Critical Grass parties at Parkfield

What's this Parkfield place?

I had heard about the Parkfield Bluegrass Festival for a handful of years. Most of my peers in the Bay Area bluegrass community are the type that like to start picking after dinner, and keep it up until the wee hours. Or dawn, if things are going well. They said that Parkfield was great, lots of good pickers and friendly folk. For various reasons, I'd never gotten there. But then last year, we played the Good Old Fashioned Bluegrass Festival outside Hollister. Shortly after our set, John and I were approached by Dave Swartz, the president of the Parkfield festival. "Y'all should send in an application for Parkfield." That was all we needed to hear, and I put together an application package. Not long after the first of the year, we got the word that we'd been included, and would be playing three sets. Whoo-hoo!

Not long after, John and I bumped into Ian Ly (guitarist for Crying Uncle, Flatpick Hotel, and all-round nice guy) at a gig and told him we'd be playing Parkfield.

"Oh man, that's such a great time. You're going to have a blast."

Getting to Parkfield isn't like getting to CBA Father's Day. It's more like getting to Strawberry, when Strawberry was at Camp Mather. And of course, none of it is like getting to Telluride. So yeah, a 40-minute ride from I-5 or a 40-minute ride from 101 – pick.

When I pulled in, they pointed me to the grassy lawn next to the Lodge, and said that was reserved camping for the artists. That's what we're talking about. I'd later learn that the true pros actually camp in the... well, I was told if I revealed that location, it would end poorly for me. We were perfectly happy where we were, and it was close to everything. But now that I'm a one-year veteran, I know where I'll be camping next time.

Jumping right in

I arrived at lunchtime on Thursday, and we had a 6:00pm set. We had never had to put together three sets for the same festival, so the set lists were still somewhat amorphous. But hell, that's half the fun. I sat up under the gazebo and scribbled some ideas.

Leah lassoed the final set lists into good form, and we were ready to go. We played a handful of songs just to limber up and get ready. Then it was off to the stage for a quick sound check.

On Leah's left, that's Paul Knight – one of the most highly coveted sounds engineers in the Bay Area (and, clearly, beyond). My description of good sound is: "It sounds like us, only more so." That's what Paul does. Chris told the crowd on Sunday morning, "Having Paul Knight do your sound is like having Alice Waters fix your breakfast." Just so.

Why we're here

After that, we came out and did what this is all about: played music. I can't and won't speak for the other members of the band, but for me, the planning, the travel, the rehearsals, all of it... it's so I can have that hour up on stage playing music for an appreciative crowd. I'm not alone. I just noticed this morning that Robert Plant is out on tour. This man is 78 years old and has more money than three generations could spend. He has played the biggest stadia and venues the world has to offer. And yet this summer he's touring small theaters in eastern Europe, and in the autumn, small venues in the western U.S. Why? Because he is a musician, a minstrel, a wait. It is what he does. I don't have Plant's talent or fame. I can't begin to match the singleminded focus that he brought to his life from an early age. But I totally understand why he continues to endure the road, long past any necessity.

When I'm playing with good musicians in front of an appreciative audience, there is nowhere else I'd rather be.

The other best part

Having fans come to "shake and howdy" at the merch table is my other favorite part. If I we made somebody smile, gave them a few minutes of unalloyed joy, then we've done our job. And sometimes, you touch people in ways that you really didn't expect. We had a few such experiences at Parkfield, and I wrote a blog all about them.

Here is a photo montage of our Parkfield 2026 adventure, with a soundtrack that the radio people gave us of our Sunday set. It was all glorious and we can't wait to come back. Huge thanks to:

• Dave Swartz for inviting us and making us feel so at home.
• Paul Knight for making us sound like us, only more so.
• Robin Frenette for the photography that makes us look like rock stars (all of the shots of the band in the montage are hers). Follow her socials at @robin.frenette.photo.
• SLO County Stumblers for a constant source of delicious old-time from right across the camping lawn. And for hosting a raging old-time session on Saturday afternoon. I played my banjo and then picked up the bass – it was grand.
• Forrest Allen and Tarah Williams from Deep Thicket Dwellers. They came out at the end of our Friday set to play and dance a couple of fiddle tunes with us. What a treat for all involved.
• All the volunteers who made everything run so smoothly, not least the lovely woman at the merch table who handled all our t-shirts and made friends with my wife. I've forgotten your name, I'm so sorry, but you were awesome.
• Most of all, to every single audience member who came to one our sets. Without you, there is no show, no festival. You make all this music and joy possible. You were so gracious and welcoming that we brought doughnuts on Sunday morning.

‍

‍

‍