The Tuttles With A. J. Lee of Palo Alto was named the 2011 Best Bluegrass Band at the Northern California Bluegrass Awards ceremony held in Redwood City on January 29. Bandmates A. J. Lee, Best Female Vocalist (Tracy), and Molly Tuttle, Best Guitar Player (Palo Alto), received individual honors.

Billy Pitrone of Santa Cruz won Best Male Vocalist for the fourth time, while Larry Cohea of Oakland won his third Best Banjo Player award, and Jim Mintun of Capitola his third Best Dobro Player Award.

Dan Booth, who recently left the Bay Area to become a Lyons, Colorado resident, was voted Best Bass Player. Pete Hicks of Aromas tied with Ed Neff of Petaluma for Best Mandolin Player. Hicks also tied with Paul Shelasky of Novato in the Best Fiddle Player category.

Lifetime Achievement honors went to Tom Diamant of El Cerrito, Ray Edlund of Gualala, Eric Rice of Grass Valley, and Mary Tilson of Seattle.

The 4th Annual Northern California Bluegrass Awards are a part of the Northern California Bluegrass Society’s Bluegrass On Broadway Festival.

Principal financial support for Bluegrass On Broadway comes from the City of Redwood City Civic Cultural Commission, the Redwood City Public Library, One World Montessori School, and the Tapestry Church.

Friday evening was fun! Three great bands, excellent crowds at every restaurant, and fine food make for a good time! See you on Saturday!

SATURDAY, JANUARY 29

Northern California Bluegrass Awards & Concert:

Tapestry Church Main Hall, 1305 Middlefield Road.

10:00am – Special Film Presentation: Discover Bluegrass (Exploring American Roots Music), International Bluegrass Music Association, Nashville, TN.

11:00am – South County Special

Noon – Pearly Blue

1:00pm – Bean Creek

2:00 – Dark Hollow

2:30 – Jack & Molly Tuttle

3:00-5:00pm – Northern California Bluegrass Awards

Special Guest Performers: Luke Abbott, Belle Monroe & Her Brewglass Boys, A. J. Lee & Marty Varner, Snap Jackson & The Knock On Wood Players, David Thom, and Windy Hill.

5:15pm-ish to whenever – Award Winners Jam hosted by Belle Monroe & Her Brewglass Boys (ALL jammers are welcome), Little India, 917 Main Street.

Weekend Festival Fun In Redwood City:

The Northern California Bluegrass Society’s 4th Annual Bluegrass On Broadway Festival is FREE, close-to-home, and offers unique bluegrass entertainment that is not available elsewhere. This weekend’s events will run Friday-Sunday, and will include concerts, jams, a bluegrass film festival, and the Northern California Bluegrass Awards. New this year: A Sunday evening closing concert follows the film festival!

Tickets:

NOT REQUIRED — ALL FESTIVAL EVENTS ARE FREE.

Performance Schedule:

FRIDAY, JANUARY 28

An Evening of Bluegrass Dining In Downtown Redwood City:

Loganville Acoustic – 7:00-9:00pm – Little India (Indian), 917 Main Street, (650) 361-8737.

Windy Hill – 7:00-9:00pm – Sweet Basil (Thai), 911 Main Street, (650) 257-7594.

27strings – 8:00-10:00pm – Café La Tartine (Dinners/Deserts), 830 Middlefield Road, (650) 474-2233.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 29

Northern California Bluegrass Awards & Concert:

Tapestry Church Main Hall, 1305 Middlefield Road.

10:00am – Special Film Presentation: Discover Bluegrass (Exploring American Roots Music), International Bluegrass Music Association, Nashville, TN.

11:00am – South County Special

Noon – Pearly Blue

1:00pm – Bean Creek

2:00 – Dark Hollow

2:30 – Jack & Molly Tuttle

3:00-5:00pm – Northern California Bluegrass Awards

Special Guest Performers: Luke Abbott, Belle Monroe & Her Brewglass Boys, A. J. Lee & Marty Varner, Snap Jackson & The Knock On Wood Players, David Thom, and Windy Hill.

5:15pm-ish to whenever – Award Winners Jam hosted by Belle Monroe & Her Brewglass Boys (ALL jammers are welcome), Little India, 917 Main Street.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 30

NCBS International Bluegrass Music Museum Film Festival:

Noon-5:00pm, Community Room, Redwood City Main Library, 1044 Middlefield Road. Host: Carl Pagter, IBMM Trustee.

The Eventful Life Of Al Hawkes, Andrew Jawitz, Rockhouse Mountain Productions, Conway, NH.

Unbroken: The Pearl Bluegrass Circle, Winston Hall & Donna Chance, Mystic Films, Shreveport, LA.

The Mast Farm Inn Sessions (A Study In Songwriting), Craig Havighurst, String Theory Media, Nashville, TN.

Discover Bluegrass “Bluegrass Today” Segment with A. J. Lee & Max Schwartz, International Bluegrass Music Association, Nashville, TN.

The Legends Concert, ROMP 2005, International Bluegrass Music Museum, Owensboro, KY.

Sunday Evening Closing Concert:

6:30-9:00pm — Bluegrass & Jazz Concert, Woodside Road United Methodist Church, 2000 Woodside Road, with the Woodside Road Players and the Healing Stream Bluegrass Band.

Directions: Bluegrass On Broadway is held at various venues in downtown Redwood City (mid-Peninsula in the middle of the Bay Area), easily accessible from Freeways 101 and 280, via the Woodside Road exit. Downtown Redwood City is about a half-mile north of Woodside Road via Middlefield Road. All festival events (except for the NEW Sunday Evening Closing Concert) are within easy walking distance of each other and of the Redwood City Caltrain Station. To get to the Sunday evening concert, go about two miles west of Middlefield Road on Woodside Road. The Woodside Road UMC is on the right.

Redwood City Weather: Perfect Indoor Weather at all venues, of course! Outside Weather: FRI: Partly Cloudy, High 66, Low 44.SAT: Partly Cloudy, High 60, Low 41. SUN: Chance of  Showers, High 60, Low 41.

Northern California Bluegrass Awards Finalists:

1. Bluegrass Band

Bean Creek, Belle Monroe & Her Brewglass Boys, Dalton Mountain Gang,  OMGG, The Tuttles With A. J. Lee

2. Male Vocalist

Luke Abbott, Pete Hicks, John Kornhauser, Billy Pitrone, Yoseff Tucker

3. Female Vocalist

Pam Brandon aka Belle Monroe, Diana Donnelly, Sarah Eblen, A. J. Lee,
Hilary Perkins aka Nell Robinson, Molly Tuttle

4. Guitar Player

Larry Chung, Kathy Kallick, David Thom, Yoseff Tucker, Molly Tuttle

5. Mandolin Player

Luke Abbott, Tom Bekeny, Pete Hicks, Ed Neff, Butch Waller

6. Banjo Player

Luke Abbott, Larry Chung, Larry Cohea, Snap Jackson, Molly Tuttle

7. Fiddle Player

Luke Abbott, Pete Hicks, Paul Lee, Paul Shelasky, Jack Tuttle

8. Dobro Player

Kathy Barwick, Lisa Berman, Avram Frankel, Jim Mintun, Cory Welch

9. Bass Player

Dan Booth, Lisa Burns, Dave Gooding, Jennifer Kitchen, Louise Mintun

Lifetime Achievement Award Honorees: Tom Diamant, Ray Edlund, Eric Rice, Mary Tilson.

And remember…all of your friends will be there!

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Principal financial support for NCBS Bluegrass On Broadway comes from the Redwood City Civic Cultural Commission, the Redwood City Library, the One World Montessori School, and the Tapestry Church.

The Guest Performers for this Saturday’s Northern California Bluegrass Awards have been announced. They are:

Luke Abbott, Belle Monroe & Her Brewglass Boys, A. J. Lee & Marty Varner, Snap Jackson & The Knock On Wood Players, David Thom, and Windy Hill.

These performances will take place during the January 29, 3:00-5:00pm ceremony. Other bands will perform prior to the ceremony as part of the day-long concert. A bluegrass jam will follow the awards ceremony.

Complete Bluegrass On Broadway Festival Schedule

All NCBS Bluegrass On Broadway Events Are FREE. Thanks to our principal financial supporters: The Redwood City Civic Cultural Commission, the Redwood City Public Library, the One World Montessori School, and The Tapestry Church.

Four beloved mainstays of the Northern California bluegrass radio community will be honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards this Saturday, as part of the NCBS Bluegrass On Broadway Festival’s Northern California Bluegrass Awards. They are:

Tom Diamant, host of “Panhandle Country” on KPFA radio in Berkeley, bluegrass musician, and manager of Arhoolie Records.

Ray Edlund, host of “Pig In A Pen” on KPFA and an early leader in the California Bluegrass Association.

Eric Rice, host of “County Line Bluegrass” on KVMR radio in Nevada City, and organizer of the annual live broadcast of the CBA Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival and two other Nevada County Fairgrounds festivals in Grass Valley.

Mary Tilson, who recently took a leave of absence as host of the “America’s Back Forty — The Hicks From Coast To Coast” on KPFA and is a KFAT alumnus and supporter of Bay Area public radio.

The Northern California Bluegrass Awards will be held 3:00-5:00pm, this Saturday, January 29 in the Main Hall of the Tapestry Church, 1305 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. as part of a FREE day-long bluegrass concert.

Complete Bluegrass On Broadway Festival Schedule