluegrass Events During The Coronavirus Crisis As Of June 10

Here is the updated current status (as of 6/10/20) of various non-Northern California Bluegrass Society in-person bluegrass events during the Coronavirus Crisis. Check this website for updates.

Click for Status Of In-Person NCBS Events.

Click for Calendar of Live ONLINE Bluegrass June 8-15.

JUNE

18-21 — California Bluegrass Association Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival, Nevada County Fairgrounds, Grass Valley. Postponed Until 2021.

18-21 — Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Telluride, CO. Cancelled.

25-28 — Kate Wolf Music Festival, Black Oak Ranch, Laytonville. Postponed until 2021.

26-28 — Susanville Bluegrass Festival, Lassen County Fairgrounds, Susanville. Postponed until 2021.

JULY

2-5 — High Sierra Music Festival, Plumas County Fairgrounds, Quincy. Rescheduled to 2021.

4 — Fourth of July Bluegrass Freedom Festival, Atascadero Lake Park, Atascadero. Cancelled.

10-12 — Lost River Bluegrass Festival, Merrill, OR. Cancelled.

24-26 — Rockygrass Bluegrass Festival, Planet Bluegrass, Lyons, CO. Cancelled.

AUGUST

1-2 — La Honda Fair & Music Festival, La Honda. Postponed from June 6-7. Note New Dates.

14-16 — Bower’s Mansion Bluegrass Festival, Bower’s Mansion Park, Carson City, NV. Postponed until 2021.

14-16 — Summergrass San Diego, Antique Engine Museum, Vista. Cancelled.

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER

August 30-September 7 — Burning Man Festival, Black Rock City, NV. Cancelled.

SEPTEMBER

3-7 — Redwood Ramble, Camp Navarro. Postponed to July 2021.

16-20 — Walnut Valley Festival, Winfield, KS. Postponed until 2021.

17-20 — McCloud Mountain Bluegrass Festival, Hoo-Hoo Park, McCloud. Cancelled.

18-20 — Millpond Music Festival, Millpond Park, Bishop. As scheduled, ticketing delayed to June 15.

22-27 — Berkeley Old Time Music Convention, various venues, Berkeley. Cancelled.

25-27 — KVMR Celtic Festival, Nevada County Fairgrounds, Grass Valley. Postponed until 2021.

OCTOBER

2-4 — Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. As scheduled.

2-4 — Viva Las VeGrass Bluegrass Festival, Spring Mountain Visitor’s Gateway, Mt. Charleston, NV. As scheduled.

FEBRUARY 2021

13-17 — Folk Alliance International Convention, Kansas City, MO. Suspended (effectively cancelled).

18-21 — Wintergrass, Hyatt Regency, Bellevue, WA. Cancelled, future events will be redesigned.

MARCH 2021

5-7 — Bluegrass On The Beach, Lake Havasu State Park, Lake Havasu City, AZ. As scheduled.

Current Status Of NCBS-Related In-Person Events During The Coronavirus Crisis As Of June 9

Here is the Current Status (as of 6/9/20) of upcoming Northern California Bluegrass Society-related in-person events during the Coronavirus Crisis. Check this website for updates.

Click here for Calendar of Live ONLINE Bluegrass June 9-15.

AUGUST

6-9 — NCBS Presents The Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival, San Benito County Historical Park, Tres Pinos. Cancelled.

SEPTEMBER

4-6 — Plumas Homegrown Americana Festival, Quincy. (NCBS welcomed) As scheduled.

September — NCBS Volunteer Thank-You Party. Cancelled.

September 29-October 3 — International Bluegrass Music Association World Of Bluegrass Convention, Raleigh Convention Center, Raleigh, NC. (NCBS welcomed) As Scheduled, Ticketing Delayed. May be rescheduled to a later date.

NCBS Guide To Online Bluegrass Music Performances June 9-15

Here is the weekly selective calendar of Online Bluegrass Shows of interest to  Northern California fans, published Every Monday Night At 10:00pm. Bluegrass performers with shows to add for this or future weeks should contact Michael Hall <hallmw@gmail.com>.

TUESDAY, June 9

6:00pm — The Nashville Unit. Monthly subscription, various artists.

7:00pm — Susie Glaze & Steve Rankin, Misner & Smith.

7:00pm — Justin & Angelica (Grim) Branum.

WEEKDAYS, June 9-12 & June 15

5:00pm Daily — Infamous Stringdusters.

TUESDAY-SUNDAY, June 9-14

4:30pm Daily — Alex Muddy Smith.

TUESDAY-MONDAY, June 9-15

3:30pm Daily — Toby Gray.

WEDNESDAY, June 10

1:30pm — Nell & Jim Band.

3:00pm — BanjerDan Mazer.

6:00pm — Tim O’Brien Band. Monthly subscription, various artists.

THURSDAY, June 11

4:00pm — Goodnight Bedtime Story With Dolly Parton.

7:00pm — Anne & Pete Sibley, Rita Hosking & Sean Feder.

7:00pm — Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley. Monthly subscription, various artists.

FRIDAY, June 12

5:00pm — Susie Glaze & Steve Rankin.

6:00pm — Stevie Coyle. Low cost, advance purchase.

6:00pm — High Fidelity. Monthly subscription, various artists.

SATURDAY, June 13

4:00pm — Michael Gaither.

5:00pm — Grand Ole Opry.

6:00pm — Turn Your Radio ONline — North Country Blue, Pacific Drive, Gayle Schmitt, Joe Newberry & April Verch, David Bragger, Tony Kamel (of Wood & Wire), and more! Co-hosts: Mike Lewinski & Lisa Burns. The California Bluegrass Association is replacing its Father’s Day Festival with a series of weekend performances every Saturday through Father’s Day Weekend.

7:00pm — Fireball Mail. Monthly subscription, various artists.

SUNDAY, June 14

11:00am — Blue Summit Trio.

3:00pm — BanjerDan Mazer.

4:00pm — Dan Newitt.

7:00pm — Evie Ladin & Keith Terry.

MONDAY, June 15

5:00pm — Ray Bierl. (Note new date — rescheduled from Saturday, June 13.)

7:30pm — Stevie Coyle.

Unless otherwise noted, these are FREE performances, supported by voluntary donations.

Bluegrass Musicians To Offer Online Lessons During The Coronavirus Crisis

Bluegrass Musicians from around Northern California are listed in the new NCBS Directory to give online lessons to bluegrass students during the Coronavirus Crisis. This is a FREE service. The Directory is listed under Resources in the index on the left side of this website. Loyal fans can have some fun by checking the directory and arranging ONLINE LESSONS. The price will be between teacher and student.

Sign Up To Offer Lessons: <webmaster@ncbs.us>.

Submit Your June 9-15 Online Shows For The Weekly NCBS Listing Published Each Monday Evening

Click for Calendar of Live ONLINE Bluegrass June 1-8.

During the Coronavirus Crisis, when online shows are our favorite form of bluegrass entertainment, the Northern California Bluegrass Society website is publishing a Weekly Guide To Online Bluegrass Shows each Monday Evening At 10:00pm.

The next selective listing of shows of interest to Bay Area and beyond bluegrass fans will run on Monday, June 8. The listing will cover Tuesday-Monday, June 9-15. Musicians should submit their shows for this coming week to Michael Hall <hallmw@gmail.com>.

Brenda Hough Recording Review: Nell & Jim Band — Western Sun

Brenda Hough’s reviews formerly appeared in the Bluegrass Breakdown and Bluegrass By The Bay. These publications no longer exist and her reviews now appear on this website. Enjoy!

Nell & Jim Band:  Western Sun

www.nellandjim.com

Reviewed by Brenda Hough

Song List:  By Stars and Sunrise, The Fire, Clinch Mountain Backstep, In My Beautiful Dream, Hurricane, Limonaia, Bassfiddle Fanfare, Sequoia Gold, Periwinkle Wreath, Travelin’ the Road West, Poland, Handsome Medley, Winemucca, Isaac in Kolomej, Woe Is Me.

With this third album, Nell Robinson and Jim Nunally have evolved a band sound that encompasses the American pioneering experience, long distance love, and the hometown lure of a foreign country.  This expanded horizon is enhanced by producer Lowell Levinger’s guidance, the songwriting collaborations with Chris Wadsworth, and the instrumentation from percussionist Alex Aspinall and accordion and piano player Rob Reich.  Jim Kerwin’s bass, Jim’s guitar and banjo, and Nell’s flute and piccolo add to a musical mélange that sparkles with touches of bluegrass, jazz, swing, and a dash of Polish pizazz.

“Travelin’ the Road West” is Jim’s story of his own family’s journey from Arkansas to California.  His grandfather and father passed their guitar playing skills to Jim, and the opening guitar riff showcases his considerable flatpicking guitar skills.  Nell’s “Woe Is Me” has a keyboard adding embellishments to a choral chronicle of woe complete with rattlesnakes, fleas, and earthquakes.  The only thing missing is the current pandemic.  A Tuscan villa inspired “Limonaia,” a gentle retelling of the story of Princess Ghyka who despaired her fading beauty as the years passed.  Many of the other songs were composed by Jim, Nell, and Chris Wadsworth, and the lyrical depth explores the emotional backdrop of lives working hard to succeed.  “Sequoia Gold” focuses on a miner turned lumberjack, and “By Stars and Sunrise” has a lucky miner who returns to his Texas family rich from the Gold Rush in California.  “Winnemucca” is an Americana version of “Penny Lane,” as the singing wanders around town and points out the sights to see.  The destructive forces of a “Hurricane” both figuratively and literally, and a prairie fire, “The Fire,” invite contemplation from the listener.

Instrumentally, the band’s versatility is highlighted in a remake of Ralph Stanley’s “Clinch Mountain Backstep.”  Drums introduce the piece, with the bass taking the opening lead, followed by lilting flute and strummed banjo.  Jim Kerwin wrote “Bassfiddle Fanfare,” and the spontaneous melody pours out in a burst.  “Poland” and “Isaac in Kolomej” have a delightful dancing bounce, and flute and accordion transport you to Eastern Europe and make your toes wiggle.  Sometimes an album has so many delightful aspects that it’s just like Forest Gump’s box of chocolates –  amazing morsels of good flavors!