Although very new to the world of promoting Bluegrass festivals, neither of us is new to the world of Bluegrass music or music festivals in general. Jokey comes from a family of Bluegrass musicians and has been around the music her entire life, having attended the Bluegrass festivals in Grass Valley, CA since her childhood in the mid 1970’s with her parents, who both played Bluegrass music. She has been singing and playing Bluegrass, country, folk and Americana music from the time she was 5 years old, with a multitude of extremely talented family members. She has performed onstage at various festivals, including Plymouth in the early 1990’s, and CBA’s Father’s Day Festival. She has also recorded with our cousin, Frank Solivan, and has jammed with many other well known Bluegrass musicians over the years. One of her favorite experiences was volunteering her time, beginning in 2016, as a host team member in CBA’s California Suite at IBMA in Raleigh, NC, where she and her team hosted bands as they showcased their talents in front of a packed audience each night. We met in 1988, and Jokey immediately introduced me, Joe, to the world of Bluegrass and live music, and together, throughout the last 36 years, we have been regulars in the Bluegrass realm, attending and volunteering at many festivals, which, in turn, allowed us to gain many lifelong friends and develop “shirt tail family” relationships throughout the years. In 2015, we took over Road Dog Cafe from Larry and Sondra Baker, and it is now known as Road Dog II Cafe. This has allowed us to be involved in even more music festivals as food vendors. Let’s hear a shout-out if you have ever wandered up to “The Late Night Hot Dog Stand” at CBA’s Father’s Day Festival! You guessed it…that is us, doing what we love…creating that crazy, fun, late night munching and jamming hot spot! For several years, we have also hosted a variety of house concerts at our country home, allowing us to share our love for organizing events that bring great people together who share the love of music, food and downright having tons of fun. All of these experiences have helped us learn exactly what it takes to make an unforgettable, and extremely enjoyable event: wonderful people, great music, a nice venue and all the blessings and hard work to bring it all together. We approached LB and Sondra Baker, the former promoters of “Bluegrassin’ in the Foothills” about bringing back a festival at Amador County Fairgrounds in Plymouth. LB and Sondra were extremely excited and have agreed to guide us as we embark upon this journey to proudly bring you “Frankly Bluegrass Music Festival”. J and J Promotions is committed to all the hard work it takes to create an awesome festival, one that includes a great lineup, the coolest people, delicious food vendors, creative arts and crafts vendors, the best jam sessions, tons of fun, and a festival that will make folks continue to say, “Plymouth is one of our favorite festivals!” Stay tuned!!! The Best Is Yet To Come!! With much love and respect, Joe and Jokey Michel 🙂