Category: Events

Bay Area Bluegrass Organizations Plan San Francisco Bluegrass & Old Time Festival October 11-15

The Jerry Garcia Amphitheatre

The San Francisco Bluegrass & Old Time Festival will return to San Francisco on Wednesday-Sunday, October 11-15, 2017. The revival of the fun bluegrass event will take place the week after the October 6-8 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival.

The SFBOT shows will be held in various venues, with the FREE closing Sunday concert set for at the Jerry Garcia Amphitheatre in McLaren Park.

The original festival (held 2000-2013) was organized by a quasi-independent committee of the Northern California Bluegrass Society. The revival is a project of several area bluegrass organizations, including the California Bluegrass Association. NCBS welcomes this event. Additional support will be provided by the San Francisco Parks & Recreation Department.

Mountain Drive To Perform At The Summit House Near Los Gatos On August 31

The Thursday Bluegrass Series at the Summit House Beer Garden & Grill will present great music with Mountain Drive August 31.

The FREE 6:00-8:30pm music program is presented by the The Summit House and welcomed by the Northern California Bluegrass Society. The Summit House serves fine food and drink in the Santa Cruz Mountains and is located at 23123 Santa Cruz Highway, six miles south of Los Gatos.

Mountain Drive

The Labor Day 2017 Weekend Festivals For Northern California

BanjerDan Mazer of Burning Man

Northern California Bluegrass Society Members will be out this Labor Day Weekend to enjoy some great festivals. Here are the events for this weekend. Come on out and join us!

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER

Burning Man Festival, August 27–September 4, Black Rock City, Black Rock Desert, NV.

Strawberry Fall Music Festival, August 31-September 4, Westside, Tuolumne.

SEPTEMBER

Plumas Homegrown American Festival, September 1-3, Plumas County Fairgrounds, Quincy.

Four Corners Folk Festival, September 1-3, Reservoir Hill Park, Pagosa Springs, CO.

San Francisco Folk Music Club Fall Campout,  September 1-4, Boy Scout Reservation, Boulder Creek.

Front Porch Music Festival, September 2, Wente Vineyards, Livermore.

Santa Cruz Mountain Art Wine & Music Festival, September 5-6, Garrahan Park, Boulder Creek.

The SFBOT Returns To San Francisco This October — To Follow Huge Hardly Strictly Gathering

The San Francisco Bluegrass & Old Time Festival will return to San Francisco October 11-15, 2017 after a 4-year hiatus. The revival of the small, fun, bluegrass event will take place the week after the huge Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival.

The SFBOT’s Wednesday-Saturday shows will be held in various well-known bluegrass venues around town, while the FREE closing Sunday concert will take place at the Jerry Garcia Amphitheatre in McLaren Park.

The original (2000-2013) festival was organized by a quasi-independent committee of the Northern California Bluegrass Society. The revival is a project of several area bluegrass organizations, including the California Bluegrass Association. NCBS welcomes the 2017 event. Additional support will be provided by the San Francisco Parks & Recreation Department.

Save the dates — a full performance schedule will be announced soon.

Mountain Music Festival Is FREE, October 1 at Emma Prusch Park In San Jose

Welcomed by NCBS.

The Northern California Bluegrass Society welcomes the Mountain Music Festival, set for Sunday, October 1, 2017 at Emma Prusch Farm Park, 647 South King Road in San Jose.

Bands: Bean Creek, The Goat Hills Girls, Sidesaddle & Co, Radio Rail, The Wildcat Mountain Ramblers, Banjo Twins, & The Santa Clara Valley Fiddlers Association.

The FREE, family-oriented festival is presented by the Prusch Farm Park Foundation and the City Of San Jose.

Performance Schedule

Northern California Bluegrass Awards Nominations Now Accepted & Due By October 21

The Northern California Bluegrass Awards Show, FREE, January 27, 2018, in Redwood City.

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.

Official September-October 2017 Northern California Bluegrass Society Events

Here are the official Northern California Bluegrass Society events for September & October, 2017:

SEPTEMBER

26-30 — IBMA World Of Bluegrass, Raleigh Convention Center, Raleigh, NC. (NCBS is a longtime organizational member of IBMA)

OCTOBER

1 — Mountain Music Festival, Emma Prusch Farm Park, San Jose. FREE. (NCBS-welcomed)

11-15 — San Francisco Bluegrass & Old Time Festival, various venues, San Francisco. (NCBS-welcomed)

14 — NCBS Volunteer Thank You Party, undisclosed location.