Bluegrass musicians will have one more day to jam and socialize at the 19th Annual Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival, which runs Aug. 9 through 12 at Bolado Park.
For the first time this year, the festival will run Thursday through Sunday, though stage performances will not start until Friday.
“We had a lot of people showing up early,” said Michael Hall, of the Northern California Bluegrass Society, which puts on the festival as the benefit for the Society each year. “We had a three-day festival for the first 18 years, and we had more and more people showing up on Thursday and camping.”
Hall said the group decided to expand into Thursday so that they would have all the logistics worked out for those who want to camp the extra day.
“Now that it is officially part of the festival, it allows us to provide services,” he said. “The performance schedule has not changed. Thursday is for jamming and socializing, which bluegrass people are very good at.”
One of the smaller bluegrass festivals in Northern California, Hall said they’ve had about 1,000 visitors each year for the last 10 years. There will be almost 50 bands performing on three stages this year, but what draws most people to the festival is the chance to jam together off stage.
“This festival has some of the very best camp jamming of any festival anywhere,” Hall said. “About 50 percent of the rest of the ticket buyers also play so there are a lot of people wandering with instruments.”
The weekend is appropriate for musicians of all ages, even the under 18 set. Kid musicians who know how to play or sing bluegrass music can participate in the “Kids On Stage” program coordinated by Regina Bartlett. Bartlett will organize the children into small bands so that they can rehearse together on Friday and Saturday.
“They will have a full set on the main stage on Sunday, with maybe eight or 10 children’s bands of different combinations,” Hall said, adding that they generally have 20 to 25 kids involved each year.
This year a family band from Walnut Creek will perform on the main stage at 10 a.m. on Saturday. The Schwartz family includes parents Bob and Gail, but also features their sons Nate and Max on the mandolin and banjo, as well as daughter Tessa on the fiddle. The parents play guitar and bass.
“They’ve been playing together for about four years,” Hall said. “A lot of other families come – it’s a good way to go camping with their parents and hear a lot of good music.”
Most of the bands to perform on stage come from around the San Francisco and Monterey Bay Area, Hall said. One of the bands set to perform does have a local connection. Sidesaddle & Co., which has been playing a mix of music since 1979, according to their website, features Hollister resident Kim Elking. Elking plays the mandolin and provides vocals for the band. The band will play Aug. 11 at 9 p.m. on the main stage. In 2008, they were named Bluegrass Band of the Year at the Northern California Bluegrass Awards.
Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival
Tickets for the 19th Annual Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival can be purchased at the gate at Bolado Park. One-day tickets are $44 for adults, $41 for seniors or $22 for youth 13-18 for Saturday or $34 for adults, $31 for seniors and $17 for youth 13-18 on Friday or Saturday. Two-day passes are $68 for adults, $62 for seniors and $34 for youth 13-18. Three-day passes are $85 for adults, $76 for seniors and $42 for youth 13-18.
Those camping on Thursday will need to pay $15 per adult. Full RV hookups are $25 per night and subject to availability. Electric-only RV hookups are $20 per night and are subject to availability.
For more information and a full schedule, visit the Northern California Bluegrass Society website at www.scbs.org.
