President's Corner

	Darby Brandli, CBA President
	MONTHLY MESSAGE March 2008

Pockets of the music have long existed in counties where “pickers” have settled: Alameda, San Francisco, Sonoma, Sacramento, Butte, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz among a handful. We have to work a bit harder to bring the music to those who either by geography or lack of opportunity have remained relatively bluegrass free. The goal of the expanded ranks of Area Activities VPs is to do just that. Let us introduce the music to people where they live. We hope to feed the flame of infection and to not let the music run its course and die out.

The Internet has allowed the VPs to communicate more effectively with each other and with their respective population bases to get the word out. We all know it does not take much for uninfected people to catch the California bluegrass bug. We simply have to expose the formerly immune population to the music and the disease spreads. I was amazed at how many non-pickers told us they attended bluegrass jams during the year, I think as many nonpickers as pickers. They attended for the love of the the music (obviously a key ingredient) and the company of the community. I know this is true, I am a fan and not a picker and I surround myself these days with a bluegrass organization because I love the people in our unique community.

Look for activities to develop in a neighborhood near you. Please contact your Area Activities VP and offer to help produce a jam, develop a mailing list, produce a house concert, play a Farmer’s Market, invite a friend, make some phone calls, distribute some flyers to a store or venue, board a band, find a sponsor. Help us infect more of the state with the bluegrass bug.

There are two very popular “regional” CBA activities occurring in March: The Sonoma County Bluegrass and Folk Festival in Sebastopol on Saturday, March 8th…..co-produced by the CBA and The Sonoma County Folk Society. Mark Hogan (North Coast Area Activities VP) has put on this event for the last seven years and it is well loved and well attended by many. Tim Edes, Board Member from Morgan Hill, is producing yet another of his sold out Night at the Grange concerts on Saturday, March 15th featuring the Bluegrass Brothers and Jack Tuttle and the School of Bluegrass. Tickets for both events can be purchased on the website and there is information about both events in this month’s Bluegrass Breakdown. We hope to have more of these activities in more regions in the years to come.

Posted: 3/4/2008