SAND STARS AND GUITARS, Palm Springs Cultural Center
SAND STARS AND GUITARS
The Palm Springs Cultural Center and The Bluegrass Standard Magazine are pleased to announce a new bluegrass music series – Sand, Stars & Guitars! The series, which will take place at the Historic Camelot Theatre inside the Palm Springs Cultural Center is bringing award-winning bluegrass favorites from all over the country, and in some cases, bringing them to Southern California for the first time.
“Creating the series really is about keeping Bluegrass Music alive and in front of a diverse cross section of audiences, from young new grass fans to the older traditional grass fans. This series does just that. The performers we selected are all really unique in their approach to the music and in delivering what the audiences want to hear,” said Keith Barnacastle, Publisher of The Bluegrass Standard Magazine and President of Turnberry Records and Management. “Bringing them to Southern California, and specifically to Palm Springs is really a natural because Palm Springs is such a unique melting pot for all sorts of music.”
First up in the series is SPECIAL CONSENSUS, a Chicago based acoustic bluegrass band that has been performing for over four decades. Their music combines classic bluegrass with modern sensibilities for a unique, and original sound. Led by banjo player Greg Cahill, SPECIAL CONSENSUS has received six awards from the IBMA and two Grammy nominations. They will be performing as part of Sand, Stars & Guitars for one night only on March 6th. 
Popular pianist, singer-songwriter, and Tony Award winning actor Levi Kreis is the second artist in the series, appearing on April 5th. Kreis, whose roots are in traditional gospel and country, has grown his repertoire to include a broad blend of Americana, from Motown to pop. An East Tennessee native, Levi spent his youth learning everything he knows from country music’s Little Miss Dynamite Brenda Lee. Traveling on her tour bus and studying her genius on stage and off, Kreis adopted Lee’s strong work ethic and classy reputation. But it was Brenda’s ability to have an audience in the palm of her hand that Kreis sought to make his own. By all accounts, Kreis succeeded. To this day Lee confesses, “I taught him everything he knows!”
Sand, Stars & Guitars returns to quintessential bluegrass with a concert by The Po' Ramblin' Boys on May 19th. Formed in the Smoky Mountains, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys are at once exactly what you would expect and not at all what you would expect from a tattooed East Tennessee Bluegrass outfit. They take pride in being bluegrass ambassadors, and have brought their music to everywhere from rural bluegrass festival stages to the rock clubs of Europe, and even the GRAMMY Red Carpet, with stunning results. There’s something about the music of The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys that cuts right through the noise of the world and speaks plainly to the soul. 
Rhonda Vincent and The Rage provide the finale for the Sand, Stars & Guitars series on June 18th. And what a finale it will be! Easily the most awarded band in bluegrass history with multiple Grammy Awards (including one for Best Bluegrass album), nineteen International Bluegrass Music Association Awards (including Top Entertainer of the Year, Top Female Vocalist (multiple years) and Song of the Year), and a record eighty nine and counting) awards from the Society to Preserve Bluegrass Music. Vincent, who is often referred to as the “queen of Bluegrass” was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2020.