Bear Valley Music Festival Returns for 51st Year July 19 - August 4! Bear Valley, CA...Celebrating the start of its second half-century in the High Sierra, the Bear Valley Music Festival begins on Friday, July 19 and runs through Sunday, August 4, 2019 with a total of 14 concerts including a special free family matinee on Saturday, July 27. The festival showcases a wide selection of artists and genres including rock, classical, Broadway and jazz.
A mere 3.5-hour drive from San Francisco, Bear Valley is known primarily as a ski resort. Now in his seventh summer as music director, internationally recognized conductor Michael Morgan has put Bear Valley and the Highway 4 corridor on the map as a summer destination as well, drawing an audience of thousands.
Highlights of this year's festival include tributes to Carole King & James Taylor, Neil Diamond, Dolly Parton and Billy Joel, a concert by the legendary Mimi Fox and the Mimi Fox Jazz Trio, the return of world-famous pianist Olga Kern this time with her son Vladik Kern in Mozart's Double Piano Concerto, the world-premiere of a new commission by composer Michael Taylor, and three concert pieces for violin and orchestra featuring soloist Kelly Hall-Tompkins. The classical lineup includes Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony and Fourth Piano Concerto with soloist Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner. The Motherlode Chorale (featured last summer in Beethoven’s Ninth) will return, this time with a concert version of a hilarious Broadway musical by George and Ira Gershwin titled "Of Thee I Sing" about a US presidential candidate running on a creative and unusual platform. Michael Morgan will also conduct a special concert dedicated to symphonic movie themes, including Star Wars, E.T., Harry Potter, The Godfather and more.
"This is the most significant cultural event of the year in our scenic part of the Sierra," says executive director Eman Isadiar. "We always strive to present the widest possible variety of artists and musical styles to appeal to every taste and every generation."
Tickets and information are available online at www.bearvalleymusic.org or by calling 209-813-0554. Lodging is available in Bear Valley and in nearby Tamarack and Arnold. A round trip shuttle ride may be reserved in advance from Murphys, Forest Meadows, Arnold and Dorrington.
All Day
PG&E Holding PSPS Drill in Angels Camp, Using Helicopters Angels Camp, CA...This week, PG&E will conduct a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) drills, using helicopters, in Angels Camp to practice response during a PSPS event. Power will not be interrupted during the drill held on Wednesday and Thursday, July 24 and 25.
Given the continued and growing threat of extreme weather and wildfires, and as an additional precautionary measure following the 2017 and 2018 wildfires, we are expanding and enhancing our Community Wildfire Safety Program to further reduce wildfire risks and help keep our customers and the communities we serve safe.
In response to the rapidly changing environmental conditions in our state, this includes expanding our Public Safety Power Shutoff program to include all electric lines that pass through high fire-threat areas – both distribution and transmission. In the event of extreme weather, we will proactively de-energize the lines, shutting off power, for the safety to those communities.
During an actual PSPS, crews will inspect every part of the de-energized lines from the sky and from the ground, to identify and repair damage, before restoring power.
We are practicing those inspections with these drills, to improve the time it takes to turn the power back on safely. We will fly a helicopter, as part of the drill, in the vicinity of Angles Camp and surrounding areas Wednesday and Thursday, June 26 and 27. Those in Angels Camp may see additional PG&E and contractor trucks.
We know how much our customers rely on electric service and that there are safety risks on both sides. We understand and appreciate that turning off the power affects first responders and the operation of critical facilities, communications systems and much more.
07:30 PM
Old Dominion with Special Guest Joe Diffie at Ironstone July 24th Murphys, CA...Old Dominion with Special Guest Joe Diffie at Ironstone July 24th. Proving that they are not your average country band, Old Dominion blends old-fashioned country charm, lyrical wit and rock n’ roll grit into radio-friendly, hook-heavy pop nuggets. The band has emerged as one of the hottest breaking bands in country music, fusing clever lyrics and an infectious sound. Old Dominion recently released their highly anticipated sophomore album, Happy Endings, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart & #7 on the Top 200. The band’s first single “No Such Thing As A Broken Heart” also hit #1 on Country Mediabase Chart, followed by their second fastest-rising single, “Written In The Sand” hitting #1 on Country Mediabase and Billboard Charts.
Old Dominion released their first full-length album Meat and Candy, which was certified GOLD by the RIAA and hailed a “stellar debut “by Entertainment Weekly and declared “one of the hottest breaking bands in county music” by Vice. The group already has several top-selling singles under their belts, including the two-week No.1 “Break Up With Him” (PLATINUM), “Snapback” (GOLD) and “Song For Another Time,” which hit No. 1 the on Billboard Country Airplay and MediaBase charts. In 2016, the band was notably named ACM New Group of the Year, ACCA Breakthrough Group of the Year, AIMP Songwriter-Artist of the Year and Music Row Breakthrough Artist of the Year. Old Dominion consists of lead singer Matthew Ramsey, lead guitarist Brad Tursi, multi-instrumentalist Trevor Rosen, bassist Geoff Sprung and drummer Whit Sellers.
Jo Diffie
The beauty of country music is its ability to reflect the lives of its listeners, and few artists have celebrated life’s challenges and triumphs with more heartfelt eloquence than Joe Diffie. Whether singing about untarnished love in the enduring hit “John Deere Green,” the perennial appeal of “Pickup Man” or the heartbreak of dreams unrealized in “Ships That Don’t Come In,” Diffie’s songs have continually painted a portrait of real life with all its joy and angst.
“I’ve always loved well-written songs,” says the Grammy winner, who is just as skilled at writing hits as he is singing them. “There’s really no magic formula. I’ve just always drawn on my own experience whether it’s falling in love or hanging out in a bar. I feel like if I relate to it, other people will too.”
I Got This is slated for a spring 2019 release. The title track and the follow-up single “Quit You” are currently available wherever digital music is sold and streamed. Stay up-to-date at www.JoeDiffie.com
