Early every spring in Sonoma County, just after the yellow mustard blooms in vineyard rows, but before the snowy white apple blossoms of April, rises the hand-picked sounds of acoustic folk and bluegrass music along the Laguna de Santa Rosa at the annual Sonoma County Bluegrass and Folk Festival.
This year’s 18th annual version takes place Saturday, March 10 at the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center. The full day of folk, bluegrass, swing, jam and vocals will include featured performers, workshops, vendors, food, tune swapping and outdoor jamming. The cost is $35 for advance all-day passes or $20 advance for the evening concerts alone.
Headliners at this year’s festival, sponsored by the Sonoma County Folk Society in affiliation with the California Bluegrass Association (CBA), includes Wake The Dead, Missy Raines and the New Hip, John Reischman and the Jaybirds, Blue Summit, Joe Craven and the Sometimers, Carolyn Sills Combo, Doug Adamz, The Ruminators and Mike Stadler, Kevin Russell and Cori Wood.
Tickets are available at People’s Music in Sebastopol, The Last Record Store in Santa Rosa or online at www.socofoso.com. The popular ukulele raffle will be held again.
“The festival will be presenting a nice range of music bluegrass, of course, but also Celtic Deadhead music, western swing classics and originals, modern folk and a fair amount of acoustic-driven not-yet-defined music,” said festival volunteer and performing musician Kevin Russell. “I think it was Gram Parsons who said there’s basically two kinds of music — good and bad. Heck, you tell me what it is after you hear these great performers.”
The Sebastopol festival has proven a regional draw for many years, attracting CBA members and others from many parts of California and beyond. The schedule of workshops and impromptu jams are very popular. Most attendees bring along their guitars, banjos, fiddles, dobros and mandolins.
The music starts at 12 noon and will go until 10 p.m. (There is a break in performances between the daytime shows and workshops and the evening featured bands at 7:30 p.m.)
“The evening program will be a full-on bluegrass concert with one of the best young bluegrass bands in the Bay Area, Blue Summit featuring AJ Lee,” said Russell.
Opening the evening set will be John Reischman and the Jaybirds. Reischman is a fixture at the festival, having played in many past years as a soloist and with various bands. Last year Reischman played as part of the Good Ole Persons reunion.
Opening the festival will be Wake The Dead, an acoustic ensemble that plays Grateful Dead songs in a bluegrass style. Carolyn Sills is a modern swing outfit that plays both modern contemporary songs and Bob Wills standards. Missy Raines and the New Hip play contemporary style bluegrass music, with a mix of some originals.
In addition to the featured performers, this year a series of “tweener” acts, including guitar ace Doug Adamz, local folky trio More Joy, longtime north bay modern folk heros — The Ruminators, western swing duo Wine Country Swing and a very bad Peter, Paul & Mary imitation by Mike Stadler, Cori Wood and Russell is being scheduled. Closing out the afternoon performances will be Joe Craven and the Sometimers.
