Category: Events

KKUP Bluegrass Marathon Puts Great Music On The Air Through Monday Evening, February 13

The annual KKUP Bluegrass, Folk & Country Marathon, which began on Thursday evening, will run through Monday night, February 13.

Complete Marathon Schedule

The station can be heard in the South Bay & Monterey Bay Areas at 91.5FM and Online.

The station programs more bluegrass music each week than any other Northern California radio broadcaster.

NCBS volunteers will be among he program hosts and live musical performers.

Mike Russell and Michael Hall will host a 9:00am-Noon Sunday, February 12 program with live music performances by The Stragglyrs, Blue Summit, and Tina Louise Barr, Uncle John Gwinner & Friends.

The duo will also close out the fundraiser with a Monday Night Bluegrass show on February 13, with The Naked Bootleggers and The Stoney Mountain Ramblers.

The marathon proper ends Sunday at midnight, with the regular Monday Night Bluegrass Show running 6:00-9:00pm the following evening to conclude the long weekend of bluegrass and others roots music.

Donors to the station can request the limited edition marathon t-shirt (among other gifts) as a premium over the course of the weekend.

This is the best weekend of bluegrass radio programming all year long. Thanks for your support!

24th Annual Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival Set For August 10-13, 2017 In Tres Pinos

The 24th Annual Northern California Bluegrass Society Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival will be held Thursday-Sunday, August 10-13, 2017 at the San Benito County Historical Park, 8300 Airline Highway in Tres Pinos (7 miles south of Hollister).

The festival benefits NCBS activities throughout the year.

The Cottage Saloon, San Benito County Historical Park, Tres Pinos.

NCBS Welcomes The 13th Annual Pick & Gather Festival At Riverdance Farms In Livingston May 20-21

Blueberries ripe for the picking, Riverdance Farms, Livingston.

NOTE NEW DATES: May 27-28.

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The Northern California Bluegrass Society will welcome the 13th Annual Pick & Gather Festival presented by Riverdance Farms in Livingston (near Merced) on Saturday & Sunday, May 20-21, 2017.

The event will feature bluegrass and other live music, camping, fruit in season for picking, good food and information about organic farming, water quality information, and swimming in the pleasant Merced River.

The Merced River at Riverdance Farms.

Important: The festival’s new date is the weekend before Memorial Day weekend. Previously, the gathering had been held the weekend after the holiday weekend.

More information will be announced soon.

Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley Set For February 18 RBA Concert In Mountain View

Trey Hensley with Rob Ickes

Redwood Bluegrass Associates will present Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley on Saturday, February 18 as part of the organization’s 25th and final concert season at the Masonic Hall in Mountain View.

A free 5:00pm jam hosted by The Handsome Ladies and open to all players will begin the evening of bluegrass. Concert doors will open at 7:00pm and the show will begin at 7:30pm.

The remaining shows are:

March 18 — John Reischman & The Jaybirds

April 22 — Final RBA Concert With Performers To Be Announced

The concerts are welcomed  by the Northern California Bluegrass Society.

Brookdale Bluegrass Spring Festival Performance Schedule For March 10-12 In Felton

Brookdale Bluegrass has announced the performance schedule for the Spring 2017 Festival, to be held at Mt. Cross Camp in Felton. All Brookdale Bluegrass events since 1998 have been welcomed by the Northern California Bluegrass Society.

FRIDAY, March 10

7:00pm — Toby Gray & His Harlan County Covey

8:00 — Faux Renwah

9:00 — Coffee Zombie Collective

SATURDAY, March 11

(Morning workshops TBA)

1:00pm — BanjerDan’s Kids Show

2:00 — Brookdale Bluegrass Band

3:00 — Faux Renwah

(Dinner Break)

7:00 — The Stoney Mountain Ramblers

8:00 — Snap Jackson & The Knock On Wood Players

9:00 — Peter Rowan

SUNDAY, March 12

11:00am — The Stoney Mountain Ramblers

Noon — Coffee Zombie Collective

1:00pm — Snap Jackson & The Knock On Wood Players

2:00 — The Naked Bootleggers

Wildcat Mountain Ramblers Set For The Thursday Bluegrass Series At The Summit House

The Wildcat Mountain Ramblers

UPDATE: This show has been CANCELED due to bad weather conditions.

The Summit House Thursday Bluegrass Series will present a performance by The Wildcat Mountain Ramblers on February 9.

The series is presented by the Summit House and welcomed by the Northern California Bluegrass Society.

The FREE show is from 6:00-8:30pm at the Summit House Beer Garden & Grill, located six miles south of Los Gatos on Highway 17.


Photo Essay Of The Tenth Annual Bluegrass On Broadway Festival Is Now Available

The Stoney Mountain Ramblers open the festival.

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

Photo Essayists Donna Pacini-Christensen & Tim Christensen

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.

NCBS Walker Creek Music Camp Scholarship Fund Accepts Donations For Spring 2017

Walker Creek Music Camp students jam.

The Northern California Bluegrass Society Walker Creek Music Camp Scholarship Fund is now accepting donations for the 2017 Spring Camp which will be held April 7-10 at the Walker Creek Ranch near Petaluma.

Donations can be sent to:

Northern California Bluegrass Society/Santa Cruz Bluegrass Society
PO Box 390846
Mountain View, CA 94039-0846
Attn: NCBS Walker Creek Music Camp Scholarship Fund

The Northern California Bluegrass Society, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization aka the Santa Cruz Bluegrass Society, accepts donations and disburses scholarships. Donations to the fund are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Donors should consult their tax advisors. The Federal Tax ID No. is 94-2907716. Donors who do not need a tax deduction may donate money directly to the camp.

Information: Walker Creek Music Camp. Ingrid Noyes runs the twice-yearly camp.

2017 Santa Cruz Bluegrass Fair Set For Saturday, May 6 At The Duck Pond

The Santa Cruz Duck Pond
The bridge from downtown Santa Cruz to the Duck Pond at San Lorenzo Park.

The Northern California Bluegrass Society/Santa Cruz Bluegrass Society Santa Cruz Bluegrass Fair is set for Saturday, May 6, 2017.

The FREE afternoon concert in San Lorenzo Park (next to the courthouse) will be held at the Duck Pond Stage.

The Rite Of Spring for area bluegrass fans has ben held since 1986 and is the oldest NCBS/SCBS event.

Spanish Language Video Coverage Of The 2017 Bluegrass On Broadway Festival

Video Host Carmen Del Solar Valdés

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.