Sacramento native, Kathy Barwick has been widely hailed as one of California’s most versatile acoustic musicians and is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist. As a founding member, lead singer and mandolin player for the popular bluegrass band, Mountain Laurel, from 1988 – 2011, Pete Siegfried quickly earned a reputation for his soaring and expressive tenor vocals. Since Mountain Laurel disbanded and Barwick and Siegfried was formed, Kathy and Pete have enchanted audiences with a distinctive blending of bluegrass, old-time country, traditional Irish, and folk music. From notorious Northern Californian stages and studios to pubs and concert halls across Ireland, Barwick and Siegfried is an international delight! Please join us as we welcome this acoustic duo back to the Spring Festival lineup, in 2018.

Get your tickets to the Spring 2018 Strawberry Music Festival.

The musical conversation that has taken place between blues legend, Taj Mahal, and his audience, spanning over 60 years, has garnered the singer-sonwriter-instrumentalist an incredible amount of love and admiration. And it’s clear that the feeling is mutual. Growing up in a musical family, in a community with a thriving immigrant population, during the Harlem renaissance, has had a significant influence on Mahal’s unique style, which incorporates elements of traditional West African folk, jazz, Caribbean, Latin, R&B, calypso and Hawaiian slack key. Having carved out a unique niche for his upbeat, global fusion approach, the artistic contrarian illuminates a joyous silver lining to having the blues. He last appeared on Strawberry’s Main Stage in the spring of 1991.  Taj Mahal’s return is sure to be a very special performance.

After launching her recording career in 2009, Samantha Fish quickly established herself as a rising star in the contemporary blues world.  The charismatic young singer-guitarist-songwriter has earned a reputation as a rising guitar hero and powerful live performer.  “You should always get outside of the box,” Samantha Fish says while discussing her boundary-breaking new album Belle of the West. “Challenging yourself is how you grow.”  And challenge herself she has, releasing a series of acclaimed albums that have shown her restless creative spirit consistently taking her in new and exciting musical directions.  Last year alone, Fish released two full-length albums, each attentively crafted and different in style.  The result of this prolific, hardworking approach is a total expansion of Fish’s intuitive originality, on every artistic front.   All roads are open to this gifted young luminary, who is sure to rock the house at Fall Strawberry with the inventive guitar licks, soaring vocals and thoughtfully composed material that is signature Samantha Fish style of blues.

Rob Ickes is IBMA’s Dobro Player of the Year fifteen times and has a long list of recording and performing credits to his name. His last Strawberry appearance was in the spring of 2007, with Three Ring Circle. Young guitar prodigy, Trey Hensley, is gifted with a voice that has been compared to the great country icons of the golden era. He picked up a guitar when he was 10 and has since performed with the likes of Mary Stuart, Earl Scuggs, Johnny and June Carter Cash, the Oak Ridge Boys, Ricky Skaggs and many others. This pairing of virtuoso talent has the achieved the perfect cool to hot ratio. Their debut album, “Before the Sun Goes Down”, earned a Grammy nomination for Best Bluegrass Album, in 2015. They have continued to build momentum and develop a natural musical chemistry, with their most recent release, “The Country Blues”. Those of us who have been pining for Rob Ickes to return to Strawberry couldn’t be happier to see him on Fall roster in our new favorite bluegrass country duo, Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley.

Westside is a very special place, with an amazing history and tons of natural beauty, so we’re especially happy to hear that more music will be taking place there. The Black Oak Casino Resort has announced that they will be hosting a brand new outdoor concert series there.  The first show will be with country artist, Justin Moore, this May. As a result, big improvements are being made on the Music Meadow and work is already underway to expand and turf the entire seating area. Other site improvements for 2018 include the continued expansion of potable water to more and farther camping areas.  Development and planning for these events are ongoing, so there will be lots more news to come.  We’ll keep you apprised of the progress, so stay tuned for more photos and more information about all things Fall Festival.  We wish the Black Oak Casino Resort the best of luck with this series!

Che Apalache is a four man string band based in Buenos Aires, with members from Argentina, Mexico and the United States. The group’s founder, Joe Troop (fiddle) is a North Carolinian multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and composer, who moved to Argentina in 2010 and began teaching bluegrass and old-timey music. A natural chemistry developed with his most dedicated students, Pau Barjau (banjo), Franco Martino (guitar), and Martin Bobrik (mandolin), and in 2013 they formed Che Apalache.  What began as a bluegrass band eventually evolved into an authentic blending of styles and geo-genres. Evoking images from Appalachia to the Andes, their debut album, “Latingrass”, is a testament to a powerful cultural and musical exchange. Click their video link to enjoy a sample of soul-satisfying sound and then buy your discounted camping tickets to Strawberry Music Festival -Fall 2018, to secure your place on the Music Meadow for Che Apalache…  https://strawberrymusic.com/product-category/tickets/fall-festival/

Grammy Award-winning musician Laurie Lewis is an internationally renowned singer, songwriter, fiddler, bandleader, producer and educator.  She is a founding member of the Good O’ Persons and the Grant Street String Band, and has twice been voted IBMA’s Female Vocalist of the Year.  Since her debut with The Pantoms of the Opry, in the early 1970’s, Lewis has recorded nearly 20 albums, in a variety of musical formats.  Laurie’s band “the Right Hands” includes her longtime musical partner, Tom Rozum, on mandolin, fiddler Brandon Godman, Patrick Sauber on banjo, and bass player, Sam Grisman.  Their latest album, “The Hazel and Alice Sessions” was nominated for the Best Bluegrass Recording Grammy in 2017.  Laurie Lewis has been billed at Strawberry twenty one times and her last appearance, with the Right Hands, was the last festival held at Camp Mather, in the spring of 2013.  So we’re especially happy for their return to Strawberry Music Festival- Fall 2018.

While the Spring lineup is not complete, now it has taken enough shape that you can really begin to imagine what the festival is going to sound like.  For an even better idea, LISTEN TO OUR SPRING 2018 PLAYLIST, featuring a wonderful selection of songs, graciously provided by our Spring 2018 performers.  Stay tuned for more additions to a stellar ensemble of artists who currently include Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Lukas Nelson & Promise of The Real, Anders Osborne & Jackie Greene, Frazey Ford, Todd Snider, The Ghost of Paul Revere, Lindsay Lou, Keith Little and LittleBand, Dangermuffin, The Revelers, Sam Reider and The Human Hands, Duo Quartet featuring Chris Webster, Nina Gerber & Pam Delgado, Jeri Jones, The Suitcase Junket, Hannah Jane Kile, and the Banana Slug String Band.  The Early Bird discount on camping tickets ends at midnight this Wednesday, March 14^th.  GET YOUR TICKETS NOW TO SAVE BIG and we’ll see you there for what promises to be another epic Strawberry Music Festival!