Hi folks! In a few short weeks, one of the biggest and best bluegrass events in the country will be starting up: the International Bluegrass Music Association’s WORLD OF BLUEGRASS in Raleigh, North Carolina, from Tuesday, September 29 to Saturday, October 3, 2015. World of Bluegrass includes a 3-day convention & trade show, the annual IBMA Awards Show, and a 2-day music festival & street fair in downtown Raleigh. AND the California Bluegrass Association will be well represented!
The CBA has been an active participant at IBMA since Carl Pagter started representing our organization there about 26 years ago, I believe. We’ve seen it move from Louisville KY to Owensboro KY, then to Nashville, TN, and now in Raleigh, North Carolina for the past two years. After 12 years, Carl handed over the reins to Larry Kuhn who continued to build our presence there for another 12 years, and who then inspired me to take over just last year.
So next week we will have a team of 8 people running the CBA Suite on the 3rd floor of the Raleigh Marriott, with lots of help from attending CBA members (including Board Members). We will host an open jam in the suite daily until 3am, and host a showcase of some of the best bluegrass bands in the country every evening from 8 to midnight. It’s a lot of work….and a whole lot of fun!
The CBA also co-sponsors an award luncheon on Wednesday in the Raleigh Convention Center, which will be featuring a CBA favorite, Front Country. And the evening showcase line-up is really exciting this year! So I want to thank the following bands for performing for the visitors in the CBA Suite at IBMA this year. Hopefully, you’ll be attending in future years as well…..& if you do, you know you’ll always be welcome in the CBA Suite. Be forewarned: I’ll most likely ask you to help with something……we LOVE CBA volunteers!
CBA SUITE AT IBMA 2015: SHOWCASE SCHEDULE
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
8:00PM Claire Lynch Band 10:00PM Steve Gulley & New Pinnacle
8:30PM Kevin Prater Band 10:30PM Unspoken Tradition
9:00PM Kati Penn & Newtown 11:00PM Bradford Lee Folk &Bluegrass Playboys
9:30PM Nu Blu 11:30PM Flatt Lonesome
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
8:00PM Molly Tuttle&John Mailander 10:00PM Railsplitters
8:30PM Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen 10:30PM Special Consensus
9:00PM Charm City 11:00PM Front Country
9:30PM Lonely Heartstring Band 11:30PM Sideline
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1
IBMA AWARDS SHOW AT THE DUKE ENERGY CENTER 7:00PM-10:00PM
11:00PM Chris Henry&Hardcore Grass
12:00PM Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers
11:30PM The Original Five
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2
8:00PM Lorraine Jordan & Carolina Road 10:00PM Lonesome Ace String Band
8:30PM The Bluegrass Drifters 10:30PM Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley
9:00PM Jeff Scroggins & Colorado 11:00PM Blue Mafia
9:30PM Danny Paisley&Southern Grass 11:30PM Becky Buller Band
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3
8:00PM Billy Strings & Don Julin 10:00PM Blackberry Bushes
8:30PM Clay Hess Band 10:30PM North Country
9:00PM Slocan Ramblers 11:00PM Mile Twelve Bluegrass Band
9:30PM The Family Band 11:30PM Grasstowne
