BLUEGRASS HAWAI`I is a traditional and bluegrass music society dedicated to connecting fans and musicans all over the Hawaiian Islands, and supporting events and concerts which help promote and perpetuate bluegrass and traditional music!
On behalf of the Bluegrass Hawai`i community, I'd like to welcome you to bluegrasshawaii.com! My name is Caroline Wright, and I'm a freelance writer, publicist, and marketing consultant on the Hawaiian island of O`ahu. I am also the founder and president of Bluegrass Hawai`i.
You may be wondering how I ever learned about bluegrass & traditional music all the way out here in the middle of the Pacific. Well, I was raised by two of the founding members of the Adirondack Bluegrass League in upstate New York, so the music is in my blood! I'm also a bluegrass music journalist, presently co-writing the authorized biography of flatpicking guitar pioneer Tony Rice with Tim Stafford from Blue Highway, and I've recently become the new editor of a wonderful national magazine, Bluegrass Now. You'll probably see me at jams and events with my husband, Matt Campbell--that's us over there on the right. Please feel free to come up and say howdy if you see us!
I lived on O`ahu from 1990-1997, and during that time, I met perhaps a dozen bluegrass musicians. After a four-year absence, I returned to the islands in 2001, and began wondering what had happened to all those pickers. Surely there could be more I didn't know about! I decided to test the waters with an open, free jam session at Thomas Square, a lovely park in the heart of Honolulu. I didn't do a lot of promotion--just sent a couple press releases to the local daily papers.
Our first jam was held on Sunday, May 11, 2003, and drew music lovers from all over O`ahu, including many amateur and professional musicians. Bluegrass Hawai`i's mailing list has grown to almost 750 people all over the Hawaiian Islands, and even in other states and countries! Since our first jam, Bluegrass Hawai`i has made Hawai`i news several times. Follow the links below to check out the articles:
You might be surprised to learn that there are jams and singing events on O`ahu, Maui, the Big Island of Hawai`i and Kauai. Bluegrass is growing strong in Hawai`i! We are now an official 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and a proud member association of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA). We offer paid memberships ($10 per person per year) and there are over 850 people on our mailing list! Please come and join us at one of our events and jams... and don't forget to come up and say HOWDY!
Warm aloha from Caroline Wright
Founder and President,
BLUEGRASS HAWAI`I Traditional & Bluegrass Music Society
A number of O`ahu pickers and grinners have made significant contributions in time, effort, enthusiasm, and music to Bluegrass Hawai`i, which could not exist without them. Mahalo nui loa to Rene & Teresa Berthiaume, Paul Sato, Angelika & Joel Veach, Doug Toews, Lisa Gomes, Kilin Reece, Lesley Kline, Alex Morrison, Gordon Freitas, Sam Hayakawa, Chris & Carmen Cerna, George Massengale, Neal & Jan Snyder, Bob & Mary Schornstheimer, and Bob Schacht. Special thanks to Matt Campbell and the rest of Caroline's family for graciously supporting her bluegrass habit!
Mahalo to Evelyn Greene, who gracefully manages and updates this website, and to Bob Schornstheimer who maintains the database and mails the e-newsletters. Finally, Bluegrass Hawai`i wishes to gratefully acknowledge Mike Kear, who hosts www.bluegrasshawaii.com on his servers at AFP Webworks in faraway Australia!
| 2010 Board Members | Email Address |
| Caroline Wright, President | caroline@bluegrasshawaii.com |
| Jeb Wiemer, Vice President | jebonthenet@hotmail.com |
| Teresa Berthiaume, Treasurer | iamtb@hawaii.rr.com |
| Evelyn Greene, Secretary | evelyn@hcc.hawaii.edu |
| Scott Rhode, Director | keahikai@hawaii.rr.com |
| Susan Wiess, Director | susawon@mailstation.com |
| Rene Berthiaume, Director | berthiaut001@hawaii.rr.com |
| Janet Eblen, Director | jeblen@yahoo.com |
Mahalo to ALL of our directors and officers, past and present! If you'd like to get involved, please contact caroline@bluegrasshawaii.com.
Our first Pickin' In The Park jam session was held on Sunday, May 11, 2003 at Thomas Square in Honolulu. Scroll down for more photos
Please bookmark this page and come to the next jam if you can. Better still, add yourself to our mailing list! Click here.
Over three dozen musicians brought banjos, fiddles, mandolins, guitars, resophonic guitars and upright basses to the all-acoustic jam session. The "pickers" took turns improvising breaks on instrumentals such as "Salt Creek", "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" and "Jerusalem Ridge", and harmonizing on tunes like "Angel Band", "Paradise", and "Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms."
Two bluegrass bands on O`ahu, the Down Boys and the Wild Orchids String Band, contributed their talents to Sunday's jam session. Musicians from local traditional jam, contra dance, and hootenanny groups also played at the event.
Since then, we've had plenty more jams, each more wonderful than the last! Check here for the next one!
Questions or comments? Email caroline@bluegrasshawaii.com.
