Now, there’s a great question! Here’s my take on the answer, having looked into the issue as a performer and as a board member of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) where I served two terms from 2006-2013. Bottom line, “yes,” but it is a bit like asking: can my high school kid make it […]
IBMA. Fall is World of Bluegrass (IBMA) season. Every year, in late September or early October, the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and its worldwide tribe gather in Raleigh, North Carolina for a week of seminars, concerts, workshops, kids activities, the annual Bluegrass Music Awards Show, international events, and more. The IBMA activities are hosted […]
Summergrass celebrated its 15th birthday with a bang last month, over the weekend of August 18-20. The weather was perfect, the music was stellar, the jamming was non-stop, and the smiles were everywhere. Headliner Danny Paisley and the Southern Grass delivered with super strong traditional bluegrass. For those who follow bluegrass closely, we know there […]
Summergrass San Diego will celebrate 15 years at the historic Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum in Vista, during the weekend of August 18-20. Three terrific days of bluegrass fun and activities have been planned for the whole family. Tickets are now on sale at www.summergrass.net. Summergrass 2017 is very proud to bring stellar bands […]
Ah, the summer bluegrass season has arrived and is in full swing. The weather has been great and lots of pickers and listeners have been out and about enjoying local and nearby bluegrass events. Bluegrass Day at the Fair. The annual Bluegrass Day at the Del Mar Fair took place on Sunday, June 4, at […]
June is a great month for bluegrass music in San Diego. Here are some tasty, top notch opportunities to enjoy bluegrass this month. Bluegrass Day at the Fair, Sunday, June 4, 11 am–8 pm at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on the Paddock Stage. For years the County Fairgrounds, the San Diego Bluegrass Society, and […]
Every year the International Bluegrass Music Association, the “mother ship” of bluegrass music, holds the equivalent of the bluegrass Grammys. All IBMA members are qualified to vote to pick the best of the best. Awards are given in a number of categories, including on each of the bluegrass instruments (fiddle, guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin, and […]
That’s a great question that raises concern among some that the music is changing in a bad way, losing its traditional roots. Amongst others, it generates excitement. Let’s see if we can break down what is, and is not, happening. Traditional Bluegrass. Traditional bluegrass is generally reflective of the founders: Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, […]
The Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album this year went to Mark O’Connor and the O’Connor Band for its release Coming Home. The O’Connor band beat out contenders Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, Claire Lynch, Blue Highway, and Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands. Mark O’Connor has a stellar musical history, ranging from being a multi-time fiddle […]
