Phil Salazar has been one of the mainstays in Southern California bluegrass for a good many years. He has pulled bluegrass in many directions and he has played in many memorable configurations during this time. One of these groupings began as the Phil Salazar Band back in 1983. This is such an amazing grouping and they have now become more of a full time band. You can count on a great show. Kin Folk includes Phil on fiddle and guitar, Tom Corbett (who also plays in many other configurations) on mandolin and guitar, Bill Knopf, the longtime great banjo player, Charl Ann Gastineau, the fantastic other half of the “twin fiddles,” and Rick Borella, their longtime rock solid bass player, along with their newest member Bill Flores, yet another high-demand, busy musician, on dobro, accordion and guitar. Phil, Bill, and Tom all sing lead and backing vocals, so we’ll all have a great time together. They have released recordings over the years, including a few when they morphed into The Acousticats for a few years with Cyrus Clarke. They play in the style of bluegrass, but draw from a wealth of genres including folk, rock, traditional American, cajun, Irish, jazz, country, and cowboy. Their performances together have been infrequent, so don’t miss this show! Find out a bit more about them at pskfband.com .

Here they are, with a modified line-up:

Tickets can be purchased on the phone (626-395-4652) with a credit card (a service charge will be added per order), purchased at the Caltech Public Events Ticket Office in the Spalding Building (California Blvd. and Wilson Avenue) for face value (open Monday-Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ), purchased online (click on red ticket below- service charge added per ticket, sales end 2 days before show), or purchased at the door for cash or check (no credit cards.)

Phil Salazar and Kin Folk may be the Folk Music Society’s last concert for the summer, but we will be co-sponsoring a memorial for Rosalie Sorrels with some of her friends and family the next week, on Sunday, August 20 at 7:00 PM in our familiar Beckman Institute Auditorium (Little Beckman.) Rosalie, a terrific singer, songwriter, musician and storyteller passed away on June 11 and this will be a chance for friends, a few family members, and the many who knew her from her songs and performances to remember how special she was. We are very proud that we featured her three times at Caltech. The event will be free, and though it will feature some music, it will, in the tradition of Rosalie, feature many stories and memories as well. Mark the calendar!

For those unfamiliar with Caltech, Beckman Institute is actually located at 400 South Wilson Avenue in Pasadena. While there may be limited street parking, there are parking lots located at the southern stub of Michigan Avenue (one block east of Wilson), below Del Mar Boulevard. Beckman Institute is located west of the distinctive large white wedding cake Beckman Auditorium (NOT part of Beckman Institute), easily seen from Michigan Avenue. A series of pools (fountains at times) points toward Beckman Institute, and the auditorium is located on the first floor. The auditorium holds just under 200 people, and we don’t know how many folks to expect for the memorial, so we recommend arriving a bit early.

Some festivals you might want to make note of:

Grand Performances (Downtown Los Angeles, California Plaza) June 2- Sept. 22. Very eclectic line-up, including diverse music, films, children’s shows, and theater. All shows are free

Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles in MacArthur Park– June 17- September 10 all shows free.

Levitt Pavillion Pasadena in Pasadena’s Memorial Park June 29- Sept 23. All shows are free

Culver City’s Boulevard Music Summer Festival Free Thursday night shows outside Culver City’s City Hall beginning July 6.

Twilight Concert Series Santa Monica Pier July 7- September 8 Free Thursday evening concerts- schedule not yet set

Summergrass San Diego (in Vista, CA) August 18-19

The Santa Barbara Acoustic Instrument Celebration August 25-27

Strawberry Music Festival Fall Festival in Tuolumne, August 31-September 4

Millpond Festival Bishop CA September 15-17

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (San Francisco Golden Gate Park) October 6-8 Multiple stages, all venues are free. Extravaganza festival with a lot of big names and a lot of people. No 2017 schedule as yet

Stow House Old Time Fiddler’s Convention and Festival Goleta CA October 8