Phil has been a performer since the day he was born in Ventura, California, when he crawled around the stage of his father’s symphony. He has been playing the violin since he was 5 years old. At the age of 14, he heard and began to play blues and rock fiddle, rebelling against his classical roots.
In his late teens, he began playing a number of genres and has since played with some of the best from each one: rock (Bob Weir, Kenny Loggins, Jimmy Buffett), blues (Nick Gravenites, Pete Sears, Steve Miller), bluegrass (John McEuen, Nick Forster, Peter Wernick), country (Kix Brooks, Zac Brown), folk (Kate Wolf, Jay Ungar), Cajun (Mark Savoy, Steve Riley), Irish (Kevin Burke), and jazz (Bruce Forman, Shelly Burg).
In 1984, Phil started The Phil Salazar Band. Over the last 35 years, the band has become like family and is now called Phil Salazar and the Kin Folk. They have recorded 7 albums, two for the legendary Flying Fish Records, and currently have two on the way, “All That! For This?” and “Acoustic Jam.” Due to their incredible acoustic diversity, they have become fan favorites at concerts and festivals up and down the West Coast, such as Live Oak Music Festival, Strawberry Music Festival, Huck Finn Jubilee, Wintergrass, Kate Wolf Music Festival, California Bluegrass Association Festival, Parkfield Bluegrass Festival, and more.
Bill Flores guitarist/dobroist/accordionist is a musician extraordinaire, he has tours with Jeff Bridges’ band, The Abiders, for many years. He’s highly in demand for recording and stage work.
Elizabeth Rizor student of Phil’s who is pursuing her doctorate by day and playing with the Kin Folk by night. She triples the IQ of the band when she walks on stage. Like Phil, she’s a classical violinist gone bad who is learning how to play like a true fiddler.
Tom Corbett mandolinist/guitarist/vocalist and the funniest guy on stage. 2011 Kerrville New Folk Songwriter Finalist and a 2012 Telluride Bluegrass Festival Troubadour who has toured with John McEuen and Robin and Linda Williams.
Bill Knopf banjoist/guitarist/vocalist is Internationally known banjo player, he has played with almost everybody and has taught the rest. He was a nationally featured player with Doc Severinsen’s touring Las Vegas show.
Rick Borella is an amazing bassist is an amazing bass player who has never played a note that Phil didn’t like! He’s a top player in Santa Barbara County and has been playing with Phil since 1984.
Phil Salazar – fiddle, vocals; Tom Corbett – mandolin, guitar, vocals; Bill Knopf – banjo, guitar, vocals; Bill Flores – guitar, dobro, accordion; Elizabeth Rizor – fiddle; Rick Borella – bass
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Virtual Strangers Bluegrass Band
The Virtual Strangers, 2007 Arizona Bluegrass Band contest winners, bring a great mixture of traditional and progressive songs. Their sound is a mixture of the traditional with Stanley, Monroe, and Flatt & Scruggs material along with more progressive material from Blue Highway, Lonesome River Band and Del McCoury. They have shared the stage with Rhonda Vincent, Bluegrass Etc., California, the Dillards, Lonesome River Band, Nashville Bluegrass Band, and others. Virtual Strangers perform in numerous events & festivals in San Diego and throughout California, Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado, among others. In addition, Virtual Strangers lead the annual Cruise2Jam Carnival Line Catalina/Ensenada Cruise each February where they teach passengers about jamming etiquette and hold onboard jam sessions.
Virtual Strangers also has an alter ego – the Tatar Patch Bluegrass Buddies. Several times each year, the Strangers morph into this kid-friendly persona and go into classrooms to educate school-age children about bluegrass music and how to start playing it. They have performed in schools and kids camps at many festivals.
Mike Tatar Sr., on banjo, holds down the lead vocals. He’s played with In Cahoots, Snowy River, Full Deck, LeRoy McNees, and was made an honorary Piney Creek Weasel by the late Rick Abrams.
Dan Sankey plays mandolin and sings harmony/lead vocals. Dan is a fixture on the San Diego bluegrass scene – an accomplished musician on the fiddle, mandolin, banjo and guitar.
Kit Birkett
Kit Birkett plays guitar and sings lead vocals. His credits include the Scottsville Squirrel Barkers and Down the Road, 2001 Southwest Bluegrass Play-off Winners.
Yvonne Tatar plays the acoustic bass and sings harmony. She is a proud fourth generation string player and has accompanied many old time-fiddlers. She’s played with In Cahoots, Full Deck, LeRoy McNees, and sitting in with many other bands.
Jim Blakemore plays guitar and also sings lead vocals. Jim has played with nearly every bluegrass musician and band in San Diego and has hosted open jams at his home.
http://www.virtualstrangersbluegrass.com/
https://www.facebook.com/virtualstrangersbluegrass/
Mike Tatar Sr. – banjo, vocals; Dan Sankey – mandolin, vocals; Yvonne Tatar – bass, vocals; Jim Blakemore – guitar, vocals; Kit Birkett – guitar, vocals
Phil Salazar & The Kin Folk
Phil has been a performer since the day he was born in Ventura, California, when he crawled around the stage of his father’s symphony. He has been playing the violin since he was 5 years old. At the age of 14, he heard and began to play blues and rock fiddle, rebelling against his classical roots.
In his late teens, he began playing a number of genres and has since played with some of the best from each one: rock (Bob Weir, Kenny Loggins, Jimmy Buffett), blues (Nick Gravenites, Pete Sears, Steve Miller), bluegrass (John McEuen, Nick Forster, Peter Wernick), country (Kix Brooks, Zac Brown), folk (Kate Wolf, Jay Ungar), Cajun (Mark Savoy, Steve Riley), Irish (Kevin Burke), and jazz (Bruce Forman, Shelly Burg).
In 1984, Phil started The Phil Salazar Band. Over the last 35 years, the band has become like family and is now called Phil Salazar and the Kin Folk. They have recorded 7 albums, two for the legendary Flying Fish Records, and currently have two on the way, “All That! For This?” and “Acoustic Jam.” Due to their incredible acoustic diversity, they have become fan favorites at concerts and festivals up and down the West Coast, such as Live Oak Music Festival, Strawberry Music Festival, Huck Finn Jubilee, Wintergrass, Kate Wolf Music Festival, California Bluegrass Association Festival, Parkfield Bluegrass Festival, and more.
Bill Flores guitarist/dobroist/accordionist is a musician extraordinaire, he has tours with Jeff Bridges’ band, The Abiders, for many years. He’s highly in demand for recording and stage work.
Elizabeth Rizor student of Phil’s who is pursuing her doctorate by day and playing with the Kin Folk by night. She triples the IQ of the band when she walks on stage. Like Phil, she’s a classical violinist gone bad who is learning how to play like a true fiddler.
Tom Corbett mandolinist/guitarist/vocalist and the funniest guy on stage. 2011 Kerrville New Folk Songwriter Finalist and a 2012 Telluride Bluegrass Festival Troubadour who has toured with John McEuen and Robin and Linda Williams.
Bill Knopf banjoist/guitarist/vocalist is Internationally known banjo player, he has played with almost everybody and has taught the rest. He was a nationally featured player with Doc Severinsen’s touring Las Vegas show.
Rick Borella is an amazing bassist is an amazing bass player who has never played a note that Phil didn’t like! He’s a top player in Santa Barbara County and has been playing with Phil since 1984.
Phil Salazar – fiddle, vocals; Tom Corbett – mandolin, guitar, vocals; Bill Knopf – banjo, guitar, vocals; Bill Flores – guitar, dobro, accordion; Elizabeth Rizor – fiddle; Rick Borella – bass
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Fast Track
Fast Track is a band that formed following the retirement announcement of long time Cardinal Tradition band leader, David Parmley. Three of the four members decided to form the band and sought out to fill the remaining spots, mandolin and guitar, seeking instrumentalists who were also strong vocalists. Wow, did that ever work in their favor.
The five members of Fast Track are not only all highly decorated in awards from the IBMA and SPBGMA organizations but are also veteran players on the Grand Ole Opry stage, across the United States, Canada, and throughout Europe. Between all the gentlemen, they have performed with, recorded on and participated in countless projects with bluegrass and country music royalty throughout their most impressive careers.
The Fast Track has already compiled their list of music from favorite songwriters, as well as original music they have written, that they will be choosing from for a project set to begin recording immediately, with an EP to be released after the first of the year. That highly anticipated release cannot come to soon according to the overwhelming support and encouragement the band has already received from their fans in the bluegrass community.
Dale Perry – banjo, vocals; Steve Day – fiddle, vocals; Ron Spears – bass, vocals; Shayne Bartley – mandolin, vocals; Duane Sparks – guitar, vocals
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Marty Warburton & Home Girls
Marty Warburton & Home Girls bring a sound unlike any other. Bluegrass and Gospel come together with soaring harmony vocals and solid instrumentation.
https://www.facebook.com/mwhomegirls
Virtual Strangers Bluegrass Band
The Virtual Strangers, 2007 Arizona Bluegrass Band contest winners, bring a great mixture of traditional and progressive songs. Their sound is a mixture of the traditional with Stanley, Monroe, and Flatt & Scruggs material along with more progressive material from Blue Highway, Lonesome River Band and Del McCoury. They have shared the stage with Rhonda Vincent, Bluegrass Etc., California, the Dillards, Lonesome River Band, Nashville Bluegrass Band, and others. Virtual Strangers perform in numerous events & festivals in San Diego and throughout California, Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado, among others. In addition, Virtual Strangers lead the annual Cruise2Jam Carnival Line Catalina/Ensenada Cruise each February where they teach passengers about jamming etiquette and hold onboard jam sessions.
Virtual Strangers also has an alter ego – the Tatar Patch Bluegrass Buddies. Several times each year, the Strangers morph into this kid-friendly persona and go into classrooms to educate school-age children about bluegrass music and how to start playing it. They have performed in schools and kids camps at many festivals.
Mike Tatar Sr., on banjo, holds down the lead vocals. He’s played with In Cahoots, Snowy River, Full Deck, LeRoy McNees, and was made an honorary Piney Creek Weasel by the late Rick Abrams.
Jon Cherry plays mandolin, and sings harmony/lead vocals. Jon’s played with Union Creek and Snowy River, and proudly plays his handmade Cherry Mandolin on stage.
Yvonne Tatar plays the acoustic bass and sings harmony. She is a proud fourth generation string player and has accompanied many old time-fiddlers. She’s played with In Cahoots, Full Deck, LeRoy McNees, and sitting in with many other bands.
Kit Birkett plays guitar and also sings lead vocals. His credits include the Scottsville Squirrel Barkers and Down the Road, 2001 Southwest Bluegrass Play-off Winners.
http://www.virtualstrangersbluegrass.com/
https://www.facebook.com/virtualstrangersbluegrass/
Mike Tatar Sr. – banjo, vocals; Jon Cherry – mandolin, vocals; Yvonne Tatar – bass, vocals; Kit Birkett – guitar, vocals