Category: NCB Awards

Nominations for the 11th Annual Northern California Bluegrass Awards are due from NCBS Members by October 21, 2017.

Nominations honoring Northern California’s primarily non-touring bluegrass bands & musicians are being accepted in 9 categories: Band, Male Vocalist, Female Vocalist, Guitar, Mandolin, Banjo, Fiddle, Dobro, and Bass. Paper nomination forms will be available at the NCBS Information Booth at fall events and e-mail nominations can be sent to Michael Hall. Each member may nominate up to 3 in each category.

NCBS members will receive two rounds of ballots over the winter. The awards ceremony will be held on January 27, 2018 as part of the FREE NCBS Bluegrass On Broadway Festival in Redwood City.

The awards show and January 26-28 festival are supported by a base grant from the Redwood City Civic Cultural Commission and by other Redwood City-area businesses, agencies, and organizations.

The City Of Redwood City Civic Cultural Commission has awarded a grant that provides base funding for the Northern California Bluegrass Society’s 11th Annual Bluegrass On Broadway Festival.

The event will be held at various Redwood City venues the weekend of January 26-28, 2018.

The FREE community event includes the Northern California Bluegrass Awards on January 27 and the NCBS Bluegrass Film Festival on January 28. Other live music is presented in the restaurants, bars, and other venues around the city, creating a fun, affordable bluegrass weekend for residents and visitors alike. The grant is subject to final approval by the Redwood City Council.

Redwood City is the Pennisula Home Of Bluegrass Music, with frequent shows in the city’s music clubs and the inclusion of bluegrass music in civic celebrations and public concerts.

A Photo Essay of the tenth annual NCBS Bluegrass On Broadway Festival is now available online. The BOB includes the Northern California Bluegrass Awards Show & Concert and the NCBS Bluegrass Film Festival.

Bluegrass On Broadway Photo Essay

The essay was produced by Donna Pacini-Christensen and Tim Christensen of A Starry Night Productions. The festival was held in Redwood City on January 27, 28 & 30, 2017.

The BOB Festival is presented by the Northern California Bluegrass Society with grant support from the Redwood City Civic Cultural Commission and additional support from other Redwood City area organizations, agencies, businesses and individuals.

In a historic first, the video podcast “En Extremena En Silicon Valley“ gave the January 28, 2017 Northern California Bluegrass Awards Show & Concert its first known Spanish-Language Coverage.

Video: Una Extremeña En Silicon Valley: Redwood City (10:16)

The first festival segment begins at 2:55.

Host Carmen Del Solar Valdés previously reported about the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco.

The concert was part of the weekend-long 10th Annual Bluegrass On Broadway Festival in Redwood City, January 27-28 and January 30, presented by the Northern California Bluegrass Society.

The video podcast covers several Redwood City & Palo Alto-area topics while Bill Monroe’s “Blue Moon Of Kentucky” plays softly in the background.

The two segments about the bluegrass concert include performances by Bean Creek, The Blue Js, The Wildcat Mountain Ramblers, and 35 Years Of Trouble.

Saturday evening offered an opportunity for everyone to relax after an all-day bluegrass concert and awards show. 27strings did the early show in the local German beer hall and then the Edgewood Mountain Boys closed out the evening at a local craft brewery. Everyone had a great time! We get Sunday off (due to a venue scheduling snafu) and then we close out the festival with an all-California bluegrass film festival on Monday night. It will be fun!

—

In the midst of the Northern California Bluegrass Awards Show yesterday in Redwood City, I was the recipient of a surprise Lifetime Achievement Award that was presented by Joe Weed. I am deeply honored by this award, and want to thank Joe and his co-conspirators for their efforts.

My first reaction was “Hey, I’m the one who gives out the awards around here!” I didn’t really say everything that needed to be said yesterday — especially that absolutely everything that I have done for bluegrass has been done as part of a team of dedicated volunteers. Working together, I think we have made a difference for the music in our area and beyond. We can all be proud of that.

It is very nice to be thanked, and I am still enjoying the moment. Thank you!

— Michael Hall

Video by Chip Curry

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!

—

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