2025 Workshop Schedule
10:30-11:30 - Old-Time Fiddle: Rhythm & Groove with Gabrielle Macrae (Workshop A)
Gabrielle will teach an old time fiddle workshop with a focus on rhythmic bowing techniques. We will learn some material from her repertoire and talk about bowing and other ways to get more groove into your playing.
---
10:30-11:30 - Clawhammer Banjo with Barry Southern (Workshop B)
Come learn a couple of fun tunes on clawhammer banjo. We’ll work on some right hand rhythmic techniques, and talk about different approaches to melody and backing up fiddle tunes.
---
11:45-12:45 - West Virginia & Alabama Fiddle Tunes with Suzy Thompson (Workshop A)
Suzy will teach one or two of her favorite old-time tunes! We’ll be in standard tuning. Burl Hammons’ “Cumberland Gap” is a simple but fun tune from the storied Hammons family of West Virginia. Everis Campbell’s “Muddy Road To Texas”, which is from Alabama, has some cool twists and turns. Tunes will be taught by ear. You are welcome to use your phone to record or video.
---
11:45-12:45 - Watson Family Fiddle Tunes on Guitar with Eric Thompson (Workshop B)
Tunes from Gaither Carlton and Doc Watson — all levels welcome - Want to get to the next level with your guitar picking? Eric will show you how to improve your technique and address issues like speed, tone, accuracy and expression. We’ll work on one or two of Gaither Carlton’s fiddle tunes — he was Doc Watson’s father-in-law.
---
1:00-2:00 - How to Found a Fiddlers' Convention, A History with Peter Feldmann (Workshop A)
On Sunday, October 15, 1972 the first Santa Barbara Old Time Fiddlers' Convention took place on the lagoon in front of the UCEN at UCSB. Peter Feldmann, the founder of the event will talk about his creation. Peter will share stories and memories of the years of music that have made this event one of the significent folk music gatherings in California.
Peter will answer questions, such as "How did the Rolling Stones and the Santa Barbara Police Department assist in the creation?", "Who were the many people who helped make the event a success?", The "Hollywood Factor", and "How did the event move to the Stow House?" David Bragger, its current director, will offer some thoughts on the future of fiddling in Southern California.
---
1:00-2:00 - How to Play Spoons with Monika White (Workshop B)
This workshop offers an excellent opportunity for both beginners and those seeking to enhance their skills to learn basic techniques as well as explore more advanced methods under the guidance of Monika White, a highly experienced instructor.
---
2:00-3:00 - Appalachian Flatfooting with Afton Coombs (Flatfoot Area)
Learn the basics of Appalachian flatfoot dance, a social and improvisational percussive dance. In this workshop you will learn to do some simple steps and how to combine them together. The class is appropriate for all ages and closed-toed shoes are recommended.
---
2:00-3:00 - Weird Old-Time Texas Fiddle Tunes for Mandolin with Pat MacSwyney (Workshop A)
Pat will teach a few deranged “Old Time” Texas fiddle tunes from the underground recordings of Alton Meade and E.A. Dickenson;Texas Crackerjack Hotshot String Band for Mandolin. By way of Texas fiddler Howard Rains, these tunes are short, easy, deranged and super fun for all ages! Misguided players of the fiddle, banjo, euphonium and other instruments are more than welcome to join in. For this workshop, Pat will be backed up by Dirty Mickeys guitarist Jake Bluenote.
---
2:00-3:00 - Exploring Old Time Two-Finger Banjo with Clinton Davis (Workshop B)
Are you a clawhammer banjo player looking for something new to do, but don’t want to tackle Scruggs style? Let’s learn about old time two finger! We’ll talk about different varieties of two finger technique, famous players, and try to learn a tune or two to get you started.
--------------
Hosted Jam Schedule (Jam Area)
10:00-11:00 -Bust Down WAKE-UP Jam! hosted by David Bragger
Our festival director David Bragger and the gravy-loving stringband Sausage Grinder will be kicking off the day with a high energy super rocking Key of D Jam to get the old-time juices flowing! Come join us!
11:00-12:00 - FUN Old-Time Tunes Jam hosted by Jim Mueller
Old-Time music should be fun to play and should also inspire you to learn new tunes. In this jam
session, we will play a mix of SoCal old-time favorites along with some new favorites that you
might want to add to your repertoire. We will stick to only two keys to minimize tuning for
banjo players and fiddlers who cross tune. Hope to see you there!
12:00-1:00 -West Virginia Fiddle Tune Jam hosted by Joe Wack
Come join me in playing some of my favorite fiddle tunes of the mountain state of West Virginia, from several old-time masters, in a variety of keys and tunings. Sources will include Melvin Wine, Ed Haley, Lee Triplett, Hammons Family, Carpenter Family, and others. Tempos will be moderate to brisk, but I’ll be happy to slow things down if requested. We’ll fit as many tunes into an hour’s time as we can. We will be assisted on guitar by Laura Osborn of Glendale, CA.
1:00-2:00 - Ragged and Right! Jam hosted by The Stringbean Serenders
The old time musicians in the 1920’s and 30’s were not immune to other musical influences around them such as jazz, blues and ragtime. In this jam we will explore this synchopated genre with some easy and popular tunes from that time. We will provide chords and notes for those so inclined so that participants can access the chromatic, bluesy richness of these tunes.
2:00-3:00 - Old-Time SINGING Jam hosted by Dee Farnsworth, Kelly Marie Martin, and Susan Platz
Sausage Grinder’s Susan Platz, Echo Mountain’s Kelly Marie Martin, and Smoke Holler’s Dee Farnsworth invite you to join them in a singing jam! One of the most joyful aspects of playing old time is singing out with friends. They invite you to bring your instrument and your vocal cords to join in as they sing and play a few of their favorite old time songs! While this isn’t a teaching workshop, they’ll have some tips and pointers to help you walk away planning your next singin’ jam. Kelly, Susan, and Dee are excited to share some songs with lyrics and chords you can take home with you.
3:00-4:00 - Midwest Old-Time Jam hosted by Nick Bachman
Pulling from the extensive repertoires of Missouri Valley fiddlers like Bob Walters, Cyril Stinnet, and Dwight Lamb, this jam will be full of Midwest Fiddling's hottest hornpipes, reels, and breakdowns.
--------------
Meet our INSTRUCTORS & JAM HOSTS
Afton Coombs (they/them) is a percussive dancer based in Los Angeles. They started out as a tap dancer and then began flatfooting in 2015 when they happened to be at a jam session where they met their future teacher, Rebecca Stout. Since then, they have gone on to place first in the Topanga Banjo Fiddle dance contest three years in a row, earn a scholarship to study percussive dance at the Earful of Fiddle camp, and to play with bands throughout the Los Angeles and Santa Barbara areas. They are active in the LA jam scene and love sharing the joy of dance with others.
------
Dee Farnsworth loves singing Old Time and Bluegrass harmony and plays mandolin in Smoke Holler Band. She works as a Visual Development Artist in Animation.
------
Peter Feldmann has long been a musical mainstay in Southern California. Besides actively performing bluegrass and old time music with a variety of groups, Peter is also known as a bluegrass historian, collector, music consultant, teacher, and producer, both of live concerts and radio/tv programs throughout the area. His music has been heard in clubs, concerts, saloons, universities, pre-schools, at weddings, wakes, parties, barn-raisings, calf-ropings, rodeos, auctions, fundraisers, wine tastings, casinos and chili cook offs. Named a “Music Legend” by the Topanga Banjo/Fiddle Contest, Peter founded Santa Barbara's Old Time Fiddler's Convention, UCSB's Old Time Music Front, and The Bluebird Cafe. Through these and other outlets, he was the first to bring many prominent folk, blues, and bluegrass artists, including Bill Monroe, Mance Lipscomb, The Stanley Brothers, The New Lost City Ramblers, Fred McDowell, Furry Lewis, Rose Maddox, the Balfa Brothers, and many others to the Santa Barbara area. Peter's website: [ https://www.bluegrasswest.com/index.html ]
------
Gabrielle Macrae and Barry Southern, aka The Horsenecks, are two multi-instrumentalists based in Astoria, Oregon. They come from traditional music backgrounds and have found a sound that weaves through layers of influence that include early Appalachian fiddle and banjo music, country, classic bluegrass and original folk. Gabrielle's fiddle style is the result of being raised in the Old Time music hotbed of Portland, OR and being exposed to the fiddle traditions of the Southeast US through years of traveling to festivals and learning from some of the greatest players in the genre. Barry’s banjo and guitar playing range from thrilling and high-octane to moody and captivating, and his versatility shines whether flatpicking, playing clawhammer, or driving three-finger banjo.
------
Kelly Marie Martin is an artist and musician living in Los Angeles. She sings and plays guitar, banjo, and upright bass with quintet Echo Mountain; in duet with accordionist Erin Schnieder; and fills in on the upright when Skillet Licorice stars align, appearing on their Allsorts Orchestra release from Tiki Parlour. Kelly hosts a monthly jam on the first Thursdays at the 1642 Bar, is known to organize concerts with Frank Fairfield, and throws square dances in groovy offbeat spots. She was also a founder of the Los Angeles Old Time Social, a three day festival celebrating old time music and dance. There’s “Ever” in the title of its fourteen year run for the simple reason ya never know when it might come back around again. You can find albums by Echo Mountain, Erin and Kelly, and her solo album, The Last Kind Word on bandcamp.
------
Jim Mueller says: I attended my first Santa Barbara Old-Time Fiddlers’ Convention in 1976 and have been a regular attendee ever since.I’ve been influenced by many fiddlers over the decades, including Tom Sauber, Pete Sutherland, Alan Jabbour, Ralph Blizard, Bruce Molsky, and many others.In fact, I feel that I have been influenced by everyone that has ever shared a tune with me.I have performed with the Growling Old Geezers, For Old Times’ Sake, and the Rosin Sniffers. That said, my favorite musical partner is my wife, Amber.
------
Pat Mac Swyney grew up in Chicago and Los Angeles listening to his mother’s Dubliners and Bing Crosby records. Pat began playing traditional music in 1982 and currently lives on the windswept steppes of north Los Angeles County where he plays Trad. Jazz with The Swing Riots Quirktette; Balkan & Near East with Nevenka & Pečurka; Old-Time & Irish with The Dirty Mickeys; Old-Time & Sufi Trance Music with Sausage Grinder. Pat holds a degree in Anthropology from UC Santa Barbara and has subsequently never worked outside the music and food service industries.
------
Susan Platz, originally from Illinois, has been singing and playing the violin all her life. She holds a degree in music from Lawrence University, and became a permanent member of the old-time band Sausage Grinder after years of studying fiddle with David Bragger. Her bowing rhythms and harmonies fit hand in glove with David's fiddle and banjo. Susan serves as the Director’s Assistant in the UCLA Old-Time String Band Ensemble, and is a two-time winner of the Santa Barbara Old Time Fiddlers’ Convention. She is also a powerful singer known to yodel on occasion. Susan and David collaborated to release the first-ever old-time fiddle duet album, King’s Lament. Having forged a powerhouse old-time duo with David, she has been invited to teach and perform fiddle duets across the US and abroad.
-------
The String Bean Serenaders play for dances and Farmer’s Markets in the Monterey Bay area. The band is Greg Meyer on mandolin and guitar, Craig Mitchell on banjo and guitar, Marta Lynch and Barbara Cameron on fiddle, and Thomas McNamera on bass. We look forward to sharing some of our favorites with you.
------
Suzy & Eric Thompson have spent a lifetime in pursuit of “old, weird America” and that extends to what’s now known as “Americana” too. Both of them have performed and/or recorded alongside artists like Jim Kweskin, Jerry Garcia, Geoff Muldaur, David Grisman, Del Rey, Tony Rice, Ann Savoy, etc. Suzy and Eric live in Berkeley CA where they teach and perform in various band configurations and Suzy directs the Berkeley Old Time Music Convention (now in its 23rd year). Some of their past and present bands have included: California Cajun Orchestra, Blue Flame String Band, Backwoods Band, Bluegrass Intentions, Aux Cajunals, Thompsonia (with daughter Allegra) and also Black Mountain Boys (Eric), Texas Sheiks (Suzy) and Any Old Time String Band (Suzy).
-------
Joe Wack began playing guitar, banjo, and fiddle in his teens and twenties in West Virginia. He moved to Los Angeles in the early ‘90s and is retired from a career in TV and movie animation. He has hosted the monthly Audubon Center jam at Deb‘s Park, Los Angeles, for the past 20 years.
-------
Monika White began playing the spoons nearly 40 years ago when the “Old Mother Logo String Band” lost its lead singer and spoons player, Piper Heisig. Wanting to keep that distinctive percussion sound alive, Monika taught herself to play and soon developed her own unique style. She quickly became known in the music community and has shared her skills at countless festivals and music events. Encouraged to compete in the “novelty” and “other instruments” categories, Monika won first place at three major festivals in a single summer: the Topanga Banjo and Fiddle Festival, the Death Valley Gathering, and the Santa Barbara Old-Time Fiddlers’ Convention. After these successes, she retired from competing but continues to perform and teach the art of spoon playing with energy, skill, and joy. Spoons will be provided on loan for this session—but feel free to bring your own if you
prefer!
Meet our Artistic Director
David Bragger is a performer, recording artist and instructor of old-time music on fiddle and banjo. He teaches private lessons in-person and online.
David has written articles and been featured in Strings Magazine, Banjo Newsletter, Fiddler Magazine and other publications.
David is the director of the UCLA Old-Time String Band Ensemble and the artistic director of the Santa Barbara Old-Time Fiddlers’ Festival. David is also the founder of the critically acclaimed old-time music record label Tiki Parlour Recordings where he produces, records and films many of today's greatest traditional musicians.
David is also a wildly popular workshop instructor and performer at national and international music festivals, including the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, FOAOTMAD (UK), Pickathon, Mars Hill Blue Rige Week, Rocky Mountain Old-Time Music Festival, the Portland Old-Time Music Gathering, the Berkeley Old-Time Music Convention, the Santa Barbara Old-Time Fiddlers’ Convention, the Topanga Banjo & Fiddle Festival, the Los Angeles Old-Time Social and more.