This year’s performers include Grammy-Winning singer of Nickel Creek fame Sean Watkins, Profound folk master Jody Stecher (who influenced and collaborated with Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, David Bromberg..), Indian violin maestro and international treasure Kala Ramnath, award winning banjoist, historian, journalist and NPR news voice Paul Brown, mesmerizing dance phenomenon Nic Gareiss, bluegrass veteran bassist/dancer Mark Schatz, Jazz violin genius Billy Contreras, Scottish fiddle champion Ryan McKasson, legendary Appalachian music masters John Herrmann & Chicken Train, Irish tenor banjo virtuoso Dave Cory, bluegrass guitar wizard David Grier, chambergrass innovators The Bee Eaters, And many many more!
This one-night lineup isn’t to be found anywhere else in the world.
Dozens of world renowned acoustic musicians will gather from across the US, Wednesday July 8, 2015, 7 p.m., at College of the Siskiyous’ Kenneth Ford Theatre for the 11th annual Summer String Summit, produced by renowned acoustic musicians and educators Tristan and Tashina Clarridge.
The Summit has earned a reputation as an evening of epic proportions, each July uniting a staggering array of the most influential and innovative acoustic performers, for a monumental journey of bluegrass, old-time, jazz, Celtic, and Indian music, and dance, with many special guests and spontaneous collaborations.
Six-time Grand National Fiddle Champions and northern California natives Tashina and Tristan Clarridge have grown up in the company of these musicians, living and breathing music since the age of two.
“Tashina and I were privileged to grow up in an unusual way, which prepared us for the way this event unfolds. Our family lived very communally, and music was at the heart of it all; we’d sometimes drive 2500 miles to go meet some musicians and get a lesson and go to a fiddle camp, then we’d backpack into the woods for weeks at a time. It was a really simple and beautiful way of life, and we want to offer to others what we’ve experienced” says Tristan. “These are some of the musical friends we’ve made as we travel through life.. This project certainly isn’t a business, it’s a community. And we’ll be sharing a good bit of that community in Weed on July 8th”
Tickets to the Summer String Summit are available at
by calling (800) 838-3006 (24/7 hotline).
Village Books in Mt. Shasta
Tickets may be available at the door, and can be purchased with cash or check.
Adults: $20 Advance / $23 Door
Youth (25 and under): half price
Children (12 and under): FREE!
Kenneth Ford Theatre 800 College Ave Weed, CA
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
For the past half century Jody Stecher‘s deep and vivid music has inspired four generations of musicians and music lovers on five continents. A renowned singer and multi-instrumentalist regarded as one of America’s leading traditional folk artists, Jody has collaborated with David Grisman, Jerry Garcia, Peter Rowan, Alasdair Fraser, Krishna Bhatt and Kate Brislin to name a few. His Grammy nominated, Indy Award winning recordings span bluegrass, traditional old-time and Indian classical. Jody is known for his “ability to capture the essence and core of traditional music” and “to crystalize the spiritual essence of a song while making it his own”. Accolades include ” a creative master”, “achingly expressive” and “a national treasure”. David Bromberg said, “Jody Stecher was basically my teacher. He opened my ears to more beautiful music than anyone else ever did… more than I ever knew existed. He is also one of my favorite musicians on Earth to play with. I have never known anyone so intensely and completely enveloped in music. It’s my suspicion that if you drained all the music out of Jody, you could carry what was left around in an eye dropper.” “A high, hotly honed voice, sometimes cutting through melodies like a scythe, sometimes unfolding like fine old velvet, warm and worn just right, beyond his years. His guitar, fiddle and mandolin playing are the stuff for which the critical cliches “soulful” and “masterful” were invented. Singing like the ghost of himself, lost in the foggy ruins of time and dreams, Stecher lands the most elusive catch of all – the truth.” -No Depression
Violin maestro Kala Ramnath, the contemporary torch bearer of the Mewati Gharana, belongs to a violin dynasty from India- a unique musical lineage of seven generations which straddles both the classical systems of the subcontinent. Born into a family of prodigious musical talent which has given Indian music such violin legends as Prof. T.N. Krishnan and Dr. N. Rajam, Kala began violin studies at age 3, under the strict tutelage of her grandfather Vidwan. NARAYAN IYER. Simultaneously she received training from her aunt Dr. Smt. N. RAJAM. For fifteen years she put herself under the training of Mewati vocal maestro, Sangeet Martand PANDIT JASRAJ. This has brought a rare vocal emotionalism to her art.
She has performed at all the major music festivals in India, and dozens of music festivals worldwide, such as North Sea Jazz Festival in Cape Town, South Africa, Celebrations of India’s fiftieth year of Independence in Europe, Festival of India presented by Government of India in Dhaka Bangladesh,and the South Asian Heritage Festival in Toronto, Canada. She has extensively toured the United States, Canada, UK, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Italy, France, Belgium, Greece, Russia, South Africa, Seychelles, Middle East, Trinidad, Kenya, Tanzania, Australia, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Mauritius etc.
Paul Brown is a master of traditional southern music, with a passion for truth and wisdom, and the voice to share it. He recently concluded 14 years in executive, editorial and on-air positions at NPR in Washington, his last position as the network’s top-of-hour morning newscaster.
As a young child, Paul learned songs his mother had learned as a kid in Piedmont, Virginia. His playing bears influences of the North Carolina and Virginia masters he sought out and studied with as a young man, such as Benton Flippen, Tommy Jarrell, Luther Davis and Robert Sykes. He has recorded and produced highly regarded albums of traditional musicians, and appeared at camps and festivals around the U.S. since the early 1970s.
A masterful bluegrass guitarist with a sharp wit, David Grier is “a willful, accurate instrumentalist who’s every note seems to run through a bright, intelligent sieve. He maintains an unqualified standard of excellence… always with a knack for unorthodox surprise”. (Claire Lynch) Grier is featured on the Grammy Winning recording, “True Life Blues-The Songs of Bill Monroe” and is a three-time IBMA Guitar Player of the Year.
Nic Gareiss is truly a phenomenon of percussive dance. “The human epitome of the unbearable lightness of being…Gareiss is more fleet of foot than an Olympian sprinter and more buoyant than a helium-filled balloon…his restraint is palpable and freeform flight is inevitable.” (Siobhán Long, The Irish Times) “Mesmerizing…a whirling dervish in tap shoes.”– Bay City Times). “A show-stopper…this Michigan native may be the most inventive and expressive step dancer on the scene. The nimble Gareiss called forth visions of Fred Astaire.” (Daniel Gewertz, The Boston Herald).Nic has performed with The Chieftains, Dervish, Gráda, Beoga, Téada, FIDIL, Le Vent du Nord, Genticorum, Dr. Anthony Barrand, Liz Carroll, Frankie Gavin, Martin Hayes, Bruce Molsky, Darol Anger and Alasdair Fraser. www.NicGareiss.com
A native of the Sierra Nevada foothills, Keith Littleis a nationally acclaimed musician, vocalist, recording artist, composer, and producer. His collaboration with bluegrass legends Vern and Ray evolved into a tenure with Rose Maddox and the Vern Williams Band, in what has proven to be a milestone in west coast country music. Over a forty year career, Keith has been an important member of many national touring bands (Country Gentlemen, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Lonesome Standard Time), and has performed on the Grammy-Winning recordings “The Grass Is Blue” and “Little Sparrow” by Dolly Parton, and “Another Country” by the Chieftains. Keith is a featured member of the David Grisman Bluegrass Experience, and the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band. His compositions have been recorded by Crystal Gayle, Longview, Claire Lynch, Tim O’Brien, and the Whites (among others).
Young violinist, composer and multi-instrumentalist Duncan Wickel is quickly becoming known for his stylistic mastery of Jazz, Irish, Old Time and Bluegrass music, captivating audiences and fellow musicians with his creativity as well as the subtle authenticity and chameleon-like ease in which he blends and changes styles. The Boston Globe said “[he is] as persuasive in a traditional Irish ballad as he is country fiddling or ripping through cascading classical flourishes or atonal double stops”.
Ben Krakauer is a phenomenal banjoist and composer with a strikingly original style, drawing on his deep love of bluegrass, new acoustic music (he toured with David Grisman), jazz, and most recently, traditional Bengali folk music.
A masterful Texas fiddler, Luke Price began competing in fiddle contests at age 7, going on to win National titles at ages 12 and 17, along with a long list of awards from all over the country, including the Grand Masters in Nashville TN. While continuing to carry on the Texas fiddling and contest traditions, Luke has expanded his playing to many other styles, namely; jazz, soul, blues,?funk, bluegrass, and pop.
A true master of Appalachian mountain music, John Herrmannhas traveled the world performing for over thirty years, with extensive touring in France, Germany, Italy and Japan. Equally adept on banjo, fiddle, mandolin, bass, and guitar, he has recorded at least fifty records on labels such as Rounder, County, and Sugar Hill, (most notably with Art Stamper and Ralph Blizard), and performed numerous times at the Smithsonian Folk Festival, and the National Heritage Award Ceremony. North Carolina fiddler John Engle is a master of the fiddling style of the legendary Tommy Jarrell and others.
Lauded by many as one of the greatest jazz violinists alive, Billy Contreras toured for years with country music icon George Jones, and has recorded for the likes of Willie Nelson.
Dave Cory is a leading exponent of irish tenor banjo, known for hisdriving impeccable rhythm, innovative variations, and abounding virtuosity coupled with profound understanding of the traditional idiom.
“Adam [Agee]‘s music has been familiar to me for many years… I’ve never heard him play a note that wasn’t sincere and from the heart. His music is true and free from pretense. He constantly seeks the deepest expression of the music.”-Martin Hayes
Raised in the mountains of Santa Cruz California, Adam came first to Ireland in 2004, basing himself in Ennis, County Clare. He has studied with many of today’s living tradition-bearers, and journeyed deep into the Irish idiom. His connection to his instrument and the transcendent energy in his music are guaranteed to captivate and uplift listeners.
Though only 24 years old, mandolinist Dominick Leslie has spent every one of those years immersed in bluegrass and acoustic music, and his innovative style and musical curiosity are informed by these deep roots. He has studied with mandolin masters David Grisman, Mike Marshall and Chris Thile, won numerous mandolin championships, and performed in France as a member of Mike Marshall’s Young American Mandolin Ensemble. He has toured with The Bee Eaters, The Grant Gordy Quartet, Noam Pikelny and Friends and can currently be seen as a member of The Deadly Gentlemen. www.DeadlyGentlemen.com
6 time Grand National Fiddle Champion siblings Tristan and Tashina Clarridge join hammer dulcimer wizard Simon Chrisman to form The Bee Eaters. “chamber music’s finely calibrated arrangements with bluegrass’s playful virtuosity and pop music’s melodic resourcefulness” –The Boston Globe.
At the forefront of the folk-cello revolution, Tristan Clarridge is a member of internationally acclaimed group Crooked Still and has toured with Natalie MacMaster, Darol Anger, Mike Marshall, and Bruce Molsky. Tashina Clarridge has performed at Carnegie Hall with renowned bassist Edgar Meyer, and has toured with Mark O’Connor, Laurie Lewis, Tony Trischka and others.
-from press release