The LA-based Dust Bowl Cavaliers play a unique blend of bluegrass, alt-country,
folk, and rockin' old-time country. From traditional mountain tunes to spirited originals
to bluegrass covers of the Ramones and U2, the DBC always put on a high energy show. The band
has released three self-produced CD's, and played on two CD's for CMH Records' "Pickin'
On..." series of bluegrass tribute recordings.
Please visit the band online at
www.myspace.com/thedustbowlcavaliers.
The Haberdashery Ensemble is a genre defying acoustic ensemble based in Los Angeles, CA, known for
their energetic, evocative and witty performances. Led by composer/bassist Brandon Turner, the
Haberdashery Ensemble synthesizes their diverse and eclectic influences of Tango, Classical,
Jazz, Folk, Gypsy, and French music with the precision of chamber ensemble; and expands upon
those influences with the improvisational freedom of a jazz combo. The Haberdashery Ensemble's
versatile acoustic musicians, Gee Rabe- Accordion, Paul Cartwright- Violin, and Brandon
Turner- Double Bass provide a memorable range of timbres and textures.
Please visit the band online at
http://www.haberdasherymusic.com/.
California-based fiddle, guitar, and banjo player, and ardent 78 collector Frank Fairfield has made his living as a musician, often found playing on the streets of Los Angeles. He opened for the Fleet Foxes on their 2008 U.S. tour and released released a 7" and his self-titled debut album on Tompkins Square.
Scott Gates and Chuck Hailes are of a like mind, they live in the world of live acoustic
music, sharing a passion for roots and bluegrass music as well as traditional mountain music.
Scott Gates is as close to a musical Prodigy on the mandolin as you will ever meet and has started
playing guitar with the same fire and brilliance. Scott, a two time Band Contest winner here at
Topanga, has been a mainstay at Bluegrass festivals for many years and holds a special place in
heart for these festivals and the people he sees year after year. This especially holds true for
the kids he meets with that same fire to play music in their eyes that he had as a young boy.
Having performed all over the country, and with artists as varied as John and Nathan McEuen,
Steve Martin, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Kenny Loggins and a virtual who's who of bluegrass
players, Scott has started writing music of his own and will be bringing many of these tunes to
you this year.
Chuck Hailes, Scott's partner in this new venture is one of the top Bass players in the country.
Schooled in classical and Jazz bass playing and technique, Chuck writes his own music and has
teamed with Scott to create many new musical gems. With a background in bluegrass music, Chuck
sings and plays in a way that is uniquely his own. The future of this music we love so much is
very bright indeed. Joining Salty Suites also is Fiddle player extrordinaire Paul Cartwright
and Vocalist/Songwriter Chelsea Williams.
The Railroad Stage will host the "Sing-Offs and the Intermediate Fiddle Playoffs in the morning.
Evie Ladin plays old-time banjo. Listen and you can hear the whomp and jive of her clawhammer style,
honest to the genre's Appalachian heritage. You also hear the instrument's African roots, the
polyrhythmic heat and funk. Now listen to Evie's resonant voice and original lyrics and you hear the
push and pull of life, you hear real, contemporary stories.
Based in Oakland, CA, Evie is a banjo player, step-dancer, singer, songwriter and square-dance
caller with a lifetime of experience in traditional American cultural arts. She is touring in
support of her solo debut release Float Downstream, produced by famed mandolinist and composer
Mike Marshall and percussion master Keith Terry.
Please visit Evie at her Web Site
http://www.evieladin.com
Evan J. Marshall is the World's Premier Solo Mandolin Virtuoso. Country guitar legend Chet Atkins
called Evan "One of the few great musicians of our time." Inspired by Atkins and classical
violinist Jascha Heifetz, Evan has created a unique playing style that combines bass lines, chords,
rhapsodic runs and tremolo melodies.
Two of his solo mandolin recordings have been released by Rounder Records: Evan Marshall Is the Lone Arranger, which the Washington Post labeled "Truly dazzling," the Raleigh-Durham Independent called "Superhuman," and the Fresno Bee called "Mind-boggling;" and Mandolin Magic, which the St. Paul Pioneer Press applauded for "A stunning mastery of interpretation." Evan also has recorded three solo CDs for his own label, Mandolin Conservatory.
In 1995, Evan gave his New York debut at Merkin Hall. Later that year, he made his first appearance on A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor. Between 1993 and 2005 Evan was a Featured Soloist at Disneyland, performing his signature William Tell Overture: Finale for about two million visitors to the famous Golden Horseshoe Theater during the course of 10,000 shows. He has performed and given seminars and workshops at numerous regional and international conferences for mandolinists.
Previously on the Topanga Main Stage in 2005 and 2009,Susie's "Appalachian Folksongs of
Jean Ritchie" has been featured on the Railroad Stage in the past few years. Now she's back
with her full Hilonesome Band to showcase the new release for 2008, the Laurie Lewis produced
"Green Kentucky Blues," critically acclaimed by Vintage Guitar, Bluegrass Unlimited and Sing
Out! magazines.
Susie's Hilonesome Band ~ the best in Appalachia to Bluegrass Americana fusion are hot Southern
California bluegrass players collected to showcase the songwriting genius of lead guitarist Rob
Carlson. The band features Steve Rankin on mandolin, Rodger Phillips on banjo, Charlie Otte on
fiddle, Carlson on dobro and guitar, and the amazing Fred Sanders from The Eight Hand String
Band on bass.
Entertainment Weekly writes "...she can blow the roof off any joint lucky enough to book her."
Winner of the Just Plain Folks 2006 Music Award for Best Roots Album and Folkworks Magazine's Pick for
Best Bluegrass Album of 2005, "Blue Eyed Darlin'" is gorgeous eclectic blends of Appalachian mountain
folk and exciting new bluegrass-inspired originals, all with the remarkable voice of Susie Glaze.
Please visit Susie at her Web Site
www.susieglaze.com and
www.myspace.com/susieglaze
" A real flair for writing . . . on a par with the best of Tom Paxton," says the CTMS Journal. Ross Altman, L.A.'s most sought-after activist folksinger, has sung with Arlo and Pete and Sam Hinton and Johnny Walker. But more than that he has sung with the very people who created the music he sings -- the folk, meaning the poor folk. He has sung -- even daily for the last dozen years -- at nursing homes, psychiatric facilities, and schools for the developmentally disabled. He has sung for the disadvantaged and disenfranchised, for the homeless and homebound, for human rights groups and animal rights groups, for peace groups and environmental groups, for labor unions and outreach programs, for folk festivals and fringe festivals. Please visit Ross at his Web site, http://www.ultimate.com/altman
Old Sledge is a group of young musicians from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Blowing the dust off old tunes and songs from the golden era of early country, hillbilly and blues music, Old Sledge represents the best and brightest of the new generation of traditional musicians from the south. Far from being re-enactors of old time music, they bring creative arrangements and dynamic performances while still holding true to the mountain aesthetic in which they are rooted. The band has a powerful combination of excellent singing and instrumentals. Their repertoire spans the gamut of old time country and blues music, moving from virtuosic fiddle tunes to Appalachian murder ballads to greasy blues. The band is quickly gaining notoriety, not only as a great performance ensemble, but also as a torchbearer of traditional music. Chance McCoy (fiddle, banjo), Sabra Guzman (guitar), and Ben Townsend (banjo, fiddle)
Fur Dixon and Steve Werner have been musical partners now for eight years. They have combined
their own unique songwriting visions of life, travel and the American West to create a landscape
that is all their own. Upon meeting in 2003, Fur and Steve found out instantly that they
could harmonize beautifully to each other's songs. Two-part cowboy-style yodeling followed
naturally and makes their sound stand out in the Folk music world.
They have three albums together, including this year's Songs of the Open Road, celebrating
the writing of Mary McCaslin, Jim Ringer, Doc and Merle Watson, Woody Guthrie, Blaze Foley,
Dan Janisch and Randall Lamb.
Fur and Steve's original songs are catchy, fun and sometimes heartbreaking. They also pay homage
to well-worn old-time songs we all know and love to sing along with.
One thing's for sure, when they hit the stage at Topanga Banjo•Fiddle, you'll ride with them on
the journey of a lifetime through back roads, blue skies, tumbleweeds and campfires. You'll be
sure to take home a big ol' smile on your face.
"Fur and Steve are REAL treasures of modern Americana music. They write songs that are true
classics of cowboy twang and feel-good road adventure.
-Susie Glaze, the Voice of Southern
California Bluegrass
"Fur and Steve make fantastic country-soaked folk songs about big highways, big heartbreak,
the lure of home and the love of friends. It's impossible not to be charmed.
-Lonesome Music, UK
"Their rootsy folk and country duets are unbeatable, honest and true."
-Rootstime, Belgium
For more information:
http://www.furandsteve.com
http://www.reverbnation.com/furdixonandstevewerner
Real. Live. Bluegrass! The Get Down Boys are a string band who performs traditional
American Bluegrass music in the styles of Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, Ralph Stanley, Del McCoury
and other classics.
Blending traditional 40's & 50's-style Bluegrass, Gospel, Blues & modern genres, complete
with three-part harmony singing, The Get Down Boys have become one of the hottest new acts on
the flowering bluegrass scene happening right now in Los Angeles.
The Get Down Boys are pickers from all corners of America. Banjo player and singer, Matt Bruer,
is from Springfield, MO. Guitarist and singer, Andy Keathley from Charlottesville, VA.
Mandolin player, Fiddler and vocalist, Bud Dillard, from Grayton Beach, FL, and Upright Bassist,
Evan Winsor, hails from Fairfield, CT. Each player brings his own sound into The Get Down Boys
mix.
Visit http://www.thegetdownboys.com for
more information on The Get Down Boys!"
Mike is a founding member and advisory board member for the Western Music Association. His background includes Broadcasting for KCRW and KCSN FM in Los Angeles & KBBQ in Ventura, Ca. Mike was one of three that began the McCabes Concert Series in 1969 and began performing at Topanga with the band Trailmix back in 1980. Mike and Trailmix perform traditional and contemporary Cowboy and Western Swing. Mike regularly hosts the Cowboy Music and Poetry segment at the Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest.
Voted Best Female Western Performer by the Will Rogers Academy of Western Artists, Joyce Woodson
combines both Folk and old-time cowboy songwriting creating her own brand of music. She also
recently won Best Song of the Year for the title song of her newest CD If I Hadn't Seen
the West
from the Western Music Association. Think Kate Wolf meets Sons of the Pioneers.
Writing about the disappearing California landscape and her love for the land is Woodson's
strength. Her first two albums present her original tunes in the California folk music style.
Her recent album If I Hadn't Seen the West is pure western music. Inspired
by the Sons of the
Pioneers who wrote and made famous the songs, "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" and "Cool Water," she says,
"Those harmonizing voices brought the cowboy life and landscape clearly into focus for me -
so much so that I felt like I was in the saddle with them and I never wanted the trail or the
song to end."
Joyce's Web Site: www.joycewoodson.comwww.joycewoodson.com
E-mail: joyce@joycewoodson.com
"... her voice just glimmers and glistens like the gold in those Western hills." - Rich
Warren, SING OUT! Magazine
Formed in 2005, The Tumbling Tumbleweeds are celebrating their Five Year Anniversary along with
the release of their new album Blaze Across the West!.
Since their premiere they have gone on to capture the Academy of Western Artists Will Rogers
Award for Western Music Group of the Year and the Western Music Association Crescendo Award for
Most Promising Talent and were recently nominated for the 2010 WMA Outstanding
Entertainer-Group Award! They were also named one of the Top 10 Live Acoustic Acts in Southern
California by FolkWorks Magazine! Their Debut Album titled "The Tumbling Tumbleweeds
hit #1 on the Top 10 Cowboy/Western Music CD Charts and their new CD titled Blaze
Across the West is currently #2 on the Top 20 Cowboy/Western CDs chart in The
Western Way Magazine!!
The core founding members consist of, vocalists “Tumbleweed Rob” Wolfskill,
“Big Daddy Cade” Parenti and Chris Acuff with “Babyface”
R.J. Mills on guitar and vocals. The Tumbling Tumbleweeds also features Dan Dungan on
upright bass.
As their name suggests, The Tumbling Tumbleweeds are a tribute to the era that gave us the
Singing Cowboy such as Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and the great swingtime cowboy band, The Sons of
the Pioneers. Although The Tumbling Tumbleweeds feel the Sons of the Pioneers are their
“blue print” they do bring their very own unique brand of entertainment to the
world of Western Music with a show complete with singing, humor, storytelling and a bit of
fancy western footwork. The Tumbling Tumbleweeds also write, perform and record their own original
songs written in the style of the delightfully unique period in which they pay tribute to!
“The great news is The Tumbling Tumbleweeds don’t sound like the Sons of the
Pioneers, or Riders In The Sky, or Sons of the San Joaquin. They sound 100% like The
Tumbling Tumbleweeds. and that, folks, is simply wonderful!”
-Rick Huff, The Western Way Magazine
For more information on The Tumbling Tumbleweeds go to
www.thetumblingtumbleweeds.com
Joe Herrington grew up on the West Texas prairie. He is a Novelist (writing of the Big Bend country), Cowboy Poet and Western Storyteller. His stories and poems are homespun and told in the Western tradition of honor, courage and rugged characters. His stories and poems not only entertain but also prod the soul with a truer understanding of the deep values and solid character of the American Cowboy. He has been nominated six times Cowboy Poet of the Year, for the 2005 Will Rogers award and named among the top five Western Storytellers/Poets in the country.
There's a sense of a campfire in the air as the guitar strums a familiar tune. Stories of the
old West are told through song and rhyme as the old and new West come alive. This is the music
of western balladeer, John Bergstrom. Since moving to Santa Clarita over 10 years ago, he has
become a growing presence in western music circles in Southern California and all over the West.
His toe tapping, heartfelt ballads are often driven by real stories from and about the West.
Traditional western songs like Shenandoah and Clementine are mixed with original songs about
the famous and not so famous characters like Black Bart, Charlie Parkhurst, or Tiburcio Vasquez.
John's music is inspired by major events in western history like the thousands who trekked the
Oregon Trail or the collapse of the Saint Francis Dam.
“John Bergstrom makes it seem so effortless when he plays. He is one of those musicians
that knows how to tell a story and brings you into it...” - Mike Dowler of KHTS, 1220 AM
“... great songs, great stories, great people...” -Barry Eisen, radio personality
and actor.
Singer/songwriter/guitarist Ray Doyle has contributed to more than a dozen CDs as a
longtime member of the popular Cowboy and Western band Wylie & the Wild West.
He has logged countless miles performing on five continents at venues ranging from
the Grand Ole Opry to the Kennedy and Lincoln Centers. Ray has played at national folk
festivals and cowboy poetry gatherings, at French rodeos and in Australian wool sheds.
Born in Dublin, Ireland, Ray emigrated with his family to Canada, and eventually settled
near Hollywood, California. His recently released second solo CD, The Emigrant Trail,
celebrates Ray's Irish heritage, Western music influences, and first-hand emigrant experience.
The CD was nominated by the Academy of Western Artists for Western Album of 2009, and by the
Western Music Association for Traditional Western Album and Song of the Year. It also contains
Ray’s song “The Jewel,” the Gold Award winner in the Western Folklife
Center’s “Yellowstone” song contest.
Steve Deming is an accomplished Trail Rider and Cowboy Poet. His Poetry CD,
Poems of the Trail was nominated by the Western Music Association as a
candidate for Cowboy Poetry CD of the year in 2010.
He has performed at the Autry National Center Wells Fargo Theater, Santa Clarita Cowboy
Festival, and The Heart of Western Music National Television Broadcast. His new book,
The Source, Poems of the Trail is an anthology of his poetry. Steve is the Cowboy
Poet, and Harmonica Player of The California Cowboy Band.
| 1:00-2:00 | Contra Dance with Bees Knees |
| 2:00-4:00 | Square Dance with Triple Chicken Foot | 4:00-5:00 | Dancing with Old Sledge |
Triple Chicken Foot is an old time stringband based in Historic Filipinotown of Los Angeles, California. They sing and play American fiddle and banjo tunes and songs. They've been hired to play a wide variety of gigs and venues ranging from children's birthday parties, backyard barbecues and fancy weddings to playing for the board of the LA Philharmonic, the Autry Museum and festivals like the Portland Old Time Gathering, the Berkeley Old Time Music Convention and Stagecoach.
Having played together for more than five years, The Foot has honed their chops and focused in on playing Old Time music rooted in tradition. Spending time with veteran players around Los Angeles and the country, they have soaked up knowledge and techniques handed down through the years. The Foot finds their voice through their repertoire of tunes and songs, be it gospel songs, archaic banjo tunes, or crooked fiddle tunes. Most recently they have become a powerful new dance band on the Square Dance & Contra scene by teaming up with callers Cory Marie Podielski and Susan Michaels. They have two albums, Meeting in the Air and Tar River" on Old Time is a Good Time's record label.
More at www.triplechickenfoot.com
Fur Dixon and Steve Werner will also perform on the Pavilion Stage at 1:00 p.m.
See abstract above
Fiddler Daniel Slosberg performs his one man show, Pierre Cruzatte: A Musical Journey Along
the Lewis & Clark Trail in schools, libraries, museums, and historical sites throughout
the country. Many living historians portray other members of the expedition. Slosberg, however,
offers a unique depiction of the expedition's main boatman and fiddler in a show which has been
called "a delightful program of music and monologue," (Mike Ferguson, Baker City Herald).
The Hollow Trees are a “Folk Music for Families” group from Los Angeles who play upbeat, acoustic, Americana-style music for all ages. Inspired by bluegrass, country, swing, and folk music, they perform classic standards, strange and wonderful covers and great original songs. Come by and join the fun! Please visit their Web site at www.thehollowtrees.com
The Southwest Fiddlers, a community group with players ranging from age 5 to 70 (but most under 15), play traditional fiddle tunes from the American Southwest. Traditional Southwest Fiddle styles (e.g. Arizona, New Mexico) sound a lot more Mexican (or Central European) than the better known Old-Time Southeast style (e.g. Virginia, Carolinas, Kentucky) and are great fun to play. Many of those wonderful tunes were kept alive thanks to the efforts of Bayou Seco (Ken Keppeler and Jeanie McLerie) of Silver City, New Mexico.
Their main source is the fiddle band music of the Tohona O'odham people of Southern Arizona. Utilizing instruments originally introduced by Spanish missionaries, this fiddle band sound is an unusual mix of polkas, two-steps, and mazurkas utilizing violins, guitar, and drums or bass. This distinctive twin fiddle style eventually changed into a newer Native American style known as chicken scratch or waila, but the Southwest Fiddlers play the original style. From New Mexico, our most important source of tunes is Cleofes Ortiz, who was born in 1910 on Pajarito Plateau near Rowe, New Mexico, and began playing for dances in his teens. There are no commercial recordings of him, but he was featured in a PBS documentary entitled "Violinista de Nuevo Mexico."
Hawaiian music! Bring your voice, 'ukulele, guitar, whatevers....
Mika'ele (AKA Mike) will lead a sing/playalong of Hawaiian favorites in English and
Hawaiian. He'll supply a sheet of word/chords/translations. He's been doing this since
1957--catch him while he still can do it! He'll bring a slack key guitar, but it'll
be hard to hear with no mike! In 1961,just out of high school, he left Honolulu to
compete in the first Topanga Banjo•Fiddle Contest. He came in first or second in
advanced Scruggs-style banjo. 5-string banjo and slack key guitar both use many tuning,
only the guitar got one more string! Most of what we'll do in 2011 is sing, in English and
Hawaiian.
For 26 years, the Scottish Fiddlers of Los Angeles have been playing and performing the wonderful fiddle music of Scotland - from traditional strathspeys, reels and jigs going back to the 17th century to modern compositions. Many classic Scottish tunes that we play have made their way to the US and become Southern Fiddle style standards, including tunes like Devil's Dream (originally De'il among the Tailors) or Soldier's Joy. The group welcomes musicians playing fiddle and other instruments to add "flavor" to the vast repertoire of Scottish fiddle music. To the Scottish Fiddlers of Los Angeles, this music is pure fun! Visit us at www.scottishfiddlers.org