California Bluegrass Association member Ida Winfree is a former CBA Youth Ambassador. She plays mandolin and guitar in two bands—North Country Blue and West 45. She's currently based in the California Central Valley town of Turlock, and when not playing
Tom Bekeny is another in a pretty deep bench of great Bay Area mandolin players, most of whom aren't as well known as they should be. Tom, an instructor, plays mandolin and fiddle, and is well versed in both jazz
Pete Hicks is a California multi-instrumentalist who plays fiddle and mandolin and sings in bands in and around the Central Coast and Central Valley. He plays old-school traditional styles for bands such as the Central Valley Boys and Bean Creek,
As a follow-up to the Wooks' recent single and video, I chatted with co-founder CJ Cain about their upcoming album release, Flyin' High, dropping February 25 on their website and the usual streaming services. The Wooks have been described as a
Snap Jackson and his band, the Knock on Wood Players, are an award-winning acoustic quartet hailing from Stockton, California. They blend Americana, bluegrass, soul, and old-time music and have been featured on the same bill with notable acts such as
Chad Manning is a Berkeley, California-based fiddler of numerous styles including bluegrass, old-time, and swing. He has played with regional and national acts including David Grisman, Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands, Peter Rowan, and Bill Evens, and has toured
Bay Area based Lisa Berman is a multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, known as a pioneer in bringing the Hawaiian slide guitar back to old-time music, and redefining its sound. She also performs on clawhammer banjo, dobro, guitar, harmonium, and baritone ukulele.
The history of California bluegrass runs right through Butch Waller, and the award-winning band High Country he has lead for over half a century. Butch has played his Monroe-style mandolin in many influential bands, and alongside friends and bluegrass legends
I received this email from CBA Youth Coordinator/Honorary President Emerita and Darby Brandi which describes Tessa better than I can. "Dave, a great interview subject would be the young fiddle phenom, Tessa Schwartz, who is stepping down as Youth Ambassador in
Kathy Kallick has won a Grammy, two IBMA Awards, and is a recipient of a Lifetime Membership from the California Bluegrass Association. She co-founded the internationally acclaimed Good Ol' Persons, and has released twenty-two albums. She's played with many of the country's top roots musicians – including her
