For the ninth year, the Freight celebrates incredible talent with the Berkeley Bluegrass Festival, May 2-4, 2025. With concerts programmed by Grammy-award winner Laurie Lewis, plus curated instructional workshops, Berkeley Bluegrass Festival brings together leaders of the genre, up-and-coming artists, and music fans for three days of concerts, jams, workshops (free for ticket holders!), and good old-fashioned merriment to kick off the summer music festival season.

Schedule

Friday, May 2, 2025

John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band, Tray Wellington, Fog Holler

Lobby: Jesse Appelman’s West Coast Stringband Project

J2B2 (John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band)

J2B2 is an all-star bluegrass supergroup featuring four legendary, award-winning musicians – John Jorgenson on acoustic guitar, mandolin and vocals; Herb Pedersen on banjo, acoustic guitar and vocals; Mark Fain on bass; and Patrick Sauber on acoustic guitar and vocals – delivering bluegrass like no one has ever heard it before. The band’s undeniable live shows have received stellar reviews and have the bluegrass world buzzing. The four combine forces to form a spot-on union of impeccable musicianship, incomparable songwriting, incredible harmony vocals (a fresh twist combining bluegrass with elements of West Coast folk rock) and seasoned showmanship. This is the “high lonesome sound” of American roots music at its finest.

Tray Wellington

Banjo player Tray Wellington’s approach to the quintessential American instrument is all about looking forward. An International Bluegrass Music Association Award winner, Wellington is critically acclaimed not only for his technical prowess, but also for leveraging his unique point of view to craft a one-of-a-kind voice on the instrument. It’s a feat that’s all too rare in these roots genres that seem to value emulation and regurgitation over all else. Instead, Wellington has time and time again reasserted that his playing style, and all of the many varied and disparate parts that combine within it, is wholly his own – and it’s unconcerned with tradition.

Fog Holler

Fog Holler is a bluegrass band with an edge. What gives them that edge is a topic of hot debate. For some, it’s musicianship - these bluegrass cats shred. For others, it’s the songwriting, traditional in style but topical in substance. Sometimes, they undeniably snare people with the squad factor - folks see 4 grown adults in matching monochrome, and they get curious. The secret, according to Fog Holler, is simply that they write and play bluegrass in 2025, with similar intention but very different context from the genre’s originators. Inspired by a range of influences from The Stanley Brothers to Buck Owens to Meshuggah, Fog Holler breathes fresh life into well worn forms like the murder ballad and the power waltz.

Jesse Appelman’s West Coast Stringband Project

This new collective unites three standout musicians from the California bluegrass scene, crafting a sound defined by strong melodies, rich vocal harmonies, and solid groove. The core trio features Jesse Appelman (mandolin), Yoseff Tucker (guitar), and Christine Wilhoyte (banjo), joined by bassist Mark Schatz and fiddler Brandon Godman for this show. Their repertoire spans original compositions and classics from bluegrass legends. Deeply informed by tradition while exploring new textures, the group represents the future of California's vibrant roots music scene.

Advance Tickets: $64.00 (includes all fees); Day of Show Tickets: $69.00 (includes all fees)

Doors: 6:00PM; Show: 7:00PM

Buy Tickets

Click Here for Three Day Passes: $125 (includes all fees)

Saturday, May 3, 2025

Mr. Sun, Dom Flemons' "Shultz's Dream, Salty Sally

Lobby: The Town Howlers

Mr. Sun

Mr Sun comprises some of the most original musicians to apply themselves to the American String Band. Legendary fiddler Darol Anger is at home in a number of musical genres, some of which he helped to invent, and is a member of the original "nuclear" generation of pickers who extended Bluegrass, Jazz, and Classical music to find their common ground; Mr Sun is the latest iteration in that legacy. Joe K. Walsh is one of the foremost contemporary mandolinists, with 4 award-winning years in the Gibson Brothers, 3 solo recordings, and a Berklee professorship. Grant Gordy is a standout in the crowded field of Acoustic Guitar Wunderkinds. Grant's work was quickly recognized for its kaleidoscopic excellence and startling emotion, fusing Jazz, R&B, and Bluegrass concepts to an unprecedented degree. The group recently added the masterful bassist Aidan O'Donnell, a Brooklyn, New York (by way of Scotland) jazz veteran.

Dom Flemons’ “Shultz’s Dream”

Dom Flemons has assembled a string band to interpret what Arnold Shultz might have sounded in rural Kentucky in the early 1900s. The band is led by Dom Flemons (The American Songster). He is joined by Dante’ Pope (formerly of Crossrhodes), Brian Farrow (of Gangstagrass), IBMA Award winning banjo player Tray Wellington, and expert Dr. Richard Brown. 

Salty Sally

Salty Sally features several young artists whose repertoire draws from bluegrass, folk, jazz and other styles. Sophia Sparks, a YoungArts Award winner and the 2024 RockyGrass mandolin contest winner, has been passionate about mandolin since she joined Sierra Hull on stage at age 9. Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter Lucy Khadder is a YoungArts Award winner who has twice been featured as a Next Generation Jazz artist at the Monterey Jazz Festival. MK Martinez Griffith is a cellist and violinist who has played with the Oakland Symphony Orchestra, Mariachi Juvenil de Hayward, and the Oakland Symphony Youth Orchestra. And finally, lead vocalist Naima Nascimento is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who performed at the 2024 BottleRock Festival and has been featured in Rolling Stone Magazine and on Access Hollywood.

The Town Howlers

The Town Howlers play traditional bluegrass music and are influenced by the great singers and pickers from the golden era of bluegrass, such as Bill Monroe, The Stanley Brothers, Vern Williams, and Jimmy Martin. With flashy picking, tight harmony singing, and original as well as traditional songs, the Town Howlers show a deference to traditional bluegrass while also adding their own style and sound.

Advance Tickets: $64.00 (includes all fees); Day of Show Tickets: $69.00 (includes all fees)

Doors: 6:00PM; Show: 7:00PM

Buy Tickets

Click Here for Three Day Passes: $125 (includes all fees)

Sunday, May 4, 2025

Della Mae, Po' Ramblin' Boys, Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands

Lobby: Bean Creek

Della Mae

Della Mae is a Grammy-nominated, all-women string band made up of founder and fiddle player Kimber Ludiker, lead vocalist/guitarist Celia Woodsmith, guitarist Avril Smith, and bassist Vickie Vaughn.  

Po’ Ramblin' Boys

At a time when most people feel constantly distracted by technology and barraged by the news, authenticity and straightforward honesty are paramount. There’s something about the music of The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys that cuts right through the noise of the world and speaks plainly to the soul. Formed ten years ago in the Smoky Mountains in 2014, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys are at once exactly what you would expect and not at all what you would expect from a tattooed East Tennessee Bluegrass outfit. But they take pride in being ambassadors of their genre, and the group has brought their music from rural bluegrass festival stages to the rock clubs of Europe, with stunning results.

Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands

For nearly four decades, Laurie Lewis has gathered fans and honors for her powerful and emotive voice and her versatile, dynamic songwriting. She is a sought-after recording producer and an equally skilled teacher and mentor. She has shown us how to lead bands of talented musicians – learning from them while helping them make their best music. And she has shown us how to thrive in a constantly changing musical environment – without ever sacrificing her art. Her talented Right Hands currently consist of Brandon Godman (fiddle), Hasee Ciaccio (bass), and George Guthrie (banjo). 

Bean Creek

Bean Creek is a bluegrass band that plays straight-ahead traditional bluegrass. Slightly revised since the passing of original band member Peter Hicks, they are joined by Henry and Ella Warde. Enthusiasm, passion, and fine song choices, including rousing instrumentals and heartfelt ballads, are guaranteed to delight foot-stompin’ audiences. Dulcet harmonies and fun stage banter abound.

Advance Tickets: $64.00 (includes all fees); Day of Show Tickets: $69.00 (includes all fees)

Doors: 6:00PM; Show: 7:00PM

Buy Tickets

Click Here for Three Day Passes: $125 (includes all fees)

Date: May 2 - 4, 2025

Location: Freight And Salvage

2020 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA 94704

Click Here For More Information