Songwriters Stage To Be Added To Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival In 2025

The Northern California Bluegrass Society has announced that a new stage will be added to the weekend’s entertainment and performance opportunities at the August 7-10, 2025 Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival.

The maiden presentation of the Songwriters Stage will be held on Friday, August 8 following the conclusion of the Main Stage show.

Bruce Champion and his famed Recording Truck will host the stage, which will be near the main audience area. Songwriters will receive a complimentary recording of their performances. The truck will continue to offer recording services to musicians throughout the festival in addition to hosting the new stage.

The 31-year-old festival will now present music on these stages: Main Stage, ‘Tweener Stage, First Stage, Saturday Night Dance Stage, Lantern Stage, and Songwriters Stage. The festival camp will be filled with Jamming at all hours of the day and night.

Details about the Songwriters Stage will be announced soon.

The NCBS Info Booth Has Flyers For All Festivals Of Interest To Area Bluegrass Fans

The Northern California Bluegrass Society Information Booth carries flyers for all festivals and other events of interest to Northern California bluegrass fans. The booth will provide information throughout the upcoming bluegrass event season.

Now is the time for promoters and bands to send in flyers for the booth volunteers to hand out. The first booth outing this year will be on March 8, 2025. Send to: Michael Hall, 610 Island Place, Redwood City, CA 94065. Flyers will be accepted on an ongoing basis. throughout the year.

Public Radio Station With Bluegrass Expanding To New Home

San Francisco Public Radio Station KALW, which has bluegrass and related music programming on Saturdays, is expanding into new studios on Market Street as the anchor tenant in an arts center building.

The station will occupy two floors at 988 Market Street in The Warfield Building, an historic century-old office tower that is part of the Warfield Theater complex. The nine-story building will be devoted to various arts and independent media organizations.

KALW has been broadcasting since 1941. Peter Thompson’s “Bluegrass Signal” bluegrass program runs 6:00-7:00pm every Saturday amidst other folk and Americana music shows. The station is at 91.7FM and online at KALW.org.

The move will take place this fall. The station will be a minority owner of the building as part of the real estate deal that closed on Friday February 7. The Community Arts Stabilization Trust is the majority owner. The most recent use of the structure was hosting tech companies, and the building was considered a candidate for office to housing conversion but will now be a safe haven for the City’s arts and media non-profits in a changing economy.

The building will be renamed The Warfield Commons.

The Warfield Building, now The Warfield Commons.

The Late Cousin Al Knoth To Be Honored On Saturday February 8 At Santa Clara Train Jam

Jam Dedicated To Cousin Al Knoth 

SATURDAY, February 8, 2025, Noon-3:00pm

Edward Peterman Museum of Railroad History

1005 Railroad Ave, Santa Clara

(Across from Santa Clara University)

FREE

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Mary Kennedy is the founding organizer of the monthly Santa Clara Bluegrass Train Jam. She welcomes everyone to the February jam that will honor Cousin Al:

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This 2nd Saturday, February 8, 2025, 12-3pm, the Santa Clara Bluegrass Train Jam, is dedicated to Cousin Al of KPIG Fame. When I started the Train Jam at the Edward Peterman Museum of Railroad History in Santa Clara, back in 2012, Cousin Al was on the board of the South Bay Historical Railroad Society that runs the museum. Cousin Al was instrumental in encouraging the SBHRS to sponsor my jam at the historic old depot that the museum is housed in.
The jam has a loyal following of jammers who range in ability from beginners to intermediate to experienced performers who play in their own bands. We encourage beginner jammers to sit in. We provide the local community of Santa Clara and the train commuters with musical respite and fun. Thanks to Cousin Al, we provide this community service on a regular monthly basis. The jam has been running now consistently at the Train Museum every 2nd Saturday since 2012 except when the jam moved to the Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival run by the Northern California bluegrass Society in Hollister, California in August.
David Wilson, guitar player, and country singer with HootnHoller, has become the Jam leader this past year. David’s wife Colleen helps photograph the Jam and promote it along with David. Thanks to David & Colleen, the jam is now also held in August at the train station.
We all would like to thank the Northern California Bluegrass Society for their sponsorship and helping the jam get started at the Museum.

 

— Mary Kennedy

Cousin Al Knoth Obituary (September 2023)

 

NCBS/SCBS Is A 501(c)(3) Organization Supporting Area Bluegrass Music

The Northern California Bluegrass Society is a California Not-For-Profit Corporation with Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) status that is also known as the Santa Cruz Bluegrass Society. NCBS/SCBS accepts tax-advantaged donations to support its work. The NCBS/SCBS Tax ID No. is 94-2907716.

Mail-In Donations: NCBS/SCBS, PO Box 390846, Mountain View, CA 94039-0846.

NCBS Online Donations