Sonoma County Bluegrass Festival returns to Sebastopol on March 9

Hear the hottest Bluegrass up-and-comers and established bands at this longtime local festival

Broken Compass Bluegrass band is changing the face of Bluegrass and amazing audiences with their prodigious musical skills.

With the blooming of bright yellow and white daffodils all over Sonoma County, most people start thinking about spring even if more rain is still in the weather forecast. And for others, the annual burst of colors means it’s time for another Sonoma County Bluegrass Festival.

The 21^st annual festival takes place this year on Saturday, March 9, at the Sebastopol Community and Cultural Center. Seven musical groups have been lined up to play on the main stage beginning at 1 p.m. and ending after 8 p.m., with performances by Modern Hicks, one of the area’s most durable acoustic and traditional music ensembles, as well as young up-and-comers like Broken Compass.

Tickets are $45, and on-site beer, wine and snack concessions will be available. The Community Center grounds will be open all day and the Youth Annex after 12 pm for jam sessions, picking parties and impromptu workshops.

The festival is co-sponsored by the Sonoma County Folk Society and the California Bluegrass Association. Forestville-based 3 Acre Holler opens the main stage at 1 p.m. followed by The Town Hollers and The Crooked Jades before a 4 p.m. mid-festival break for extra jamming and food.

Mike Beck, a solo guitarist, opens the late afternoon lineup, followed by the duo Phil Salazar and Tom Corbett, the Broken Compass Bluegrass group and the finale with Modern Hicks.

“Mike Beck is a great talent,” offered Mark Hogan, the long-serving organizer of the local festival. “I refer to him as a neo cowboy singer and songwriter. He’s got two recent great songs, ‘John Steinbeck Drank in Here’ and ‘There Ain’t No Yuppies In Oildale.’”

Neo-cowboy musician and poet Mike Beck.

Hogan also recommends that festival attendees plan their day around the performance of Broken Compass. “These are great young musicians that have really been making a splash at the jam band festivals,” he said.

Hogan is a Sebastopol resident, a retired musician and a former music instrument teacher at Sebastopol’s People’s Music.

The Sonoma County Folk Society was founded in 1976 and has sponsored annual folk, traditional and acoustic music festivals in most years. Kate Wolf, one of America’s most beloved folk singers and songwriters, was a founding member of the Folk Society. Wolf lived in western Sonoma County from 1971 until her untimely death in 1986. Folk Society members get a $5 discount on admission to this year’s festival. SoCoFolk Society continues to hold mothly “picking and potluck” gatherings and hosts a local acoustic music calendar on its website.

The line-up

• Doors open and Annex available for jamming (12 pm)

• 3 Acre Holler (1:20 pm) is singer Cori Wood and multi-instrumentalist Layne Brown. The name 3 Acre Holler is a tribute to Brown’s family property near Forestville.

• The Town Hollers (2:20 pm) play “straight ahead” bluegrass from the Ralph Stanley, Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs songbooks.

• The Crooked Jades (3:20 pm) are well known to Sonoma County folk music audiences. The five-piece ensemble ventures deep and wide across the Americana music genre while adding their own modern takes from influences they credit to Tom Waits, The Pogues, Nick Cave and others.

• Break/Lunch/Jam (4:10 pm)

• Mike Beck (5 pm) is a regular performer at the annual National Cowboy Poetry gathering in northern Nevada and he’s been praised for his original songwriting skills.

• Phil Salazar and Tom Corbett (6 pm) are folk and acoustic festival veterans. Salazar once played with Kate Wolf among other luminaries, and Corbett has won high praises for his recent performances at the Telluride, Co. and Kerrville, TX, festivals.

• The Broken Compass Bluegrass group (7 pm) is one of California’s fast-rising talents after releasing their first LP vinyl in March 2023. The band has appeared at the High Sierra, Strawberry and Winter Wondergrass festivals. The four players swap instruments throughout their sets and offer great vocal harmonies.

• Modern Hicks (8 pm). Joining original member Kevin Russell will be Layne Bowen, Gina Blaber, Craig Anderson and Ted Dutcher. The Hicks usually mix in a little Western swing and acoustic jazz tunes for their performances.

Sponsors for this year’s festival includes Moonlight Brewing, Balletto Winery, Harmony Farm Supply & Nursery, Comet Corn Popcorn, the Boblitt Family, Creative Sonoma and Shubb Capos.

The Sebastopol Cultural and Community Center is located at 390 Morris Street and offers plenty of free on-site parking.

Find out more about the Sonoma County Bluegrass Festival here.

There will also be time for spontaneous jamming at the Annex and Community Center grounds. (Photo by Rollie Atkinson)