Bluegrass Corner
Summergrass
The audience enjoying the Summergrass stage show.
SDBS Board member and outstanding bass player Lance Gucwa instruct the Kids Camp on bluegrass bass.
Instructor Kathleen Green teaches beginning fiddle class.
Jamming went into the wee hours at the campground.
Wow, what a weekend! The weekend of August 19-21 saw the 19th annual Summergrass Festival in Vista, and a great weekend it was! There were many highlights of this year’s festival, including outstanding stage performances by John Moore and his “friends” John Cowan, Sara Watkins, Brad Davis, Ron Block, and, for one show, Sean Watkins. There was Lorraine Jordan and Carolina Road, Phil Salazar and the Kin Folk, Fast Track, and Volume Five putting out blistering stage shows.
There were also great shows by some of San Diego’s outstanding local bands: Prairie Sky, Virtual Strangers, Front Porch Music Preservation Society, Marty Warburton and Home Girls, and the Corzines. The Kids Camp offered top-notch instruction to budding bluegrassers, culminating in an endearing main-stage show by the kids and their teachers. And, there was lots of jamming, good food, and camaraderie. The weather was pleasant, often with morning cloud cover.
If you are interested in learning more about Summergrass, or in getting involved with one of our two premier local bluegrass nonprofits, visit Summergrass at www.summergrass.net. And visit the San Diego Bluegrass Society (SDBS) at www.sandiegobluegrass.org and the North San Diego County Bluegrass and Folk Club at www.northcountybluegrass.org. These organizations are always looking for members and volunteers, and they provide jam sessions, concerts, campouts, and more.
Photographs by David Cupp.