The California Bluegrass Association presents...

Sonoma County Bluegrass and Folk Festival

International Womens Day
March 8th at 12:00pm – 8:00pm

Sebastopol Community Center
Sebastopol, CA

We are sold out! 

if you bought tickets online, we’ll see you soon but at-the-door sales are closed. 

Schedule for Sonoma County Bluegrass & Folk Festival: Events from noon to 7:15 PM, including performances by Butter Bird, Mission Blue, Salty Sally, and others.

This year’s festival is on International Women’s Day and will be anchored by the legendary Lewis and Kallick’s “Celebration of 50 years of California Bluegrass.” Also appearing, Toronto’s Lonesome Ace Stringband brings grit, skill, and abandon to Americana music, bridging old-time, bluegrass and folk traditions with a seamless mix of original material that is at once fresh and timeless. The fiddle and clawhammer banjo of John Showman and Chris Coole are the core of the band’s sound. Returning to the 2025 festival after their smoking hot set at last year’s event is Broken Compass Bluegrass, out of Grass Valley. This young band has been barnstorming the foremost local, regional, and world stages with some of the best of the new generation of bluegrass in Northern California.

The SCBFF also showcases some of the Bay Area’s top acoustic talent, including Late for the Train, Salty Sally, and Mission Blue. Late for the Train’s American folk and bluegrass music is infused with the coastal redwood forests and the heartfelt community of Northern California. Salty Sally is noted for its powerful all-women vocals supported by virtuosic instrumental skills and an inventive approach to bluegrass, folk, jazz, and country. Mission Blue delivers straight-ahead bluegrass featuring their special brand of family harmony singing and crystal clear pickin’.

And there’s a special appearance by the Manning Music Youth Bands and Manning Music Spotlight. Manning Music is one of the very best places to learn traditional music for kids and adults. Many great Bay Area artists have come out of Manning Music, and we cannot wait to see what they have in store for us this year.

This festival is brought to you by the CBA, with the help of the Sonoma County Folk Society and the Sebastopol Kiwanis Club, as well as a host of local sponsors including Loveland Violin Shop in Santa Rosa, Out West Garage, the California Coast Music Camp, and The Stanroy Music Center. Tickets are $45, with a $5 discount for members of the CBA, Socofoso, and the Kiwanis Club. Kids 12 and under are free. Get your tickets at sonomabluegrassfolk.org.

For more information:

Contact Ted Kuster, California Bluegrass Association
tedkuster@californiabluegrass.net
415-948-3663

LAURIE LEWIS & KATHY KALLICK

Two women smiling, one with short gray hair holding a violin and the other with dark curly hair holding a guitar. Both are wearing black attire.

As Randy Pitts noted, “Before Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick became the highly respected and successful singers, songwriters, and bluegrass bandleaders they are today, they were founding members of the groundbreaking and influential band, the Good Ol’ Persons. Although Laurie remained in that group for only a short while before moving on to lead her own bands, she and Kathy forged a lifelong personal and professional friendship that endures to this day.”

Kathy and Laurie have been guest performers on many of each other’s albums, and they’ve released two collaborative projects: 1991’s Together, and the 2014 tribute to their mentors, Vern Williams and Ray Park, Laurie & Kathy Sing the Songs Of Vern & Ray.

Both Laurie and Kathy have won a Grammy and two International Bluegrass Music Association awards for their contributions to True Life Blues: The Songs of Bill Monroe, both have released some two dozen albums with bands and/or under their own names, and both have received Lifetime Member Awards from the California Bluegrass Association. Laurie has twice won the IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year award, and all the Kathy Kallick Band albums have charted in the Top 10 of both the National Bluegrass Survey and Folk Alliance International charts.

BROKEN COMPASS BLUEGRASS

A group of four people playing musical instruments, including a guitar, double bass, mandolin, and violin, in a wooden interior setting.
Broken Compass Bluegrass is leading the way in the contemporary bluegrass revival, combining tradition with innovation in a way that appeals to both longtime fans and new listeners alike. Their live performances are characterized by tight harmonies, truly impressive solos, and an undeniable joy that permeates with every note they play. The band’s repertoire includes numerous original compositions as well as fresh takes on timeless classics, all delivered with their own distinctive style. Whether you’re a die-hard bluegrass aficionado or just looking for some foot-stomping jam-grass fun, BCB is sure to leave you spellbound and inspired.

LONESOME ACE STRINGBAND

Three men stand in a theater holding instruments: a violin, double bass, and banjo, with colorful lights above.
The Lonesome Ace Stringband brings grit, skill and abandon to Americana music, bridging old-time, bluegrass and folk traditions into a seamless hybrid of original material that is at once fresh and timeless. Instrumentation alone sets this Toronto-based trio’s sound apart: consisting simply of fiddle (John Showman), clawhammer banjo (Chris Coole), and upright bass (Max Malone). The spine-tingling harmonies and interchanging lead vocals only bring more magic to the equation.

SALTY SALLY

Four people standing, three holding up the fourth horizontally. They are smiling and standing on a brick-patterned surface against a brown background.
Salty Sally is Lucy Khadder, MK Martinez-Griffith, Naima Nascimento, and Sophia Sparks. Formed in 2022, the band has been recognized for its powerful vocals, accomplished instrumental skills and inventive arrangements. They play distinctive originals and covers from bluegrass, folk, jazz, country, and other styles. Members of Salty Sally have been featured in several other bands, on studio albums, and at major music festivals. Now 15-18 years old, the group met through music camps and classes over the years and came together at Oakland School for the Arts.

LATE FOR THE TRAIN

Four people stand outdoors with instruments, including a violin, guitar, mandolin, and double bass, surrounded by trees.
Late for the Train is a modern string band rooted in American folk and bluegrass music. Infused with the honest depth of the coastal redwood forests and the heartfelt community of Northern California, the group provides a playful and poignant musical experience that uplifts the spirit and rouses the soul. Travel back to a time of hearthside storytelling with these California natives, reveling in the rich traditions of Americana, bluegrass, folk, and Celtic music. Their dynamic songwriting is inspired by influences such as Kate Wolf, the Wood Brothers, John Hartford, and Nickel Creek. The ensemble consists of David Pascoe (guitar), Laura Benson (fiddle), Thom Beneduci (stand-up bass), and Bud Dillard (mandolin). The band’s skillful craftsmanship meets tender harmonies and potent lyrics that grapple with all the wonder, contradiction, and truth of living in the modern age. Their second album, The Flowers of Yesteryear, was released on April 12th, 2024, and their third album is slated for release in spring of 2025.

MISSION BLUE

Five people in hats stand around a microphone on a wooden stage. They are holding string instruments.
Mission Blue delivers straight-ahead bluegrass featuring our special brand of family harmony singing and heartfelt storytelling. Led by the father/daughter duo of Dana and Avram “AJ” Frankel, Mission Blue has been performing since 2017. Drawing from a deep well of traditional bluegrass, one can expect songs from Larry Sparks, The Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, Mac Martin and Red Allen, as well as bluegrass innovators such as J.D. Crowe and The New South, Hot Rize, Southern Blend and the Johnson Mountain Boys. In addition, Mission Blue salts each set with reinterpretations of older folk tunes and ballads—and original material. Their traditional five-piece format features Dana Frankel on fiddle, AJ Frankel on guitar, Sam Reed on banjo, David Thiessen on mandolin, and Tom Sours on bass.