Northern California Bluegrass Society

The premier of the new PBS program “Big Family: The Story Of Bluegrass Music” will be this Friday, August 30, 2019 all across the country.

The program will air on Channel 9, KQED-San Francisco at 9:00pm on Friday. Check local listings for public stations in other areas of California.

The program was produced by Kentucky Educational Television. It examines the history of bluegrass music, from its origins to its eventual worldwide popularity. It presents dozens of musicians, including locals Laurie Lewis and Peter Rowan who explain the ways bluegrass music transcends generational, cultural and geographic boundaries.

PBS says that “Big Family: The Story of Bluegrass Music” provides a comprehensive look at a distinctly American genre of music. The film explores what bluegrass music is, what makes it unique, and key musicians who have shaped its sound. Historical segments trace the beginnings of bluegrass in the traditions of Scots-Irish immigrants and African-Americans and how these influences coalesced in the music of a young rural Kentuckian, Bill Monroe, in the 1920s.

 

The Northern California Bluegrass Society will welcome the Steve Martin-Edie Brickell-penned Americana/Bluegrass musical Bright Star to the Lucie Stern Center Theater in Palo Alto. Performance Dates: September 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, & 29.

Jammers/Performers are invited to sign up to play in the courtyard outside the theater before each performance. An online Doodle Poll has been created for sign-ups:

Sign-Up Doodle Poll

Jam participants will enjoy free admission to the show. Ted Kuster is the volunteer organizing the informal music before each formal musical show. He has requested that everyone sign up by September 1.

The Northern California Bluegrass Society officially welcomes the Steve Martin-Edie Brickell-penned Americana/Bluegrass musical Bright Star to the Lucie Stern Center Theater in Palo Alto. The Society’s own Dan Mazer will perform with the show’s orchestra on banjo.

The Palo Alto Players’ production is also welcomed by the California Bluegrass Association.

Pickers who are interested in pre-show jamming and informal performances in the courtyard outside the theater can sign-up  by contacting the CBA’s San Francisco Vice-President Ted Kuster at <ted@tedtedted.com>.

Participants will enjoy free admission to the show.

Performance Dates: SEPTEMBER 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, & 29.

 

The band 27strings will perform on August 29 at the Northern California Bluegrass Society-welcomed Thursday Bluegrass Series, which is presented by the Summit House Beer Garden & Grill at the top of Highway 17,  6 miles south of Los Gatos.

Music runs 6:00-8:30pm. The mountain vistas are unending. Good food and drink is served. Admission is FREE.

The Northern California Bluegrass Society-welcomed Thursday Bluegrass Series continues at the Summit House Beer Garden & Grill at the top of Highway 17,  6 miles south of Los Gatos on the way to Santa Cruz. Music runs 6:00-8:30pm. Good food and drink is served. Admission is FREE.

Thursday, August 22: Purple Mountain.