Applications will open today, Tuesday, September 5, 2023, for the 2024 International Bluegrass Music Association Leadership Bluegrass Class. NCBS is a longtime organizational member of the IBMA and NCBS Members are encouraged to apply.
Applications will close on October 31. The class will be held March 4-6, 2024 in Nashville.
The Northern California Bluegrass Society welcomes the 2023 return of the International Bluegrass Music Association World Of Bluegrass. The NCBS is a longtime organizational member of the IBMA.
The convention and festival will be held September 26-30 in Raleigh, NC. The convention will be held at the Raleigh Convention Center, while the huge free weekend festival that follows will be held on stages throughout the downtown area.
Palo Alto native and former NCBS member Molly Tuttle (now of Nashville) will host the IBMA Awards ceremony during the convention. AJ Lee & Blue Summit will be a part of a special concert at the Red Hat Amphitheater. Many Northern Californians will be in attendance.
Happy Labor Day from your friends in the Northern California Bluegrass Society!
Now is the time to support bluegrass music in our area by joining the Northern California Bluegrass Society as we begin to plan our fall, winter, and 2024 events!
The Society welcomes all new, renewing, and returning members. You can join or renew your NCBS Membership on this website.
The Northern California Bluegrass Society welcomes the 2023 Plumas Homegrown Americana Festival on Labor Day Weekend in Quincy.
The September 1-3 event will be held at the Plumas County Fairgrounds. The NCBS Information Booth will be there. Stop by and say hello!
The Wildcat Mountain Ramblers (host band), Salty Sally, Banana & The Bunch, and Dirty Cello are among the Bay Area bands set to perform and Cactus Bob & The Prairie Flower have just been added. There will be plenty of tickets at the gate.
Camping areas are plentiful and nice. A Friday evening Open Mike and a spaghetti feed will be hosted by Chef Mike.
Labor Day Weekend is upon us and that means time for some live bluegrass music!
SEPTEMBER
1 — Crying Uncle Trio, Sailing Goat Restaurant, Richmond. 5:00pm.
1 — The GillyGirls Band, Bluegrass In The Park, Liberty Park, Clovis. 6:00pm.
1 — Joe Craven, Hattie Craven, & Alex Jordan, Ruhstaller Farm, Dixon. 7:00pm.
1-3 – Plumas Homegrown Americana Festival, Plumas County Fairgrounds, Quincy, (NCBS welcomed)
1-3 — Four Corners Folk Festival, Reservoir Hill, Pagosa Springs, CO.
1-4 — Burning Man, Black Rock City, NV (There will be several camps featuring bluegrass music, including The Rootpile.)
2 — Mid-Day Bluegrass Music Concert, Salesforce Park, San Francisco. 11:30am-1:30pm.
2 — Taco Invitational Jam, Baja Taqueria, Oakland. 5:30pm.
3 — Santa Clara Valley Fiddlers, Rose Garden Park, San Jose. 1:00-5:00pm.
3 — Red Dog Ash, Berryessa Brewing Co, Winters. 3:00pm.
3 — Sunday Bluegrass Jam, The Crepe Place, Santa Cruz. 4:00-7:00pm.
Northern California Bluegrass Society Members are encouraged to apply for the International Bluegrass Music Association 2024 Leadership Bluegrass Class. The application deadline is October 31, 2023. Applications open on September 5.
The NCBS is a longtime organizational member of the IBMA.
Each year, Leadership Bluegrass brings together 25 selected participants for three days of intensive panels, workshops and activities in Nashville. Through interactive activities and conversations, participants get to know one another and work toward solutions for challenges both specific to bluegrass and in the wider music industry.
After two decades of Leadership Bluegrass, more than 500 alumni have been inspired and equipped to work toward positive change in their areas of expertise.
Leadership Bluegrass 2024 will take place March 4-6 and is open to professionals working in or with the bluegrass music industry. The cost to participants is $400 for current IBMA members and $475 for non-members (class fee plus one-year IBMA membership), payable after they have been invited to attend. Limited financial aid is available.
Leadership Bluegrass sessions begin early each morning and run well
into the evening on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday’s sessions wrap up around 5 p.m. Class members will engage in group activities, presentations, leadership training and personal development exercises.
“Attending Leadership Bluegrass was like receiving a semester’s worth of knowledge about the music industry in just three days,” says Leadership Bluegrass Class of 2023 graduate Austin Scelzo. “I left feeling inspired, motivated, and equipped to service my community in new and fresh ways.” Adds his 2023 classmate Kevin Slick: “Leadership Bluegrass reminds you that you have something unique and important to offer the genre.”
Music industry professionals interested in participating can fill out the application and submit letters of recommendation via a form at https://ibma.org/leadership-bluegrass/apply/. The selection process is highly competitive, with a goal of including a broad representation of geography, areas of expertise and professionals who have demonstrated leadership and/or who may
exhibit a strong future impact in bluegrass music. Applicants in previous years who have not yet been selected are encouraged to apply again.
NCBS Past President Michael Hall (Class of 2003) will be happy to answer questions.
Leadership Bluegrass Information
The NCBS National Bluegrass Stolen & Missing Instrument Page is on this website. This service is for both theft victims and used instrument buyers. The FREE page is searchable, and links can be added to connect additional information about the instrument.
It provides a central reporting location for the recovery of stolen or lost bluegrass instruments. Musicians should immediately SELF POST information about stolen instruments. Instrument buyers should CHECK the page prior to purchase of any used instrument.
The Northern California Bluegrass Society welcomes the 2023 return of the International Bluegrass Music Association World Of Bluegrass.
The NCBS is a longtime organizational member of the IBMA. Palo Alto native and former NCBS member Molly Tuttle (now of Nashville) will host the IBMA Awards ceremony during the convention. Many Northern Californians will be in attendance.
The convention and festival will be held September 26-30 in Raleigh, NC. The convention will be held at the Raleigh Convention Center, while the weekend festival that follows will be held at the Red Hat Amphitheater and on additional stages throughout the downtown area.
Robert Eliason covered the 29th Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival for Benitolink:
29th Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival takes over Historical Park | BenitoLink
Next Year: The Northen California Bluegrass Society has set the Historic 30th Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival for August 8-11, 2024. The then Santa Cruz Bluegrass Society staged the first GOF at Bolado Park in 1994. Due to the pandemic, the 2020 festival was held online and no festival was held in 2021. See you at the San Benito County Historical Park next August — and thanks for your support!
