Three incredible days packed with band showcases, Saturday night headline concert, dances, workshops, instrument exhibitors, and plenty of around the clock informal jam sessions. It all takes place in a comfortable, indoor setting at the beautiful Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West in Plymouth, MN.

Schedule of Events:

Stage Schedules:

Auditorium:

March 1, 2024:

6:00pm: The Rosie Daze Band
6:50pm: The Seldom Herd
7:40pm: Cousin Dad
8:30pm: Rusty Playground
9:20pm: Tickwood Stringband
10:10pm: Amanda Walbridge Band

March 2, 2024:

11:00am: Bullypulpit Bluegrass
11:50am: Sloughgrass
12:40pm: Roe Family Singers
1:30pm: Prairie Potluck
2:20pm: Brian Wicklund and Mike Cramer
3:10pm: Timbre Junction
4:00pm: Singleton Street
4:50pm: True Grass Trio

Headline Concert:

MC: Marty Marrone
7:00pm: Doors Open
7:20pm: Fish Heads
8:20pm: Rick Faris Band

March 3, 2024:

9:30am: Swing 6625
10:20am: Gloryland Gospel Band
11:10am: Due North
12:00pm: Mother Banjo
1:00pm: Grass Seeds Recital

Europa Room:

March 1, 2024:

MC: Kim Monson
6:00pm: Now & Then
7:00pm: Spotlight On: Duos
hosted by Phil Nusbaum
9:10pm: Jon Garon & Friends

March 2, 2024:

MC: TBA
10:00am - 11:20am: Open Stage (sign up in Gathering Place starting at 7pm Friday)
11:30am: The Eclectics
12:20pm: Papa John & The Poppettes
1:10pm: The Gritpickers Old Time String Band
MC: TBA
2:00pm: Curtis & Loretta
2:50pm: Hot Dish Band
3:40pm: The Transcendental Bluegrass Band

Dinner Celebration: 5pm - 10pm (Dinner served until 8pm) with entertainment by:

MC: TBA
5:00pm: Switched at Birth
5:50pm: Steam Machine
6:40pm: Alternate Route
MC: TBA
7:30pm: Blue Groove Bluegrass
8:20pm: The Double Down Daredevils

Workshops, Gathering Place, Etc.:

February 29, 2024:

6:00pm: Early Bird Bluegrass Jam!

Hosted by Chris & Steve Anderson

As at past indoor festivals, we are again inviting any and all Bluegrass Fans to an Open Bluegrass Jam in the Crown Plaza Fireside Lounge on Thursday night, February 29, beginning at 6:00 PM.

This is a Free Bluegrass Jam, and new jammers (and Listeners too) are WELCOME! You’ll see a few “Jammers’ Commandments” to help novice jammers understand the rotation of turns and instrumental breaks, but LOTS of compassionate folks who’ve Been Where You Are, and not only Survived, but went on to join in more Jams during Summer, Fall & Winter Weekend Festivals, as well as lots of others for years!

Meet some Great Folks, make new friends, get tips on playing your instrument and/or singing…..but most importantly, Have Fun With Music! You Don't have to be a Pro at playing, have a History of Bluegrass knowledge, or an expensive instrument - we had none of those when we started either! Steve and I are past Trombone players who met in Jazz Band, and now he’s a Fiddler and I play Bass and Guitar and Love to Jam! Come Join Us!!

Gathering Place - Conference Room E:

Make the Gathering Place your hub for information, upcoming festivals, magazine browsing, and take home crafts for kiddos.

Open at 9am daily.

March 1, 2024:

6pm: Gathering Place Opens
7pm: Open Stage Signup Begins

March 2, 2024:

9am: Gathering Place Opens
9am - 10am: Wee folks Colorful Crafts & Take Home Fun with Ms Kim
10:00 - 11am: Yoga with Lucy
11:00am - 12pm: Celebrating Lloyd LaPlant's 95th Birthday!
12:00 - 1:00pm: LBTQ+ Chat/Jam
1:00 - 2:00pm: Knit Picking—Rosie Daze Band Jam & Crafts
2:00 - 3:00pm: Meet & Greet withe MBOTMA Board of Directors
3:00 - 4:00pm: Craig Evans Old Time Conversations - Clifftop Videos & Conversation
4:00 - 5:00pm: Ukelele Jam with Steve Forslund
5:00 - 6:00pm: Closed for Dinner
6:00 - 10:00pm: Open

Europa Room:

March 1, 2024:

7 - 9 pm: Spotlight On: Duos
Hosted by Phil Nusbaum

Workshops:

March 2, 2024:

Studio 2:

9:00 AM: Beginner Old Time Session l - Mary Pat Kleven (MSFA)
Get warmed up for the day, connect with friends and meet new ones. All instruments and levels welcome. Sponsored by the Minnesota State Fiddlers Association.

10:00 AM: Irish Old Time Jam - Rob Ross
Come play Irish tunes at an Old Time Jam! This will be a low-key jam just to get to know the tunes. No fancy ornaments required, chords are allowed, no multi-tune sets. Sedate tempos, handy handouts, and common beginner to intermediate tunes will facilitate playing along. If you already play Irish music, join in and bring a few of your favorites. Everyone is welcome!

12:00 PM: Old time bowing foundations - John Wallace
Fiddling workshop for the right hand--old time bowing. You build your musical house, but put it on a good foundation. Fiddlers of all levels are welcome.

11:00 AM: Vocal Workshop with Rick Faris
Join headliner Rick Faris for a vocal workshop!

1:00 PM: Beginner Bluegrass Rhythm & Beginner Bluegrass Harmony - Becky Schlegel, Heath Loy & Edie Loy
Beginner Bluegrass Rhythm & Beginner Bluegrass Harmony.

2:00 - 3:30 PM: Band Workshop with Rick Faris Band
Join the Rick Faris band to talk about roles as a unit and how the band works together with their individual roles.

4:00 PM: Tunes and Styles of Norman Blake - Bill Cagley & Tom Schaefer
Tunes and Styles of Norman Blake

Studio 3:

10:00 AM: Bluegrass Banjo— Bruce Johnson
We'll focus on five basic technical aspects of playing; tuning, timing, tone, touch, and taste. I'll try to answer any banjo playing questions you have.

11:00 AM: Contra Dance Tune Jam Session— Audrey Jaber (MSFA)
Come play Contra Dance tunes! Moderate tempos, handy handouts, and common beginner to intermediate tunes will facilitate playing along. If you already play contra dance music, join in and bring a few of your favorites. Everyone is welcome! Sponsored by the MSFA

12:00 PM: Circle of fifths for beginners - Matt Jensen
Bluegrass changes keys a lot to best fit the singer's voice, and a little music theory can help you move what you already know from one key to another so you don't have to sit out those songs in a jam. If you can count to seven you can understand the circle of fifths. Bring your instrument and we'll walk through the circle with the minimum pain possible with lots of time for questions.

2:00 PM: French Canadian tunes - Pamela Longtine-America
Learn and play French Canadian tunes on fiddle

3:00 PM: Melodic Clawhammer and Using the "Pitchfork Stroke" - Caleb James Hall
The Pitchfork Stroke is a melodic technique for clawhammer banjo. The term was coined by Cameron DeWhitt the banjoist/host of the podcast "Getup In The Cool." This technique offers a way to access more melody notes using an up-picking style but without losing any clawhammer movement. Students will learn to use this technique while also learning the fiddle tune "Waynesboro."

Studio 5:

10:00 AM: Building instruments for the best sound - David Vincent
There are about as many different ways to get the best sound when building an instrument as there are luthiers. Most of them have applications whether your building guitars, mandolins, fiddles, and yes, even banjos. We'll discuss and demonstrate several of them.

11:00 AM: Mandolin leads for beginners - Carla Jessica Fahlin
This is great tool to quickly learn. In music theory beginners hear about numbers and terminology, but in order for that information to make more sense I relate things to children’s songs that feature key music theory structures( and would have students prove so in lessons).

12:00 PM: Building Your Repertoire - Jim Price
Building Your Repertoire will add diversity to your portfolio and bring your skills to a broader range of performing opportunities. Open to all experince levels and instruments.

1:00 PM: Intermediate Bluegrass Banjo - Licks For The Middle of the Neck - Jed Malischke
If you are an intermediate level bluegrass banjo player you know about playing frets one through five. You might even be versatile above the seventh fret. In this workshop we'll look at frets five to seven and discover easy licks that can be used in quite a variety of situations.

2:00 PM: Fiddle & Banjo Duet Workshop - Rob Daves & Caleb Hall
The classic pairing: Old time fiddle and banjo. Get some hints at getting the most out of your instruments. We'll teach at least one tune and use it to demonstrate how to use each instrument's unique characteristics to create a great duet sound.

3:00 PM: The Generic Bluegrass Song - Basics For Jam Sessions - Jed Malischke
How can I play along on songs I don't know in jam sessions? Knowing what the structure of a generic bluegrass song looks like, and the basic rules for chords and chord changes can help. These ideas can work for any instrument and playing level.

4:00 PM: Blues in Bluegrass for Fiddle and Mandolin! - Brian Wicklund
Bluegrass is half blues. Learn what notes to alter in your solos to create a bluesy vibe.

Studio 9:

10:00 AM: Introduction to Songwriting. Tell your story with a song! - Tom Peschges
Introduction to Songwriting - How to get started writing our own songs. We'll cover basic song structure, developing lyrics and melodies, and where to find ideas. We will also explore the world of co-writing. Knowing how to play an instrument is helpful but not mandatory!

2:00 PM: Beginning Improvisation on Guitar - Greg Landkamer
Do you shake your head “no” when it’s your turn to take a break during a jam? Discover the art of guitar improvisation in a beginner-friendly workshop. Learn basic concepts, techniques and exercises to unleash your creativity on the fretboard. Gain confidence in playing with others, primarily for beginners.

3:00 PM: Bluegrass and the Bow - Elizabeth Pim & Paul Carlson
Learn how to get the best sound out of your instrument! Have you wanted to learn how to make your leads soar? Have you wanted to play in a jam and not play louder than the guitar player, yet sound fabulous? We will learn bow techniques and exercises to help you accomplish these goals!

Dates: March 1 - 3, 2024

Location:

Crowne Plaza Minneapolis West,
3131 Campus Drive,
Plymouth, MN 55441.

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