Lucas White

At the invitation of long-time Northern California Bluegrass Society members Roger and Rosemary Siminoff, the 5-year-old Redwood City-based January NCBS film festival was repeated for an appreciative audience in Atascadero on Wednesday evening, May 16. The event catered to a new crowd of cinema devotees — only one attendee had previously enjoyed bluegrass films as part of Bluegrass On Broadway in Redwood City.

The film subjects included Bill Monroe, Fresno’s Kenny Hall and (separately) Evo Bluestein, the Strawberry Music Festival’s 30th Anniversary, the jamming culture, and the bluegrass musical launch of Texas high schooler Lucas White. Film Festival director Michael Hall was the emcee for the shorter (3 hour) version of the 2012 festival, which was co-sponsored by the California Bluegrass Association.

Evo Bluestein

The Siminoff’s new home was an elegant setting for the program and Rosemary’s homemade chocolate chip cookies promptly cured any audience longings for ordinary movie theater food.

The original version of the nation’s only film festival showing both new independent bluegrass documentaries and selections from the International Bluegrass Music Museum’s Oral History Project will return to Redwood City in January 2013.

Posted May 19th, 2012 by Michael Hall in Events |