Bluegrass is back at Caltech as Witcher, Recupido and Levitt perform on Saturday, December 3 in Beckman Institute Auditorium (Little Beckman) at 8:00 PM. Featuring Dennis Witcher, founding member of the Witcher Brothers (mandolin, vocals, dobro), his longtime singing and songwriting partner in that group, Tony Recupido (guitar, vocals), frailing banjo player (2 finger style), Dan Levitt, and an upright bass player. Dennis Witcher has long been known for his singing and mandolin playing with the Witcher Brothers, as well as his extraordinary emceeing at bluegrass festivals and the Topanga Festival. Whether singing or talking, Dennis is great behind a mic. When Tony Recupido joined the Witcher Brothers, he added some great guitar and vocals and he and Dennis have continued to write some excellent songs to supplement the group’s unique mix of bluegrass and country standards, as well as some other interesting covers. When they found Dan Levitt, a man already known for his banjo playing, a solo recording, and for making beautiful and great sounding banjos. Check out his web site, www.FancyBanjo.com for more about him. The Folk Music Society was involved in getting these guys back to performing in Southern California on a more or less regular basis, when they performed a couple of times at the Coffee Gallery Backstage, with the generosity of Bob Stane, in a pair of fundraisers for our friend, Pitt Kinsolving. It is time to get them on our own stage! They are kind of under the radar at this point, without a recording or web site, but you can sample a few of their songs from last year’s fundraiser at the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena. Do check them out and mark your calendar!
Tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for Caltech students and children. Call the Caltech Ticket Office Monday through Friday, 9:00AM- 4:00 PM at (626) 395-4652. You can buy tickets online for this show and you can buy them by phone and credit card by calling the Ticket Office. Tickets will also be available at the door on the night of the show. See the other great things coming up in 2017 here.
We sadly note the passing of Leonard Cohen on Monday, November 7. His song, Democracy, takes on a great irony in light of this week’s election.
This Saturday, November 12 between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM, the annual Put the Fork in Hunger food drive at the “fork in the road,” where the Coffee Gallery’s Bob Stane was honored by his friend, Ken Marshall, with a whimsical fork sculpture at the distinctive intersection just south of the Huntington Hospital in Pasadena. Bring non-perishable foods to this intersection at 200 Bellefontaine Street. The event also has a Facebook page. They say them may continue the event on Sunday the 13th, but try to make it on Saturday. The event is a chance to feel good about doing a good deed, wear a smile when you see that big fork, and perhaps to honor Bob Stane, even if he isn’t directly involved in this effort. He has been such a supporter of “the music.”
Once again, if you are looking for something to do this weekend, the Contemporary Crafts Market is coming to the Pasadena Convention Theater November 11-13. Stop by and see some fine original works! They are open 10 AM to 6PM on Friday and Saturday, 10AM to 5PM on Sunday. You can get free admission by showing this page on your mobile device or printing the page and bringing it. The Pasadena Convention Center is at 300 E. Green Street in Pasadena.