Cantara Loop at the Side Door

Cantara Loop is a Gold Country bluegrass band bringing hard-driving picking, rich three-part harmonies, and deep musical chemistry to the stage. Featuring Brian Burke (guitar, One Button Suit), Tom Shewmake (mandolin, One Button Suit), Finn Tobias (banjo), Andy Lentz (fiddle, Rita Hosking, The Town Howlers), and Emily Triplett Lentz (bass), the group honors traditional bluegrass while making room for modern influences.

The band was brought together by the late Kathy Barwick, a beloved multi-instrumentalist, teacher, and pillar of the California bluegrass scene. A Sacramento native who later made her home in Grass Valley, Kathy introduced the five musicians at a jam at her house, hinting that she had a knack for bringing people together who wound up forming bands. She was right again. After her passing in 2025, the group gathered to play in her honor, and were so energized by the sound that they decided to keep the music going.

Cantara Loop takes its name from one of Kathy’s original tunes, a favorite among her friends and students. Some of the band’s members were lucky to study with her and see her as a mentor; all of them counted her as a friend and inspiration.

With a repertoire that balances barn-burning instrumentals with lonesome waltzes, Cantara Loop celebrates both the roots and the living, breathing present of California bluegrass.