Western mountains and bluegrass music … they go together like banjo and fiddle

Sunset, June, 1987

Western mountains and bluegrass music . . . they go together like banjo and fiddle

I'd rather be in some dark hollow,

Where the sun don't ever shine,

Than for you to be another man's darlin',

And to know that you'd never be mine.

It's sad, rollicking, lovely music--bluegrass.Hearing plaintive voices harmonize with banjo and guitar and a whispering breeze is one of the best ways we know of spending a summer weekend.

Bluegrass festivals occur throughout theWest this summer. The atmosphere is laid-back, but don't let that fool you; the furious pace and instrumental virtuosity demanded of participants in roisterous, solo-trading bluegrass "breakdowns' is sure to get your adrenaline pumping.

Larger festivals offer the opportunity tosee bluegrass legends--such as Jim & Jesse, the Osborne Brothers, Ralph Stanley, and bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe-- playing right alongside talented local musicians. In casual workshops, musicians who garner top fees for session work in Nashville and Los Angeles share their expertise with fans for free. When the scheduled entertainment pauses, you can stroll the festival grounds. There, among the coolers and camp stoves, you'll hear parking lot picking sessions that seem to capture the heart of bluegrass: skillful but democratic, sorrowful but sweet.

Most of the festivals are held outdoors, atfairgrounds or parks, and feature 10 to 20 bands over two to four days. You can usually camp right on site, or you can stay nearby and come and go as you please. Many festivals include games, puppet shows, and other children's programs.

A mountain music comes West

The old-time sound of bluegrass belies itsrelatively recent origin. Although it traces its most direct roots to the 1930s country music of the rural Southeast, no one called it bluegrass until the early 1950s.

In 1939, the music's pioneer, Bill Monroe,first hit the Grand Ole Opry with his fast-picking Blue Grass Boys. The exciting mix of fiddle, mandolin, guitar, string bass, and the self-described "high and lonesome sound' of Monroe's singing made them popular in the Southeast, but Monroe kept refining the style. In 1945, he added Earl Scruggs and his five-string banjo. Scruggs' flying three-finger technique, little known before then, gave the banjo great importance in the musical mix--and thereby crystallized the classic bluegrass sound.

Kentuckian Monroe had named his bandfor his Blue Grass home state. But as other bands began imitating his characteristic sound, fans started calling the music itself "bluegrass.' From the mountains of Kentucky and Virginia, it's moved all over the nation, but nowhere has it found a warmer welcome than in the mountains of the West.

It also continues evolving, with groupssuch as Tony Trischka and Skyline crafting inventive variations on the music's traditional harmonies. But the tradition remains, too; bluegrass is still performed on stringed instruments played fast. The songs, new or old, still tell of sweethearts and scoundrels, lost loves, and back home.

This summer's lineup

Some of these festivals include only bluegrassbands; others also feature folk, country, or ethnic music. We give telephone numbers and addresses for tickets and information, and the cost of a festival ticket. Multi-day events generally offer single-day passes as well.

Formal seating is either quite scarce ornonexistent; most festivalgoers bring blankets and lawn chairs. Concession wagons sell county fair-style food and drinks, and merchants sell records, instruments, and souvenirs. Be sure to bring sun screen and a hat.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Grass Valley. California BluegrassAssociation's Grass Valley Bluegrass Festival, June 19, 20, and 21. For tickets, write to California Bluegrass Association, 623 Harvard Court, Woodland 95695, or call (916) 662-5691.

At the Nevada County Fairgrounds, thisfestival hosts nationally known performers such as The Osborne Brothers and California bluegrass bands--The Sawtooth Mountain Boys, Sidesaddle, Weary Hearts.

Tickets cost $13 for members and seniors,$32 for nonmembers. Fairgrounds campsites are free, or try hotels, motels, and inns in Nevada City or Grass Valley.

California's Midsummer BluegrassFestival, July 31, August 1 and 2. Midsummer Bluegrass Festival, Inc., Box 19876, Sacramento 95819; (916) 456-3703 or 965-8089 or (415) 530-7486.

One of the state's largest festivals (also heldat the Nevada County Fairgrounds), this one will host Bill Monroe, Mac Wiseman, Jim & Jesse, Ralph Stanley, Doyle Lawson, Vern Williams, Bryan Bowers, Peter Rowan, David Grisman, Tony Trischka and Skyline, and Berline, Crary and Hickman. A festival ticket costs $40.

Roseville. Country Music Festival, June 26,27, and 28. Western States Country Music Association, 3333 S. Carson St., Carson City, Nev. 89701; (702) 882-3286.

Amateur musicians and songwriterscompete in bluegrass and other categories. Held at Placer County Fairgrounds. One-day tickets run $6 and $8.

Yosemite. Strawberry Spring MusicFestival, May 22 through 25. Box 3097, Sonora, Calif. 95370; (209) 586-1061.