Music in the Parks is free to all, but we rely on the generosity of those who can contribute to make this program available to the community. Please help if you are able. Thank you for your support.

On August 2, Turner Park in San Andreas will ring with what lead singer and guitar player Kate Johnson calls New Grass or Indie Grass, a style that fuses global music with mountain vernacular to create a new kind of sound. But underneath it all, it’s Bluegrass that informs Hick’ry Switch, driving wicked instrumentals that rev up your heart like a pacemaker gone wild, and mournful ballads that draw tears then vaporize them with a wind straight from the ridges of the High Lonesome.
 
The band members know mountain life—they all hail from around Carson City, Nevada—where they garden when they’re not playing music. This love of the outdoors informs their music according to Kate. “We’re very farm oriented,” she said. “But we also play songs about whisky, trains, and prison.” 
 
According to Kate, it’s her husband Mark, known for his driving banjo, and Mike Suglia, an electric bass player with Reggae and Rock under his fingers, who keep the tempo blazing. “We have the feel of old-time music,” said Kate, “But with a faster pace.”  Mark can also bend notes on harmonica and chunk out a beat on the squeeze box.
 
Kate, besides mapping out a solid rhythm on guitar to guide the excesses of the banjo and bass, sings songs like “Our Town” with a voice that’s both ethereal and able to pierce the valleys and ridges with melody.
 
The name Hick’ry Switch describes their music as well as their philosophy in life. “We have to whip the switch to keep it going,” Johnson said of the band’s name. “Mark and I end up cracking the switch a lot in our lives - in our jobs, our music, our home…I guess we both agree that a well wielded switch is worth its weight in gold.”

See more videos of Hick'ry Switch on their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/Alternativebluegrass

Music in the Parks is free to all, but we rely on the generosity of those who can contribute to make this program available to the community. Please help if you are able. Thank you for your support.

Rail Road Flat Elementary School in Rail Road Flat will go global on July 26 with the Highlife Band, an authentic and unique world reggae music band from Seattle, Washington. Exceedingly danceable, they combine rhythms from the French Caribbean and West Africa along with Jamaican rockers, bif-baf, steppers, one-drop, and dancehall reggae traditions. 

The lyrics are direct, and sing of love and conscious direction in everyday life. Live performances are power-packed and the performers animated and engaging.  Since 2011, The Highlife Band has been entertaining audiences from France to Canada to the Western US with original songs made for dancing and singing.

Bring your best moves! 

​​Bring picnics, chairs, and get ready to dance, because who can resist the beat? Don't worry about getting thirsty, because the Rail Road Flat PTO will be selling lemonade, and cold drinks.

As we will be at a school, substance-free-zone rules apply – no alcohol or smokeables on site. Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation.

Music in the Parks is free to all, but we rely on the generosity of those who can contribute to make this program available to the community. Please help if you are able. Thank you for your support.

“In the spirit of The Avett Brothers’ shout-till-you’re-bleeding-from-the-mouth-country-grunge, The Brothers Strong bring their own version of alt-newgrass, straight out Sonora, California”
                                                                                                    - Monterey County Weekly 
 
The Brothers Strong are a 4-piece string band from  Sonora. Stemming from the foothills and mountains of the Sierra Nevada, the band has formed their own brand of "mountain" music based heavily in Americana and folk, with a strong modern beat. Their live sets are best described as a boxing match; each fast song has the audience on their toes bobbing and weaving like a boxer dodging head jabs.

And just when the audience thinks they've learned all the moves, the band throws the "gut" punch: A slower song with thoughtful lyrics that cuts to the depth of emotion.

The songwriting explores many of the daily struggles of human life from love and loss, to success and failure, while also seeking to expose the duality of most situations and to speak to the ever-present enigma of emotion. This two-sided thinking can also be heard in the band's instrumentation. While understanding that the acoustic line up of the guitar, banjo, fiddle, and upright bass has immense potential to create a highly energetic sound, each also has a soft, simple voice which is equally clear and powerful. These key elements define The Brothers Strong, bringing diverse audiences to their shows. 

The band has accomplished much in DIY fashion, recording with Tiny Telephone Studio and Producer Nat Keefe of Hot Buttered Rum in early 2016. The band has acquired diverse performing experience from around the West in venues like Mountain Sage, Groveland; Ironstone, Murphys; Amnesia Bar and Brick and Mortar, San Francisco; The Great Salt Lake Guitar Company, Provo and Café Artichoke, Portland. Performing with acts such as Hot Buttered Rum, The Haunted Wind Chimes, The Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit, Willie T. Taylor, The Little Fuller Band, The Risky Biscuits, Dandelion Massacre, Lowland Hum, The Collection, and members of Front Country: Melody Walker and Jacob Groopman has made the band a favorite of bluegrass aficionados, good ol' country boys, folk lovers, hot blooded punks, and indie rock audiences. The Brothers Strong's music can also on occasion be heard live from stations Sonora’s 93.5 KKBN and 92.7 KZSQ, Santa Cruz's 88.1 KZSC, West Point's KQBM 90.7 and Chico 90.1 KZFR.

The Brothers Strong are: Shane Strong on banjo; Stephen Strong on guitar; Owen Ragland the fiddler; Ian Evans on stand-up bass.

Wednesday,
July 12, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. 
Moke Hill Lions  will be serving
​a pie and ice cream social!

Music in the Parks is free to all, but we rely on the generosity of those who can contribute to make this program available to the community. Please help if you are able. Thank you for your support.

Jazz haters beware. You’re going to love the tunes that Swing Gitane slides into when they take the stage in Shutter Tree Park on Wednesday night.
 
“Most people associate jazz with bebop,” said Ralph Ashmead, co-founder and guitarist of the band. But hipster-jangling chords and discordant shards of broken musical glass are not what Swing Gitane plays. They focus on a different jazz altogether.
 
“We play the swing-era stuff,” Ashmead said. “Which mostly was played by big bands. It’s very danceable, very melodic.  Most people recognize the tunes, even if they don’t know the names.
 
“You don’t really hear this stuff much any more," Ashmead lamented. "It’s not on regular radio. You have to hunt it down.” Swing Gitane changes that dynamic a bit: While you’ll hear tunes that are considered Jazz standard—Gershwin, Cole Porter, Django—they’re not as well known.
 
In fact, Swing Gitane lives solidly in the legacy of guitar player Django Reinhardt and violinist Stéphane Grappelli, who, in 1930’s Paris, invented the style now known as Hot Club Jazz or Gypsy Swing. With a wild, throbbing beat and ecstatic violin riffs, (you’ll recognize the style if you saw the animated feature, The Triplets of Belleville) this kind of jazz transcends our post-Rock ‘n Roll era, sounding clean, hot, and modern even as it grabs you and sends you whirling out onto the dance floor.
 
And dancing is where it’s at for Swing Gitane. “We think of ourselves as a dance band. I love to dance,” Ashmead said. He even admitted to taking swing dance lessons.  Co-founder violinist Rick Barlow swing dances too, and Ashmead feels that their experience dancing helps them play the music. “You really get a feel for the music when you dance,” he said. “Problem is, I’m in the band now, and I don’t get to dance much anymore.”
 
Ashmead and Barlow started playing together 20 years ago, but over the decades the band has grown to 7 members: Dan Krynytzky on accordion, Matt Nesper on stand-up bass, Gordon Giedt on clarinet and saxophone, Jim Bannister on drums, and vocalist Susie Easley.
 
As more musicians have joined the band, their choice of music has morphed to include the talents of the new members. According to Ashmead, “The strict definition of Hot Club Jazz would be Django and Grappelli from Paris of the 30s, but Hot Club was mostly instrumental. Now, because we have a good singer we do more vocals. At this point we’re a combination of Diana Krall and Django.”  They have also introduce latin tunes like Besame Mucho into their repertoire, and mid-century songs like Charade.
 
“Charade is new to us,” Ashmead said, “but it’s fun to jam on. Suzanne sings it really well. We play it more Django style, but it’s good.”

Wednesday,
July 5, 630 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

Music in the Parks is free to all, but we rely on the generosity of those who can contribute to make this program available to the community. Please help if you are able. Thank you for your support.

There once was a music, before Rock n' Roll, that was smooth and chic and cool, baby, cool. Smokey, whiskey-soaked songs for grownups. Broadway melodies and musical theatre standards we all could whistle and hum. Music of elegance and cocktail hours, little black dresses and tunes that poured like honey from the throats of singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Fred Astaire, Billy Holiday, Frank Sinatra.
 
The band Almost Blue continues this tradition; lead vocalist Sammy Leverone even likes to dress the part of a chanteuse from another era, wearing gloves, period dresses, and smoothing her hair into a classic chignon when she takes to the stage to pour out her own particular sweetness. Percussionist Scott Leverone goes retro too, when  he backs the trio with “the nearly lost art of brush work.” And keyboard player Jerry Solberg brings passion to this music—the songs of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s— saying that they are his “true love.”

The members of this trio are passionate about the music they pull from what is often called the Great American Songbook. “We feel like it’s the best music that was ever written,” Sammy said.  “It fits all of our strengths really well."
 
Although they are accomplished musicians in other genres—Sammy is known for her work with the bluegrass band, The Magnolia Rhythm Trio; Jerry has toured alongside Rock and Blues bands like Steppenwolf and Tower of Power; and Scott brings years playing pop, Latin, and Rock to the band— when they met  3 years ago, they knew that  they shared a thing. “There’s a transformation when we sing this kind of music,” Sammy said. “It feels so right.”
 
Almost Blue plays upbeat tunes that people can dance to, but they don’t skimp on ballads and Jazz standards.  Although they play mostly older material—Sammy says her favorite song is Cry me a River. "It’s a little bit bluesy, it has a nice range, and I can put a lot of dynamics and feeling into it."— the trio also plays contemporary songs that fit their style, favorites like Van Morrison’s Moondance, that will make you dance and sing along at the same time. 

My phone says Wednesday night promises to start warm but cool quickly; Almost Blue will smooth the transition. Bring lawn chairs and enjoy the elegance and fun at Music in the Parks at CAMPS Restaurant at Greenhorn Creek.

CAMPS will have wine and beer available, the bar will be open (and you can take your drink out onto the lawn) AND their new outdoor pizza oven should be fired up with pizza to purchase. Take advantage of their lovely restaurant and treat yourself to an early dinner.
​
Picnic baskets and lawn chairs are allowed as always. We encourage you to lighten your load and leave your alcohol at home.

We will be closed Monday-Tuesday, July 3 and 4 to celebrate the fourth of July. We wish everyone a happy, safe, and artistic holiday. 

Our summer show is full of fun, delicate, strong, and powerful art. Attend our reception on July 1, 2017 from 3-5 p.m. at the Gallery Store in San Andreas at 22 Main Street and meet the artists, enjoy the art, and chat while you nosh on refreshments.

Below are just a few of the pieces of art in this show. Click on the images below to see them at a larger size.

As a special treat, we also have a retrospective of work by Robert B. Atkinson, popular ceramics artist and painter.

Music in the Parks is free to all, but we rely on the generosity of those who can contribute to make this program available to the community. Please help if you are able. Thank you for your support.

When the Random Strangers start singing songs like “Blue Bayou” and “Ring of Fire,” it’s natural that you’ll want to sing along. According to vocalist and rhythm guitar player Suzanne Todd, that’s quite alright. They choose the music they play based on what they like, and they’re pleased when audiences like it too.  
 
“All the songs we choose are our favorites,” Todd said. “Something will come to a band member, and we email it around to make sure everyone is on board with it. Very rarely do we disagree.”
 
Agreement is evident in their tightly woven vocal harmonies and instrumental breaks; Todd and vocalist Larry Park sing with clear, fancy-free voices, and Park, once named one of the 50 fastest guitar players on the planet by Guitar World Magazine, keeps things interesting between chorus and verse. And Dave Wren on pedal steel guitar—what Todd jokingly called a Black & Decker steel workbench—makes the instrument whine, curl and cajole. Wren was inducted into the Western Swing Music Society’s “Hall of Fame” in 2008 and the Northwest Western Swing Music Society’s “Pioneers of Western Swing Music” in 2010, and he knows how to bend the strings. Rounding out the band are bass player George Spriggs and drummer John Duvall.
 
With a pure strong voice, Todd adds zest to their sparkling harmonies. Swinging into her second career (her previous job was with the Fire Service) as a country/rock/Americana performer, she said, “I feel like the luckiest girl on the planet to be surrounded by such high-caliber musicians. They’ve been around the horn musically and it really shows.”
 
The Random Strangers, based in the Foothills near Placerville, are popular in El Dorado County. “They pack the house,” according to Andy Tannehill, owner of Manzanita Kitchen & Events. With their blend of  country, roots-rock, folk, bluegrass, R&B and blues—a genre they call Rocking Americana—they  deliver “dynamite picking, smooth harmonies, blistering ballads, and foot stomping romps,” said Todd.
 
Utica Park is a big house to pack, and by June 28 the heat storm should be over, so come out and dance to the swing, sing to tunes, and have a great time.

We rely on the generosity of those who can contribute to make this program available to the community. Please help if you are able. Thank you for your support.

By Maggie Sloan 

I’ve got to come clean. I once had the amazing opportunity at the Cowboy Poetry Festival in Monterey to play music on stage with Juni Fisher. It was the high point of my musical “career” to play Irish dance music in counterpoint to the tales that Juni told—in story and song—about the Irish diaspora in the American West. She was the most professional, capable, and organized musician I’ve ever met.

She held the audience riveted.
​
​In truth, Juni is an inveterate story teller. She spins yarns about the heartbeat of the American west, what she calls the Western Vista. Sodbusters, cowboys and cowgirls, sideshow attractions, horses, pigs, chickens, and cows all come to life with Juni’s recounting of heartbreak, hope, love, cunning, and foolishiness. She sharpens the excitement that helped build our shared Western mythology.

Don’t think that these are some kinds of novelty songs, because they’re not. Juni sings stories told in spare lines of poetry set to lyrical tunes that are bewitching. If you find yourself tearing up at the plight of a little red horse, or sighing romantically over two lovers who are, well, unusual, you can be forgiven for falling under her spell. Juni has been described as having “luminous intensity [that] ignites her writing and her performances. At the heart of her unique and complex artistry is her ability to bring alive what become unforgettable characters and images, stunning stories that often carry a deep and compassionate reflection of the human spirit."
 
Plus, she’s a solid entertainer; her performance topknotch. She punctuates her songs with clean, clear, crisp guitar playing, and her singing never strays from pitch, tone, or the sheer joy of performing the stories she loves to tell.
 
So it’s without a shred of reluctance that I advise you to go to Brice Station Vineyards on Wednesday, June 21 and celebrate the second longest day of the year by letting Juni charm you into falling in love with the Western Vista. It will be a magical show on a magical night, and you will not want to miss it. This time I’m looking forward to being in the audience.

​*Wine, beer and drinks for sale — cheese, fruit and dessert
 (no offsite alcohol permitted)

'Yakima', is about the legendary Yakima Canutt, early rodeo champion and Hollywood stunt man/horse wrangler. It comes from her stellar CD project, "Let 'Er Buck, Let 'Er Go, Let 'Er Fly'", produced for the centennial of the Pendleton Roundup.​

Music in the Parks is free to all, but we rely on the generosity of those who can contribute to make this program available to the community. Please help if you are able. 

​On Wednesday night the Lava Cats will rock Copperopolis Town Square with 1950s doo-wop, swing, blues, and original tunes.  A popular band in Sonora area, they are making their debut in the Music in the Parks series presented by the Calaveras County Arts Council, and they’re hoping everybody will show up to party.
 
Jeff Cooper and Lee Ann Fox lead the way with vocals made tight by the fact that they have been playing music together for 14 years, ever since meeting as musicians at the Strawberry Music Festival ("We're just now getting married," Lee Ann said). Ron Cotnam on bass and Mark Fox on drums join them in popular covers of singers like Elvis, Sam Cooke and Eddie Cochran, plus plenty of original songs written by the band..
 
The band has been together for about 8 years, according to Lee Ann. They started as a pickup band at the Twain Harte Golf Club and became a popular group; Lee Ann joked that for a while they played there so often that they were known as the “Twain Harte Town Band.”  Their original compositions often explore life in small towns; tunes like Small Town Blues that talk about “local shenanigans,” according to Lee Ann, are popular with people who understand that “it’s a small town, and a small town will tell on you.”
 
Lee Ann described the band as a party band. “We do a lot of different things,” she said. “It’s hard to categorize.”
 
But Lee Ann’s colleague, Harold, overheard our conversation, and called out, “It’s got a beat and you can dance to it!”
 
Wednesday June 14th is scheduled to be fair and comfortably warm, so get on your dancing feet and boogie on over!