8:00 PM: John Reischman and the Jaybirds - Pacific Northwest
We’ll cap this extraordinary day of bluegrass and old time music with John Reischman and the Jaybirds. Years of European and North American tours, four critically acclaimed albums, two Juno nominations and two Canadian Folk Music Award nominations...little wonder, the buzz around John Reischman and The Jaybirds continues to grow. Like the mandolinist at its helm, the group fashions a stylish, elegant take on bluegrass that is at once innovative and unadorned, sophisticated and stripped-down, happily old-fashioned, yet unselfconsciously new. To see their live show is to believe it. A genial blend of story-telling and side-show humor provides the backdrop to their studied performance of original songs, instrumentals, and newly arranged traditional material. With the sublime vocals and bass of Trisha Gagnon, the powerhouse guitar playing and vocals of Jim Nunally, virtuoso instrumentalists Nick Hornbuckle on banjo and Greg Spatz on fiddle, and of course the unparalleled mandolin of John Reischman, their individual talents and seamless ensemble work make for one of the freshest, most tasteful sounds on the bluegrass circuit today.

7:00 PM: The Special Consensus – Nashville/Chicago
The Special Consensus is a four person acoustic bluegrass band that began touring in the Midwest in the spring of 1975. Their repertoire features original compositions by band members as well as traditional bluegrass standards. The band has released 14 recordings over the years. In 2000, Pinecastle Records released The Special Consensus 25th Anniversary recording to mark this milestone year for the band. Several band recordings have received a Highlight Review in Bluegrass Unlimited. International tours have brought The Special Consensus to the United Kingdom, Canada, Europe, Ireland and South America. This is one of the most talented and entertaining bands in the genre. It’ll be bluegrass at its best when they hit the stage!

6:00 PM: The Foggy Hogtown Boys – Toronto
We have 3 hard driving bluegrass bands playing this evening. The fireworks start with The Foggy Hogtown Boys! With 4 critically acclaimed CDs, tours from coast to coast, and showcases at the International Bluegrass Music Association convention in Nashville, Toronto's Foggy Hogtown Boys have established themselves as one of the most exciting bluegrass bands anywhere – many consider them to be the top bluegrass band in Canada. With Andrew Collins on mandolin, Chris Coole on guitar, Max Heineman on bass, Chris Quinn on banjo, and John Showman on fiddle—all virtuoso players—the band is top notch instrumentally. Equally impressive is their singing, songwriting, and showmanship. It's a treat to have them back at the Sorrento Bluegrass Festival. As Tim O'Brien said, "Normal people get converted into bluegrass fans by getting tight with The Foggy Hogtown Boys. The classic repertoire thrives in their able hands and strong hearts. You can count on these guys to play it solid, and to drive it hard."

5:30 PM: Tony Furtado - Portland, OR
Tony Furtado is one of the most impressive musical forces you'll ever hear. By the age of 19, he had earned himself a reputation as a young banjo prodigy, winning two National Bluegrass Banjo Championships. He released several acclaimed banjo albums and toured with Laurie Lewis and other top bluegrass acts. Tony is an unparalleled master of bottleneck slide guitar and an amazing songwriter and singer. He has toured tirelessly for over two decades and has garnered a great deal of respect from his peers, and has opened for and toured with acts such as Greg Allman, Susan Tedeschi, Taj Mahal, and Leftover Salmon, and he has shared the stage with Sonny Landreth, Keith Richards, David Lindley, Derek Trucks, and Norah Jones. Like his vast catalogue of recordings, a Tony Furtado show has something to offer everyone – don’t miss it!

5:00 PM: The Chris Stevens Family Band – Shuswap Lake
Chris Stevens is one of Canada's most entertaining and talented bluegrass musicians. Well known as a session musician and producer, Chris has been nominated five times for the B.C. Country Music Association's "Instrumentalist of the Year" award. His vocal, instrumental, and co-production talents helped Tumbleweed earn the 1998 BCCMA "Album of the Year" award for "Weedgarden." Born in Halifax, Chris now lives in Eagle Bay in the beautiful Shuswap. "The Chris Stevens Show" is back again this year with some classic bluegrass, high octane picking, and hilarious stage banter.

4:00 PM: Done Gone String Band – Yukon
The Done Gone String Band brings you true blue old-time music sounds from the hills, porches and kitchens of yesteryear. Playing vintage-sounding original material as well as a selection of the finest of traditional old-time songs, the Done Gone String Band are two generations of the Hamilton family: Bob Hamilton on frailing banjo, mandolin, Dobro and vocals; Sarah Hamilton on fiddle and vocals; and Patrick Hamilton on frailing banjo and vocals. The band also features Anne Louise Genest, from the Juno-nominated band Annie Lou, on guitar and vocals. Compelling three and four part harmonies, haunting melodies, and foot-stompin’ instrumentals fuel this new band like a moonshine powered rocket!

3:00 PM: The DownTown Mountain Boys – Seattle
The DownTown Mountain Boys, based in Seattle, Washington, are one of the Pacific Northwest's most exciting and accomplished bluegrass bands. Veteran bluegrassers and recording artists Terry Enyeart (bass, lead and harmony vocals), Dave Keenan (banjo, fiddle, lead and harmony vocals), Don Share (guitar, lead and harmony vocals), Tom Moran (mandolin), and Paul Elliott (fiddle)—seen for years in such popular Northwest bands as Ranch Romance, Rural Delivery, and Rainy Pass—have come together in a match made in musical heaven. Take three-part harmonies that send shivers up your spine, add dazzling instrumental firepower, and you have the sound of The DownTown Mountain Boys.

2:30 PM: Lee Watson - Vancouver
Lee Watson is a dynamic guitarist, singer, and songwriter who plays with the Vancouver-based bluegrass/roots music band, The Breakmen, whose album “When You Leave Town” was nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award and an Independent Music Award. Originally from Owen Sound, Ontario and now living in Victoria, BC, Lee is a versatile multi-instrumentalist with a classic bluegrass/country voice. Lee's 2009 solo album of original songs, “Northern Track,” has been getting rave reviews and radio play throughout the U.S. and Canada. Bluegrass Unlimited wrote: “Over the years, I’ve been impressed by dozens of good singers in bluegrass. Watson puts them all in a new perspective… It doesn’t get much better.” Lee has assembled a fine bluegrass band to join him on his original songs. It’s a set of music you won’t want to miss.

2:00 PM: Nadine Landry and Sammy Lind - Portland, OR
Nadine Landry is best known for her playing and singing with the bands Hungry Hill and The Foghorn Stringband. She has called the west coast her home since January 2000 when she first set foot in the Yukon. Born and raised in a musical family in the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec she has been singing as long as she can remember. Uniquely passionate and powerful, Nadine’s voice has captured the hearts of audiences across Canada and the United States. Sammy Lind is the fiddler for the internationally acclaimed Foghorn Stringband out of Portland, Oregon. He also performs old time music with Caleb Klauder and Nadine Landry in The Foghorn Trio. Foghorn has performed all over the globe, sometimes with old time luminaries Riley Baugus and Dirk Powell. Get ready for some authentic stringband sounds when Nadine and Sammy hit the stage!

1:30 PM: Sue Thompson and Don Share Band - Seattle
Sue Thompson has played and sung for over 30 years in bluegrass, old time, country, Balkan, and Irish bands, including Seattle's legendary Tall Timber and the All Star Cowgirl Revue. An accomplished flatpicker, Sue is in demand at music workshops throughout the northwest. Her recordings include Mike Seeger's GRAMMY-nominated “Third Annual Farewell Reunion” and the recent Western music extravaganza “Tall Boots.” Don Share is an accomplished lead singer and a harmony singing ace. Don has been a respected musician around the Northwest bluegrass scene for many years, and was a founding member of the popular bluegrass bands Who’s Driving? and Rainy Pass. Sue and Don released a harmony singing instructional CD with Keith Little. They’ve rounded out their band with some great BCBW instructors. We can’t wait to see what they come up with at the festival!

12:00 PM: Shearwater - Vancouver Island
Hailing from Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Shearwater Bluegrass Band is fronted by acclaimed singer-bassist Tammy Fassaert, and features guitarist Dave Clarke and hot young mandolinist James Whittall. Shearwater's signature sound comes from combining refined vocal harmonies with blistering instrumental duets. Shearwater has been making waves since it first started performing on the folk and bluegrass circuit on the West Coast in late 2006. Its reputation is spreading with the release of the group’s first album, “Shearwater.”

Emcee: George McKnight
George McKnight’s presence on stage guarantees a high energy, smooth-running show. His 28 years experience emceeing more 250 Bluegrass Festivals and Events in Canada and US attest to his love of the music. A resident of Kamloops, BC, bluegrass fans everywhere tune in to his Uptown Bluegrass Radio Show, available 24/7 at www.uptownbluegrass.com and syndicated for 25+ years on networks throughout Western Canada and now in the USA. George is a champion of Canadian bluegrass music. He gets to know the individuals and songs of bands from coast to coast, and his radio shows have far more Canadian content than any other internationally syndicated bluegrass show. So be sure to thank George for all he does to promote Canadian bluegrass! George’s professionalism, along with that big ‘ol smile and down-home humour, makes him an essential figure at the Sorrento Bluegrass Festival.