October 24th
The Frank Wakefield Band

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Wakefield (born June 26, 1934) is a legendary mandolin player, coming to prominence during his 20-year partnership with Red Allen and maintained through his originality and creativity as a mandolin player. Frank has toured and/or recorded with a number of other notables, including Jimmy Martin, the Greenbriar Boys, Ralph Stanley, Don Stover, Don Reno, Chubby Wise, Jerry Garcia, Peter Rowan, Leonard Bernstein & the New York Philharmonic, and The Boston Pops Orchestra. But Frank has also led his own bands for over 30 years, written more than 40 songs, including several bluegrass classics, was nominated for a Grammy, and has made numerous memorable recordings -- including his latest, "Ownself Blues."

Frank's shows are famous for the power and raw beauty of his playing, and for his liveliness and humor on stage. His performances cover a wide range of music, from hard-core bluegrass to classical, and include many of Frank's own incredibly beautiful tunes. He will be playing with a stellar band of California-based musicians, including his longtime bandmate Jim Lewin (guitar, vocals), plus Jim Mintun (dobro, vocals), Louise Mintun (acoustic bass, vocals), and special guests.

Ever since the 1953 release of his first original tune, “New Camptown Races,” Frank has been exploring new musical frontiers and influencing virtually every mandolin player. David Grisman, Frank’s most famous student, sums up Wakefield’s importance: “Frank was the first mandolin player to transform the bluegrass energy of Bill Monroe’s style into something new. He split the bluegrass mandolin atom. Some of us, obviously, will never be the same again.”

www.myspace.com/frankwakefieldmandolin
Photo by Gene Lowinger

November 14th
John Reischman & the Jaybirds

John Reischman (mandolin, vocals) & the Jaybirds, Trisha Gagnon (acoustic bass, vocals), Jim Nunally (guitar, vocals), Nick Hornbuckle (banjo), and Greg Spatz (fiddle) provide a unique blend of bluegrass, old time, and folk music in a repertoire that includes original compositions from all members of the band as well as a few gems from the canon.

John has been recognized as a mandolin master since his Bay Area days with the Good Ol' Persons and Tony Rice Unit, and his subsequent solo albums remain among the best instrumental albums in the history of bluegrass. His impeccable tone, taste, and tunes have influenced many, none more so than Chris Thile, who comments on the band's latest release: "John Reischman approaches the mandolin with unprecedented musicality. On 'Stellar Jays,' a skillfully spirited effort, his concept of tone, sense of melody, and attention to detail continues to astound not only students of the instrument but the entire contemporary folk community.”

www.TheJaybirds.com
Photo by Donna Scholl

December 5th
Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band

One of the most popular musicians to grace the RBA stage, Peter returns with his red hot bluegrass band -- Jody Stecher (mandolin, vocals), Keith Little (banjo, vocals), and Paul Knight (acoustic bass) -- for some amazing vocal trios, classic bluegrass and classic Rowan songs, and a show that provides genuinely moving moments and a satisfying evening of music.

Peter Rowan is internationally-known for his music on more than 50 albums and decades of memorable performances in a variety of stylistic settings -- impressionistic folk, Tex-Mex, "Reggae-billy," Celtic, his "New World" blend of Afro-Cuban and Caribbean, fusion rock -- but it is with bluegrass that he has made some of his most enduring music. Peter was a member of Bill Monroe & the Bluegrass Boys, Old & In the Way, and Muleskinner, and has collaborated extensively with a number of bluegrass giants, including Tony Rice, Nashville Bluegrass Band, Jerry Douglas, Ricky Skaggs, Richard Greene, Tex Logan, Bill Keith, and, now, his great bluegrass band.

“I have always followed Bill Monroe’s advice: if you can play bluegrass, you can play anything. I’ve never worried too much about which category I fit in. At some point, I realized the songs I write take me in that bluegrass direction.” - Peter Rowan, The Knoxville Journal

Tickets $20 advance, $22 day of show.

www.Peter-Rowan.com
Photo by Paul Chinn

"There is no band in bluegrass or country music today that captures the soul of American music better than Dry Branch Fire Squad."
- Keith Lawrence, Knight-Ridder Newspapers

Ron Thomason, a native of southwestern Virginia, formed Dry Branch Fire Squad in 1976, and continues to provide its musical vision -- a fierce and uncompromising loyalty to the most traditional aspects of bluegrass -- and cultural commentary: his insightful and often hilarious monologues are as much a part of a DBFS concert as the intense singing and soulful playing.

Joining Ron (mandolin, guitar, most lead vocals) is perhaps the strongest edition of Dry Branch Fire Squad in the band’s 33 year history: Tom Boyd (banjo, dobro, vocals), Brian Aldridge (guitar, mandolin, vocals), and Dan Russell (bass, banjo, vocals). Their latest release, the 15th on Rounder Records, has wonderfully diverse sources -- from Fiddlin' John Carson's "Dixie Cowboy" and Jimmy Martin's "Stormy Waters" to the Buchanan Brothers' "(You Got To Pray To the Lord) When You See Those Flying Saucers" and Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home To Me" -- and an unmistakable DBFS sound.

"I don't know which I enjoy more: Dry Branch Fire Squad's hard-core, purebred bluegrass music, or leader/mc Ron Thomason's hilariously droll 'country bumpkin' (but not really) monologues that are also a big part of the band's show."
- Jonathan Takiff, Philadelphia Daily News

www.DryBranchFireSquad.com

May 1st, 2010
Kathy Kallick Band

“A profound songwriter and expressive singer, San Franciscan Kathy Kallick is a mountain gal at heart. Her singing has always been earthy and passionate. As a songwriter, she knows how to pen beautiful impressionistic pieces with memorable contemporary messages. A troubadour and exquisite storyteller, (her) arrangements are tightly crafted, with each song given its own non-formulaic treatment.” —Joe Ross, BLUEGRASS NOW

Kathy Kallick has been leading bluegrass bands since 1975. She continues to evolve as one of the music’s extraordinary composers and vocalists, releasing 14 albums (which include over 100 of her original songs), receiving a “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the California Bluegrass Association, winning a Grammy and two IBMA Awards for her part on “True Life Blues: The Songs Of Bill Monroe,” having three title tracks and albums -- “Call Me A Taxi,” “Walkin’ In My Shoes,” and “Warmer Kind Of Blue” -- each spend close to a year in the upper echelon of the Bluegrass Unlimited National Bluegrass Survey (“the charts”), and collaborating with some of the country’s top acoustic musicians — including her current band: Tom Bekeny (mandolin), Dan Booth (acoustic bass), Greg Booth (dobro, banjo), and Annie Staninec (fiddle). Everyone harmonizes; Dan, Tom, and Annie each sing a lead or three during the show; and Greg, Annie, and Tom lead the band through sizzling instrumentals.

Hot bluegrass and cool originals, indeed.

www.kathykallick.com