Mother’s Boys is a relatively new ensemble of four extremely talented veteran musicians who have come together to play some of the great songs of Clinch Mountain, Virginia’s Carter Family, who took the world of country music by storm in the late 1920’s, 1930’s and early 1940’s. Songs like You’ve Been a Friend to Me, Keep on the Sunny Side, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, and many others, live on today, and this quartet has done a wonderful job performing some of these songs on last year’s recording, Home Among the Hills: a Musical Tribute to the Carter Family. The album includes guest appearances by Moira Smiley, Fred Sokolow, Susie Glaze, Laurie Lewis and Aubrey Richmond, so it is quite a production. We’ll be treated to Mother’s Boys’ fine vocals and harmonies, plus their excellent instrumental skills, with Peter Feldmann, mandolin and guitar, Rick Cunha, guitar, David Dawson, autoharp, and David Jackson, bass. Peter performed at Caltech four years ago with the Very Lonesome Boys, as well as way back in 1999 along with Richard Greene and Tom Sauber. He is not only a widely known and respected musician and singer, but he is very knowledgeable historian who has written about old time, bluegrass, and folk music in general. We are very happy to welcome him back. Rick Cunha, a very fine vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist, who has worked with Mason Williams, the Smothers Brothers, Emmylou Harris, and many others, will be making his Caltech debut. He spends most of his time these days working for others in his recording studio and his appearances are far too scarce. We’re delighted to bring him out of the shadows! David Jackson is an bass player extraordinaire, and he has worked with Hoyt Axton, Van Dyke Parks, John Denver, Jackson Browne, and many others. He performed in our series with the group New West, some years ago. David Dawson met Rick Cunha in Hawaii, and along with Rick, formed a folk/rock group, Hearts and Flowers, after they both moved to Los Angeles. He temporarily left music for the art world some years ago, when he moved to Colorado, but then released an autoharp album, Listen, a few years back. He has also recorded and performed with people like Linda Ronstadt and Jennifer Warrens. These four fine musicians do a fine job of celebrating the music of the Carter Family and they will do some other fine songs as well. Don’t miss the chance to hear them!

Click on the album cover below and then click on the arrow to play a song

Tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for children and Caltech students. They are available at the Caltech Ticket Office by calling (626) 395-4652 and at the Caltech Ticket Office in their new location at 1200 E. California Boulevard in Pasadena (Southeast corner of Wilson Avenue). Their usual hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. You can get them online (for a fee) until Thursday, August 2 here. There is a fee for phone orders and for online tickets, while purchases at the Ticket Office are free. Tickets can also be purchased (without additional fee) at the door of the venue one half hour before the show, but it is always wise to call the Ticket Office a day or two before a show to ensure they are not close to a sold out show. We hate to have to turn people away, which occasionally happens! Join our mailing list and you’ll be sure to be notified about the show a few weeks ahead of time.

The show will be in Beckman Institute Auditorium (“Little Beckman”) at 400 South Wilson Avenue. Free parking is available in the lot behind Beckman Auditorium (“Big Beckman). You can always find parking for our shows in the two parking structures on Wilson Avenue, just south of Del Mar Boulevard. On weekends and after 6:00 PM, you may park in spaces that have individual names. Restrictive wording at the structures refers to weekdays before 6:00 PM. There is also parking available on Wilson Avenue itself. Beckman Institute is on the other side of the large lawn on Wilson Avenue, on the first floor of the left portion of the building. If you get to the fountain and pools that point toward the white, round, building (Beckman Auditorium, which we refer to as “Big Beckman,” you have gone too far. See this map. Beckman Institute is building #74 and the parking structures are #123 and #124.

More Info: Mother’s Boys

Tickets: $20 / $5 for Caltech students and children..

A bit more about parking if you haven’t been to one of our shows for awhile:  There will be the usual limited parking right behind the large Beckman Auditorium- It is OK to park in slots with names on weekends and evenings, but the lot may fill up, depending on what other events may be taking place on the Caltech campus.  This is the best place to park for the handicapped (try to come a little early- email us at [email protected] if you need help planning your visit). The parking lots between Michigan and Wilson have been mostly closed- a new building will soon begin construction.  The most reliable parking will be on Wilson Avenue, either on the street or in the two parking structures just south of Del Mar Avenue, across the street from Beckman Institute.   One structure is just north of the Institute at 341 S. Wilson Avenue, and the other, 405 S. Wilson, is just a bit south of the Institute.   Rest assured that after 5PM on weekdays, and all day on weekends, you can park for free in these structures, despite signs that allude to the more restricted parking rules during the day on weekdays.   You are permitted to park in slots that have names on them here as well.  From the structures, walk around the big lawn (much of which is currently fenced in for the building projet to the north) in front of Beckman Institute and you will recognize where to go.  On this map, we are suggesting that you park in structures #123 and #124 in the upper left.    Beckman Institute is building #74, just to the east (right).  If you need help figuring this out, try calling (626) 616-4559

Festivals and free music series coming up through the end of summer:

June 28-July1 (Thursday- Sunday) Kate Wolf Festival Laytonville (Northern California)

Middle of July?  The Levitt Pavillion Pasadena group has run into some difficulties and is still hoping to have a few shows this summer, but no schedule yet.  (Pasadena’s Memorial Park- free. When schedule is finalized, it should be here

July 7- September 8 Altadena Concerts in the Park (Saturdays at 7:00 PM in Farnsworth Park)

July 7- September 8 last year, no schedule for 2018 yet Twilight Concert Series Santa Monica Pier   (Free Thursday evening concerts)

July 12- August 16 (Thursdays)  Culver City’s Boulevard Music Summer Festival– schedule just announced! (free)

August 17-19 (Friday-Sunday) Summergrass San Diego (in Vista, CA)

August 30- September 3 (Thursday- Monday)  Fall Strawberry Music Festival (Tuolumne, CA)

September 21-23 (Friday-Sunday)  Millpond Festival  (Bishop CA)   No daily 2018 schedule yet

October 5-7 ( Monday-Saturday) The Huck Finn Jubilee It’s coming back!  In Ontario.  No daily schedule yet

October   5-7 (Monday-Saturday) Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (San Francisco Golden Gate Park- free)  No 2018 schedule as yet

October 14 (Sunday) Santa Barbara Old Time Fiddler’s Festival (Stow House, Goleta, CA)    No daily schedule for 2018 yet