Happy New Year – Start It Right

Dec 4, 2010 | Welcome Column

(Web Team Note: Some may have noticed yesterday that we did not get Brooks Judd’s Welcome column up on the web site until the middle of the afternoon. This was a serious breach of our cbaontheweb.org protocol and the perpetrator has been severely disciplined. ( I sent myself to bed early last night.) For those who missed Brooksie’s column, it was a good one and can be viewed by clicking the ‘Continue” button below.)

Since this is my last column before the holidays, let me (and Mrs. Slim) wish all of you a heartfelt Merry Christmas and a 2011 of good health, good times and success in whatever your endeavors.

And what better way to start it off than with a killer jam session? It’s just a month ‘til the Great 48 Hour Jam in Bakersfield. This is the fourth annual occurrence of this unique event, which grew out of the short-lived SuperGrass festival at the urging of those who enjoyed it so much that they couldn’t let it go altogether.

There are no paid entertainers, hence, no admission fee. No weather concerns, as it’s indoors in a beautiful hotel. No tent to pitch, no chairs or coolers to wrangle, no dust, mud, or snow. Just two solid days and nights of jammin’ with friends, old and new.

Saturday night will feature a band scramble and open mic. For those who have attended before and were disappointed with the sound quality, we’ve moved to a different room, which will improve the experience greatly.

New for this year is a slate of Saturday afternoon workshops led by some of California’s finest pickers. These include mandolin, banjo, fiddle, guitar and duet singing, plus a presentation of the story of the Gibson F5L mandolin by Roger Siminoff.

These activities are all optional – jam on through if you’re so inclined!

There will be 6 or 7 rooms (plus yours, if you like) open for jamming most of the time. That’s not counting the hotel lobby, where jams have been known to break out at the drop of a hat!

As if that weren’t enough, on Thursday night preceding the 48, Gary Young Productions will present a concert right there in the hotel, featuring the Brombies (you can Google ‘em), a popular Southern California BG band (you saw them at Parkfield). The concert will be followed by a reception in the Presidential Suite.

All the details, including room rates and Brombies’ ticket prices, can be found on the home page. Go to “Online Calendar” and click on “Great Forty-Eight”.

If you or your band, or your BG association, have a newsletter or flyer announcing an upcoming event, bring a stack of them with you and we’ll be glad to distribute them.

More than 200 folks attended last year’s jam and we expect more this year. Hope you can be among ’em. If you want a flyer for the 48 Hour Jam, let me know. We’ll appreciate your help getting the word out. My email is slim1070@msn.com . Or call 760-762-6828.

See you there!
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