Those familiar with the often (but not always) most chipper of roots genres understand well the hypnotizing effect of this Appalachian-borne musical style, awhirl in a blur of technical prowess and mesmerizing harmonies found nowhere else on the musical map.
“One minute you’re listening to a rippin’ lead break on a guitar or fiddle and the next minute you are being seduced by sweet three-part harmonies,” notes organizer Karen Trace.
“It’s the ultimate people’s music that combines a traditional bluegrass songbook from the original masters of Bill Monroe and the Stanley Brothers with the opportunity to shoot off into new grass and jam grass thanks to such young super stars as Bill Strings and Molly Tuttle.”
Most excellently, Mayor Sohi officially declares Friday RiverCity Bluegrass Day, which notes in permanent ink that “bluegrass music has long been an art form for meaningful generational storytelling and connects diverse people over shared experiences.”
Up top at the fest are the Toronto-Nashville Slocan Ramblers, fresh off RockyGrass Festival in Lyons, Colorado, and a debut appearance at Grand Ole Opry.
The toe-tapping line-up also headlines The Kody Norris Show of east Tennessee, The Spinney Brothers from Canada’s east coast and the fast-driving Francophone-style bluegrass band Veranda, lead by Montreal’s Catherine-Audrey Lachapelle and Léandre Joly Pelletier.
Also on deck, the multigenerational local The Myhre Brothers, The Lonesome Town Painters, Kayla and Matt Hotte, The Bix Mix Boys and Prairie Sky.
Outside and beyond all this, the society runs an acoustic jam starting 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday at Pleasantview Community Hall (10860 57 Ave.) — so the grass can always be bluer in your heart and soul moving forward.
Art/Design
Books/Lectures
Comedy
Exhibits
Festivals
7/18-20: The Great Outdoor Comedy Festival: John Mulaney, Jim Gaffigan (Kinsmen Park)