Non-touring bands should apply as soon as possible for a chance to be included in this contest.

Swedish American Hall, San Francisco

Six Bluegrass Bands and six Old-Time Bands will be selected to play in the contest.  A cash prize will go to the best band in each genre, along with an official invitation to play at the 2014 SFBOT!

Submit your band by e-mail to Contest Director (Jon Steel) jonlee0483 (at) aol (dot) com with band name, bluegrass or old-time, very brief promo blurb, & recent gigs.

The contest is part of the 10-day SFBOT, which runs February 10-19 at venues throughout San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, & Marin Counties.

Complete Festival Schedule

The T-Sisters

February brings us the NCBS San Francisco Bluegrass & Old Time Festival — and plenty more great bluegrass.

The details on these and other fine shows are on the NCBS Web Calendar. See you at live music events all this month!

FEBRUARY

2 — Bourbon & Bull Nightlife with Jeanie & Chuck’s Country Round-Up, California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.

2-5 — Society For The Preservation Of Bluegrass Music In America Music Awards & Convention, Sheraton Music City Hotel, Nashville, TN.

3 — The T-Sisters, The Lost Church, San Francisco.

4 — Santa Cruz Busker’s Showcase with Abbott Family, Still Searchin’, Tumbleweed Ramblers, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Santa Cruz.

4 — Kleptograss, Fiddlin’ Cricket Concert, Mission City Coffee Roasting Company, Santa Clara.

Kleptograss

4 — The Cowlicks, Gourmet Haus Staudt, Redwood City.

5 — Santa Clara Valley Fiddler’s Association Jam, Hoover Middle School, San Jose.

6 – Belle Monroe & Her Brewglass Boys, Amnesia, San Francisco.

8 — Water Tower Bucket Boys, The Crepe Place, Santa Cruz.

9-13 — Seabright Stringfest, various venues, Santa Cruz. (Brand new old-time event with concerts, workshops & more, with details to be announced soon.)

10 — Dix Bruce & Jim Nunally, The Fifth String, Sacramento.

Eric & Suzy Thompson

10-19 — NCBS San Francisco Bluegrass & Old Time Festival, various venues in San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa & Marin Counties. Complete 10-Day Festival Schedule

11 - Cactus Bob & Beer Hunter, St. Charles Saloon, Columbia.

12 — Foghorn String Band, Eric & Suzy Thompson, Don Quixote’s International Music Hall, Felton.

15 — Sidesaddle & Co., Sam’s BBQ, San Jose.

Billy Pitrone

15 — Homefire, Phil’s Fish Market, Moss Landing.

17 — Dulcimer Girls, Third Friday Concert, Museum Of Art & History, Santa Cruz.

Walker Creek Ranch (Melnyk photo)

17-19 — Mid-Winter Bluegrass Festival, Northglenn Ramada Plaza, Denver, CO.

17-20 — CBA Winter Music Camp, Walker Creek Ranch, Petaluma.

Dry Branch Fire Squad

18 — Red Wine, Redwood Bluegrass Associates, Mountain View (NCBS- sponsored).

18 — Lil’ Rev & Evo Bluestein, Fiddlin’ Cricket Concert, Mission City Coffee Roasting Company, Santa Clara.

18 — Dry Branch Fire Squad, Keystone Crossing, Benefit Concert For The San Francisco Free Clinic in Memory of Warren Hellman, Sausalito Presbyterian Church, Sausalito.

Warren Hellman (1934-2011)

19 — Warren Hellman Memorial & Tribute Concert, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.

21 — Red Wine, Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum, Freight & Salvage.

22 — Roland White & The Bluegrass All-Stars, Freight & Salvage, Berkeley.

23 —  Russell Moore & Third Tyme Out, Black Oak Casino, Tuolumne.

23-26 — Wintergrass, Hyatt Regency, Bellevue, WA.

24 — Russell Moore & Third Tyme Out, Asbury United Methodist Church, Livermore.

An on-the-bus rehearsal for Third Tyme Out.

25 – Russell Moore & Third Tyme Out, Morgan Hill Grange, Morgan Hill.

26 — Russell Moore & Third Tyme Out, Wilits High School, Willits.

27 — The Earl Brothers, Amnesia, San Francisco.

27 – Russell Moore & Third Tyme Out, Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Folsom.

28 — Windy Hill, Sam’s BBQ, San Jose.

28 — Billy Pitrone & Sarah Eblen and Friends, Phil’s Fish Market.

29 – Russell Moore & Third Tyme Out, Freight & Salvage, Berkeley.

Red Wine With Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum in Italy

The String Slingers

The Spring NCBS Boulder Creek Bluegrass and Old Timey Festival will be held at Scopazzi’s Restaurant in Boulder Creek, March 9-10, 2012.

The small, fun gathering in the Santa Cruz Mountains will be brought to you by the Northern California Bluegrass Society, Pass Studio, and Eric Burman’s Brookdalebluegrass.com.

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Bean Creek at the Northern California Bluegrass Awards

The Northern California Bluegrass Society’s Bluegrass On Broadway Festival enjoyed a successful Fifth Anniversary this past weekend in Redwood City. Attendance for all events were the highest ever and the music was excellent.

Thanks to the hardworking BOB volunteer staffers who made it all happen: Elicia Burton, Laura Emerson, Allan French, Brenda Hough, Lois Kellerman, Carl Pagter, Pan Logan, and Debbie Weiner. Michael Hall served as festival director. Thanks to Patrick Weldon, our festival co-founder and co-director emeritus!

Bluegrass On Broadway receives principal financial support for the festival from the City of Redwood City’s Civic Cultural Commission, the Redwood City Public Library, One World Montessori School, Wickersham & Murphy, and the Tapestry Church. Additional thanks to the International Bluegrass Music Museum, Little India, Sweet Basil, and the Woodside Road United Methodist Church.

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The FREE January 27-29, 2012 NCBS Bluegrass On Broadway Festival in Redwood City concludes on Sunday:

SUNDAY, January 29

NCBS International Bluegrass Music Museum Film Festival

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

Bill Monroe – The Father Of Bluegrass Music (Larry Nager, TN)

Fanning The Fire – Bluegrass For A New Generation (Alan Tompkins, Bluegrass Heritage Foundation, TX)

Bluegrass – A Documentary (Frank Grabowski, Mountain View High School, CA)

American Folk Dancing – A Week With Evo Bluestein (Chip Curry, Chrysalis Films, CA)

Strawberry Music Festival 30th Anniversary (Alec Oyung, CA)

I Hear What You See – The Old Time World Of Kenny Hall (Chris Simon, Sageland Media, UT)

The 2007 Legends Concert (International Bluegrass Music Museum, KY).

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Sunday Evening Concert – Bluegrass Gospel & African-American Spirituals

6:30pm — Woodside Road United Methodist Church, 2000 Woodside Road.

Healing Stream Gospel Bluegrass Band
Woodside Road Players

The Palo Alto-based band’s members also won individual honors: Jack Tuttle (Best Fiddle Player), Michael Tuttle (Best Mandolin Player), and Molly Tuttle (Best Female Vocalist).

Husband and wife Jim & Louise Mintun of Santa Cruz were honored on their respective instruments, with Jim named Best Dobro Player and Louise tied for Best Bass Player with Lisa Burns of Mountain View. Billy Pitrone of Santa Cruz was named Best Male Vocalist and Yoseff Tucker of San Francisco Best Guitar Player, while Larry Cohea of El Cerrito and Luke Abbott of Santa Cruz tied for Best Banjo Player.

Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to four currently-active, longtime leaders of Bay Area music non-profit organizations: Steve Baker, Berkeley (Berkeley Society For The Preservation Of Traditional Music dba The Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse), Richard Brooks, Palo Alto (Santa Clara Valley Fiddlers Association), Bruce Edmundson, Mountain View (Redwood Bluegrass Associates), and Mike McKinley, Santa Cruz (Northern California Bluegrass Society/Santa Cruz Bluegrass Society).

The Northern California Bluegrass Awards are part of the Northern California Bluegrass Society’s January 27-29, 2012 Bluegrass On Broadway Festival. Principal financial support for the festival comes from the City of Redwood City’s Civic Cultural Commission, the Redwood City Public Library, One World Montessori School, Wickersham & Murphy, and the Tapestry Church.

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The FREE January 27-29, 2012 NCBS Bluegrass On Broadway Festival continues in Redwood City:

SATURDAY, January 28

Northern California Bluegrass Awards Show & Concert

Tapestry Church Main Hall, 1305 Middlefield Road, 10:00am-5:00pm

10:00am — The Abbott Brothers

11:00 — Windy Hill

Noon — Snap Jackson & The Knock On Wood Players

1:00pm — Bean Creek

2:00 — Dark Hollow

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

Special Guest Performers: Snap Jackson & The Knock On Wood Players, Bean Creek, The Abbott Brothers, The Central Valley Boys, Windy Hill

5:00-ish to whenever – Award Winners Jam (ALL jammers are welcome), Little India, 917 Main Street. Jam Hosts: Lisa Burns, Alex Sharps, Yoseff Tucker, Sullivan Tuttle, and Marty Varner

The Just Picked String Band

Redwood City Weekend Festival Fun:

The Northern California Bluegrass Society’s 5th Annual Bluegrass On Broadway Festival is FREE and close-to-home. This weekend’s events will run Friday-Sunday, and will include concerts, jams, the nation’s only documentary bluegrass film festival, and the Northern California Bluegrass Awards, plus a Sunday evening closing concert after the film festival.

Cost:

ALL FESTIVAL EVENTS ARE FREE. No tickets are needed.

Performance Schedule:

FRIDAY, January 27

An Evening of Bluegrass Dining In Downtown Redwood City, 7:00-9:00pm, (Reservations recommended):

27strings – Little India (Indian), 917 Main Street, (650) 361-8737

Just Picked String Band – Sweet Basil (Thai) 911 Main Street, (650) 257-7594

SATURDAY, January 28

Northern California Bluegrass Awards Show & Concert

Tapestry Church Main Hall, 1305 Middlefield Road, 10:00am-5:00pm

Yoseff Tucker

10:00am — The Abbott Brothers

11:00 — Windy Hill

Noon — Snap Jackson & The Knock On Wood Players

1:00pm — Bean Creek

2:00 — Dark Hollow

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

Special Guest Performers: Snap Jackson & The Knock On Wood Players, Bean Creek, The Abbott Brothers, The Central Valley Boys, Windy Hill

5:00-ish to whenever – Award Winners Jam (ALL jammers are welcome), Little India, 917 Main Street. Jam Hosts: Lisa Burns, Alex Sharps, Yoseff Tucker, Sullivan Tuttle, and Marty Varner.

Chip Curry

SUNDAY, January 29

NCBS International Bluegrass Music Museum Film Festival

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

Bill Monroe – The Father Of Bluegrass Music (Larry Nager, TN)

Fanning The Fire – Bluegrass For A New Generation (Alan Tompkins, Bluegrass Heritage Foundation, TX)

Bluegrass – A Documentary (Frank Grabowski, Mountain View High School, CA)

American Folk Dancing – A Week With Evo Bluestein (Chip Curry, Chrysalis Films, CA)

Personal Appearance by Chip Curry.

Strawberry Music Festival 30th Anniversary (Alec Oyung, CA)

I Hear What You See – The Old Time World Of Kenny Hall (Chris Simon, Sageland Media, UT)

The 2007 Legends Concert (International Bluegrass Music Museum, KY).

Healing Stream Bluegrass Band

6:30pm — Sunday Evening Concert – Bluegrass Gospel & African-American Spirituals:

Woodside Road United Methodist Church, 2000 Woodside Road.

Healing Stream Gospel Bluegrass Band
Woodside Road Players

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 Sunday Evening Closing Concert) are within easy walking distance of each other and of the Redwood City Caltrain Station.

Sarah Eblen

To get to the Sunday evening concert, go about two miles west of Middlefield Road on Woodside Road. The Woodside Road United Methodist Church is on the right.

Redwood City Weather:

Perfect Indoor Weather at all venues. Outside Weather: FRI: Mostly Sunny, High 66, Low 37. SAT: Sunny, High 65, Low 38. SUN: Mostly Sunny, High 65, Low 42.

Northern California Bluegrass Awards Finalists:

There are more than five finalists in some categories due to ties. Congratulations to:

1. Bluegrass Band

Snap Jackson

Bean Creek, OMGG, Snap Jackson & The Knock On Wood Players, The Tuttles With A. J. Lee, Windy Hill

2. Male Vocalist

Luke Abbott, Snap Jackson, John Kornhauser, Billy Pitrone, Yoseff Tucker

3. Female Vocalist

Pam Brandon aka Belle Monroe, Sarah Eblen, Jennifer Kitchen, A. J. Lee, Hailey Pexton, Molly Tuttle

4. Guitar Player

Billy Pitrone, Yoseff Tucker, Molly Tuttle, Sullivan Tuttle, Marty Varner

5. Mandolin Player

Luke Abbott

Tom Bekeny, Pete Hicks, Michael Tuttle, Butch Waller, Nina Weisman

6. Banjo Player

Luke Abbott, Larry Chung, Larry Cohea, Victor Skidanenko, Molly Tuttle

7. Fiddle Player

Luke Abbott, Pete Hicks, Chad Manning, Ella Naiman, Paul Shelasky, Jack Tuttle

8. Dobro Player

Luke Abbott, Kathy Barwick, Lisa Berman, Helen Foley, Avram Frankel, Jim Mintun

9. Bass Player

Lisa Burns, Sarah Eblen, Jennifer Kitchen, Louise Mintun, Jack Tuttle

Lifetime Achievement Honorees: Steve Baker, Richard Brooks, Bruce Edmundson, Mike McKinley

The Northern California Bluegrass Society’s Bluegrass On Broadway receives principal financial support from the Redwood City Civic Cultural Commission, Redwood City Public Library, One World Montessori School, Wickersham & Murphy, and the Tapestry Church.

Redwood City

Redwood City Main Library

Here are some helpful maps:

Downtown Redwood City including Tapestry Church (Saturday Concert and Awards Show, 1305 Middlefield Road) and the Redwood City Main Library (Sunday NCBS IBMM Bluegrass Film Festival, 1044 Middlefield Road).

Little India

Nearby on Main Street in downtown: Friday’s restaurant venues.

Woodside Road Area including the Woodside Road United Methodist Church (Sunday Concert, 2000 Woodside Road).

Woodside Road United Methodist Church

The Northern California Bluegrass Society’s 5th Annual Bluegrass On Broadway Festival will be held January 27-29, 2012.

Sweet Basil

The event receives principal financial support from the Redwood City Civic Cultural Commission, Redwood City Public Library, One World Montessori School, Wickersham & Murphy, and the Tapestry Church.

Complete Festival Schedule

Tapestry Church