Hipster Hoedown, the Bay Area’s latest Americana calendar to list bluegrass and old time festivals, gigs, dances and jams, joins the Northern California Bluegrass Association and California Bluegrass Association as Internet hot spots for bands and players on the acoustic side of twang.
Bands and players? There’s a notable difference in the world of acoustic Americana where those who play regularly but are not in bands outnumber those who are in them. A variety of jams, pickin’ parties, BBQs and festival campgrounds offer opportunities for free-lance pickers to play where business-oriented music venues dare not tread. Acoustic Americana is also kid-friendly which makes free-lancing easy for parents and getting started on an instrument easy for the young ‘uns who in turn provide a steady stream of new talent for bands.
Square and contra dancing are another dimension of acoustic Americana, and Hipster Hoedown obliges by listing dance events and writing about Square and Contra Dancing in its news section.
The Hicks with Sticks Calendar page, your portal to what’s twangin’ in the Bay Area, provides links to swing, Cajun/zydeco, blues and now two bluegrass calendars: the CBA’s and Hipster Hoedown’s.