Bluegrass Show Saturday, February 13, 2010 The Atlas Cafe 3049 20th Street (at Alabama) San Francisco, CA map www.atlascafe.net Show 4:00 pm
Lonesome Otis is an established bluegrass band that hails from Southern California. The boys — Chris Ruud (guitar,vocals), Steve Stout (fiddle, banjo,vocals), Chris Cerna (mandolin, vocals), Dennis Jackson (bass,vocals) — have been playing together off and on for about three years, but just recently made their union official in the fall of 2008. Lonesome Otis is a combination of new and experienced talent and with its ability to provide clean instrumentals and harmonies is guaranteed to satisfy even the most critical of bluegrass music aficionados.
The Backyard Party Boys are a raucus mix of bluegrass, swing, blues, jug-band and fiddle music … like the name says, party! Good times come rolling in as their set begins. And the music will bring you into the moment and back in time. Big (and sweet) Mark Comstock, with the voice to match, sets the tone on the guitar. The joint heats up when Alan Bond goes wild on the mandolin or violin. Nice guy with a mean bass beat, Bruce Campbell keeps the good vibes thumpin’. One-man band, Tom Lucas, fills and thrills on both fiddle and banjo. On his special eight-string dobro, Gene Tortora is simply a legend.
String Break originally formed from jams around Marin County in 2007 and has been playing gigs around the Bay Area ever since. The band plays traditional bluegrass in the spirit of the original bluegrass bands, with three part harmonies. The songs range from Bill Monroe to more recent material composed by local musicians. The current lineup includes Dave Hanks on mandolin and vocals, Mike Staninec on guitar and vocals, Bruce Thompson on banjo and vocals, Duncan Draper on bass, Dane Miller on fiddle and vocals, and Ted Garber on dobro and vocals. The band has previously been featured at the SFBOT and has recently played several gigs at Taste of Rome in Sausalito. String Break played the next to last show at the legendary Sweetwater club in Mill Valley and has played in Jupiter in Berkeley, Plough and Stars in San Francisco, and several other local venues.