Freebo set for Brookdale Winter Gathering.Happy Thanksgiving from NCBS!
November Bluegrass Music is upon us! The Brookdale Winter Gathering has been moved up to Thanksgiving weekend and will be held in Felton.
Touring bands in Northern California will include the Sideline Bluegrass Band, The Last Revel, Run Boy Run, Rhiannon Gidden & Dirk Powell, The Wild Reeds, The Lonely Heartstring Band, Sweetwater String Band, and the Slocan Ramblers.
Run Boy Run
Our touring favorites Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands, Steep Ravine, Joe & Hattie Craven, Haas Kowert Tice and Front Country are back home in our area this month.
Bill Evans brings us his annual California Banjo Extravaganza with Danny Barnes & Joe Newberry, while the folk duo Reilly & Maloney will perform their farewell concert at the Freight. Many area bands will be onstage throughout the month.
NCBS Members will be out having fun all month long! Please join us — and have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Deadline for Band Applications for the 2017 GOF is “December 31st, 2016″
It’s that time again! Any band interested in performing at the 2017 Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival (the Bands will perform August 11th,12th, 13th) needs to submit the following materials and information by December 31st, 2016 to:
NCBS
C/o Penny Godlis
481 N Santa Cruz Ave. #242
Los Gatos, CA 95030-5300
Band Recording: Ideally the recording (CD or cassette) please no DVD’s, should have at least five songs and represent the current membership and performance style of the band. It doesn’t have to be quality- just clear enough for the band committee to make a good and fair evaluation.
Band Photo: Prior to the festival we feature photos of performing bands both in this magazine and in promotional materials. Please submit a photo of your current band that you’d like to see in publication (and indicate who is who on the back of the photo). Avoid dark photos that don’t scan very well. Photo size is not that important.
Band Description: Pretend you’re a reporter for this magazine who is doing an article on your Band , and write a few paragraphs describing your group. Some important information you might provide in your description includes:
. Names of band members and instruments they play, vocals (leads or harmonies.)
. Style of music you play (traditional bluegrass, old timey, contemporary, originals, etc.)
. Brief biographical “story” of each member
. History of your band
. How you came up with your band name
. Recordings you’ve done (don’t worry, most bands at GOF haven’t recorded yet)
. Interesting places at which you’ve performed
. Regular gigs you’d like readers to know about
Both the GOF committee and this magazine will use these materials to help promote the festival and your band. We aren’t expecting fancy layouts or custom-printed materials – a simple letter is just fine.
Contact Person: We need the name, phone number, mailing address (and ideally e-mail address)
The more flexible your band is for scheduling the greater your chance of being booked.
Some frequently asked questions:
Can our band use previously submitted or published materials?
All bands MUST submit a recording, photo, and band description, BUT you can certainly use previous tapes, photos, and band descriptions if they accurately reflect your current band membership, performance level, and information. We’d prefer a new set of materials though, since last year’s band applications/press kits may not be complete anymore. Please call Penny Godlis (831-423-2154 home phone) or (408-234-7641 Cell Phone) if you have any questions. Or email me at pennyag44@gmail.com
Are New Bands Welcome?
Definitely! The band committee is always looking for new bands to feature at the festival. The GOF was started mainly to give up-and-coming local bands a venue to perform for a larger bluegrass audience.
We’re an established local band and have played at GOF several times–do we still need to send in an application?
YES! To be fair to everyone, all bands need to apply by the deadline to be considered by the festival committee. If all of the Band members are the same and you wish to use a previous year’s band packet, please call or e-mail Penny Godlis before the deadline.
Questions:
If you have any questions about the band application process, please contact Penny Godlis at (831-423-2154 Home phone) or (408-234-7641 Cell phone) email pennyag44@gmail.com
(Note the new e-mail address).
Late Applications:
When we receive the Band packets we work very quickly to get a lineup for publication. Bands that apply late may be put on a waiting list.
A “new” historical building and other improvements will await bluegrass fans at the San Benito County Historical Park for the 2017 Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival. The historic Palmtag Cutting Shed has been moved to the park and reassembled. It will be a good place for jamming and other festival uses. In addition, there will be an electrical upgrade and improvements to the stage roof. There is also good news about the park water supply.
The Historical Park was first used in 2016 for the GOF Festival following some improvements made to accommodate the event. The San Benito County Historical Society and San Benito County Parks plan additional upgrades in coming years.
The 24th annual festival will be held August 10-13, 2017.
The FREE Summit House Thursday Bluegrass Series continues during November. The lovely Santa Cruz Mountains views await us at the top of Highway 17, six miles south of Los Gatos.
The top quality weekly series runs every Thursday evening from 6:00pm to 8:30pm at the Summit House Beer Garden & Grill. The shows are presented by the Summit House and welcomed by the Northern California Bluegrass Society. Good food and drink will be served. This is a nice place for music. Thanks to Robert Cornelius for making the shows happen!
ELECTION DAY, November 8
Carolina Special, Sam’s BBQ, San Jose.
Sideline Bluegrass Band, House Concert, Folsom.
Vintage Grass, Hopmonk Tavern, Sonoma.
Sideline Bluegrass Band, The Studio, Cottonwood.
SATURDAY, November 12
