by Christine | May 16, 2017 | Welcome Column
This month we speak with Bay Area fan favorite Victor Skidanenko who is a performer and teacher of banjo, mandolin, and guitar. He currently plays banjo in the Central Valley Boys and the Thundering Heard, and guitar and mandolin in the True Life Troubadours.Dave:...
by Christine | Apr 18, 2017 | Welcome Column
Porch Talk with Zach SharpeThis month we talk with San Francisco-based Zach Sharpe who plays bass in the Bow Ties and Supermule. He also is your friendly neighborhood solar energy salesman by day, and ping pong champion/bluegrass picker by night. Dave: Hi Zach, tell...
by Christine | Apr 17, 2018 | Welcome Column
Larry Chung is no stranger to Bay Area bluegrass circles. He is a music teacher and plays most every instrument at virtually every venue and festival in the area. Whether jamming at festivals, teaching at Gryphon Strings or serving on the Board of Directors at the...
by Christine | Oct 29, 2016 | Welcome Column
This month’s chat is with James Reams, a nationally known musician, songwriter and bandleader with close to three decades in the bluegrass world. He’s played major festivals on the West and East Coasts and worked with many legends in the industry. James has recorded...
by Christine | Apr 10, 2016 | Welcome Column
The Daily Grist: “My ideal summer day was reading on the porch” … Harold VarmusA porch is a wonderful place to be. If you want to be a front porch picker, you have to have a front porch. It’s just as much fun to pick on the back porch and if you have a wrap around...
by Christine | Apr 19, 2016 | Welcome Column
Avram Frankel is a Bay Area native and lifelong musician who started playing bluegrass about 10 years ago. He lives in Pacifica, California with his wife Vicki and daughter Dana, who also play bluegrass. db: Most pickers have a geographical or family connection to...
by Christine | Jul 18, 2017 | Welcome Column
Jeff Kazor founded his groundbreaking and international influential band, the Crooked Jades, in San Francisco in 1994, recording nine albums and touring the US and Europe. A producer, musicologist and composer, Jeff is also a multi-instrumental magnetic vocalist and...
by Christine | Oct 12, 2018 | Welcome Column
Katya PolovinaThis month, we talk with Katya Polovina who is a Central Valley transplant to the San Francisco Bay Area. She has quickly made her mark playing stand-up bass for many influential local bands and by all accounts having a great time to boot.db: Hi Katya....
by Christine | Jul 28, 2019 | Welcome Column
This is a re-post of an interview that previously appeared in the CBA Breakdown.Tristan Scroggins is an award-winning mandolinist and composer from Denver Colorado. He has toured extensively with his father in the critically acclaimed bluegrass band Jeff Scroggins...
by Christine | Nov 11, 2007 | Welcome Column
As soon as I saw the news on my computer screen, I went and dug out the album. That was about six weeks ago, when I noticed that Porter Wagoner had been booked for the River City Bluegrass Festival in Portland in January. The album was MThe Cold Hard Facts of Life, my...
