By any normal measure, John McCutcheon, at age seventy-two, should be retired.
He’s punched the clock in the international folk music world for over a half century. He’s been a respected archivist of Appalachian music. He was in the forefront of popularizing the hammer dulcimer and is considered a world master on the instrument. He helped revolutionize children’s and family music with five consecutive Grammy-nominated albums. He co-founded and led the fastest-growing Local in the Musicians Union. His songwriting is hailed around the globe and his instruction books introduced thousands to the joys of their own music making. He recorded and released tribute albums to Woody Guthrie, labor musician Joe Hill, and his friend and mentor, Pete Seeger. He even starred in a one-man musical, Joe Hill’s Last Will, which toured nationally and internationally. And he has consistently been one of the most popular touring musicians in the folk world. Yes, by any normal standard, he could proudly hang up the banjo and retire.
But John McCutcheon is just getting started.
With his latest release, Field of Stars, John McCutcheon has yet again demonstrated an ear for a good story, a deft pen, and the ability to provide insights using the most ordinary experiences that both surprise and delight.
We love furry little guys as much as the next festival, but be your dog’s best friend and DO NOT BRING THEM TO THE FESTIVAL! We can confirm your pet will not have as great a time as you. (Unless they can play banjo and love loud noises — in that case, please email our booking department because we may have the next sensation on our hands.)
Bona fide service animals, as defined by the ADA, are welcome at the Strawberry Music Festival. Pets and emotional support animals are not granted admittance to any part of the festival and/or Fairgrounds, including but not limited to camping areas, as per Nevada County Fairgrounds policy. All service animals must be trained for a specific function, related to a disability, housebroken, leashed, and under the direct control of their handler at all times. It is a crime to misrepresent a pet as a service animal (California Penal Code Section 365.7 PC).
Hailing from Santa Cruz, CA, Carolyn Sills and her band were named the 2024 Ameripolitan Award Winner for Western Swing Group in Austin, TX. Their unique take on American roots music is driven forward by guitar twang, swooning steel and her sharp songwriting. She’s released four albums, one doughnut and countless videos to date, all brimming with dueling guitar & non-pedal steel, fun vocal harmonies and witty lyrics.
Carolyn Sills is a classic American roots musician for the modern world, nodding to her old-school favorites one minute and exploring new ground the next. She’s doing her part to keep vintage American roots music styles alive and relevant in a modern world. Carolyn Sills and her band will be on the Strawberry Main Stage on Sunday, October 19 at 12:30 pm. Listen and learn more here!
No craving will go unsatisfied at the Strawberry Food Court! Featuring delicious cuisines from across the globe, and several vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options, your rumbling stomach is sure to thank you.
As most people will tell you, there’s an undeniable connection between versatility and variation. Suffice it to say that each depends on the other. In the case of Seattle-based Marley’s Ghost, that eclectic energy has resulted in a broad repertoire that has defied any ability to tag them to any one particular genre. Their dozen albums to date — like the output of The Band — survey a broad scope of Americana and acoustic music in general, refusing to confine them to any singular niche.
Composed of singer/multi-instrumentalists Wheetman, Jon Wilcox, Mike Phelan, Ed Littlefield Jr., Jerry Fletcher, and Bob Nichols, the band can sing and play anything with spot-on feel, from roots to rock, blues to bluegrass, gospel to stone country, which is what they’ve been doing – to the ongoing delight of a fervent cult that includes many of their fellow musicians – for over 30 years as a working unit. More than three decades from that initial spark, they’re still playing together with the same passion, purpose and chemistry that inspired them early on.
“Remarkable, distinctive voices, giddily eccentric eclecticism, a heady subversive treat.” – No Depression
Don’t miss Marley’s Ghost will be on the Main Stage at 2:15pm on Sunday, October 19. Listen and learn more here!
The Strawberry Office has been re-opened! Thank you to the firefighters!
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ARCHIVED (FROM 9.4.25): The Strawberry Office is closed temporarily due to poor air quality from fires burning in Tuolumne County. We are safe and will continue to work on the upcoming Fall Festival from our homes, but will not be able to answer phones or return calls until the office has reopened.
Please reach out to us at info@strawberrymusic.com if you have questions or need assistance in the meantime.
Bill Wollner (right) and Craig Brautigam at the Strawberry Spring 2023 Festival
Many Strawberrians are grieving the loss of dear friend and fellow staff member, Bill Wollner. There are very few amongst us who have a longer work history than Bill, having started with the Garbage and Recycle crew at Strawberry’s second festival at Camp Mather in 1983.
Garbage and Recycle Crew Members, Fall 2009
Bill met Mitch Third (Strawberry’s beloved Festival Manager of nearly 40 years) while visiting Stockton in the late 70’s after having just moved to California from Kansas. They bonded instantly over Mitch’s time playing college basketball for Kansas State University. Not long after, Mitch told Bill that there was a job opportunity working with him in the groundskeeping department at San Joaquin Delta College. Bill retired from Delta College approximately 30 years later as the head groundskeeper.
Joni Leonard, Mitch, and Bill at the Fall 2012 Festsival
Meanwhile, Bill had been invited to come and work at the first Strawberry at Leland Meadows in 1982, but could not make it because of a family reunion. To our knowledge, he never missed a festival from that point forward. He spent the vast majority of his time at Strawberry in a leadership role with the Garbage and Recycle crew.
Members of Garbage and Recycle have always been tight and share a rich and meaningful crew culture. They camp and hang together. This is true now of 2nd gen family members, along with new friends, just as much as it was back in the day, with legacy members we lost along the way. Many will remember seeing Bill pal around Camp Mather with his dearly departed friend and co-lead, Bob Smith (who always wore a red clown nose), along with Bob’s partner Joni Leonard. Our hearts are with the many other longtime crew members who are active to this day and are especially affected by this loss, including Bill’s dear friend and cohort of many years, Craig Brautigam.
Craig and Bill at the Spring 2024 Festival
Keeping Strawberry clean has always been an important part of our shared ethos. The location of each refuse station was chosen to best serve our collective needs and Garbage and Recycle crew members service them diligently throughout the festival. They enjoy being together so much that you may not even realize how hard they are working when you see them moving large bags of garbage and recycling around the grounds. As we approach the first festival without our dear friend and maestro of refuse removal, let’s all remember to say hello, thank you, and let the Garbage/Recycle crew know that they are loved.
We certainly hope that Bill knew how much he was loved at Strawberry and beyond. He will be missed by many, including fellow members of the Port Stockton Motorcycle Club where he was an active member of AMA District 36 for many years. Please join us in sending Strawberry love and this offering of our deepest condolences to Bill Wollner’s vast circle of family and friends.
Garbage and Recycle Crew Members, Spring 2025
Please stay tuned for more stories and photos from friends as well as information to be posted when a memorial service has been planned.
A FOND MEMORY BILL WOLLNER FROM TURD’L ED
“I’d like to share the following photographs of Bill Wollner, who I loved dearly. In fall 2003, I pitched in to collect garbage and at the end of the festival was put in a photograph and given $50 gas money. In spring 2004 when Bill asked me (in front of about six bystanders) if I wanted to officially join the crew, I took three large steps across the circle and planted a big kiss on his right cheek, nary a word spoken. I’ve been back ever since!”
Thank you to Turd’L Ed Larue for sharing this story and the photos below.
Even among the pantheon of music’s finest artists, Del McCoury stands alone. From the nascent sound of bluegrass that charmed hardscrabble hillbilly honkytonks, rural schoolhouse stages, and the crowning glory of the Grand Ole Opry to the present-day culture-buzz of viral videos and digital streams, Del is the living link.
On primetime and late-night television talk shows, there is Del. From headlining sold-out concerts to music festivals of all genres, including one carrying his namesake, there is Del. Where audiences number in the tens of thousands, and admirers as diverse as country-rock icon Steve Earle and jamband royalty Phish count as a few among hundreds, there is Del.
“In nearly every imaginable respect, […] Del McCoury is a living legend who has cultivated the landscape of American music — in bluegrass and beyond.” – Matt Rupert, No Depression
Now helming the Del McCoury Band, with sons Ronnie and Rob, the ensemble did and continues to represent in a larger, growing musical community a peerless torchbearer for the entire sweep and scope of bluegrass history. Those many years, not to mention a good-natured willingness to stay alert to the latest sounds and opportunities around him, earned McCoury a whole new generation of fans.
One listen and it’s clear as crystal. There is Del.
The Del McCoury Band will close out the night on Friday, October 17 at 9:00pm. Listen and learn more here!
We celebrate the memory of Kathy Barwick. She was a beloved member of the Strawberry and Grass Valley music communities, having performed at the our Fall 2014, Spring 2017, and Spring 2018 festivals with the powerhouse duo Barwick and Siegfried.
The Strawberry community extends its collective heart and deepest condolences to Kathy’s family and wide circle of friends.
John Craigie has mastered the art of creating live shows that feel more like intimate conversations than performances. Infusing humor, wit, and poignant storytelling, his shows are a space where audience members feel like old friends. Whether he’s headlining solo or sharing the stage with longtime collaborators, Craigie’s ability to make his crowd laugh, reflect, and connect is second to none.
“[. . .]John Craigie is funny. Not just a funny guy, but downright hilarious. His understated sense of humor, bolstered by fun impressions of people he’s interacted with and sly commentary on real stories, makes his shows as laughable as they are singable.” — Don Brubaker, Santa Barbara Independent
At this point, there have been quite a few good shows in the rearview…
As a tried-and-true performer, he has regularly sold out solo tours in addition to hitting the road with the likes of Langhorne Slim, Brett Dennen, Mason Jennings, Bella White and Jack Johnson. He has picked up fans with sets at Newport Folk Festival, Pickathon, Edmonton Folk Festival, and High Sierra Music Festival.
Ultimately, Craigie’s story continues with more shows and music.
Catch John Craigie & The Coffis Brothers on the Main Stage on Friday, October 17th at 7:15pm. Listen and learn more here!
