San Diegans have two outstanding opportunities to enjoy top quality live bluegrass music this month:
Summergrass. Friday, August 17 through Sunday, August 19 brings the annual Summergrass Festival to San Diego. Top talent, including Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers, Alan Bibey and Grasstowne, the Jeff Scroggins Band, and the ever popular Bluegrass Etc., will showcase their wares. Rounding out the performances will be the Central Valley Boys, Virtual Strangers, High Mountain Road, Shinbone, Bluegrass Brethren, Blue Creek Band, the GillyGirls Band, and the Corzines. Wow! That’s a great lineup! Let’s look at just a couple in more detail.
Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers is one of the busiest bands in bluegrass. The group is known nationally for delivering first-class entertainment, whether on stage or in the studio. For over a decade, JMRR has consistently delivered chart-topping, crowd-pleasing music, evidenced by multiple International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) awards and Grand Ole Opry appearances. The band has six successful record releases to its credit. The band is: Joe Mullins, banjo and vocals; Mike Terry, mandolin and vocals; Jason Barie, fiddle and vocals; Randy Barnes, bass and vocals; and Duane Sparks, guitar and vocals.
Alan Bibey and Grasstowne brings stunning talent to Summergrass. The band’s first two projects, The Road Headin’ Home and The Other Side of Towne, went to #1 and #2 respectively on the National Bluegrass Charts. The Road Headin’ Home remained at #1 for three months and also won the 2008 Album of the Year award. Their project “Kickin’ Up Dust” hit in the top five on the singles and CD chart. The band’s latest album on Mountain Fever Records, Alan Bibey and Grasstowne 4, has already yielded three huge chart hits, “This Old Guitar and Me,” “Cold Dark Ground,” and “I’m Country,” and has had all 12 songs from the project charting on the Bluegrass Today Airplay charts.
Bluegrass Today reviewed the album saying, “Anyone who appreciates contemporary bluegrass played with precision, soul, and authority will want this one in their library.”
Summergrass is more than just great music. There’s camping, great food, workshops, an instructed slow jam, vendors, and informal jamming until the wee hours. For tickets and all the details visit: www.summergras.net.
The Grascals and Flatt Lonesome in Concert in San Diego.
On Saturday, August 25, the Music of Making Music presents the Grascals and Flatt Lonesome in a benefit concert to support the non-profit Museum. The concert will be held at the beautiful Irwin M. Jacobs Qualcomm Hall in Sorrento Valley.
The Museum of Making Music provides over $100,000 annually to fund a variety of education and outreach programs, impacting thousands of adults, seniors, students, and children from a variety of economic and cultural backgrounds. This benefit concert supports these quality programs as well as assisting with interactive instrument upgrades to the Museum.
It doesn’t get much better than these two bands! The Grascals make music that is entirely relevant to the here and now, yet it is immersed in traditional values of soul and musicianship. It’s a unique sound that has earned three Grammy® nominations and two Entertainer of the Year awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association, as well as extensive national media attention.
From the moment of their brilliant self-titled debut in 2013, it’s been clear that Flatt Lonesome is a musical force to be reckoned with. Multiple International Bluegrass Music Association, Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America, and Dove nominations and awards, top charting songs, Billboard charting albums, countless media appearances (including becoming familiar faces on the legendary Grand Ole Opry stage), and a demanding tour schedule, all combine in testimony to the phenomenon that is Flatt Lonesome.
In the wake of three top IBMA honors in 2016, (Vocal Group, Song, and Album of the Year), and Vocal Group for the 2017 awards, Flatt Lonesome has emerged from the studio with their latest album, Silence in These Walls.
Pick up your tickets and enjoy this unique opportunity to hear two great bands, and in the process support the wonderful Museum of Making Music. For tickets and more info visit: www.museumofmakingmusic.org/bluegrass-benefit.
