Reservations (for CTBA members) and tickets for the 45th CTBA Annual Meeting & Show are now available!

Please join us on Sunday, November 12th, at 5PM for the 45th CTBA Annual Meeting! This year will feature performances from The Karl Shiflett & Big Country Show and, our headliners, The Po' Ramblin' Boys.

If you are a CTBA member in good standing, you can reserve your ticket(s) at TinyUrl.com/CTBAReservations

If you would like to purchase tickets in advance, they are only $20 and are available at TicketStripe.com/CTBA2023. But...for only $5 more, you could join the CTBA and reserve your seat! Memberships start at $25/year. Visit CentralTexasBluegrass.org/Join to learn more.

See y'all there!!!

45th CTBA ANNUAL MEETING

FEATURING THE PO' RAMBLIN' BOYS

We are thrilled to announce that the 45th CTBA Annual Meeting will be held at Oskar Blues Austin on Sunday, November 12th, 2023. And the meeting will feature a performance from the Po' Ramblin' Boys!

CJ Lewandowski formed the Po' Ramblin' Boys in 2014. Since then, they have recorded for Rounder Records, been nominated for Grammy awards, and were named 2018 IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year. This year, they are nominated for IBMA Entertainer of the Year. And we are THRILLED to have them perform for our little organization here in Central Texas.

There is much to do, much more information to come before November 12th. But here are a few key details to keep in mind:

(1) This will be a private, ticketed event at Oskar Blues Austin.

(2) Entrance will be FREE (with reservation) to CTBA members in good standing.

(3) Tickets will be $25 to non-members.

We here at CTBA HQ could not be more excited to put on a show for our membership and friends here in Central Texas. Mark you calendars and get excited for an amazing night of bluegrass!

LOSSES

With a heavy heart, we are sad to report that we have lost two longstanding members of the Central Texas Bluegrass community. Buck Buchanan and Alice Moore have recently passed.

Buck was one of the original CTBA members and served for years and years as a CTBA officer. He took particular pride in the CTBA newsletter, back when it was printed new each month. (No small feat, indeed!) Alice served on the CTBA board and as a CTBA officer as well. She performed in CTBA member-bands for many, many years, and she was a beloved member of the Central Texas Bluegrass community.

We will have more thorough remembrances in our next newsletter, but passings in our community of course deserve prompt attention. Buck's obituary can be found here; Alice's obituary can be found here. Much love to all.

Read the newsletter here

Heads' up, y'all - CTBA Memorial Fest 2023 is THIS SUNDAY!!!

That's right, CTBA Memorial Fest 2023 will be held at Oskar Blues Austin (10420 Metric Blvd, Austin 78758) this Sunday, June 4th!

Here's the schedule:

1-3PM CTBA Sunday bluegrass jam (early!!!)

3-5PM Solo and duo performances from CTBA members:
- Danielle Russell & Kyle Smith
- Kevin Willette & Randy Collier
- Kym Warner

5PM CTBA member-band The Hillsiders

And we'll be on-hand to renew memberships, sell CTBA shirts and hats, and of course spend a lovely afternoon remembering the pickers we've lost with the pickers we love.

See y'all there!

A reminder that CTBA Memorial Fest 2023 is a mere two weeks away!

CTBA Memorial Fest 2023 will be held at Oskar Blues Austin (10420 Metric Blvd, Austin 78758) on Sunday, June 4th!

Here's the schedule:

1-3PM CTBA Sunday bluegrass jam (early!!!)

3-5PM Solo and duo performances from CTBA members:

- Danielle Russell & Kyle Smith
- Kevin Willette & Randy Collier
- Kym Warner

5PM CTBA member-band The Hillsiders

And we'll be on-hand to renew memberships, sell CTBA shirts and hats, and of course spend a lovely afternoon remembering the pickers we've lost with the pickers we love.

See y'all there!

2023 CTBA MEMORIAL FEST

CTBA Memorial Fest 2023 will be held at Oskar Blues Austin (10420 Metric Blvd, Austin 78758) on Sunday, June 4th!

Here's the schedule:

1-3PM CTBA Sunday bluegrass jam (early!!!)
3-5PM Solo and duo performances from CTBA members:

- Danielle Russell & Kyle Smith
- Kevin Willette & Randy Collier
- Kym Warner

5PM CTBA member-band The Hillsiders

And we'll be on-hand to renew memberships, sell CTBA shirts and hats, and of course spend a lovely afternoon remembering the pickers we've lost with the pickers we love.

See y'all there!

NEW MUSIC FROM ROB LIFFORD

And - heads' up - longtime CTBA member Rob Lifford has released some more original instrumental tunes: a three-track EP entitled "Pursuit." The music leans more towards Dawg-type influences than traditional bluegrass, but it features players well-known to the Austin bluegrass community: Dennis Ludiker (fiddle), Kym Warner (mandolin), and Josh Flowers (bass). It was released on Bandcamp April 7 and will be available on all major streaming platforms on Friday, May 5.

Check it out today at RobLifford.Bandcamp.com/Album/Pursuit or wherever you stream your music on May 5th. Congrats, Rob!

Read the newsletter here

2023 CTBA WILLA BEACH-PORTER SCHOLARSHIPS

Bluegrass will survive and thrive only if talented young musicians carry it forward into the future. To this end, the Central Texas Bluegrass Association has established the Willa Beach-Porter CTBA Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarship awards to students who have demonstrated a serious interest in studying music.

This scholarship is named in honor of Willa Beach-Porter, a long-time supporter of bluegrass music and of the Central Texas Bluegrass Association. Willa was a wonderful fiddler and a great person. She will be missed by all who were lucky enough to know her. The CTBA gratefully acknowledges very generous contributions from Willa's father, Renfroe Ross Beach, and other family members in support of this scholarship program.

This program provides scholarship plus room and board to bluegrass-related music camps for any Texas resident aged 12-18. If you or someone you know is interested in applying for a scholarship, head on over to CentralTexasBluegrass.org/Scholarship and apply today!

The CTBA also offers several more specific scholarship opportunities:

ARTISTWORKS

The CTBA and ArtistWorks are offering a number of online scholarships. Each online scholarship recipient will receive a one-year ArtistWorks membership to the study track of their choice from the 30+ courses offered through ArtistWorks. ArtistWorks scholarships are available to any Texas resident aged 12 years or older (no age limit).

CAMP BLUEGRASS

And the CTBA has partnered withCamp Bluegrass to send one aspiring bluegrass student from Central Texas to Camp Bluegrass 2023 in Levelland, TX, to be heldJuly 16th-21st. This scholarship is available to any Texas resident aged 12 years or older(no age limit). If you or some bluegrass musician you know is interested in any of these opportunities, head on over to CentralTexasBluegrass.org/Scholarship and apply today!

2022 CTBA ANNUAL MEETING & SHOW

Reminder: the CTBA's Annual Meeting & Show is two weeks away! Please join us at Suds Monkey Brewing Company (12024 US-290, Austin 78737) on Sunday, November 13th for an afternoon jam-packed with beer, pizza, and - most of all - Bluegrass.

Here's the schedule:

11AM-2PM Suds Monkey Bluegrass Jam

2:30PM Meeting begins

3PM CTBA Youth Band (led by Izaak Mora)

4PM CTBA Election Results, State of the Union

4:30PM Shred Lasso (featuring Trevor Smith and outgoing CTBA Board Member Noah Jeffries)

Merch-wise, we have the new CTBA trucker hats in stock, and we have ordered a new batch of black CTBA logo shirts, too. But - even more exciting - we have designed a brand-new CTBA shirt, special for the Annual Meeting! A few years ago, the CTBA commissioned a piece of artwork from Grace Rowland (of Austin's own The Deer). We've had it available as a sticker, now we have it available on a shirt! TEXAS. BLUE. GRASS.

And let's talk about the raffle! Raffle tickets will be eminently affordable, and the prizes will include: (1) a lifetime membership to the CTBA, (2) tickets to see the Steep Canyon Rangers live at Oskar Blues Austin, and (3) a beautiful Ovation acoustic guitar. It's a great chance to support the CTBA and maybe just maybe head home with a little something special, too.

2023-2024 CTBA BOARD ELECTIONS

And another reminder: if you are a CTBA member in good standing who has yet to vote: please do so! Ballots are in your inbox (or spam folder?) this very minute. Election results will be announced at the Annual Meeting on November 13th. And, of course, if you join the CTBA prior to 4PM on the 14th, you can cast a vote, too! Just swing on over to CentralTexasBluegrass.org/Join and become a CTBA member today.