It’s a dynamic double bill as Northern California quartet Broken Compass Bluegrass and local jam band Painted Mandolin join forces for a January Jamgrass Jubilee Saturday, Jan. 17 at the Rio Theatre midtown.
Both Painted Mandolin and Broken Compass will play 90-minute sets of original tunes along with putting their own stamp on other music. From the Beatles, Phish, Bob Dylan and Grateful Dead, “there’s a lot of interesting music, but then there’s some interesting jams and creative ways to do some older songs,” says guitarist Larry Graff of Painted Mandolin. “That’s what makes a really good jam band, taking an old song and making it your own,” he said.
Jamgrass is a red-hot music style, blending elements of traditional bluegrass with acoustic innovations of the jam band scene, and Broken Compass is one of its brightest stars. The group formed in 2021, where they emerged from the local music scene surrounding Chico State University, where Ledson and Jacobs met in the recording arts program.
From a base in Nevada City, BCB is part of a new generation in the jamgrass and progressive acoustic music scene, says “I’ve seen them many times, and we picked them to split the bill,” Graff said. “We’re in our 60s, and these guys are young,” Graff added. “They’re going to be stars.”
Though young in years, BCB’s Kyle Ledson, Django Ruckrich, Mei Lin Heirendt and Sam Jacobs are each seasoned performers, accomplished multi-instrumentalists and prolific songwriters in their own right. They’ve released four albums of original music in the last three years.
Broken Compass’s Ledson and Ruckrich are unpredictable, sometimes switching up instruments between songs, while fiddle player Mei Lin, 19, brings a poise and polished vocal range that far belies her years. “We both love mandolin and guitar so much that we couldn’t leave the other instrument behind,” Ledson said. “I feel like it brings out a different sound because of our different playing styles.” They also love playing duo guitars as well, he added.
Ledson’s instrument of choice is a Preston Thompson acoustic. “We went to their (Thompson) shop in Sisters, Oregon, and they were the kindest folks,” Ledson says. “Around the same time Django got himself a brand new pre-War Guitar which is also a top notch guitar.”
With so much musical diversity, how does the band decide who sings lead on a song? Mei Lin and Ledson take the lead for the majority of the tunes, but the band welcomes songs that any member wants to sing, too. “We have a song list of over 100 tunes that pull from for each set, so whenever someone has an original or cover they’d like to sing, it’s heavily encouraged,” Ledson said.
Along with performing at top venues on the jamgrass scene, BCB has played to big crowds at High Sierra Music, Strawberry Music Festival and Bluegrass in La Roche (France) and the Fillmore. Closer to home, they’ve performed at Moe’s Alley, Kuumbwa Jazz Center and the Redwood Mountain Faire in Felton. Check out their Mill Valley Sessions video for “A Long Time” or “Kentucky Girl,” which features lead vocals by Mei Lin.
Painted Mandolin is Joe Craven-mandolin/fiddle/percussion; Matthew Hartle-guitar, banjotar, vocals; Larry Graff-guitar/vocals; and Dan Robbins-upright and electric bass. As is the trend with many Santa Cruz musicians, Painted Mandolin has amassed quite a collection of crossover bands and side hustles. Robbins, for example, plays in “maybe eight” different bands including Jive Machine and Wasabi, Graff said. Hartle is also lead guitarist of China Cats, a Grateful Dead tribute/jam band.
Craven, from Dixon, Calif., “has played with everybody,” Graff says. “He’s a jazz bassist so he’s played with a whole bunch of jazz artists. He was with David Grisman Quintet for 15 years and Garcia Grisman Band in the early ’90s for the whole time.”
Graff is also a founding member of the Banana Slug Band, which has been playing music together for over 30 years, entertaining kids and adults alike with their quirky characters and original songs. Airy Larry is one of the characters who goes into elementary schools with songs about ecology and the environment, along with Solar Steve and Marine Mark and Dirt Doug performing songs such as “Don’t Swat It,” “Go Organic” and “Pollination Nation,” to name a few.
Jamgrass Jubilee also marks the first time Painted Mandolin will play on the Rio stage, after past gigs at Kuumbwa and Felton Music Hall. And of course there will be a dance floor down in front as the venue clears the way, removing the usual several front rows of seating.
January Jamgrass Jubilee, Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $33.85 eventbrite.com, $38 at the door. This is an all-ages show.
