2012 RockyGrass Festival program

Welcome to the 40th Annual RockyGrass – the little Colorado festival that has grown up to become one of bluegrass music’s most special gatherings.

The RockyGrass Academy, the contests, the campgrounds, and the world’s greatest pickers all would have made the father of bluegrass, Bill Monroe, very proud to see what his seeds have sown as this festival’s founder.

With bluegrass gold in the air of summer and the North St. Vrain River flowing gently by, we celebrate this anniversary with our very own Summer Bliss Lager – specially brewed for this community by our friends at New Belgium Brewing.

And our celebration goes late into the night on Saturday with a special MoonGrass set from Greensky Bluegrass in the Wildflower Pavilion.

Drink plenty of water, slather on the sunscreen, take comfort in the ancient tones, and have the time of your life. We’re so glad you’re here.

Love,

FORTIETH annual rockygrass

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DEERING The Great American Banjo Company

All of our banjos are made in Spring Valley, Califonia

Photo by: Dustin Deal

Noam Pikelny with his Deering John Hartford Model

Pick one at your local dealer!

www.deeringbanjos.com/hartford

STAY SOCIAL WITH US

A few Festival Guidelines There is no lifeguard watching your kids in the river. Please monitor your children carefully.

Climbing the hillsides or cliffs is strictly prohibited.

Feel free to sit in any open tarp until the tarp’s owners return.

Once placed on, wristbands are nonrefundable and non-transferable.

If you remove, tear, damage, or lose your wristband, we will not replace it.

Please use only low-backed chairs in designated areas. If we can roll a basketball under your chair, we will ask you to move it behind the sound booth. Umbrellas, shade tents, and other viewobstructing items are allowed only along the river and back perimeter.

Please be respectful of others and do not stand in the festival seating areas.

Please do not smoke in the audience. Wander over to the festival smoking tent near the river and deposit your butts in the proper receptacles. Please.

Lost and found is located at the festival box office.

No dogs are allowed at the festival, in the campground, or in the parking lots. If you leave your dog in your car, we will call Animal Control and safely remove your dog from the car by whatever means necessary.

Festival Line Policy: • Festivarians may not begin assembling for the next day until midnight • At some unannounced time during the night Planet Blue grass will randomly distribute numbers to everyone in the assembly area • The next morning, Festivar ians will be admitted into the festival in this randomly assigned order, followed by first-come first-served

ECIAL P S S S A R G Y ROCK PBR - $4 SLICE AND A

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1973: 1st Rocky Mtn. Bluegrass Festival held at Adams County Fairgrounds

Stephen Mougin and Collings Guitars

Stephen Mougin of the Sam Bush Band with his Collings D2H Serious Guitars | www.CollingsGuitars.com | (512) 288-7770

Sustainable Festivation With your help, the Planet Bluegrass festivals have become models of Sustainable Festivation. As we continue to refine and expand this communal effort, here are three areas we’re focusing on this year.

Waste & Reuse Last year we took the next step toward “zerowaste” by removing all landfill trash containers from the inner festival grounds, allowing us to achieve an estimated 90% diversion rate. With all plates, cups and utensils from festival vendors compostable, we encourage you to pack-out any non-recyclable, noncompostable trash. The Sustainable Festivation crewmembers at each waste station (members of the Lyons High School band) will help you sort your waste and direct you to the appropriate waste containers.

Local Food & Water To draw attention to environmentally responsible food, we’re introducing our own Planet Burger food booth. The menu features beef from nearby Sylvan Dale Ranch, where cattle roam on 3,200 acres and are always grass-fed with no steroids, antibiotics, or GMOs. Our burger buns are baked fresh daily with organic ingredients in Boulder, and all vegetables are organic and grown in Colorado.

We encourage everyone to “drink local” using our free locally-filtered water stations

Energy & Offsets Our festivals and offices have been 100% wind-powered since 2004. This year we’re again purchasing carbon offsets to neutralize the emissions created by all our artists’ travel and lodging as well as the shuttle buses in Lyons. Learn more at the Renewable Choice Energy booth.

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Even better than compost and recycling is reuse. Collect a sticker each day you reuse your beer cup and you might win a cruiser bike from New Belgium Brewing.

In partnership with Eco-Products, this summer we’re introducing the world’s first reusable cup made from 25% postconsumer recycled polypropylene. If you must dispose of your cup, please use the special beer cup recycling containers (by the beverage booth and festival exit) to help us close the loop on recycling.

(next to the beverage booth and behind the box office). If you forgot to bring your reusable bottle, we’ll be selling long-lasting Klean Kanteens at the Country Store.

Backstage, where we serve over 350 meals per day to artists and staff, we continue to source most produce from Colorado farms. Our partnership with Colorado’s Red Bird Chicken allows us to offer chicken that is treated humanely and raised hormone- and antibiotic-free.

You’ll notice new solar-powered lighting in the parking areas, campgrounds, and waste stations this year. Thanks to a grant from the 2012 Boulder County Community Outreach program, we’ve replaced 35 of our halogen lights with solar-powered LED lights.

1974: Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys first play the Festival

250 Exhibitors 75 Workshops Real Food Local Beer Family Activities Keynote Speakers Live Entertainment Hands-on Experiences

Reel Motion • Resource • Lotus Design • Nexus Aspen Grove Marketing • Eldorado Water • Go-West Spokes Buzz • Grant Family Farms • Shaped Music Your True Nature • Public Service Credit Union KRFC • America’s Best Organics • Alphagraphics

Jewelry, clothing, funky antiques and collectibles

429 Main St., Lyons 303-709-4744 Hours: Tues-Sat 11-6 Sun 12-5

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Campsite Challenge:

How Green Is Your Grass?

With more than 2,000 campers in Lyons this weekend (more than doubling the size of the town!), it’s more important than ever to embrace the “leave no trace” camping philosophy. In collaboration with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics and Eco-Products (suppliers of free compostable bags for all campers), the 5th Annual Campsite Challenge rewards sustainable campsites in any of the Planet Bluegrass-managed campgrounds.

To nominate your campsite: 1. Visit the Leave No Trace booth to fill out the 1-page entry form – explaining how your campsite exhibits cleanliness, sustaina bility, and creativity.

2. Stop by the Leave No Trace booth each day to view all the campsite entries and vote for your favorites.

Two campsite finalists will be chosen each day – one random and one chosen by staff. Each winning campsite will receive a prize package including: • New Belgium Beer • Planet Bluegrass music • Leave No Trace memberships Planet Bluegrass will select the Grand Prize winner of 2013 on-site camping passes after the campground pack-out on Monday.

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1975: Jim & Jesse debut at the Festival

- DeDicateD to preserving anD honoring the art of the american BBQ -

Appetizers

sAlAds & things

Smokin’ Rings Bubba-Que Wings Southern Catfish Tenders Stuffed Potato Skins Pit Master Sliders Mile High Cheese Fries

Pork Green Chili Ale & Cheese Soup Pit Boss Chopped BBQ Southern Catfish Salad Smoked Shack Caesar Salad Spinach & Crispy Chicken Salad

FAvorites Southern Catfish Pecan Crusted Trout Chicken Fried Steak Top Sirloin Aged Ribeye Cajun Pork Chops Coconut Shrimp

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beers on tap

sAndwiches & Burgers

smokin’ plAtters Roasted Half Chicken Carolina Pulled Pork Texas Beef Brisket St. Louis Style Ribs Kobe Beef Ribs Elgin Sausage

sides

Texas Beef Brisket Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich BBQ Chicken Sandwich Cajun Chicken Sandwich Hot Hog Smoked Sausage Egger-riffic Burger Smokin’ ChiliBurger

Red Beans & Rice Cole Slaw Fresh Cut Potato Fries Sweet Potato Fries Southern Green Beans Spiced Apples Corn on the Cob BBQ Baked Beans

Open every Day 11am–ClOse

228 main street, lyOns, CO

smOkinDavesq.COm

303-823-7427 (riBs)

Though musicians had been gathering to play music at the Denver Folklore Center since the early ‘60s, and the scene boasted a few local bands like Denver Grass, bluegrass remained largely unknown on the Front Range in the early ‘70s. So in ‘72, as a means of communicating with fellow bluegrass musicians and fans, a group of young pickers organized the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society. Founding CBMS member David Little recalls, “our only decision was to not have a festival, because they’re work.”

At the time, multi-day bluegrass festivals were still young – originating in Fincastle, VA in ‘65. But by ’73 there were nearly 70 such festivals around the country, and Monroe wanted his own in Colorado.

Bill Monroe’s Festival When members of CBMS met Big Mon after a show at Boulder’s Tulagi’s in ‘72, Monroe was determined to join forces with the Society to produce a Colorado festival. Monroe would book the national talent, and CBMS would organize and market the event. Monroe even offered to shoulder the Society’s financial burden by personally guaranteeing money to the bands and venue.

Recalls David Little: “There wasn’t any pressure.

Monroe had said you won’t lose anything.”

With less than 6 months to prepare, CBMS made arrangements to rent the Adams County Fairgrounds in Henderson. Music would be presented in the rodeo arena (with Charles Sawtelle running sound), and camping was available nearby.

As plans progressed, Monroe made a special trip to Colorado to coach CBMS members on marketing and publicity. “He taught us what to do. And it worked. We had a big crowd,”

remembers Little. An estimated 6,500 people attended the 1st Annual Rocky Mountain Bluegrass Festival, with the first four years of the festival earning a total profit of over $20,000.

The early lineups boasted major national talent including Lester Flatt, Ralph Stanley, and Jim & Jesse. But the highlight was Big Mon himself.

“He’d park the Bluegrass Express someplace where people knew where he was,” recalls Little. “He liked to be seen and to talk to people. And he’d play a lot with people.“ “Also, we were reminded that you don‘t dance during the gospel numbers,” remembers CBMS boardmember George Watson.

County Fairgrounds The festival continued at Adams County Fairgrounds under the leadership of CBMS. Musician and radio personality Jerry Mills recalls the impact of the festival: “The legends loved coming to Colorado. In their suits and ties, they’d brush the dust off from the fairgrounds and put on great shows. For a lot of us younger pickers, it was a good model to follow.”

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1976: Bill Monroe’s 4th & final performance at the Festival

Monroe ended his involvement with the festival in ‘77, but those early festivals achieved their goal of raising the profile of bluegrass music in Colorado. The Thursday night jams at Ralph’s Top Shop began in ’75; KGNU’s Old Grass Gnu Grass went on the air in ’78; Swallow Hill was founded in ’79.

As well, Colorado began to produce national bluegrass bands, most significantly: Hot Rize. Debuting at the festival in ’79, the Boulder quartet became the festival’s “host band” in the mid-‘80s, appearing 10 times before officially disbanding in ‘90.

Another Colorado band, Left Hand String Band, began an 8-year festival run in ’83, only slowing down when bandmembers, led by Drew Emmitt, formed Leftover Salmon in ’89.

Band and instrument contests were an integral part of the festival from the beginning. Banjo player Dennis Bailey smiles when recalling the judge recruitment process: “some official would be asking random attendees ‘Do you know anything about music? You don’t?

Great! Would you like to judge the banjo contest?’”

Booked by CBMS, the festival lineups remained strong, balancing local talent with national acts, including memorable performances

by Tony Rice, Doyle Lawson, and Seldom Scene. But the Adams County location was not without its shortcomings, including noise from overhead jets en route to Stapleton and dust. CBMS boardmember Mike Dow recalls: “There was nothing but dirt and the western winds to blow the dust into the crowd.”

‘‘Do

you know anything about music?

You don’t? Great! Would you like to judge the banjo contest?’’

With rising production costs in Adams County, CBMS moved the festival to Loveland’s Larimer County Fairgrounds in ‘88, to coincide with the Loveland Corn Roast. While the Corn Roast attracted large crowds on Saturday, Friday and Sunday proved problematic. Dow remembers the ’88 festival: “By the end of Sunday afternoon, the Virginia Squires were finishing up their set and they invited most of the audience up on stage to close the festival with them.“ The festival continued in Loveland for 4 years before Corn Roast organizers decided to book their own entertainment. The 20th annual festival was without a home.

The Move to Lyons The headline of June ‘92’s issue of CBMS newsletter Pow’r Pick’n read: “20th Annual Rocky Mountain Bluegrass Festival Moved to L_____!”

After a failed attempt to relocate to Winter Park, CBMS approached the organizers of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival (the future Planet Bluegrass) to help find a new site for the festival. With less than 3 months until the festival’s 20th anniversary the site had not yet been chosen between Lake Eldora or a property in Lyons owned by the Center for Wildflower Preservation.

Planet Bluegrass vice-president Steve Szymanski recounts their early motives: “I thought it was really a non-profit venture. We were going to assist and have a nice musical experience and cool community thing.”

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Today’s RockyGrass

selling-out in advance, with demand for onsite camping and Academy classes crippling the entire Lyons phone system when those went onsale in December.

“More than any of our events it’s the community experience as a catalyst,” says Szymanski. This community spirit is manifest among the musicians: David Grisman and Dan Tyminski stepping forward in 2010 to help the festival fill-in for an injured Tony Rice; Sam Bush bringing his only-at-RockyGrass “Bluegrass Band.”

And this community experience is manifest among festivarians: enduring the infamous “Soggygrass” of ’04; hanging in there with the overly-progressive-Saturday of ’08; and continuing to create the country’s most open and virtuosic campground pickin’ circles. “You can stand in line for an ice cream and have a really intelligent conversation about bluegrass and banjo solos and tone rings,” laughs musician KC Groves.

RockyGrass remains unique in the bluegrass world for its single main stage and policy of limiting bands to a single set. Where many festivals now aspire toward a “big tent” musical philosophy, RockyGrass remains focused on traditional bluegrass even as its audience grows more musically progressive.

So what would Monroe think of the 40th Anniversary of his Colorado festival?

Ferguson reasons: “Some of the music he might not like, but he’d sure want to play it. Bill loved to play for a crowd. And I know he’d love the RockyGrass audience.”

“I remember giggling,” says Szymanski of the first single-day sellout in ’98. Yet within a few years the entire festival was reliably

Special thanks to Mike Dow and David Little.

Historic photos courtesy of Suzie Solomon and Benko Photographics.

Ultimately, the Lyons property won out.

Within 2 months, Planet Bluegrass would negotiate a deal with the Town of Lyons, prepare the property for a festival, and book a 20th anniversary lineup that would ultimately include Alison Krauss & Union Station and Tony Rice & Norman Blake.

Though some CBMS members were frustrated by new policies – notably, paid parking and higher camping fees – the festival was generally considered a success. “Let’s face it, folks, rodeo grounds are for horses; and mountains, trees and rivers are for bluegrassers!” wrote CBMS member Jeff Jeros.

Planet Bluegrass lost $7,000 in that first year. “We’re not going to do this as volunteers,” said Planet Bluegrass president Craig Ferguson. “If we’re going to do this and get involved, then we’re going to take it over.” Ultimately, CBMS agreed to sell the festival for $10,000. And the festival’s momentum began anew.

Over the next few years, the name informally changed to RockyGrass – a name better suiting Planet Bluegrass’s style.

Recordings from the third year in Lyons were released as the RockyGrass Live CD, and by ‘95 Planet Bluegrass had relocated its bluegrass academy from Telluride to Lyons.

The festival’s once uncertain fate was now safe in its new home on the Planet Bluegrass Ranch. “In many ways RockyGrass became the soul of Planet Bluegrass,” says Ferguson.

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1979: Hot Rize make first appearance at the Festival

Family Area

Parents, please accompany your children while in the family area.

As the younger generation of festivarians continues to grow, we’ve expanded our family area (in the woods next to the Wildflower Pavilion) to include a variety of fun, planet-minded activities throughout the day – 10:30am ‘til 5pm.

Colorado Mountain Club

Swallow Hill Music Association

Visit the Colorado Mountain Club booth every hour for youth-oriented demonstrations on slack-lining, Leave No Trace practices, and mountain safety. Try out our slack-line, hula hoops, and balance activities. Join in a gear gathering relay race. Practice tying knots and make a bracelet to keep!

Serving the community since 1912, Colorado Mountain Club programs revolve around education, environmental conservation & responsible recreation. www.cmc.org/YEP

Visit the Swallow Hill booth for hands-on music demonstrations throughout the day. Get up-close with acoustic instruments in the music petting zoo. Record your own song in the mobile recording studio and instantly receive an mp3 of your tracks.

Founded in 1979, Swallow Hill promotes the joy of learning and listening to roots music through classes and concerts throughout the year. www.swallowhillmusic.org

Lyons’ local & fresh choice! groceries fresh produce meats deli bakery ice gifts carwash 

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455 Main St., Downtown Lyons

303-823-5225  www.StVrainMarket.com

Open 7 a.m. – 11 p.m. festival weekends.

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1983: Left Hand String Band debut at the Festival

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FORTIETH annual rockygrass 7/12/12 5:07 PM

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music competitions Beginning with the first Rocky Mountain Bluegrass Festival in 1973, the band and instrument contests have been a vital part of the festival experience. Cheer on the next generation of musicians as they vie for new instruments and spots on the main stage.

Past finalists have included Mark O’Connor (3rd place guitar and 2nd place fiddle in 1974) and Tim O’Brien (2nd place guitar and 2nd place fiddle in 1975); along with more recent band contest winners the Steep Canyon Rangers (2001) and Chatham County Line (2004).

instrument competitions Each instrument contestant performs 2 tunes in the preliminary round. The top 3 on each instrument advance to the final round where they perform 2 different tunes. Judged “in the blind,” pickers and fiddlers are scored using the following criteria: • 50% Overall Ability (includes difficulty, expression,

and execution)

• 25%

Rhythm • 25% Tone

banjo 1st Prize:

Prelims:

Finals:

instrument competition prizes 1st Prize: Instrument (see below) 2nd Prize: $100 3rd Prize: $50

fiddle Deering Eagle II Banjo Friday, 11:30am Wildflower Pavilion Saturday, 10:30am Main Stage

1st Prize:

Prelims:

Finals:

Electric Violin Lutherie (EVL) Violin Friday, 4:00pm Wildflower Pavilion Saturday, 9:45am Main Stage

flatpick guitar

dobro

1st Prize: Gibson Advanced

Jumbo Guitar Prelims: Friday, 1:00pm

Wildflower Pavilion Finals: Saturday, 10:15am

Main Stage

1st Prize:

Prelims:

Finals:

Gibson Hound Dog Dobro Friday, 5:30pm Wildflower Pavilion Saturday, 9:30am Main Stage

Prelims:

Finals:

Friday, 2:30pm Wildflower Pavilion Saturday, 10:00am Main Stage

mandolin 1st Prize: Gibson F-5G

Custom Master

Model Fern

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band competition Once again the intimate setting of the Wildflower Pavilion will host both rounds of the band contest. Watch as 12 exciting young bluegrass bands from around the country gather around a single microphone to compete for a spot on the 2013 RockyGrass lineup.

schedule Prelims:

Finals:

Saturday, 1:30pm Wildflower Pavilion Sunday, Noon Wildflower Pavilion

prizes 1st Prize:

$750, strings and 2013 RockyGrass main stage performance

2nd Prize: $500 & strings 3rd Prize: $300 & strings

1984: Seldom Scene perform for the first time in Colorado

Pete Wernick’s Winter Banjo Camps Basic Skills ~ Jan. 7-12, 2013 A friendly, “safe” situation for inexperienced and closet players.

Learn to jam, learn to make up your own solos.

Intermediate ~ Jan. 14-19 For pickers who can work out their own solos, and have jamming experience. Timing, tone, learn the neck!

Advanced ~ Jan. 21-26 Tailored for those who have played in performing bands.

“I have been waiting to start playing real bluegrass with people ... and now I can.”

DrBanjo.com VISIT

Click “CAMPS”

“I did things for the first time that I’ve been trying to do for years.”

ALL CAMPS held at the Boulder Inn, Boulder, CO

Bluegrass Jam Camp!

For all instruments Nov. 9 - 11, 2012

NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED!

“Joan and I have taught hundreds of folks to jam.

We can help you too!”

~ PETE WERNICK

Learn the ear skills used in real bluegrass.

Small group jamming ~ experienced, understanding teachers ~ FUN!

• Only 4 chords needed: G C D & A • Gentle tempos!

• Pete makes it easy!

friday

saturday

sunday

9:00am Gates Open

9:00am Gates Open

10:00am Gates Open

10:00 - 11:00am 23 String Band

9:30 - 11:15am Instrument Contest Finals

11:00 - Noon The Blue Canyon Boys

11:30 - 12:30pm Monroeville

12:15 - 1:30pm Jesse McReynolds & the Virginia Boys

july 27

11:15 - 12:15pm Noam Pikelny & Friends

july 28

12:30 - 1:30pm Bluegrass Etc.

12:45 - 1:45pm Red Molly

1:45 - 3:00pm Chris Thile & Michael Daves

2:00 - 3:15pm The Hillbenders

3:30 - 4:45pm Lonesome River Band 5:15 - 6:30pm Trampled by Turtles 7:00 - 8:30pm Punch Brothers 9:00 - 10:30pm Sam Bush Bluegrass Band

3:45 - 5:00pm Bobby Osborne & the Rocky Top X-Press

featuring KC Groves

1:45 - 3:00pm Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper featuring Dale Ann Bradley

3:15 - 4:30pm Emmitt-Nershi Band

5:30 - 6:45pm The Infamous Stringdusters

5:00 - 6:15pm Peter Rowan & The Travelin’ McCourys

7:15 - 8:30pm Dr. Ralph Stanley & His Clinch Mountain Boys

6:45 - 8:00pm Seldom Scene

9:00 - 10:30pm Béla Fleck with Alan Bartram, Jason Carter, Ronnie McCoury & Danny Paisley

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july 29

8:30 - 10:00pm Tim O’Brien & Friends

1988: Festival moves to Larimer County Fairgrounds

saturday

sunday

Noon Béla Fleck, Jesse McReynolds & Ronnie McCoury

11:15am Slackline Demo with Josh Beaudoin

july 28

1:30pm Band Competition: Preliminary Round 4:00pm Casey Driessen: The Singularity Tour 5:15pm Slackline Demo with Josh Beaudoin

july 29

Noon Band Competition: Final Round 1:15pm Red Molly 2:30pm Finnders & Youngberg 3:45pm Blue Canyon Boys 5:00pm Aoife O’Donovan

Saturday Night, 11pm Late-Night MoonGrass Set: Greensky Bluegrass

FORTIETH annual rockygrass

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Welcome Festivarians!

The Stone Cup is just a short walk away!

Organic espresso, coffee and teas, amazing smoothies and baked goods Ridiculously good breakfast sandwiches & burritos Spicy Bloody Sam’s and blackberry & strawberry mimosas • Gluten-free options • Organic & natural

Full Kitchen Coming Soon!

• Eco-friendly & wind-powered • No microwaves • Free wi-fi (great coverage!)

Open 6 am – 2 pm Come on by!

5th & High St. • 303.823.2345 • www.thestonecup.com

rockygrass artists 23 String Band

Friday, 10:00 - 11:00am

23 String Band, the Hailing from “all around Kentucky” the band consists 2011 RockyGrass band of Chris Shouse (guitar), Curtis Wilson (banjo), Dave contest winners, play Howard (mandolin), Scott Moore (fiddle), and T. fuel-injected original Martin Stam (bass). Their debut full-length Catch Americana powered by high-octane rock-n-roll and 23 showcases a youthful brand of music, dubbed triple-distilled old-timey roots. With one eye on the “original hillbilly music.” With engaging originals, vintage sounds and influences of the past, the band off-the-wall covers, and distinctive arrangements, blends in modern influences to create a sound that they’re sure to get our 40th anniversary off to an is refreshing, current, and destined to make your feet energetic start. Get your tarp situated; it’s time to hurt from dancing and your face hurt from grinning. see what the next 40 years has to offer…

Noam Pikelny

Friday, 11:15 - 12:15pm

Noam Pikelny is undeniably the next big thing to happen to the 5string banjo. A player of unparalleled technique, Noam inspires and confounds listeners with his mastery of the instrument. As a member of the Punch Brothers, he has helped to broaden the awareness of the banjo in the mainstream, earning the first annual Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass Music in

Bluegrass Etc.

2010. Steve Martin describes Noam as “a player of unlimited range and astonishing precision.” Noam’s recent album, Beat the Devil and Carry a Rail, not only captures his technical prowess on the banjo, but reveals him as an assured and amiable musician and composer. This astonishing banjo player, a one-time member of Leftover Salmon, takes the RockyGrass stage with Chris Eldridge (guitar), Sam Grisman (bass), Dominick Leslie (mando), Aoife O’Donovan (vocals), and Gabe Witcher (fiddle).

Friday, 12:30 - 1:30pm

Bluegrass Etc. performs a hard-hitting show of instrumental expertise, vocal precision, and stage personality that never fails to entertain. The dynamic and electric group is well-known internationally – touring dozens of countries per year, performing at festivals and concert halls. Forming the band as teenagers over 30 years ago, these three seasoned bluegrass greats once mentored the young

members of Nickel Creek. John Moore (mandolin, guitar, vocals) is also a mandolinist for the internationally-acclaimed bluegrass band California. Dennis Caplinger (banjo, fiddle, vocals) is a sought-after studio musician both in California and Nashville, recording numerous soundtracks for movies, commercials, and television. Bill Bryson (bass, vocals) is one of the legendary bass players on the L.A. country/ bluegrass music scene and a founding member of the Desert Rose Band and Laurel Canyon Ramblers.

22 1991: Lonesome River Band first play the Festival

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rockygrass artists Chris Thile & Michael Daves Chris Thile describes Michael Daves as a guitarist who “is completely comfortable playing with utter, reckless abandon – something I was attracted to immediately, as someone who naturally plays with a certain amount of self-consciousness.”

Together Chris and Michael replace the lazy afternoon porch pickin’ duet aesthetic with an up-all-night adrenalin-fueled intensity. Their brilliant debut

Sleep With One Eye Open reinhabits bluegrass standards as gutsy urban anthems. While the two share consistent moments of undeniable beauty and sophisticated musicality, their high-octane moxie will have you yelling “git it!” from your tarp. For as Michael digs into an aggressive guitar tremolo, his lonesome tenor reaching McCoury heights, and Chris supplants downstroked Monroe-isms with vertical virtuosity, these two are redefining the mandolin/guitar duo, making it uniquely their own.

Lonesome River Band Lonesome River Band continues their reputation at this, their 6th Rockygrass appearance, as one of the most respected names in bluegrass music. Although not a founding member, current bandleader Sammy Shelor, who joined the band shortly before the band’s first Rockygrass performance in 1991, is the driving force that keeps the 30-year-old band’s sound alive. As a four-time

Friday, 3:30 - 4:45pm

winner of the IBMA Banjo Player of the Year and recipient of the 2011 Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass Music, Sammy’s signature style is studied and emulated by pickers everywhere. Joined by the talented group of Brandon Rickman (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Mike Hartgrove (fiddle), Barry Reed (bass), and newest member Randy Jones (mandolin and vocals), LRB will be performing their distinctive hard bluegrass with a contemporary, driving edge that we all love.

Trampled by Turtles Hailing from Duluth, MN, the members of Trampled by Turtles – Dave Simonett (guitar, vocals), Tim Saxhaug (bass), Dave Carroll (flatpicked banjo), Erik Berry (mandolin) and Ryan Young (fiddle) – each paid their dues in punk and rock bands, brandishing their electricity proudly before switching to acoustic instruments. While they never set out to be a “bluegrass” band, TBT employ many of the traditional

Friday, 1:45 - 3:00pm

Friday, 5:15 - 6:30pm

techniques of the genre, while embracing the unique influences, attitudes, and attack that give them a unique sound. Named one of the top 25 live acts of 2011 by Paste Magazine, the fierce intensity of the band is as undeniable as the songs are good. And make no mistake: Simonett’s introspective songwriting is undeniable in its brutal honesty, much like its vintage predecessors. We’re halfway through the first day; it’s time for a good ‘ol fashioned foot stompin’ hootenanny…prepare to be trampled.

24 1992: Festival moves to current home in Lyons

rockygrass artists Punch Brothers In 2006, former Nickel Creek member Chris Thile instigated the collaboration that evolved into Punch Brothers, one of our bands-in-residence at this year’s Rockygrass Academy. Thile, an undisputed genius of the mandolin, brought together award-winning instrumental powerhouses Chris Eldridge (guitar), Noam Pikelny (banjo), Gabe Witcher (fiddle), and Paul Kowert (bass). Impossible though

Friday, 7:00 - 8:30pm the Punch Brothers’ sound is to quantify, critics have attempted to describe their style as “off-kilter, classically-tinged pop songs that sound like absolutely no other band on the planet.” We just call it awesome.

It is a pleasure to see what Thile describes as “a sense of real musical camaraderie” in action. With a setlist that can include blindingly-fast, yet soulfullyperformed bluegrass, Bach concertos, and covers of ’80s pop hits, on this Friday evening we’ll all become believers in this quintet’s musical brotherhood.

Sam Bush Bluegrass Band Like RockyGrass itself, the Sam Bush Bluegrass Band happens but once a year. As the co-founder of the genre-bending New Grass Revival and an in-demand musician who has played with everyone from Emmylou Harris to Lyle Lovett, Sam spends most of his year captivating audiences with high-energy live shows, renowned both for their joyously wide-ranging choice of material and searingly

Monroeville

Friday, 9:00 - 10:30pm

in-the-pocket grooves. But for one night every summer, the Kentucky-born mandolin prodigy delves deeply into his love for bluegrass music. Together with Scott Vestal (banjo), Stephen Mougin (guitar), Todd Parks (bass), and Chris Brown (snare drum), Sam’s furious full-forearm tremolo and spiralling single-note improvisations fuse with Monroe’s ancient tones. As the King of Newgrass trades his bejeweled crown for a Big Mon-style Stetson, it’s time to rise from our tarps – we’re going back to old Kentucky.

Saturday, 11:30 - 12:30pm

In a scene where the same generic praises are often heaped upon up-and-coming bluegrass bands, the exceptional young musicians of Monroeville have earned genuine accolades for their extremely accomplished talents. Bursting onto the scene in the past year, Monroeville is on the fast track to success. The sextet – vocalist and bassist Daniel Salyer, guitarist Eli Johnston, Grammy-

nominated and accomplished dobro sideman Travis Houck, Grammy-nominated banjo player Zane Petty, Grammy-nominated engineer and mandolinist Matt Munsey, and fiddler / multi-instrumentalist Matt Flake – create a sound that blends modern acoustic country and progressive bluegrass with intensity, instrumental dexterity, and onstage synchronicity.

In short, Monroeville create music for the modernist and the purist alike. Don’t be late on Saturday morning – this is one set not to miss.

26 1994: Festival recorded for RockyGrass Live CD

FORTIETH annual rockygrass

27

rockygrass artists Red Molly

Saturday, 12:45 - 1:45pm

Red Molly’s trademark three-part harmonies, signature dobro licks, and inventive arrangements catapulted them from NYC coffeehouses to the festival circuit in less than two years. The band’s fans, referred to as “RedHeads,” have always responded to the sense that the band is a group of friends, sharing songs in their living room. That’s exactly how it felt in 2004 when

The Hillbenders Undeniably one of the hottest young bands on the scene, The Hillbenders have been winning over audiences with their unique style, original compositions, and relentless drive. These buzzworthy bluegrass wiz-kids – Mark Cassidy (banjo), Gary Rea (bass), Jim Rea (guitar), Nolan Lawrence (mandolin), and Chad “Gravy Boat” Graves (dobro) – are quickly rising to the top of the bluegrass

Laurie MacAllister (guitar, banjo, bass), Abbie Gardner (dobro, guitar) and Carolann Solebello sat around a campfire at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. They soon formed Red Molly and spent the next seven years on the road. When founding member Carolann stepped down, Laurie and Abbie invited singer-songwriter-guitarist Molly Venter to join the band. Together, they continue to be at home with gorgeous a cappella ballads, bluegrass-tinged folk, and jazzy western swing.

Saturday, 2:00 - 3:15pm world, gaining international recognition for their combination of contemporary influences with traditional inspiration and instrumentation, as well as an infectiously energetic stage show. Winning the 2009 Telluride Band Competition helped put The Hillbenders on the map. Their victory at the 2010 National Single Microphone Championships confirmed The Hillbenders as a promising prospect. And their nomination for IBMA’s Emerging Artist of the Year solidified the fact that The Hillbenders are here to stay.

Bobby Osborne & the Rocky Top X-Press IBMA Hall of Fame member Bobby Osborne was the first mandolin player/tenor singer to create his own identity separate from the Bill Monroe model of bluegrass. Where Monroe’s mandolin playing was based on blues musicians and the fiddle styling of the ‘20s and ‘30s, Bobby invented a sound influenced by the ‘50s and ‘60s, featuring flowing fiddle tunes, cascades of fiddle-oriented

28 1995: First RockyGrass Academy

Saturday, 3:45 - 5:00pm

notes, and a right-hand technique based on fiddle bowings. As a vocalist with the Osborne Brothers, Bobby forged a distinctive approach to tenor vocals by singing high lead throughout the song, adding baritone and low tenor parts in the chorus. Though Bobby may still be best known as the singer of “Rocky Top” (one of bluegrass’s all-time biggest hits), his musical innovations revolutionized the music for generations. We’re honored to welcome this legend back for his third RockyGrass.

rockygrass artists The Infamous Stringdusters Every once in awhile, a band comes together to become a musical force of nature. Such are the Infamous Stringdusters, who after performing here (and instructing at the Bluegrass Academy) every other year since 2006 continue to hone their progressive take on bluegrass. Together, Travis Book (bass), Andy Falco (guitar), Jeremy Garrett (fiddle), Andy Hall (dobro), and Chris Pandolfi

Dr. Ralph Stanley Legendary tenor singer and creator of the “Stanley Style” of banjo playing, Ralph Stanley graces the RockyGrass stage this year for the sixth time. One-half of bluegrass pioneers the Stanley Brothers, Ralph defined a genre of music with his crisp and incredibly fast banjo rolls, as well as his distinctive vocal leads, featured famously in the Grammy-winning Appalachian dirge “Oh Death.” A

Bela Fleck

(banjo) have been on a steady uphill climb since being named IBMA’s 2007 Emerging Artist of the Year (their debut, Fork in the Road, also snagged top honors that year for best song and album).

Their newest release is Silver Sky, produced with the help of Billy Hume, better known for his work in hip-hop. Get ready for a virtuosic performance grounded in what Pandolfi calls “the Nashville pedigree,” but loaded with a healthy dose of rock and jazz fusion. & His Clinch Mountain Boys

Saturday, 7:15 - 8:30pm

recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Library of Congress Living Legend, and member of the IBMA Hall of Honor, Ralph has performed continually since 1946 (including the 2nd Annual Rocky Mtn. Bluegrass Festival). The 85-year-old still plays over 100 dates a year with his band the Clinch Mountain Boys. With that work ethic, it’s no surprise that Dr. Stanley once commented, “I don’t listen to the radio too much, but usually I listen to Stanley Brothers and Ralph Stanley more than I do anybody!”

with Alan Bartram, Jason Carter, Ronnie McCoury & Danny Paisley

From classical banjo concertos to African duets to piano jazz, Béla Fleck’s endless musical curiosity has led he and his banjo to unmapped musical vistas (and Grammy nominations in more categories than anyone in history). But ironically, the one musical world he has left relatively unexplored in recent years is that which originally brought him to the banjo: traditional bluegrass. As a young

Saturday, 5:30 - 6:45pm

Saturday, 9:00 - 10:30pm

New Yorker, Béla recalls the instant he first heard Scruggs’ banjo style – “It was like sparks going off in my head.” So when we suggested a special onlyat-RockyGrass trad ‘grass set, Béla was excited. On this Saturday evening, Béla has gathered some of the bluegrass musicians who inspire him – In Béla’s words: “mandolin wizard Ronnie McCoury, fiddle fundamentalist Jason Carter, lock’er down bassist and singer Adam Bartram, and the intense and wonderful vocalist and guitar man Danny Paisley.”

30 1996: Sam Bush, Nickel Creek first play the Festival

38th Annual Santa Fe Bluegrass and Old Time Festival August 24-26, 2012 Santa Fe County Fairgrounds 3229 Rodeo Rd., Santa Fe, NM

The Gibson Brothers 2011 IBMA Award Winners Jeff Scroggins and Colorado Mystic Lizard

Dan and Rayna Gellert

Soda Rock Ramblers Deming Fusiliers

Lost Howlin’ Coyotes Railyard Reunion Last Minute Bluegrass Kitty Jo Creek Chokecherry Jam East Mountain Serenaders Out of No Where Paw Coal and the Clinkers

Sponsored by: The Southwest Traditional and Bluegrass Music Association www.Southwestpickers.org

rockygrass artists The Blue Canyon Boys featuring KC Groves A sense of sacredness overtakes the Ranch on this RockyGrass Sunday morning as the rhythm of the St. Vrain gentles us into a celebration of the spiritual life of bluegrass. For this historic 40th Anniversary, we’re thrilled to welcome the Blue Canyon Boys, winners of the 2008 Telluride Band Competition, for the always beloved gospel set. Co-founders Gary Dark (mandolin) and Jason Hicks (guitar) share

a deep love of great vocal harmonies, a hallmark of bluegrass gospel. “Some of the most beautiful bluegrass songs are gospel songs,” says Jason. “Artists put their creativity and soul into making songs of faith.” With bandmates Drew Garrett (bass), 2007 Rockygrass banjo contest winner Chris Elliott, and special guest KC Groves, the Colorado band will unearth gospel rarities, a few sacred originals, and some breathtaking quartet harmonies to bring peace and joy to this final 40th RockyGrass morning.

Jesse McReynolds & the Virginia Boys Jesse McReynolds regards it as a matter of pride that he approached the mandolin differently from Monroe. “I try to be original. I have an urge to be that way, to be different.” The IBMA Hall of Honor member’s freethinking creativity opened up new ways to play the mandolin: a crosspicking style that mimicked the syncopated banjo roll; and a split string technique that used the little finger to

Sunday, 12:15 - 1:30pm

hammer a string like a pedal steel. In spirit and in practice these innovations helped the mandolin fit into yet unexplored musical spaces. Jesse’s unflinching originality was also the force behind Jim & Jesse, the longest running brother duo in country music. The first-generation bluegrass band continually challenged boundaries – recording a 1965 album of Chuck Berry covers, backing Jim Morrison in 1969, donning electric instruments in the 1970s, and collecting a wall of hit country singles.

Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper

featuring Dale Ann Bradley

Michael Cleveland is like no other fiddler.

He holds his bow like a club, attacking the strings with a blood-pumping passion; he has been named IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year a record 9 times; he is blind since birth. A native of Indiana, Michael picked up the fiddle at age 4, and within a few years he was serenading the U.S. Congress and playing the Grand Ole Opry as a guest

Sunday, 11:00 - Noon

Sunday, 1:45 - 3:00pm

of Alison Krauss. Though his band Flamekeeper have been dubbed “the most exciting band in bluegrass” by the Wall Street Journal, the undeniable core of that excitement is Michael’s blistering and unconventional fiddle style – a cloud of rosin kicked up by a double-stop kick-off or bowhairs flying on a fast shuffle. As a special 40th Anniversary treat, we also welcome the long-awaited RockyGrass debut of 3-time IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year, Dale Ann Bradley.

32 1998: Osborne Brothers finally play RockyGrass

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rockygrass artists Emmitt- Nershi Band With years of collective experience under their belts, Drew Emmitt (mandolin) and Bill Nershi (guitar) exemplify the forward-thinking modern bluegrass musician. Both have years of experience leading genre-bending rock&roll-infused bands (Drew: Leftover Salmon and Bill: String Cheese Incident), giving each the time and experience to hone their songwriting and performance crafts.

Sunday, 3:15 - 4:30pm

Though the idea for the collaboration had been in the works for years as the two crossed paths all over the world, it was finally put into motion in 2007 when they both found themselves with time off from their main projects. With Leftover Salmon’s newest member Andy Thorn (banjo) and Railroad Earth alum Johnny Grubb (bass), these four musicians have played all across the globe, but today they bring their musical expertise to you, and they bring it in the form of Colorado bluegrass.

Peter Rowan & The Travelin’ McCourys The first-ever bluegrass festival – a 1965 event that included then Blue Grass Boy Peter Rowan – culminated in a special Sunday afternoon set called “The Story of Blue Grass Music.” On this Sunday of the 40th RockyGrass we gather more than a century of bluegrass experience for an inspiring tribute to Big Mon. As the sons of bluegrass legend Del McCoury, Ronnie (mandolin) and

Seldom Scene

Sunday, 5:00 - 6:15pm

Rob (banjo) carry on their father’s work alongside Jason Carter (fiddle) and Alan Bartram (bass) as the musical pilgrims of the Travelin’ McCourys.

The legendary Peter Rowan has left his mark on the walls of time for over 5 decades, curating his own bluegrass songbook rich in midnight moonlights, Gypsys and Navajos, and high tenor yodels.

Together on the RockyGrass stage we are taken for a ride on the Bluegrass Express, back to that little Kentucky cabin on the hill where it all began.

Sunday, 6:45 - 8:00pm

“We try to find material that’s a little bit different, and approach the music in a little bit broader way than most bluegrass bands do,” says The Seldom Scene’s Dudley Connell. Since its inception as a Monday night card game in 1971, The Seldom Scene has thrived on playing bluegrass a little differently than everyone else. If other bands used a fiddler, The Scene used a dobro; if others

relied on old standards, The Seldom Scene played rock classics. Through skilled musicianship and an urban approach to bluegrass, The Scene defined the Washington D.C. sound for decades. With their current lineup – Ben Eldridge (banjo, and at 73 the only founding member still with The Scene), Dudley Connell (guitar), Fred Travers (dobro), Ronnie Simpkins (bass), Lou Reid (mandolin) – they still perform with the same fire and enthusiasm that characterized the band’s early days.

34 2005: RockyGrass nominated for IBMA’s Event of the Year

FlagstaFF,arizona Featuring:

Hot Rizs,e

with Special Guest s Red Knuckles and The Trail Blazer PLuS:

Blue HiGHWAy THe STeelDRiveRS lAuRie leWiS and the Right Hands

FoGHoRn STRinGBAnD

Burnett Family Bluegrass run Boy run muskellunge Bluegrass F CoCks o’ the north adm ree iss for ch ion the knoCkaBouts ildren age 1 ZaZu 6& unde BaCkwater opera r* s end Fri & is tony norr ChuCk Cheesman and More!

Band Contest • Workshops Contra Dancing Jamming • Camping Kids’ Activities

Pickininthepines.org 928-525-1695

*Children sixteen and under admitted free with accompanying adult ticketholder.

rockygrass artists Tim O’Brien & Friends With a total of 28 years on the main stage (including 16 with Hot Rize), no musician has meant more to this festival than Tim O’Brien.

Through the uncanny intersection of traditional and contemporary elements in his songwriting, his tireless dedication to a vast and still-expanding array of instruments, and his ongoing commitment to place himself in as many unique and challenging

Sunday, 8:30 - 10:00pm

musical scenarios as possible, the Grammy-winner is the ideal person to summon the last ancient tones of our 40th Annual gathering. Tim will be joined this Sunday evening by longtime collaborators Bryan Sutton (guitar), Casey Driessen (fiddle), and Mike Bub (bass). “We’ll be remembering Doc and Earl, not to mention Everett Lilly and Levon Helm when we hit the stage. Woody Guthrie’s 100th birthday will have just happened so we’ll remember him and all of you as well.”

Printed on FSC-certified 70# Neenah Conservation text - a 100% post-consumer recycled fiber, made with 100% renewable energy

dates to remember The Song School August 12-16, 2012 sold-out 22nd Annual

Rocky Mountain Folks Festival August 17-19, 2012

Kinfolk Celebration Featuring Yonder Mountain String Band & Friends

August 24-25, 2012 40th Annual

Telluride Bluegrass June 20-23, 2013

RockyGrass Academy July 21-25, 2013 41st Annual

RockyGrass July 26-28, 2013

wildflower concert series Sierra Hull & Highway 111 September 9

Grant Farm October 19

Abigail Washburn October 26

Adam Aijala & Ben Kaufmann September 22

Jesse Winchester October 20

Pert Near Sandstone November 2

2013 ticket lotteries

Visit bluegrass.com in October for details about purchasing 2013 tickets through our online lotteries, including RockyGrass Academy, RockyGrass On-Site Camping, and Telluride Bluegrass camping in Town Park and Warner Field.

36 2012: 40th Annual Festival sells out in February

What beer do we drink when we’re done making beer?

The one you’re about to enjoy in Shift. Canning this Nelson Sauvin hopped pale lager means everyone gets to reward their work. Or play. Or, if you’re like us, combine the two and surround yourself with drinking buddies. Clock out and crack one open.

shift pale lager is brewed by new belgium brewing fort collins co