California Bluegrass Reunion: “Suzanne’s Journey”

All-star band of Peghead Nation instructors Bill Evans, Chad Manning, Sharon Gilchrist, and John Reischman, along with Darol Anger and Jim Nunally, play one of John’s new original tunes.

By: Dan Gabel

December 17, 2021

Peghead Nation banjo instructor Bill Evans curated the California Banjo Extravaganza for many years, touring throughout Northern California, featuring Bill and two other banjo players, along with an all-star band that has included many familiar faces from the Peghead Nation instructor ranks. This year, Bill held down the banjo duties himself for the “California Bluegrass Reunion” tour, which featured a band that included Peghead Nation instructors Chad Manning, Sharon Gilchrist, and John Reischman, along with fiddle master Darol Anger and guitar master Jim Nunally.

In this video from soundcheck at The Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, California, the band plays John Reischman’s tune “Suzanne’s Journey,” which John recorded for his latest album New Time and Old Acoustic, and which he teaches in his Melodic Mandolin Tunes course on Peghead Nation. This is one fine band, all master musicians playing off of each other, and it was fun to see them in action.

Learn mandolin with Sharon Gilchrist in her Beginning Mandolin, Intermediate Bluegrass Mandolin, Bluegrass Mandolin Fingerboard Method, and Melodic Embellishment courses.

Learn mandolin with John Reischman in his course, Melodic Mandolin Tunes.

Learn fiddle with Chad Manning in his Beginning/Intermediate Fiddle and Bluegrass Fiddle courses, as well as Theory for Mandolin and Fiddle.

Learn banjo with Bill Evans in his Beginning Banjo, Bluegrass Banjo, and Earl Scruggs: A Player’s Guide courses on Peghead Nation.