GREETINGS FESTIVARIANS! Welcome home, Festivarians! Over the past 44 years years, the little seed planted by Bill Monroe has flourished. Today, it is celebrated by many as the New Year’s of Colorado bluegrass...even the International Bluegrass Music Association has taken notice: we were humbled to receive the “Bluegrass Event of the Year” award last September! As you make yourselves at home in our little mountain town, please tread lightly on the fragile ecosystem that is still recovering from the 2013 flood. If you see newly planted vegetation anywhere on the Festival or campgrounds—especially Meadow park—please be careful...it’s important that we restore our riparian vegetation so we can festivate here forever! We’re excited to offer morning yoga sessions at 8am inside the Festival grounds, with mats and blocks courtesy of our friends at Gaiam. Be sure to wander over to the Wildflower Pavilion this weekend; it’s wearing new acoustical treatments to provide even more pristine sound throughout the Festival. Our latest endeavor in Sustainable Festivation is the move to reusable plates inside the Festival. When you’ve finished your delicious meals from our Festival vendors, don’t forget to drop off your plate with the friendly Lyons High School Band volunteers at the waste stations around the property. Remember to drink lots of water and slather on the sunscreen. When the afternoon sun hits its apex, cool off with a refreshing cocktail from our local partners Spirit Hound Distillers, Coyote Gold Margaritas, and What We Love
Sangria, or a frosty New Belgium beer, including our signature collaborative brew, Summer Bliss— available only at Planet Bluegrass! Most importantly, don’t forget to dance, pick and sing. Find a spot on an open tarp up front. And cherish this special time that only happens once a year. We’re so glad you’re back. Happy New Year.
LOVE,
PLANET BLUEGRASS
FESTIVAL PARTNERS
JULY 29TH THROUGH 31ST | 1
TONY TRISCHKA’S SIGNATURE MODELS
All of our banjos are made in Spring Valley, California, U.S.A.
AVAILABLE IN 2 STYLES GOLDEN CLIPPER and the SILVER CLIPPER
Made in the U.S.A. by the Deering Banjo Company Graham Sharp of the Steep Canyon Rangers with his Deering I knew I wanted a radiused fingerboard. Terry Baucom banjo Having tried Noam Pikelny’s banjo with 24 frets (an extra two frets coming out over the fingerboard), I requested the same.
I had always al desired a resonator made of quilted maple... and with the addition of gold plating, a beautifully engraved black nickel stretcher band, Pāua Shell aba lone binding on the neck and resonator, spectacular art nouveau inlays made of DichroLam... my dream banjo has now became a reality. Contact us for a
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or contact us at info@deeringbanjos.com or (800) 845-7791
A FEW FESTIVAL GUIDLINES Feel free to sit on any open tarp (especially up front) until the tarp’s owners return. Lost and found is located at the Festival box office. Climbing the hillsides or cliffs is strictly prohibited. There is no lifeguard watching your kids in the river. Please monitor your children carefully. Please do not smoke in the audience. Wander over to the smoking tent near the river and deposit your butts in the proper receptacles. Please. Once placed on, wristbands are non-refundable and nontransferable. If you remove, tear, damage, or lose your wristband, we will not replace it. Please use only low-backed chairs in designated areas. If we can roll a basketball under your chair, we will ask you to move it behind the sound booth. Umbrellas, shade tents, and other view-obstructing items are allowed only along the river and back perimeter. Please be respectful of others and do not stand in the Festival seating areas. No dogs are allowed at the Festival, in the campground, or in the parking lots. If you leave your dog in your car, we will call Animal Control and safely remove your dog from the car by whatever means necessary.
TARP LINE POLICY
Festivarians may begin assembling for the next day’s line numbers no earlier than 11pm. At around midnight the number line will be led through the customs gate where random numbers will be distributed and wristbands will be marked to show receipt of a number. These numbers will be shuffled randomly; each person may receive no more than 1 number. The next morning, Festivarians should reassemble in line-number order beginning one hour before gates. Festivarians will be admitted into the Festival in this randomlyassigned order, followed by all Festivarians without line numbers.
4 | FORTY-FOURTH ANNUAL ROCKYGRASS
Everyth Flippin ing’s ’ Tasty!
Welcome Festivarians! Festival Hours: 6am-2pm
Organic Espresso, Coffee & Tea Scrumptious Baked Goods Killer Breakfast Sandwiches & Breakfast Tacos Bloody Sams, Mimosas & more 5th & High Street 303.823.2345 www.thestonecup.com
JULY 29TH THROUGH 31ST | 5
SUSTAINING
OUR COMMUNITY With your help, the Planet Bluegrass festivals have become models of Sustainable Festivation. As we continue to broaden the scope of our efforts, here are 3 areas we’ve focused on this year.
LOCAL ECOSYSTEM
In 2013, Lyons was devastated by a historic 500year flood. We've come a long way since then, but the local environment remains delicate as it recovers. For the last few years, we've put a lot of effort into restoring the St. Vrain River corridor to a healthy state, including debris cleanup, soil redistribution, and vegetation planting. This spring, we planted over 400 trees, shrubs and other recuperative herbage at our neighboring property just west of the Ranch on Apple Valley Road. Throughout the year, we do our part to protect our local ecosystem by fertilizing the Ranch with 100% chicken manure while using no herbicides or pesticides on the property. The 7 acres of sod, which we planted on the festival grounds after the flood, is a special strain of Texas Bluegrass that requires 2/3 less water than our pre-flood Kentucky Bluegrass.
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Last summer, your Beverage Booth tips went into a fund to build 6 Habitat for Humanity homes to help Lyons families displaced by the flood. After a busy year of paperwork and negotiations led by Craig Ferguson and Planet Bluegrass, the Town of Lyons approved the project on July 5. Located on the east end of town at 2nd and Park, these 3 new duplexes will be the first new affordable housing approved in Lyons since the flood. We had originally earmarked your Beverage Booth tips to fund solar panels for this new housing development. But as the situation became increasingly complicated and our displaced neighbors felt increasingly exiled from their community, we felt a sense of urgency in just getting the homes built, solar panels or not. So we donated your tips directly to Habitat for Humanity of the St Vrain Valley to help fund their core mission of building homes. Habitat for Humanity is hopeful that all 6 homes can be sold to applicants who lived in the 80540 zip
code prior to the flood. They plan to break ground on these Lyons homes before the end of 2016, with an approximate completion date of late 2018.
B-CORP CERTIFICATION
In December of 2015, Planet Bluegrass joined nearly 2,000 other for-profit companies worldwide in a common goal: using business as a force for good. After successfully completing a rigorous examination of our business, environmental and community practices, we became a Certified B Corporation™. B Corporations (or B Corps, for short) meet the highest standards of overall social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability and aspire to use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. B Corporation certification is similar to Fair Trade certification for coffee or LEED certification for buildings, except for one detail: B Corps don’t just put out good products—they’re good companies. The choices we’ve made in selecting suppliers, building materials, carbon offsets and ranch upgrades have highlighted our role as leaders in environmental sustainability—even among certified B Corps! View our impact assessment at: bit.ly/pbbia Some of our festival partners are also certified Bs! Head over to the sponsor area to learn more about New Belgium Brewery, Klean Kanteen, Renewable Choice Energy, Dr. Bronner's and their journeys to sustainability.
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REUSABLE FESTIVATION If we hold a festival in a inspiring, outdoor venue like the Planet Bluegrass Ranch, we ought to take care of it… So in 2003, we began encouraging reuse, recycling and composting at all of our events. Soon we caught the bug—no idea was “too sustainable.” We introduced reusable beer cups. We asked our vendors to use compostable cutlery and plates. We eliminated single-use plastic bottles. By 2011, we removed all landfill trash containers from the Festival grounds. What’s next? As our next giant leap toward “zero waste,” we are eliminating single-use dishes from the vendors. We’re trading 12,000 single-use compostable paper plates for approximately 4,000 reusable ones. Here’s the cool part: those same 4,000 plates will continue to serve Festivarians at RockyGrass and Folks for years to come!
SO HOW DOES IT WORK?
As a Festivarian, your festivation habits won’t be affected one bit! You’ll approach the vendors, order your food, and enjoy your meal on a reusable plate. When you’ve finished eating, you’ll head over to the nearest waste station. Food scraps will hit the compost; the Lyons High School Band volunteers will collect your plates; and you’re done! On our end, we’ll bring the dishes to The Stone Cup, where we’ll wash them in a controlled environment that meets all safety requirements. Then we’ll pack the plates into food-safe buckets and cart them back to the food vendors, ready for you to get hungry again!
CAN I BRING MY OWN PLATE?
Unfortunately, no. Because all our vendors are regulated by the Boulder County Health Department, they need to follow food service safety rules to keep you safe! We need to provide the plates so we can be certain they have been washed according to local codes.
WHAT ARE THESE PLATES MADE OF?
We’re so glad you asked! We had a hard time choosing. Ceramic was out of the question—too fragile! Plus, some nasty chemicals are used in manufacturing. So, Pickathon turned us onto the California-based company Bamboo Studio, whose products are made from a sustainable mix of bamboo, sugarcane and corn. This dishware can even biodegrade in commercial facilities at the end of their lifecycle!
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SPORKS?
While we focus on nailing the reusable plate program, our reusable spork initiative is on a brief hiatus. Cutlery is not subject to the same regulation as plates and bowls, so you’re still welcome to reuse your own sporks. But since our sporks cannot handle commercial dishwashing temperatures, we didn’t want to ask you to do several different things with your eat-ware.
BUT WON’T YOU BE INCREASING YOUR WATER USAGE?
Making enough paper for one paper plate requires the use of about 8 gallons of water, not to mention the intrinsic water use in packaging and transportation. The dishwasher at The Stone Cup uses about 1 gallon of water per load (and can wash anywhere from 20-40 dishes!).
Our gratitude goes out to The Stone Cup for lending us their dish pit; to our vendors for their willingness to try crazy new ideas; to Pickathon and Winnipeg Folk Festival for their guidance; and most of all, thanks to YOU for recognizing the importance of reducing our festival waste and for inspiring us to keep trying new things.
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HOW GREEN IS YOUR GRASS?
CAMPSITE CHALLENGE With more than 2,000 campers in Lyons this weekend (more than doubling the size of our town!), it’s vitally important for each of us to be mindful of our camping footprint. In collaboration with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics and Eco-Products (suppliers of free compostable bags for your campground compost), we will again be rewarding campsites that excel in creative, sustainable camping. To nominate your campsite or one of your neighbors: 1. Submit a 1-page entry form at the Leave No Trace booth – explaining how the campsite exhibits cleanliness, sustainability, and creativity. 2. Stop by the Leave No Trace booth each day to view all the campsite entries and vote for your favorites. Each day we select 2 winners—one random, one staff choice— for prize packages that include: New Belgium Beer, Forty Years of Festivation books, and Klean Kanteen reusables. After the pack-out on Monday we will select grand prize winners to receive a pair of 3-day passes and camping for the 2017 RockyGrass.
Congratulations to 2015 winners: Camp Hog Heaven
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FAMILY TENT
Parents: please accompany your children while in the family area. As we welcome more younger Festivarians into the RockyGrass community each year, join us next to the Wildflower Pavilion and kids beach for a variety of fun, familyfriendly activities throughout the day – 10:30am ‘til 5:00pm.
COLORADO MOUNTAIN CLUB
Strum, beat, and play your way through the Instrument Petting Zoo! The entire family can try out ukuleles, hand drums, guitars, mandolins, banjos, fiddles, mini-pianos and more. Their knowledgeable staff of instrument petting zookeepers provide the instruments; you provide the curiosity. Serving the community since 1979, Swallow Hill promotes the joy of learning and listening to roots music through classes and concerts throughout the year.
10 D OP AM A EN IL -9Y P
M
Visit the CMC Youth Education Program (YEP) booth for their daily schedule of youthoriented outdoor adventure activities. Try out the slackline, hula hoops, and discover 10 essential wilderness survival tips. Take your knot-tying skills to new heights, while safely ascending a tree! Founded in 1912, the CMC is the state’s leading organization dedicated to adventure, recreation, conservation, and education.
SWALLOW HILL MUSIC ASSOCIATION
FAST • FRESH • LOCAL Glacier Ice Cream • Soft Serve Burgers • Hot Dogs • Sandwiches Shakes & Malts • Fresh Cut Fries FREE SOFT SERVE CONE WITH ANY PURCHASE WITH YOUR WRISTBAND 138 MAIN STREET, LYONS
303.823.5800
LYONSDAIRYBAR.COM 10 | FORTY-FOURTH ANNUAL ROCKYGRASS
THE 44TH ANNUAL
MUSIC COMPETITIONS Since the first Rocky Mountain Bluegrass Festival in 1973, the band and instrument contests have been an important part of the Festival experience. Discover the next generation of musicians as they vie for new instruments and spots on the main stage. Past instrument finalists have included Mark O’Connor (1974), Tim O’Brien (1975) and Jake Jolliff (2007), as well as recent band winners Steep Canyon Rangers (2001), The Railsplitters (2013), and Rapidgrass Quintet (2015).
INSTRUMENT COMPETITIONS Each instrument contestant performs 2 tunes in the preliminary round. The top 3 on each instrument advance to the final round where they perform 2 different tunes. Judged “in the blind,” musicians are scored using the following criteria:
PRIZES
1st Prize: New Instrument (see below) 2nd Prize: $100 3rd Prize: $50
BANJO
1st Prize: Deering John Hartford Banjo Prelims: Friday, 11:30am, Wildflower Pavilion Finals: Saturday, 10:30am, Main Stage
FLATPICK GUITAR
1st Prize: Gibson J-29 Acoustic Guitar Prelims: Friday, 1:00pm, Wildflower Pavilion Finals: Saturday, 10:15am, Main Stage
50% OVERALL ABILITY
(includes difficulty, expression, and execution)
25% RHYTHM 25% TONE
MANDOLIN
1st Prize: Gibson Sam Bush Signature Model F-5 Prelims: Friday, 2:30pm, Wildflower Pavilion Finals: Saturday, 10:00am, Main Stage
FIDDLE
1st Prize: J.F. Devereux Fiddle Prelims: Friday, 4:00pm, Wildflower Pavilion Finals: Saturday, 9:45am, Main Stage
DOBRO
1st Prize: Jerry Douglas Signature BlackBeard™ Prelims: Friday, 5:30pm, Wildflower Pavilion Finals: Saturday, 9:30am, Main Stage
BAND COMPETITION Cheer on these inspiring young bands from around the country as they gather around a single microphone to compete for a spot on the 2017 RockyGrass lineup.
SCHEDULE
Prelims: Saturday, 1:30pm, Wildflower Pavilion Finals: Sunday, 1:30pm, Wildflower Pavilion
BAND COMPETITION PRIZES
1st Prize: $750, strings & 2017 RockyGrass main stage performance 2nd Prize: $500 & strings 3rd Prize: $300 & strings
2016 CONTEST BANDS Burn It Blue Littleton, CO Canyon Collected Loveland, CO Hank, Pattie & The Current Raleigh, NC The Honeysuckle Possums Santa Barbara, CA
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Johnny Campbell
and the Bluegrass Drifters
Nashville, TN Masontown Boulder, CO The Mustache Brothers Columbia, SC Psychodillo Houston, TX
Ragged Union Denver, CO The Savage Hearts Lafayette, CO Timber! Boulder, CO The Wooks Lexington, KY
Pete Wernick’s 3rd Annual Winter
Bluegrass Camp January 9-14 (6 days!) at the Boulder Inn
in Boulder, CO
“
We teach All bluegrass instruments welcome. people to play All levels, never-jammed to advanced! Students real bluegrass – in realistic-size will be grouped by experience. Band members groups: one of attending together get a major discount, “band each instrument.” lab,” and performance opportunities.
camp is a culmination of my “35This years of teaching at and directing
200+ camps. We aim to offer you a really satisfying time playing music and advancing your bluegrass skills.”
Pete
Daily instruction on all the instruments and 3-part harmony singing, taught by Pete and Joan Wernick with top Colorado teacher/musicians. Lots of jamming in coached groups!
Our two goals:
Fun & Results!
NIGHTS INCLUDE open mics, bluegrass movies, and lots of time and space to jam and practice – all in the comfortable and hospitable Boulder Inn, 40 minutes from Denver International Airport. Affordable room rates for campers. (Staying at the Inn not required.)
BGJAM.COM
For more info,
Upcoming Classes! Wernick Method classes led by Annie Savage Sundays starting Aug. 21 and by Kevin Slick Tuesdays starting Aug. 23 ... at the FARM School, Lafayette, CO, and at many other locations in 42 states and 11 countries. INFO ON BGJAM.com, Classes/Camps.
PLAY ALONG with Pete & Nick Forster Drew Emmitt Joan Wernick Michael Kang Ben Kaufmann Sally Van Meter
Choice of 3 DVDs w 56 standards, gentle speeds, chords on screen. GO TO: DrBanjo.com Store
MAIN STAGE FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
JULY 29 10:00am Gates Open
JULY 30 9:00am Gates Open
JULY 31 10:00am Gates Open
11:00 - Noon Rapidgrass Quintet
9:30 - 11:15am Instrument Contest Finals
11:00 - 12:15pm Yonder Mountain Gospel Band
11:30 - 12:30pm Slocan Ramblers
12:30 - 1:30pm The Railsplitters
12:45 - 1:45pm Nick Forster & Danny Barnes
1:45 - 3:00pm Michael Daves & Friends
5:15 - 6:30pm Tim O’Brien
2:00 - 3:15pm Tony Trischka Band
3:15 - 4:30pm Flatt Lonesome
7:00 - 8:30pm Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas & Edgar Meyer
3:45 - 5:00pm The O’Connor Band
featuring Mark O’Connor
5:00 - 6:15pm Peter Rowan Band
12:15 - 1:30pm Molly Tuttle Band 1:45 - 3:00pm Bryan Sutton Band 3:30 - 4:45pm Good Ol’ Persons
9:00 - 10:30pm Steep Canyon Rangers
5:30 - 6:45pm Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver 7:15 - 8:30pm Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn 9:00 - 10:30pm Sam Bush Bluegrass Band
6:45 - 8:00pm Rhonda Vincent & The Rage 8:30 - 10:00pm Punch Brothers
Play & Sing Bluegrass Join us for free yoga inside the festival each morning at 8am.
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WILDFLOWER PAVILION FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
JULY 29
JULY 30
JULY 31
11:30am Banjo Contest: Preliminary Round
12:30pm David Grier: One Man Band
1:00pm Flatpick Guitar Contest: Preliminary Round
1:30pm Band Contest: Preliminary Round
12:30pm Shepherd Valley Waldorf School Strings
2:30pm Mandolin Contest: Preliminary Round
3:45pm John Reischman: Tunes & Techniques
4:00pm Fiddle Contest: Preliminary Round
5:00pm ArtistWorks All-Star Bluegrass Band
5:30pm Dobro Contest: Preliminary Round
featuring Bryan Sutton, Tony Trischka, Michael Daves, Andy Hall, Mike Marshall, Darol Anger, Missy Raines & Mike Block
1:30pm Band Contest: Final Round 3:00pm Slocan Ramblers: Performance 4:30pm Justin Hoffenberg & Dominick Leslie: Growing Up at RockyGrass
JULY 29TH THROUGH 31ST | 15
2016 ROCKYGRASS ARTISTS
RAPIDGRASS QUINTET Friday 11:00 - Noon
MOLLY TUTTLE BAND Friday 12:15 - 1:30pm
BRYAN SUTTON BAND Friday 1:45 - 3:00pm
A true bluegrass fan knows the word “bluegrass” is synonymous with “family.” One possible meaning: once you’re a part of this crazy world, you’re stuck with it! After blowing away the judges in last year’s RockyGrass band contest, we pulled Rapidgrass Quintet back in this year to blow you away, too. Equal parts education and experience, this group of 5 young gentlemen boasts music degrees—from the University of Colorado (Mark Morris, guitar),
Marywood University (Coleman Smith, violin) and Berklee College (Kyle James Hauser, banjo); appearances on hit mainstream television shows (Hauser); and tours with some of live music’s most prolific artists (Alex Johnstone, mandolin; Carl Meinecke, bass). Approaching their music with the zeal of youth, the zest of ‘grass, and the pure, raw talent of classically trained artists, Rapidgrass has the ‘it’ factor that will have you counting them among your bluegrass family.
“I’ve got a big dream and a worn out D-18…” With 2 million views on YouTube, a 2015 cover story in Flatpicking Guitar Magazine, a Hazel Dickens Memorial Scholarship to attend Berklee, and 1st place in the Merlefest songwriting contest, word has been spreading about Molly Tuttle. But the truth is: those words aren’t strong enough. The gifted young musician from Palo Alto, CA grew up surrounded by bluegrass at Gryphon Stringed Instruments.
Through writing personal songs, Molly found her own unique contemporary voice, as a singer and multi-instrumentalist—equally distinctive as a soloist, rhythm player, clawhammer guitarist (a rare skill), or delicately sweet vocalist. “All I need is a friend and a friend and another friend…” For her RockyGrass debut she’ll be joined by friends: Missy Raines (7-time IBMA Bass Player of the Year), multi-instrumentalist John Mailander, and banjoist Wes Corbett.
Bryan Sutton is an acoustic guitar innovator who bridges the bluegrass flatpicking traditions of the 20th century with the dynamic roots music scene of the 21st. He’s no stranger to Planet Bluegrass, debuting at the ‘98 RockyGrass with Ricky Skaggs and appearing regularly with Hot Rize (and his “uncomfortable” friendship with Trailblazer bassist Swade). Along the way, the Grammy-winning, 9-time IBMA Guitar Player of the Year has been grounded in quiet professional-
ism and ever-expanding musicianship. An esteemed member of the Telluride House Band, Bryan continues to broaden his musical reach, singing lead vocals and releasing his sixth solo recording, The More I Learn. He’s a bandleader, record producer, mentor, and leader in online music instruction, and we’re proud to call him a member of our musical family. Today Bryan is joined by bassist Samson Grisman, fiddler Mike Barnett, and mandolinist Casey Campbell.
16 | FORTY-FOURTH ANNUAL ROCKYGRASS
concert series 2016
AUG 10 KEB’ MO’ BAND
AUG 1
AUG 12
RYAN BINGHAM
DAVID GRISMAN SEXTET
with The Americans
e scap e engage elevate AUG 16 MELISSA ETHERIDGE
AUG 30 COLVIN & EARLE
SEPT 9 JOEY ALEXANDER with Greg Harris Vibe Quintet
TICKETS
ON SALE NOW! chautauqua.com
SEPT 21
SEPT 24
AN EVENING WITH PAT METHENY
THE STEELDRIVERS
with Antonio Sanchez, Linda Oh & Gwilym Simcock
with The Railsplitters
®
www.pcigrafx.com
900 BASELINE ROAD • BOULDER CO | 303.440.7666
coloradochautauqua
colochautauqua
2016 ROCKYGRASS ARTISTS
GOOD OL’ PERSONS
Friday 3:30 - 4:45pm
TIM O’BRIEN Friday 5:15 - 6:30pm
SAM BUSH, JERRY DOUGLAS & EDGAR MEYER Friday 7:00 - 8:30pm
The Good Ol’ Persons were among the first bluegrass bands to feature the songwriting, lead playing and vocal harmonies of women. They formed in 1975 after the success of 5 women performing at a San Francisco open mic. The name filled a spur-of-themoment need and provided a wry comment on the dominant bluegrass culture of the era. It didn’t take long for a band to form, for men to infiltrate, and for the music to become more important than a gimmicky name.
Over the last 40 years the band has released 5 albums, toured the US and Europe, and had a profound influence on several generations of bluegrassers, incorporating Latin, swing, folk, and Cajun into their bluegrass. After a long absence, we welcome back this very special only-at-RockyGrass reunion of Kathy Kallick (guitar), John Reischman (mandolin), Sally Van Meter (dobro), Trisha Gagnon (bass) and fiddlers Paul Shelasky and Annie Staninec.
On the Front Range, we are comforted soundtracks of all time, and you’re by the mountains’ constant looming lookin’ at a whole-package kinda present to the west. Tim O’Brien guy. It’s not often enough that we get is kinda like that for bluegrass to celebrate a new Tim O’ album, but music: steadfast, dependable, and this year he hits the stage with his unforgettable. A founding member latest release, Pompadour. Whether of Hot Rize, Tim’s been raking in it’s a masterful blend of Appalachia accolades for decades, including and traditional jazz or funkin’ things numerous IBMA honors and a handful up à la James Brown, Tim and his of Grammys. Throw in his role as band—guitarist David Grier, fiddler president of the IBMA, a board seat on Shad Cobb, banjoist Noam Pikelny, the West Virginia Hall of Fame, and a bassist Mike Bub—are sure to be hand in some of the best-loved film one of your festival highlights. If the epic Telluride Bluegrass gets its 6-piece House Band, then intimate lil’ RockyGrass distills that magic to its core: the definitive progressive acoustic trio, in perfect balance. Mandolin, dobro, and bass; flatpick, fingerpicks & bow; frets, slide & fingerboard. Behind these instruments are not just the musicians every other artist bio proudly name-drops, these are the virtuosos who have defined their instruments in modern music,
18 | FORTY-FOURTH ANNUAL ROCKYGRASS
sharing 23 Grammys between them. Sam Bush is the father of newgrass music and Lifetime Achievement recipient from the Americana Music Association; Jerry Douglas is a 3-time Country Music Association ‘Musician of the Year’ and veteran of more than 2,000 recordings; Edgar Meyer is a MacArthur “Genius” Fellow and the only bassist to ever receive the Avery Fisher Prize. Virtuosity, creativity and musicianship; passion, humor, and grace; B.D.M. In perfect balance.
2016 ROCKYGRASS ARTISTS
STEEP CANYON RANGERS Friday 9:00 - 10:30pm
SLOCAN RAMBLERS
Saturday 11:30 - 12:30pm
NICK FORSTER & DANNY BARNES Saturday 12:45 - 1:45pm
It’s Friday night. The lights are on, the field is packed, the gentlemen onstage are wearing suits and lookin’ as sharp as broken glass. Can you imagine these professionals as a gang of hopeful undergraduates, bespectacled, bucket-hatted, and shell-necklaced to the nines? It’s with great pride that we reflect on the meteoric rise of the Rangers: beginning with their 2001 RockyGrass band contest win, then picking up IBMA awards, Grammys, and Steve Martin along
the road. Today, they stand before you an accomplished group of bluegrass veterans—guitarist Woody Platt, mandolinist Mike Guggino, banjoist Graham Sharp, fiddler Nicky Sanders, bassist Charles Humphrey III, and drummer Mike Ashworth. International tours? Check. Prestigious awards? You bet. Somehow, they’ve managed to proliferate the traditional bluegrass repertoire while turning it on its head and pushing the envelope. Now that’s talent.
“Toronto audiences don’t respond to a clean, polished Nashville sound,” says Slocan mandolinist Adrian Gross. “They dig a lot of energy in their music, a rowdy bar vibe.” The fearless Canadian quartet satisfy their hometown audiences with lightning-fast, devilishly-intricate instrumentals and sawdust-thick vocals. With banjoist Frank Evans, guitarist Darryl Poulsen and bassist Alastair Whitehead, the Slocans have an adventurous, hold-onto-your-hat
approach to solos, led by Frank’s innovative blend of 3-finger Scruggsstyle and clawhammer techniques, and the giddy playing of Darryl and Adrian. Their 2nd CD, last year’s Coffee Creek, showcases their modern bluegrass sensibility: a deep respect for tradition and an itch for exploration. On this RockyGrass Saturday morning, find an empty tarp space near the stage as one of our Northern neighbors’ most acclaimed bluegrass bands make their RockyGrass debut.
“I’m kind of an underground person,” says banjo player (and singersongwriter-producer-engineer) Danny Barnes. “Bluegrass is an underground music, and I’m deeper underground than that!” The founding member of nonconformist Austin trio Bad Livers took a major leap out of the underground last fall when he received the 6th Annual Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo & Bluegrass. A fascinatingly experimental musician— whose interests range from John
Hartford to black metal—Danny has performed with Bill Frisell and Dave Matthews Band (as well as Tim O’Brien at the 2006 RockyGrass) and tours solo with his own “Barnyard Electronics,” a mix of acoustic banjo with his own custom music software. Today Danny shares the stage with longtime co-conspirator Nick Forster, a tasteful multi-instrumentalist, founding member of Hot Rize, and 25-year host and co-founder of the nationally syndicated radio show eTown.
20 | FORTY-FOURTH ANNUAL ROCKYGRASS
11th Annual
September 16-18, 2016 • Flagstaff, Arizona Sam Bush Jerry Douglas presents The Earls of Leicester The SteelDrivers O’Connor Band featuring Mark O’Connor ∙ Jeff Peterson Hot Club of Cowtown ∙ Special Consensus ∙ Finnders & Youngberg Run Boy Run ∙ Hogslop Stringband ∙ The Sonoran Dogs The Badly Bent ∙ James Reams & The Barnstormers Tick The Haymarket Squares ∙ Blue Moon ∙ and more! et
pickininthepines.org
On S s ale Now
THANK YOU PETER ROWAN, FOR 30 YEARS WITH OUR GUITARS.
W W W. P K TG U I TA R S . C O M Handcrafted in Sisters, Oregon USA
Available at Telluride Music Company and other fine dealers worldwide.
JULY 29TH THROUGH 31ST | 21
2016 ROCKYGRASS ARTISTS
TONY TRISCHKA BAND Saturday 2:00 - 3:15pm
THE O’CONNOR BAND
FEATURING MARK O’CONNOR
Saturday 3:45 - 5:00pm
DOYLE LAWSON & QUICKSILVER Saturday 5:30 - 6:45pm
With his boundless musical curiosity as the guiding force, Tony Trischka embraces all manner of possibilities, all the while keeping one foot firmly planted in the traditional bluegrass roots that first inspired him to make music. A native of Syracuse, NY, Tony’s banjo playing has inspired a whole generation of bluegrass and acoustic musicians. Tony is not only considered amongst the most innovative of banjo players, he is one of its most respected and
sought after instructors, counting Béla Fleck and hundreds of aspiring RockyGrass Academy pickers among his students. In 2009, Tony launched the groundbreaking Tony Trischka School of Banjo, an interactive, online instructional site that is the home for students around the world. Joining Tony onstage this weekend are guitarist Grant Gordy, bassist Ethan Jodziewicz, fiddler Mike Barnett, mandolinist Dominick Leslie, and percussionist Sean Trischka.
“I’ve recorded on at least 500 albums,” says legendary fiddler Mark O’Connor, “but I have to say, there are very few, if any, that I’ve been as proud of as this O’Connor Band album.” We’ll be darned if that doesn’t sound like a man who knows what he’s talking about. In addition to being a prolific picker, he’s also a highly decorated composer; his works include concertos and orchestral compositions. Oh yeah, Mark is also an accomplished teacher, having developed his own O’Connor
Method. If you’re starting to doubt there’s anything he can’t do, he’s also a loving father and husband: that’s his son, Forrest, next to him on the mandolin, and his wife, Maggie, another fiddler. Kate Lee, Forrest’s fiancée, sings and plays violin; and the group is rounded out by guitarist Joe Smart and bassist Geoff Saunders. One more thing: Mark was a member of bluegrass supergroup Strength In Numbers. Maybe you’ve heard of them?
In 1979, after a decade performing with Jimmy Martin and the Country Gentlemen, Doyle Lawson decided it was time to form his own band. “I wanted to put together a group that would have ‘my sound’.” With nearly 40 albums now to their credit, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver are one of the tightest and most beloved bands in bluegrass, winning the IBMA Vocal Group of the Year 7 times. No group sings gospel harmonies quite like DL&Q. The 72-year-old mandolinist
and singer has earned an honorary doctorate and membership in the IBMA Hall of Fame. But Doyle’s gifts extend beyond his own musicality to his role as a bandleader, where his “farm team” has developed dozens of bluegrass’s greatest talents. We’re thrilled to welcome current bandmembers—Josh Swift (dobro), Joe Dean (banjo), Dustin Pyrtle (guitar), Eli Johnston (bass) and Stephen Burwell (fiddle)—for a Saturday evening of legendary Quicksilver.
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SATURDAY AUG
ATURDAY AUG 6
2016 ROCKYGRASS ARTISTS
BÉLA FLECK & ABIGAIL WASHBURN Saturday 7:15 - 8:30pm
SAM BUSH BLUEGRASS BAND Saturday 9:00 - 10:30pm
YONDER MOUNTAIN GOSPEL BAND Sunday 11:00- 12:15pm
Illustrious, world-renowned banjoist meets a pretty lady at a square dance. Some time passes, they fall in love. Sounds very human until you realize that pretty lady is herself a prestigious banjo player. What are the odds? It took 10 years, a wedding, and baby Juno before the couple finally released their Grammywinning debut. The chemistry shared by Béla and Abby is more than an abundance of oxytocin: the exchange between his Scruggs-style and her
clawhammer is pure magic. They trade effortless runs, quoting both the highbrow and the accessible, conversing deeply and intuitively. And this Saturday night, you’re invited to witness this 10-stringed, 20-fingered banjo beast at its prime. “The carefully calculated union aims to create one insurmountable banjo juggernaut whose historic domain will span old-time, bluegrass, jazz, fusion, European classical, African and Chinese styles.” Don’t miss it!
If joy were a person, he’d be full of music, light, and energy that soothes even as it stirs us up. Eyes closed, wire-rim glasses in place, mandolin pressed against his ribs, joy would be Sam Bush on the Planet Bluegrass stage. “The joy of the music comes to me and overtakes me sometimes,” says Sam. “I just become part of the music.” For more than 4 decades, the Kentucky native has been bringing joy to stages and stereos: as the co-founder of seminal progressive
bluegrass outfit New Grass Revival; as an in-demand collaborator with everyone from Emmylou Harris to Lyle Lovett; as a bandleader with 8 solo albums under his name, including this year’s outstanding Storyman. For the 15th year we’re excited to close a gorgeous Lyons evening with the only-at-RockyGrass appearance of the Sam Bush Bluegrass Band— with banjoist Scott Vestal, guitarist Stephen Mougin, bassist Todd Parks, and drummer Chris Brown.
We are gathered along the St. Vrain this stage, 4 Kinfolk Celebrations in Lyons, morning to rejoice in the RockyGrass Adam & Ben’s Mabon shows in the gospel. For decades these musical Wildflower, even a secret set at the sermons have taken inspiration from 2009 RockyGrass. While Bill Monroe every page of our good book—twin famously preached “don’t dance to dobros to Klezmer jazz-grass to the gospel,” even Big Mon might Colorado’s finest musicians. In this make an exception when guitarist spirit, we’re proud to welcome one of Adam Aijala, bassist Ben Kaufmann, the Centennial State’s biggest-ever banjoist Dave Johnston, fiddler Allie bluegrass bands. Since making their Kral, and mandolinist Jake Jolliff take RockyGrass debut in 1999, Yonder the RockyGrass stage. Performing for Mountain has found a home on Planet the first time as the YMGB, this Sunday Bluegrass—17 years on the Telluride they’re bound for glory.
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The Earls of Leicester
Jerry Douglas’ GRAMMY® winning band’s second album is available now! Don’t miss Jerry with Sam Bush and Edgar Meyer on Friday!
The O’Connor Band
feat. Mark O’Connor* Bluegrass legend and GRAMMY® winner Mark O’Connor debuts The O’Connor Band with Coming Home. See The O’Connor Band Saturday.
SARAH JAROSZ
Undercurrent is the groundbreaking new album from the GRAMMY® nominated multi-instrumentalist.
Steep Canyon Rangers* Produced by Jerry Douglas, Radio is the band’s ninth studio album. Performing Friday!
Bryan Sutton
The GRAMMY® winning guitarist’s latest Album, The More I Know, is available now! Bryan plays on Saturday!
BÉla Fleck & Abigail Washburn
Béla & Abigail’s self-titled album won the 2016 GRAMMY® for Folk Album of The Year. See them Saturday!
Sierra Hull
Sierra’s latest critically acclaimed album, Weighted Mind, produced by Béla Fleck, is available now.
* Performing this weekend. Consult festival program for set times.
2016 ROCKYGRASS ARTISTS
THE RAILSPLITTERS Sunday 12:30 - 1:30pm
MICHAEL DAVES & FRIENDS Sunday 1:45 - 3:00pm
FLATT LONESOME Sunday 3:15 - 4:30pm
The story of how The Railsplitters formed is like the plot to a feel-good Hollywood movie—just too perfect. Arriving from states as far off as West Virginia and Alaska, the bandmates met by chance jamming along the Rockies (including the Tuesday night pick at Oskar Blues). They played their first gig in Denver, won the RockyGrass band competition in 2013, and immediately proceeded to take over the progressive bluegrass world. Four years after “Lauren and
Friends” first hit the scene, the Railsplitters return to RockyGrass with their wonderful 2015 release The Faster It Goes. Find a an empty tarp spot this Sunday to witness the sophisticated artistry of guitarist Lauren Stovall, banjoist Dusty Rider, mandolinist Peter Sharpe, bassist Leslie Ziegler, and newest member, fiddler Joe D’Esposito. Whether or not you’ve had your morning coffee, these infectious bluegrassers are sure to wake you up.
Most of us first fell for Michael Daves via his duo with Chris Thile and their 2011 Jack White-endorsed Sleep with One Eye Open. It was the perfect expression of youthful NYC energy through 14 strings, 2 voices, and a set of bluegrass standards. How does a forward-thinking high & lonesome guitar-slingin’ singer top that? Last winter Michael released the twin album Orchids & Violence: disc 1 features gritty acoustic recordings in a classic bluegrass style; disc 2
interprets those same songs with a grungy distortion-soaked rock band. Anchored by Michael’s slightly unhinged vocals and highwire guitar, it all works. Today Michael welcomes a few of his acoustic friends—Noam Pikelny (banjo), Brittany Haas (fiddle), Mike Bub (bass), Dominick Leslie (mandolin), and Jen Larson (vocals)— to reinterpret these and other classics on the RockyGrass stage. Sunflowers and columbine. And maybe just a hint of stringed violence.
From the O’Connors to the Trischkas to Béla & Abigail, bluegrass and family go together like yinjo and yangdolin. In the mid-‘00s, the 5 members of Jacksonville, FL’s Robertson family toured the South as the bluegrass gospel band Sandy Creek Revival. While the travel became too much for their father’s work, the bluegrass bug had firmly bitten the kids. So, in January 2011, siblings Kelsi (mandolin) and twins Charli (fiddle) and Buddy (guitar)
joined up with friends Dominic Illingworth (bass), Michael Stockton (dobro), and Paul Harrigill (banjo) to form Flatt Lonesome. With their 3 distinctive lead singers and soaring, richly-arranged sibling harmonies, the sextet quickly became the buzz of the bluegrass world, winning the 2014 IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year. From fun country covers to a grassy take on Game of Thrones, we’re thrilled to welcome Flatt Lonesome for their Colorado debut.
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The hillbenders TOMMY: A Bluegrass Opry Thurs, Jan 19, 2017 at 7:30pm
Pete Townshend’s original vision comes to life in a new and exciting way with the banjo, dobro, mandolin, bass, and guitar.
SONS OF THE PIONEERS Thurs, Nov 3, 2016 at 7:30pm The ultimate in cowboy music, founded by Roy Rogers.
November 4–6, 2016
James McMurtry u John Fullbright Jeffrey Foucault u Rising Appalachia Mark Erelli u The Railsplitters Anne McCue u Kaia Kater The Suitcase Junket u Beth Wood Ma Muse Sammy Brue Tickets: $40 —$130 www.MoabFolkFestival.com
O’CONNOR BAND Featuring Mark O’Connor Thurs, May 11, 2017 at 7:30pm
Sophisticated instrumentals bring a fresh, powerful, unprecedented sound to this family band. Photo by John David Pittman
TICKETS ON SALE NOW! LoneTreeArtsCenter.org
720.509.1000 10075 Commons Street Lone Tree, CO 80124
JULY 29TH THROUGH 31ST | 27
2016 ROCKYGRASS ARTISTS
PETER ROWAN BAND Sunday 5:00 - 6:15pm
RHONDA VINCENT & THE RAGE Sunday 6:45 - 8:00pm
PUNCH BROTHERS
PLAY & SING BLUEGRASS
Sunday 8:30 - 10:00pm
As the sun wanes on the 44th RockyGrass, we invite one of Bill Monroe’s disciples to let the ancient tones drift outward from the acoustic sanctity of trad bluegrass. Says Peter, “Even if I’m not playing bluegrass, I know that there’s some bluegrass coming through.” Peter was 23 when he began singing high tenor alongside the Father of Bluegrass, co-writing tunes like “Walls of Time.” In the ensuing 5 decades, Peter has been one of bluegrass’s deepest renegades,
always exploring new sounds: Earth Opera with David Grisman; Muleskinner with Clarence White; Old & In the Way with Jerry Garcia. Supported today by electric bassist Mike Morgan and percussionist Jamie Oldaker, the 74-year-old Grammy winner is free to let his yodels swirl higher and higher over the St. Vrain, opening the pages of his inimitable songbook—from his spiritual pilgrimages to the East to his imaginative mythology of the American West.
One of the tenets of traditional bluegrass is that an appreciation for the music is passed down from parent to child, generation to generation. So often we hear that a musician picked up their instrument at a tender young age and never looked back: Rhonda Vincent is one such performer. A fifthgeneration musician, Rhonda began on the drums at only 5 years old, adding the fiddle and mandolin by age 10. Nearly 5 decades later she is one of the most decorated bluegrass
musicians alive, aptly dubbed “The Queen of Bluegrass” by the Wall Street Journal. Joined by equally talented bandmates Hunter Berry (fiddle), Brent Burke (dobro), Mickey Harris (bass), Aaron McDaris (banjo), and 3-time IBMA Guitar Player of the Year Josh Williams, you’re soon to find out why they are one of the most award-winning bands in bluegrass history—totaling over 100 awards, including 8 rounds as IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year.
When last year’s Red Knucklesconjured zombies slipped back to their netherworld, they left behind just enough bluegrass antidote to create this year’s finale. The 21st century’s most remarkable progressive stringband returns to their roots. No, not the brilliant chamber suite of their 2008 debut Punch. Tonight we witness a return to their deepest roots, rubbing the sacred dust off the quarter Bill Monroe gave to the 12-year-old Chris Thile at the 1993 Telluride Bluegrass.
Sure, that quarter has since seen Chris become a genre-crossing virtuoso—from platinum-selling Nickel Creek and Grammy-winning classical collaborations, to a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship and hosting A Prairie Home Companion. But tonight, with his equally-inspiring bandmates— guitarist Chris Eldridge, banjoist Noam Pikelny, fiddler Gabe Witcher, and bassist Paul Kowert—they dig into the ancient tones for an unforgettable only-at-RockyGrass finale.
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DATES TO REMEMBER 26TH ANNUAL ROCKY MOUNTAIN
FOLKS FESTIVAL August 19-21, 2016 3-day passes and single-day tickets still available!
THE SONG SCHOOL
August 14-18, 2016 Sold-Out!
TELLURIDE BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL June 15-18, 2017
ROCKYGRASS ACADEMY July 23-27, 2017
45TH ANNUAL ROCKYGRASS July 28-30, 2017
2017 TICKETS
Visit Bluegrass.com in October for details about purchasing tickets through our online lotteries, including RockyGrass Academy, RockyGrass on-site camping, and Telluride Bluegrass camping in Warner Field and Town Park. All other 2017 tickets go onsale in early December. Printed on FSC®-certified 70# Neenah Conservation text - a 100% post-consumer recycled fiber, made with 100% renewable energy
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