2013 Heritage Music and Arts Festival!

Friends since they were teenagers, California country rock and bluegrass legends Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen’s have teamed up to bring four decades of musicianship to their concerts. An inductee into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, guitarist and mandolin player Hillman has played everything from bluegrass to jazz as a member of groups such as The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers and the Desert Rose Band.

Banjo picker and vocalist Herb Pedersen has brought his talent to work with such artists as Johnny Rivers, Dan Fogelberg, James Taylor and many others. His music is also the legend of several TV and movie soundtracks. Together, they will engage audiences with their wonderful vocal skills and playing repertoire – everything from honky-tonk rock’n’roll to bluegrass melodies with Tex-Mex and Cajun thrown in for good measure.

Guitar instrumentalist, composer and humorist Toulouse Engelhardt, the celebrated guitar virtuoso, was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but has lived immersed in Southern California beach culture for much of the past four decades. Over the years Toulouse has earned accolades from serious critics of the guitar and the public alike for his lightning-fast guitar stylings and colorful, cinematic melodies.

He was the last original member of the so-called “Takoma Seven,” the highly celebrated innovators of finger-style guitar that recorded for Takoma Records from 1965 to 1976 and included John Fahey and Leo Kottke. Today many in the music industry believe that Toulouse Engelhardt deserves a place among the elite group of legendary guitar masters.

Dennis Roger Reed, a noted singer and songwriter, returns from his success with “Little King of Dreams” with this back porch influenced effort. Special guests include the legendary Chris Darrow on fiddle, lap guitar and vocals, and bottleneck and swing guitarist extraordinaire Mike Dowling.

Reed spent five years and recorded two albums as the bass player, songwriter and high harmony vocalist for the Andy Rau Band. He also recorded two albums with roots/rock/blues band Blue Mama.

He’s had songs published and recorded in the Nashville, bluegrass and blues markets. His first solo CD, “Little King of Dreams,” garnered critical acclaim and radio airplay throughout the world.

Conjunto Los Pochos  core members, Otoño Luján (button-accordion) and Elliott Baribeault (bajo sexto) met in 1996 at the California Institute of the Arts. The two Southern California natives started playing traditional conjunto music as a duet at backyard barbeques and private parties. In the summer of 1997, the four-piece ensemble “Conjunto Los Pochos” was born.

Conjunto Los Pochos has lived this music at dance halls, weddings, concerts and a variety of venues from the Eastside to the Westside, throughout Southern California and across the country. They have developed their unique sound that combines elements of both Texas and Mexico conjunto styles with original music as well as classic favorites.

They have been joined by Ernesto Molina (1999) and veteran musician, Lorenzo Martinez (2001), who have toured and recorded two CDs with the band: “Margie’s” (2004) and “Dame Más Amor” (2009).

Los Pochos has performed regularly at the Annual Grassroots Music Festivals and at the Annual Tejano Conjunto Festival in San Antonio, Texas. The band has performed alongside legendary musicians such as Flaco Jimenez, Poncho Sánchez, Valerio Longoria, Los Dos Gilbertos and Little Joe y La Familia.

Rocky Neck Bluegrass Band is a Southern California based group featuring Devitt Feeley, Lydia Veilleux, and Craig Ferguson who got their start in the bluegrass music field by winning first place in the 2009 Topanga Banjo and Fiddle “Band Contest”. In January of 2012 they took first place in the California Bluegrass Association’s “Great 48 Showcase Showdown”, competing against the top bluegrass bands from across the state.

Rocky Neck Bluegrass Band plays at the premiere Bluegrass and Country venues across Southern California and has 2012 festival appearances scheduled at the Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival in Grass Valley and the Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest and Folk Festival. They are also a regular on the wedding circuit and have appeared on an episode of WETV’s “My Fair Wedding” with David Tutera as well as in a cover story photo spread in C Magazine’s wedding edition. The band has also played weddings featured on the covers of People Magazine, Hello Magazine, and Us Weekly.

The 20-member band “A Wing and a Prayer” play the classics from the Big Band Era.

“The meat is fall-off-the-bone tender and served on a soft white bun,
just as they do down South. Only one complaint: ask for an extra side of barbecue sauce; the smoky and tangy sauce is that good.”
-The New York Times

Chuckwagon soda joins the festival again for its 2nd year!
Choose from red birch beer, black cherry, sarsaparilla, vanilla cream, orange cream, root beer, and diet root beer. All sodas are caffeine free and made from 100% pure cane sugar.