Bluegrass in the Ko`olaus

If you’ve ever tapped your toe to the sound of a banjo or a fiddle, you will almost certainly enjoy Bluegrass in the Koolaus.

And if you have ever attended a bluegrass festival and had the unforgettable experience of total banjo and fiddle immersion,

Bluegrass in the Koolaus, a twice-annual, completely FREE event hosted by Bluegrass Hawaii, will present its fall event on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, September 9, 10, and 11, 2011. The bluegrass weekend takes place in one of the loveliest locations for an acoustic jam session that you will ever see. Nestled against the base of the jagged emerald Koolau Mountains, Hoomaluhia Botanical Gardens is an exotic Eden of rare flora from Hawaii and all over the world.

“It’s not unusual to wake up in the morning to fiddle music and the site of a half-dozen waterfalls up on the Koolaus,” says society founder Caroline Wright. “What a perfect spot for a bluegrass festival!”

The September 2011 event will feature instrumental and vocal workshops, Band Scrambles and a Gospel Sing, and jamming all weekend long—a great intensive musical experience for people who play stringed acoustic instruments. It will also include a very special unplugged performance and band dynamics workshop by Oahu’s own premier progressive bluegrass band, the Saloon Pilots.

Amateur musicians who play acoustic stringed instruments (including ukelele) and enjoy bluegrass, newgrass, mountain, roots, traditional country, Hawaiian, Americana, folk, Western, Celtic, and Irish music are welcome to participate in all jams, activities and workshops! (Listeners, of course, are welcome, too!)

The event is FREE, though donations are welcome. Camping is available by permit. Past events have welcomed guests from the Mainland, France, Germany, Hungary, and Japan, as well as Kauai, Maui and the Big Island. Families, bluegrass and traditional music lovers, amateur and professional musicians and vocalists, nature lovers, campers and free spirits will love this event! Visit www.bluegrasshawaii.com for details.

Video

See Bluegrass Hawaii’s past events at Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UYzCRB1264&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52l5AnEFVPo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smOXc-Rvlaw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGhjAHgyuUY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol64YXyoXsQ&feature=related