NCBS-Welcomed Berkeley Bluegrass Festival Returns To The Freight & Salvage April 29-May 1

The 2022 Berkeley Bluegrass Festival will return to the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley on Friday-Sunday, April 29-May 1. Single Day and Festival tickets are available. Here is the line-up:

FRIDAY, April 29

7:00pm — Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands; Tim O’Brien & Jan Fabricius; and the Jacob Jolliff Band.

SATURDAY, April 30

7:00pm — The Seldom Scene; NorthSouthEastWest Jam with Michael Daves, Tatiana Hargreaves, Missy Raines, Kristin Scott Benson, & Laurie Lewis; and Windy Hill.

SUNDAY, May 1

7:00pm — The Grascals; Missy Raines & Allegheny; and the Kathy Kallick Band.

This is the only bluegrass festival in the East Bay and is welcomed by the Northern California Bluegrass Society. Enjoy!

The NCBS Gathering Returns On July 16, This Time At Loch Lomond Park In Felton

The Second Annual NCBS GatheringĀ will be held onĀ Saturday, July 16, 2022Ā inĀ Loch Lomond, nearĀ Felton.

The FREE event will offer jamming, friends, musical performances, and your picnic, all in a beautiful lakeside mountain park. An afternoon of music and friends will be fun and relaxed.

Just what you need in your bluegrass life, so save the date.

The first NCBS Gathering event was held in July 2021 at the Historical Park in Tres Pinos.

You Are Invited To The Johnson Farm Pickin’ Party On April 23 Near Boulder Creek

TheĀ Northern California Bluegrass SocietyĀ welcomes the return of the belovedĀ Johnson Farm Pickinā€™ PartyĀ to theĀ Santa Cruz MountainsĀ onĀ Saturday, April 23, 2022. The FREE event is hosted byĀ Mike Johnson.

The 10-year-old event was paused during the pandemic, but is back! The relaxed day of informal music, food, and friends will be held at a new farm nearĀ Boulder Creek, not far from the original location.

Here is the official invitation from Mike Johnson:

—

Johnson Farm Pickinā€™ Party (resuming as 10th annual)

Picnic/BBQ/Bonfire/live music and sā€™mores

noon to midnight on Saturday April 23, 2022

Bring your instruments, and enjoy the day/night jamming and picnicking with friends and family.

Come by anytime early if you like, or come later and stay later. Weā€™ll light the BBQs at 12noon and keep them hot throughout the day.Ā  Hot dogs will be provided for a ā€œcook your own dog when you are readyā€ BBQ.Ā  Bring a side,Ā  salad, drinks, or deserts to share. Or just chip in $5 if that works better for you.Ā 

There are lots of trails for hiking, a nice creek for kids to play in, a rope swing,Ā  horse shoes, archery, and boules.Ā  Or you can take a nap in the hammock, or try out the rocking chairs on the front porch. Camping is also possible. (Call ahead of time to make arrangements.)Ā 

How to get there : (the new location is not far from my parentsā€™ farm)

The address is 18549 Kings Creek Road, Boulder Creek.Ā  Your GPS will get you close. But GPS and cell phones may begin to fade out over the last Ā½ mile before the house.

Kings Creek Road is 2 miles north of Boulder Creek,Ā  beginning at Highway 9.

The Sawmill Restaurant and the Mountain Store are both landmarks and entrances to Kings Creek Road. Travel exactly 3 miles up Kings Creek Road, past the entrance to ā€œInstitute of Heartmathā€, continuing straight for about 300 feet (10 seconds) on gravel section of Kings Creek Road. My driveway is on the left.Ā  See you there!Ā Ā Ā 

– Mike Johnson

My land line isĀ  831-338-3125 Ā  if I am in the house.Ā My cell isĀ  831-246-4399 Ā  but does not work if I am at home. Texting works pretty well.Ā My EmailĀ  is Ā  mikeshupmobile@gmail.com.

 

Huber Truetone Banjo Raffle To Support The IBMA Foundation And Bluegrass Music Programs

The IBMA Foundation will raffle off a top-of-the-line Huber Truetone Banjo in the second annual Strings for Dreams Bluegrass Raffle. Tickets are on sale now and the drawing is set for May 20, 2022. Proceeds will benefit the foundation’s grants and other charitable projects that support bluegrass music. Only 5,000 tickets will be sold at $20 each or 6 for $100. The drawing will be live streamed atĀ facebook.com/bluegrassfoundation.

The IBMA Foundation is affiliated with the International Bluegrass Music Association. The Northern California Bluegrass Society is a longtime organizational member of IBMA. The first raffle held in 2021 was won by a Bay Area bluegrass musician!

The prize is a mint condition 2010 VRB-3 Truetone Huber Banjo, valued at $4,100, with two cases and straps. The banjo was donated by longtime IBMA Foundation supporter Richard Spratt.

There is no limit to the number of tickets each person may purchase.Ā Raffle tickets may be purchased atĀ stringsfordreams.comĀ from April 1 (9 a.m. ET)Ā  to May 19, 2022 (midnight ET. )

The VRB-3 is Huber Banjoā€™s recreation of the pre-war style-3 banjo, the most common of all the 1930s flatheads. It features a mahogany neck and resonator with a 1930s style Huber HR-30 tone ring and Huber engineered rim.Ā The mahogany neck imparts a sweetness to this model, with a warm blending of notes for a classic bluegrass sound. The rosewood fingerboard and double-cut headstock overlay are inlaid with a vintage style-3 wreath pattern. It is finished with a natural mahogany stain, with antiqued binding and antique metal finish on the nickel parts. Grained ivoroid tuner buttons complete the vintage look.

The Huber banjo comes with its original hard-shell case, a Reunion Blues banjo case, a leather strap designed by Huber, a cloth strap, an electronic tuner, and a Blue Chip thumb pick.

Ā Your ticket purchases support the work of the IBMA Foundation year-round, including project grants for bluegrass camps and afterschool programs for kids, bluegrass academies at festivals, bluegrass academic conferences, mini-grants for band presentations at schools, college scholarships for students focusing on bluegrass-related studies, the Neil Rosenberg Bluegrass Scholar Award, the annual Bluegrass College Band Showcase at World of Bluegrass in Raleigh, Arnold Shultz Fund grants to encourage participation in bluegrass music by people of color, and a variety of educational resources for educators and students of all ages.

The IBMA Foundation is offering sequentially numbered digital raffle tickets. The purchaser will receive an emailed receipt for verification purposes. Purchasers must be living U.S. residents, 18 years of age or older, to participate and win. If fundraising raffles are illegal in your community, you will be unable to participate (states that prohibit raffles altogether are Hawaii and Utah). Tickets may not be purchased by members of the IBMA Foundation board or those involved in conducting the raffleā€”including staff members or immediate family members of these individuals. ā€œImmediate familyā€ is defined as spouse or partner, children, parents, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, in-laws, or spouses of children.

Although all proceeds will benefit the IBMA Foundation, purchase of raffle tickets is not a tax-deductible expense (IRS regulation). The drawing will take place in North Carolina and will be livestreamed on the foundation Facebook page. This raffle has been organized in compliance with North Carolina General Statutes 14-309.15ā€”Raffles. The giveaway is conducted by and benefits the IBMA Foundation.Ā For more information on the Strings for Dreams Bluegrass Raffle, go toĀ bluegrassfoundation.org/raffle/Ā orĀ stringsfordreams.com.

 

Roland White, California Bluegrass Pioneer, Bluegrass Boy, Nashville Bluegrass Band, & Bluegrass Hall Of Fame Member

Roland White, a mandolinist, guitarist, and vocalist, who pioneered bluegrass music in Southern California, has died. He had a long, creative, and influential performing career with top bands Bill Monroe & The Bluegrass Boys, the Nashville Bluegrass Band, the Kentucky Colonels, Country Gazette, the Dreadful Snakes, and Lester Flatt & The Nashville Grass, and also with his own Roland White Band. The cause of his death was complications following a heart attack. He was 83 years old.

White’s recording career covered traditional bluegrass, but also explored the boundaries of the genre, mixing bluegrass with swing, jazz, country, gospel, and rock. He was the first to bring bluegrass music to network television.

White was a French Canadian who was born in rural northern Maine and came to Burbank, California with his family in 1954. His original surname was LeBlanc, French for White, which was adopted by the family as their new English name in California. In his early career, Roland performed in a family bluegrass band with his brothers Eric and Clarence and his sister Joanne. They came from a large musical family which included their father Eric and several uncles who played acoustic instruments.

Roland’s rise to bluegrass fame was rapid once the family band The Country Boys switched from country to bluegrass in 1955 after Roland heard a recording by the Father of Bluegrass. The brothers added Bill Ray Lathum on banjo and LeRoy Mack on Dobro, and came to the attention of Andy Griffith, which led to the band’s multiple appearances on the CBS Network’s Andy Griffith Show during the 1961 season. The Country Boys later became the Kentucky Colonels and performed at festivals across the country before the end of the folk revival caused work for the band to diminish.

Roland White performed at Santa Cruz Bluegrass Society concerts and at various Northern California festivals with three of his bands. He is best known to Northern California bluegrass fans as a member of the Nashville Bluegrass Band and as a popular instructor at area bluegrass camps.

After Roland left Lester Flatt’s band and his brother Clarence left The Byrds in 1973, the two reunited as the leaders of the New Kentucky Colonels. This collaboration was sadly cut short when Roland was seriously injured and Clarence died when they were hit by a drunk driver while loading out sound equipment following a band performance. Roland then continued his career with the popular and influential LA bluegrass and alt-country band, Country Gazette.

Roland Joseph White was inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame in 2017. In his later years, he was a volunteer sound engineer at the Station Inn in Nashville, where he organized an annual Monroe Appreciation Night. He is survived by his wife Diane.

Roland White, 1938-2022

 

 

NCBS Official Events April-September 2022

Here are the upcoming officialĀ Northern California Bluegrass Society events for April-September, 2022:

APRIL

6 — Wildcat Mountain Ramblers, Sam’s BBQ, San Jose. (NCBS welcomed)

7 — Goat Hill Girls, Summit House, Los Gatos. (NCBS welcomed)

14 — Wildcat Mountain Ramblers, Summit House, Los Gatos. (NCBS welcomed)

15 ā€”Ā Wildcat Mountain Ramblers, Sheraton Four Seasons Hotel, Scottā€™s Valley. (NCBS welcomed)

21 — Purple Mountain Majesty, Summit House, Los Gatos. (NCBS welcomed)

23 ā€”Ā Johnson Farm Pickinā€™ Party, New Johnson Farm, Boulder Creek. (NCBS welcomed)

27 — Sidesaddle & Co, Sam’s BBQ, San Jose. (NCBS welcomed)

28 — Bluegrass Jam Onstage Show, Summit House, Los Gatos. (NCBS welcomed)

30 ā€”Ā Brookdale Bluegrass Festival, Brookdale Lodge, Brookdale. (NCBS welcomed)

APRIL-MAY

April 29-May 1 ā€”Ā Berkeley Bluegrass Festival, Freight & Salvage, Berkeley. (NCBS welcomed)

JUNE

4 — Bluegrass TBA, Pub In The Park, Red Morton Park, Redwood City. (NCBS welcomed)

4-5 — Pick & Gather Festival, Riverdance Farms, Livingston. (NCBS welcomed)

JULY

16 — NCBS Presents The 2nd Annual NCBS Gathering, Loch Lomond Park. FREE. Felton.

16 — Bluegrass TBA, Pub In The Park, Red Morton Park, Redwood City. (NCBS welcomed)

AUGUST

11-14 — NCBS Presents The 28th Annual Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival, San Benito County Historical Park, Tres Pinos.

13 — Bluegrass TBA, Pub In The Park, Red Morton Park, Redwood City. (NCBS welcomed)

SEPTEMBER

10 — Bluegrass TBA, Pub In The Park, Red Morton Park, Redwood City. (NCBS welcomed)

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER

September 27-October 1 — IBMA World Of Bluegrass Convention, Raleigh Convention Center, Raleigh, NC. (NCBS welcomed)

NCBS Welcomes New & Returning Members As Live Bluegrass Music Comes Back To Life!

TheĀ Northern California Bluegrass SocietyĀ welcomes allĀ new and returning members. Your support of bluegrass music in our area is much appreciated at this critical time — and our volunteers have big plans!

2022 will be a great year to be a member. It only takes a moment to join or renew on this website or by mail.

NCBS Membership Information

Bluegrass Music Will Be The Summer Theme At Redwood City’s FREE Pub In The Park

The City of Redwood City Parks Recreation & Community Services DepartmentĀ has announced that the monthly summer music, beer, and food series Pub In The Park will exclusively present bluegrass music in 2022.

The FREE event will be held at Red Morton Park. Bands will be announced soon for this Northern California Bluegrass Society-welcomed gathering. Redwood City is the Peninsula’s Home Of Bluegrass Music.

Save The Dates: Saturdays, 11:00am-4:00pm —Ā June 4, July 16, August 13, & September 10.

You Can Be A Vendor At The 2022 NCBS Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival

TheĀ NCBSĀ is now taking applications for vendors interested in selling their products at theĀ 2022 NCBSĀ GOOD OLD FASHIONED BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL
ā€”
VENDOR APPLICATION FORM
Northern California Bluegrass Society
PO Box 390846, Mountain View, CA 94039-0846
Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival
August 12-14, 2022
San Benito County Historical Park, 8300 Airline Hwy., Tres Pinos,CA.
Business Name:______________________________________________________________________________
Name:______________________________________________________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________________________________________________
City: _____________________________________________ State:___________ Zip: _____________________
Phone: __________________________ Email:____________________________________________________
Website Description of product/service Insurance Information:___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
California Sales Permit # ___________________________________
NOTE TO ALL VENDORS: You must have a California Sales Permit or completed form BOE-410D no less than two weeks before the event. Also, an insurance certificate naming the Northern California Bluegrass Society and the San Benito County Historical Park is required.
NOTE TO FOOD VENDORS: Food vendors must complete a San Benito County Temporary Food Permit no less than two weeks before the event.
I hereby apply for a booth at the Good Old-Fashioned Festival and agree to pay the vendor fee of $150 in addition to any costs incurred in obtaining the required permits. The vendor fee is non-refundable. Four-day camping is included for early camping on August 11th and during the event on August 12th-14th.
All required vaccination and booster shot information must be submitted with application for all vendors and helpers attending.
A food vendor application is not complete until it has been accepted by the NCBS. Due to the small size of the festival, NCBS reserves the right to limit the number of food vendors to avoid conflicts.
I agree that the Northern California Bluegrass Society and the San Benito County Historical Park shall not be liable for any property damage, theft or personal injury to Exhibitor, its agents or employees, that may occur at the festival or on the grounds of the San Benito County Historical Park or its surroundings, no matter how such injury, damage or theft may have occurred.
Signed:________________________________________________________________
Date: _____________________________________
ā€¢ Please send check or credit card information along with this form to the Northern California Bluegrass Society, PO Box 390846, Mountain View, CA 94039 or email a copy to Dana.frankel0717@gmail.com no later than July 6th. so that the event permit can be filed in time.
GO TO NCBS.US FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS EVENT!