THE BROOKDALE
The local bluegrass community is celebrating the return of the Brookdale Bluegrass Festival, after a hiatus of two years. The festival will take place next weekend at the newly remodeled Brookdale Inn and Spa with the music starting 6:30 p.m. Friday and then starting up again at noon on Saturday, with the famed Underwater Banjo Contest taking place on Sunday at noon. Admission to the contest is free.
Headlining
the festival are Chojo Jacques with Billy Bright.
Chojo’s musical diversity matches his personal background.
He is part Hawaiian and was born in
Also on the roster are Faux Renwah, which is a duo, with Cactus Bob on fiddle and vocals and Prairie Flower on banjo and vocals. They hale from the Sierras and have one of the most unique sounds of any group I've heard. While not bluegrass in any sense, they are a welcome addition to the lineup.
There are other performers playing at the festival who are not bluegrass, such as Yodeling Lady Lolita, who will be accompanied by Harmony Grits. Founding members mike McKinley and Jeff Baldwin and friends will stretch from their normal bluegrass roots to accommodate Lolita’s style, which is more western. In her mid-eighties, Lolita has suffered some health problems in recent years, but she is a trooper. She has performed at every Brookdale Bluegrass Festival and many, if not all, of the Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival in Hollister.
Other bands
and performers in the lineup are the Rose Creek Ramblers, Jimmy Chickenpants,
Harmon’s Peak, the Stoney Mountain Ramblers, Common
Cents, the Smiley Mountain Band,
The Brookdale Bluegrass Festival is run by husband and wife Eric and Barbara Burman, along with Bruce Bellochio and help from other long-time bluegrass enthusiasts. Eric founded the Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival and he and Barbara have played bluegrass on stage over the years. They are residents of Bonny Doon and came close to losing their house in last summer’s Martin fire. They are busy people with active lives, whose love of bluegrass music has manifested itself in these festivals.
In a phone
conversation with Barbara and Eric they mentioned that the Brookdale
Lodge has been completely re-done and that the big restaurant (the Brook Room)
would be open during the festival. There are newly remodeled rooms available
for those who wish to spend the weekend, but who do not camp. The Burmans also said that some of their regular audience members
look forward to this festival because they don’t have to camp and can rent
rooms right on the site, rather than having to drive somewhere after many
hours of listening to music. It is a musical retreat of sorts, set in the
beautiful
Contact Mary McCaslin at roundup@marymccaslin.com.
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: The Brookdale Bluegrass Festival
WHERE: The Brookdale Inn & Spa, Highway 9 in Brookdale
WHEN: Friday, March 13 (6:30 – 11:30 p.m.), Saturday, March 14th (Noon –
11:30 p.m.), Sunday, March 15th (Noon).
DETAILS: Phone - 460-9196
Email - brookdalebluegrass@hotmail.com
Web – www.brookdalebluegrass.com