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Berkeley Bluegrass Festival

A Sunday full of back-to-back-to-back free music workshops
By - posted 5/21/2016 No Comment

The Freight & Salvage celebrates the incredible talent in your own backyard with the Berkeley Bluegrass Festival. Northern California has been a bluegrass stronghold since the 1960s and the Freight is proud to continue their support of legendary local artists and up-and-coming musicians.

In collaboration with Grammy-award winner Laurie Lewis and the California Bluegrass Association, they’re bringing together leaders of the genre, up-and-coming artists, and music fans for three days of concerts, panel discussions, jams, free workshops, and good old-fashioned merriment to kick off the summer music festival season.

2016 Berkeley Bluegrass Festival
May 20-22, 2016
Freight & Salvage, Berkeley
FREE daytime activities on Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets required for evening concerts. Get $4 off evening shows with discount code “Banjo16”

2016 Free Weekend Happenings:

Saturday May 21

  • Daytime Workshops – FREE, doors open at 12:30
  • Lobby – Family Square Dance w/ Erik Hoffman (caller) 1:00 – 3:00 pm
  • Bluegrass Jam 1:00 – 3:00
  • Fiddling workshop for kids led by Suzy Thompson 1:00 – 2:30
  • Songwriting with Kathy Kallick 1:00 – 2:30
  • Bluegrass Guitar with Jim Nunally 1:00 – 2:30
  • Harmony Singing with Keith Little 2:30 – 4:00
  • Bluegrass Mandolin with Sharon Gilchrist 2:30 – 4:00

Sunday May 22

  • Daytime Workshops & Panel Discussion – FREE
    Bay Area Bluegrass History: panel discussion and songs in the round
    With Laurie Lewis, Kathy Kallick, Mayne Smith (doors at 12:30pm, show at 1pm)
  • Bluegrass Jam 2:30 – 4:00
  • Bluegrass Banjo with Avram Siegel 2:30 – 4:00
  • Bluegrass Bass with Max Schwartz 2:30 – 4:00
  • Beyond Bluegrass w/ Dix Bruce 2:30 – 4:00

2016 Evening Concerts

Friday May 20 Night Concert (doors at 7pm, show at 8pm) – Paid Event

  • Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands
  • Vern Williams Band Alumni
  • Dix Bruce & Jim Nunally
  • The Blue J’s (on the Gallery Stage)

Saturday Night Concert (doors at 6pm, show at 7pm) – Paid Event
> Win a pair of tickets

  • Steep Ravine
  • High Country
  • Manning Music Students
  • Blue Summit (on the Gallery Stage)

Sunday Night Concert (doors at 6pm, show at 7pm) – Paid Event

  • John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band with Herb Pedersen
  • Max Schwartz & Pals
  • Rita Hosking Trio
  • Go To Hell Man Clan (on the Gallery Stage)