SAN FRANCISCO BLUEGRASS AND OLD-TIME FESTIVAL TO SHOWCASE THE BEST IN TRADITIONAL MUSIC

Old-Time's Most Influential Acts Highlight the Ninth Annual Festival

San Francisco Bluegrass & Old-Time Festival, Feb. 1-9
30 shows, 57 bands, 17 Bay Area venues
Advance tickets and festival information: www.sfbluegrass.org

SAN FRANCISCO - The Ninth Annual San Francisco Bluegrass & Old-Time Festival (SFBOT), a nine-day festival occurring at various locations around the Bay Area, will be held Feb. 1-9. Featuring the most talented musicians on the scene today, the Festival comprises 30 intimate shows at 17 small clubs around the Bay Area, giving the listener a personal, almost one-on-one experience.

Headliners include the David Grisman Bluegrass Experience, The Freight Hoppers, Peter Rowan, The Carolina Chocolate Drops and the Crooked Jades. New this year is a two-day bluegrass and old-time film festival at San Francisco's Red Vic, and a full day of workshops at the Verdi Club.

This year's festival also brings a special emphasis on some of the most influential bands in old-time music. Since their formation in 1992, The Freight Hoppers have elevated old-time stringband music to new levels of appreciation all over the world, and in the process, sowed the seeds of the current stringband renaissance. The Freight Hoppers are joining the festival after a five-year hiatus. The Carolina Chocolate Drops represent the first contemporary African-American stringband, receiving standing ovations from coast to coast for their innovative, yet traditional approach to the songs of the black string traditions.

Co-founders of SFBOT, the Crooked Jades are joining the festival after a two-year break. The band's critically-acclaimed World's on Fire album can be heard in the new Sean Penn film, Into the Wild . A young duo from southwest Virginia, Martha Spencer and Jackson Cunningham are the real deal. They are members of the Whitetop Mountain Band, which plays festivals, concerts and dances and brings their tight harmonies, up-tempo tunes and Appalachian dancing to listeners nationwide. And in bluegrass music, the festival is proud to present Spring Creek Bluegrass Band, which won the band competitions at the 2007 Telluride Bluegrass Festival and the 35 th Annual RockyGrass Bluegrass Festival.

Unlike any other festival in the country, the San Francisco Bluegrass & Old-Time Festival is a grass-roots, non-profit, volunteer-run festival dedicated to keeping the tradition of bluegrass and old-time alive. In addition to shows, the festival aims to provide rich experiences for Bay Area residents through workshops, jam sessions, kids shows and the old-time square dance, always a sellout with 220 attendees! Each year the Festival showcases the best in rising acts from along the West Coast, with a special spotlight on bands from all around the Bay Area. SFBOTF is the place to get a real taste of what's next in bluegrass and old-time music.

Other highlights from this year's festival include:

• Two days of bluegrass and old-time films at the Red Vic (1727 Haight St.). Shows at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. each day. $12 each or $20 for both days.
• A whole day of workshops at the Verdi Club (2424 Mariposa Street) on Sunday, Feb. 3, featuring personalized instruction from some of the festival's acclaimed performers. The day culminates with a jam and a show featuring the day's instructors.

Special thanks to Warren Hellman and the San Francisco Bay Guardian for their support of this year's festival. For more information on the festival and a full schedule, visit sfbluegrass.org.

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