Author: Michael Hall

Bluegrass Traditionalists Bean Creek of Santa Cruz repeated as Best Bluegrass Band at the Tenth Annual Northern California Bluegrass Awards, held on January 28, 2017 in Redwood City, California. Meanwhile, younger and older musicians split the individual honors at the ceremony.

Two college students from Santa Cruz took the vocalist honors. Sullivan Tuttle was named Best Male Vocalist, while A. J. Lee was named Best Female Vocalist. The two were longtime bandmates in The Tuttles With A. J. Lee and are now in the newly-organized Blue Summit.

Sullivan Tuttle also won Best Guitar Player, while his younger brother Michael Tuttle, also a college student, won Best Mandolin Player. Santa Cruz’s Luke Abbott was named Best Banjo Player.

More mature musicians were also tapped by the voters. Jim Mintun added to his burgeoning collection of Dobro awards, while family patriarch Jack Tuttle won for Best Fiddle Player. Bassist Paul Knight was named the top player on that instrument.

Knight was also honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award. He was joined by fellow bluegrass sound specialists Dave Nielsen, Mike Russell, & Joe Weed. All have made many other contributions to the bluegrass world.

In the midst of the scheduled program, NCBS president and awards program organizer Michael Hall was surprised with a special Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Joe Weed.

The Northern California Bluegrass Awards are presented by the Northern California Bluegrass Society as part of the Bluegrass On Broadway Festival in Redwood City. The festival is supported by the Redwood City Civic Cultural Commission and by other Redwood City-area businesses, agencies, organizations and individuals. NCBS would like to thank these partners for their steady support of bluegrass music in Redwood City over the initial decade of the BOB venture.

The BOB festival also includes the NCBS Bluegrass Film Festival. That event will conclude this year’s festival on January 30, ending a fun weekend of free bluegrass music all around Redwood City.

Winners — 2017 Northern California Bluegrass Awards

Band — Bean Creek, Santa Cruz

Male Vocalist — Sullivan Tuttle, Santa Cruz

Female Vocalist — A. J. Lee, Santa Cruz

Guitar — Sullivan Tuttle, Santa Cruz

Mandolin — Michael Tuttle, San Luis Obispo

Banjo — Luke Abbott, Santa Cruz

Fiddle — Jack Tuttle, Palo Alto

Dobro — Jim Mintun, Santa Cruz

Bass — Paul Knight, Marshall

Lifetime Achievement Awards:

Paul Knight, Marshall

David Nielsen, Gilroy

Mike Russell, San Mateo

Joe Weed, Los Gatos

Michael Hall, Redwood City

National Press Coverage — Bluegrass Today

Spanish Language Video Coverage of Bluegrass On Broadway

BOB Festival Photo Essay

Friday night was a fun time at the BOB kickoff show with the Stoney Mountain Ramblers. Great crowd and great music! Looking forward to day 2!

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SATURDAY, January 28

Northern California Bluegrass Awards Show & Concert

10:00am-5:00pm — Veterans Memorial Senior Center Theatre, 1455  Madison Avenue.

10:00am — Special Film Presentation: The Waltz To Westphalia (Joe Weed, CA)

11:00 — 35 Years Of Trouble

Noon — The Wildcat Mountain Ramblers

1:00pm — The Blue Js

2:00pm — Bean Creek

3:00-5:00 — Northern California Bluegrass Awards Show with additional musical performances.

6:00-8:00pm — 27strings, Gourmet Haus Staudt, 2615 Broadway.

8:00-10:00pm — Edgewood Mountain Boys, Freewheel Brewing Company, 3737 Florence Street.

The Northern California Bluegrass Society’s 10th annual Bluegrass On Broadway Festival runs January 27, 28, and 30, 2017. All programs are FREE and in Redwood City.

Festival Fun: The Northern California Bluegrass Society’s FREE Bluegrass On Broadway Festival is this weekend, January 27, 28 & 30, 2017, at various venues in Redwood City. Here is All You Need To Know to enjoy the 10th Annual event:

The Festival: Bluegrass On Broadway includes both the Northern California Bluegrass Awards Show & Concert (Saturday) and the NCBS Bluegrass Film Festival (Monday), as well as other shows.

Tickets: NO tickets are needed. All shows are FREE and held in Redwood City.

Festival Schedule:

FRIDAY, January 27

8:00-10:00pm — Stoney Mountain Ramblers, Freewheel Brewing Company, 3737 Florence Street.

SATURDAY, January 28

Northern California Bluegrass Awards Show & Concert

10:00am-5:00pm — Veterans Memorial Senior Center Theatre, 1455  Madison Avenue.

10:00am — Special Film Presentation: The Waltz To Westphalia (Joe Weed, CA)

11:00 — 35 Years Of Trouble

Noon — The Wildcat Mountain Ramblers

1:00pm — The Blue Js

2:00pm — Bean Creek

3:00-5:00 — Northern California Bluegrass Awards Show with additional musical performances.

6:00-8:00pm — 27strings, Gourmet Haus Staudt, 2615 Broadway.

8:00-10:00pm — Edgewood Mountain Boys, Freewheel Brewing Company, 3737 Florence Street.

MONDAY, January 30

NCBS Bluegrass Film Festival

6:30-8:30pm — Community Room, Redwood City Main Library, 1044 Middlefield Road.

Banjos Bluegrass & Squirrel Barkers (Rick Bowman, Backyard Green Films, CA)

How To Make A Guitar In Two Minutes (Herb Moore, CA)

The Whippoorwill’s Cry (Curtis Leslie, CA)

Directions:

Bluegrass On Broadway is held at various venues in Redwood City (mid-Peninsula in the middle of the Bay Area), easily accessible from Freeways 101 and 280, via the Woodside Road exit.

Downtown Redwood City is about a half-mile north of Woodside Road via Middlefield Road. Little India, Gourmet Haus Staudt, and the Redwood City Main Library are located downtown.

The Veterans Memorial Senior Center is about 2 miles west of downtown off of Jefferson Avenue. Turn left on St. Francis, which leads directly into the VMSC parking lot.

To reach the VMSC from I-280, exit at Farm Hill Blvd. and go east, Farm Hill becomes Jefferson Avenue. Go past the Alameda de Las Plugas, then right on St. Francis, which leads directly into the VMSC parking lot.

To reach the VMSC from Woodside Road, go north on Alameda de Las Plugas then right (east) on Jefferson Avenue. Turn right on St. Francis, which leads directly into the VMSC parking lot.

The Freewheel Brewing Company is located in the Marsh Manor Shopping Center, not far from the Marsh Road exit off Highway 101 at the southern edge of Redwood City. From 101 go west a short distance, then right on Florence Street. The shopping center is on the left.

Redwood City Weather:

All festival events are INDOORS with close-in parking. High 72, Low 72.

FRI: Sunny, High 58 Low 37. SAT: Sunny, High 59 Low 38. MON: Partly Sunny, High 65 Low 42.

Community & Fun: Remember, All Of Your Friends Will Be There!

The FREE Northern California Bluegrass Awards Show & Concert, set for this Saturday, January 28, 2017 at the Veterans Memorial Senior Center Theatre, 1455 Madison Avenue, Redwood City, will have a great line-up of bluegrass talent.

The program will begin at 10:00am with a screening of The Waltz To Westphalia, a film by Joe Weed, who will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award later in the day.

Live music will begin at 11:00am with a performance by the San Francisco-based band 35 Years Of Trouble, followed by The Wildcat Mountain Ramblers from Los Gatos, The Blue Js from Vacaville, and Bean Creek from Santa Cruz.

The awards show will take place from 3:00-5:00pm with additional short performances by Bill Hunter (Aromas), Jack Tuttle (Palo Alto), and by the four bands that played earlier in the day.

The Lifetime Achievement Honorees are: Paul Knight, David Nielsen, Mike Russell, & Joe Weed, all outstanding sound technicians who have made numerous other contributions to the Northern California bluegrass community.

There will be two shows on Saturday evening. From 6:00-8:00pm, 27strings will entertain at the Gourmet Haus Staudt, 2615 Broadway, and The Edgewood Mountain Boys will hold forth at the Freewheel Brewing Company, 3736 Florence Street, from 8:00-10:00pm.

The will make a great Saturday of FREE bluegrass music in Redwood City.

The Saturday program is part of the FREE weekend-long 10th Annual Northern California Bluegrass Society Bluegrass On Broadway Festival in Redwood City, which is supported in part by a grant from the Redwood City Civic Cultural Commission.

Full January 27, 28 & 30 BOB Festival Schedule

Complete List Of Awards Finalists

NCBS Bluegrass Film Festival

BOB Festival Evening Entertainment

These bands are the finalists for Best Bluegrass Band at the 2017 Northern California Bluegrass Awards. The Awards Show will be held on Saturday, January 28, 3:00-5:00pm, at the Veterans Memorial Senior Center Threatre, 1455 Madison Avenue, Redwood City, as part of the FREE weekend-long NCBS Bluegrass On Broadway Festival, January 27-28 & January 30.

Complete Weekend Festival Schedule

The Northern California Bluegrass Society has announced the schedule for the 10th Annual Bluegrass On Broadway Festival in Redwood City, January 27-28 and January 30, 2017.

All festival events are FREE and held in Redwood City.

FRIDAY, January 27

8:00-10:00pm — Stoney Mountain Ramblers, Freewheel Brewing Company, 3737 Florence Street.

SATURDAY, January 28

Northern California Bluegrass Awards Show & Concert

10:00am-5:00pm — Veterans Memorial Senior Center Theatre, 1455  Madison Avenue.

10:00am — Special Film Presentation: The Waltz To Westphalia (Joe Weed, CA)

11:00 — 35 Years Of Trouble

Noon — The Wildcat Mountain Ramblers

1:00pm — The Blue Js

2:00pm — Bean Creek

3:00-5:00 — Northern California Bluegrass Awards Show with additional musical performances.

6:00-8:00pm — 27strings, Gourmet Haus Staudt, 2615 Broadway.

8:00-10:00pm — Edgewood Mountain Boys, Freewheel Brewing Company, 3737 Florence Street.

MONDAY, January 30

NCBS Bluegrass Film Festival

6:30-8:30pm — Community Room, Redwood City Main Library, 1044 Middlefield Road.

Banjos Bluegrass & Squirrel Barkers (Rick Bowman, Backyard Green Films, CA)

How To Make A Guitar In Two Minutes (Herb Moore, CA)

The Whippoorwill’s Cry (Curtis Leslie, CA)

The 10th annual Northern California Bluegrass Awards Show & Concert will be held on Saturday, January 28, 2017 from 10:00am to 5:00pm.

The FREE program will be held at the Veterans Memorial Senior Center Threatre, 1455 Madison Avenue, Redwood City.

The line-up will be announced shortly. The awards show will be held from 3:00-5:00pm.

The show is part of the FREE weekend-long Northern California Bluegrass Society Bluegrass On Broadway Festival at various venues in Redwood City. The festival receives principal financial support from the Redwood City Civic Cultural Commission.