Victoria Bluegrass Association

The Local Scene: Bluegrass & Stuff

Click here to see details about Victoria Bluegrass Association Events

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Concerts, Workshops and such

Saturday March 3rd - 7:30pm: Erynn Marshall and Carl Jones in a Victoria house concert.: Admission: $15 general, $12 students/seniors. Reservations:250.389.1842 or jeniredale@hotmail.com
Saturday March 10th - 8:15pm: Chris Stevens and John Milne at Coombs Community Hall: 2601 Alberni Highway; Doors open 6:30pm, random acts of bluegrass at 7pm.
Admission: $12; more info info@coombsbluegrass.com
Sunday March 11th - 11am: Chris Stevens and John Milne at Lighthouse Community Centre: 240 Lions Way, Qualicum Bay; Pancake breakfast performance, followed by guitar, banjo, and harmony singing workshops.
Workshops: $20 each; For more info 250.752.0383 or info@lighthousebluegrass.com
Saturday March 31st - 6:30pm: Bluegrass Dinner Show at Sooke Legion: 6726 Eustace Rd, Sooke; Show at 7:30pm following dinner. Featuring Just Us, Mike & Kelly Kraft, Pearl Lacey & Janet McTavish and others. You must purchase your tickets before March 25 - only 120 seats available !
Tickets available at the Sooke Legion and Shoppers Drug Mart.
Dinner and Show: $25 each; For more info 250.642.3553 or daysland@shaw.ca

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Regular Jams in the Victoria Area

Mondays 7:00 - 9:30pm: Spiral Groove: Mostly Old-time and fiddle tunes, at the Spiral Cafe, 418 Craigflower Rd, Victoria
Tuesdays 7:30 - 10pm: Victoria Bluegrass Association Weekly Gathering
Tuesdays 7:30 - 9:30pm: Victoria Mandolin Orchestra Practice: The Orchestra always welcomes new members on various instruments, guitar and bass. Intermediate level playing and music reading ability recommended. More info: Chandra at chandrac@shaw.ca
Wednesdays 7:30 - 10pm: Cornerstone Bluegrass Jam: at Cornerstone Cafe & Resource Centre, Fernwood at Gladstone, Victoria; Featuring premier acoustic string band musicians; Admission: free, but buy a drink or food; More info: larrystevens@shaw.ca
Wednesdays 6:00 to 9pm: Solstice Cafe Old-Time Jam: at Solstice Cafe, 529 Pandora Ave, Victoria; Admission: free, but please buy something to drink and/or eat!
1st Friday of the month 7:00 to 10pm: Victoria Fiddle Society Monthly Jam: (except July & August) at Lambrick Park Secondary, 4139 Torquay Drive, Victoria (map); All musicians, all ages and skill levels are welcome; Break-out space for advanced fiddlers; Admission: VFS members Free, $5 for drop-ins.
Sundays 8:00 - 10:30pm: Bluegrass / Old-Time Jam @ Ocean Island Backpackers Inn: at 791 Pandora Ave, at Blanshard , Victoria, BC; hosted by Doosie & Decker. Bring an instrument along and be part of the fun! Admission: Buy something to eat or drink
1st and 3rd Sunday of the month 2:30 - 5:00pm: Sooke Legion Bluegrass and Acoustic Jam: at 6726 Eustace Rd, Sooke; More info: Al Planiden 250-642-3395

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Regular Gigs

Tuesdays 8 - 11pm: The Sweet Lowdown at The Fernwood Inn: 302 Gladstone Ave (at Fernwood), Victoria; Amanda Blied, Shanti Bremer and Miriam Sonstenes
Admission: Free, but buy something to drink-eat
Tuesdays 9 - midnite: The Rock Island Ramblers at Swans: 506 Pandora Ave (at Wharf), Victoria; Ollie Swain, James Whittall, Paul Lange and Ivonne Hernandez
Admission: Free, but buy something to drink-eat
Saturdays 2 - 4:20pm: Bluegrass Brunch with The Stowaways at Logan's Tavern: 1821 Cook St, Victoria; Admission: Free, but buy something to drink-eat More info: 250-360-1832
Sundays 4pm: Sunday Afternoon Hootennany at Logan’s Tavern: 1821 Cook St, Victoria; Hosted by Carolyn Mark Admission: Free; buy something to drink-eat More info: 250-360-1832
Sundays 8:30 - 11:30pm: The Moonshiners at Swans: 506 Pandora Ave (at Wharf), Victoria; Chris Herbst, Zev Roman, Miriam Sonstenes, Mike Brooks and Cluny Macpherson; Admission: Free, but buy something to drink-eat

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Festivals

Dec 9 - 11, 2011: Seattle Folk Festival (Seattle): Friday - Sunday; at Columbia City Theater, Town Hall Seattle, and other venues; Featuring artists: Bryan John Appleby, Riley Baugus & Kirk Sutphin, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen, Anna & Elizabeth, Laura Love & Orville Johnson, Kevin Murphy of the Moondoggies, Sons of Warren Oates, Youth Rescue Mission, Pharis & Jason Romero, Jackstraw, The Tallboys, Northern Departure, Brother Bear, Sean Flinn & The Royal We, The Canote Brothers, Ben Fisher, Goldfinch, Annie Ford & Gregory Paul, Alina Hardin with vocal and instrumental workshops by: Riley Baugus, Kirk Sutphin, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen, and more; Admission: Full Weekend pass: $40;
Jan 6 - 8, 2012: River City Music Festival (Portland, OR): Friday - Sunday;
Jan 11 - 15, 2012: 13th Portland Old Time Music Gathering (Portland, OR): Wednesday - Sunday;
Feb 16 - 19, 2012: 4th Annual Oly Old Time Festival (Olympia, WA): Friday - Sunday;
Feb 23 - 26, 2012: Wintergrass (Bellevue, WA): Thursday - Sunday; at Hyatt Regency; Featuring: Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Tim O’Brien, Greensky Bluegrass, Claire Lynch, Väsen (Sweden), Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice, Red Wine (Italy), Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen, The Wilders, The Kruger Brothers(Switzerland), Black Prairie, Darol Anger, Bruce Molsky, Rushad Eggleston, Bluegrass 45 (Japan), The Grascals, The Deadly Gentlemen, Druhá Tráva (Czech Republic), Joe Craven, The HillBenders, Hot Buttered Rum, The Sweetback Sisters, Jim Gaudet & the Railroad Boys, Abby Mae & the Homeschool Boys, The Titans of Twang, Cahalen Morrison & Eli West, Anderson Family Bluegrass; More info: 253-428-8056
Mar 28 - Apr 1, 2012: 9th Annual 108 Cabin Fever Bluegrass Workshop (108 Mile Ranch, BC): Wednesday - Sunday;
May 24 - 27, 2012: 41st NorthWest Folklife Festival (Seattle, WA): Thursday - Sunday;
Jun 29 - Jul 1, 2012: 2nd Annual Lighthouse Bluegrass Festival (Qualicum Bay, BC): Friday - Sunday;
Jul 1 - 8, 2012: Festival Of American Fiddle Tunes (Port Townsend, WA): Sunday - Sunday;
Jul 6 - 8, 2012: 18th Annual Vancouver Island Musicfest (Courtenay, BC): Friday - Sunday;
Jul 13 - 15, 2012: 35th Annual Vancouver Folk Music Festival (Vancouver, BC): Friday - Sunday;
Jul 14 - 15, 2012: Chemainus Bluegrass Festival (Chemainus, BC): Saturday - Sunday; Featuring Runaway Train from the South Puget Sound area, and the Clover Point Drifters. Plus the June Bugs (an all-female bluegrass band from Calgary), Bryon Clayton Thomas, and Bluegrass Fever. Overnight RV camping in the RV parking stalls adjacent to the festival site at Waterwheel Park will provide an opportunity for casual jamming. Workshops with Runaway Train. A Bluegrass brunch is included with Sunday admission.
Jul 19 - 22, 2012: Columbia Gorge Bluegrass Festival (Stevenson, WA): Thursday - Sunday;
Aug 2 - 5, 2012: 34th Annual Coombs Bluegrass Festival (Coombs, BC): Thursday - Sunday;
Aug 3 - 6, 2012: 30th Annual Filberg Festival (Comox, BC): Friday - Monday;
Aug 3 - 5, 2012: 27th Annual Blueberry Bluegrass & Country Music Festival (Stoney Plain, AB): Friday - Sunday;
Aug 12 - 19, 2012: 10th Annual Centralia OldTime Music Campout (Centralia, WA): Sunday - Sunday;
Aug 10 - 12, 2011: FolkWest (Victoria, BC): Friday - Sunday;
Aug 19 - 24, 2012: 23rd British Columbia Bluegrass Workshop Week I (Sorrento, BC): Sunday - Friday;
Aug 25, 2012: Sorrento Bluegrass Festival (Sorrento, BC): Saturday;
Aug 26 - 31, 2012: 23rd British Columbia Bluegrass Workshop Week II (Sorrento, BC): Sunday - Friday;
Aug 31 - Sep 2, 2012: 25th Annual Chilliwack Bluegrass Festival (Chilliwack, BC): Friday - Sunday;