THIS IS BLUEGRASS!
The Northern Bluegrass Circle Music Society (NBCMS) is a registered non-profit organization based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Our mission is to promote, present, and preserve Bluegrass music for it's members and the general public. Please come back often for the latest on the Alberta Bluegrass scene!
Make sure to visit the Northern Bluegrass Circle Legacy Street Stage at the Blueberry Music Festival!
Acoustic Bluegrass Jam every Wednesday at the Pleasantview Community Hall 10860-57 Ave. Jamming starts at 6:30pm.
Download the NBCMS Jamming Songbook 1 or the Bluegrass 101 Song Book
to print for FREE
Play Along!
Northern Bluegrass Circle Jamming Song Book Spotify Playlist
NBCMS UPCOMING EVENTS
Not a NBCMS member yet?
Become a member and save on all club events!
Thank you fans for your support! It was a successful inaugural festival and we can’t wait to do it again next year! January 16 -18, 2026
2025
NBCMS ACOUSTIC MUSIC WORKSHOP CLINICS
At The Blueberry Music Festival
Friday, August 1, 2025
10:30 am to 12:00 pm
LUNCH BREAK (Lunch is included!)
1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
At the Stony Plain Pioneer Museum
Advance Registration is Recommended
NBCMS Members - $65.00
Non-Members - $70.00
Join us for a day of instruction at our Annual Acoustic Music Workshops Clinics.
Clinics include three hours of instruction from festival artists and lunch.
A perfect way to kick off your festival weekend.
Take your pick…
Bass – Larry Cadle (Kevin Prater Band)
Banjo – Daithi Melia (Jig Jam)
Clawhammer Banjo – Frank Evans (The Slocan Ramblers)
Fiddle – Kevin Buckley (Jig Jam)
Flatpicking Guitar - Dalton Smith (Kevin Prater Band)
Rhythm Guitar – Jamie McKeogh (Jig Jam)
Harmony Singing – Kevin Prater, Mallory Hindman. Codie Allen (Kevin Prater Band)
Mandolin – Gavin Strappe (Jig Jam)
For clarification on what workshop to register in, contact Anna (the NBCMS Workshop Director) at info@bluegrassnorth.com. She can answer your questions.
BLUEGRASS and BURGERS
with THE BARREL BOYS
July 16, 2025
Pleasantview Hall (10860 57 Ave. Edmonton)
TICKETS:
NBCMS Members - $20
Non-Members - $25
Doors - 5:30pm
Burgers - 6:00pm
Concert - 7:00pm
Jamming to follow the show - BRING YOUR INSTRUMENTS!
THE KEVIN PRATER BAND
“COAL-FIRED PURE KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS”
August 6, 2025
Pleasantview Hall (10860 57 Ave. Edmonton)
TICKETS:
NBCMS Members - $15
Non-Members - $20
Doors - 5:30pm
Concert - 7:00pm
Jamming to follow the show - BRING YOUR INSTRUMENTS!
ONE DAY JAM CAMP
Yorath House
Saturday, September 6, 2025
Yorath House - 13110 Buena Vista Road, Edmonton, AB
NBCMS Members - $40.00
Non-Members - $55.00
The NBCMS One Day Jam Camp is your chance to immerse yourself in a day of jamming. Yorath House is situated in Edmonton alongside the North Saskatchewan river with trails leading to Laurier park and bordering the Buena Vista Dog park.
Lunch is included.
Play away the day at the NBCMS One Day Jam Camp.
Contact Anna with any questions. 780-718-3070 or annadsomerville@gmail.com
Down at the Jam Wednesdays
The Northern Bluegrass Circle Jam starts at 6:30 pm at Pleasantview Hall 10860-57 Ave.
Come on down join the fun and expand your bluegrass repertoire.
Bluegrass 101 will be the first Wednesday of the month (September thru June). The Marshall Centre (next door to the Pleasantview Hall) will be open for jamming coinciding with Bluegrass 101 for those who just want to jam, Jams start at 6:30 pm. Please feel free to move from one space to the other and find what jam works for you. The other Wednesdays of the month will be "circle" jams. We have split the jam to make three smaller jams, one on the stage, one in the main hall and one in the lower level. The smaller jams provide us an opportunity to have more than one turn, it is easier to hear the other jammers, are friendlier and give us a chance to get to know each other. We now have a wall of acoustic panels to isolate the smaller jams that needs to be set up and put away every Wednesday. Please make time for volunteering with this process. Set up starts at 6:00 pm tear down is 9:00 pm.
The challenge of a successful jam is accommodating all the different levels of jammers. Bluegrass 101 will accommodate the newbies and some of the oldies depending on their interest. The Jam is a safe place to push yourself out of your comfort zone. We are there to support each other, but please be prepared for when your turn comes. You don't need to take a break on every song, so it’s okay to pass. It is not a performance; it is a jam. Your turn is your opportunity to lead a song. To ensure success please take time before you attend to plan the songs or tunes you want to share. Practice at home and then bring them to the jam. We all need a place we enjoy and to nurture our bluegrass community that has supported us and our jam for 29 years.
We all want to be in a jam that makes us smile and say “now that was fun”!
Bluegrass 101
Past Bluegrass 101 videos can be found on The Bix Mix Boys YouTube channel.
If you are new to bluegrass, join Darcy Whiteside and Jim Storey for Bluegrass 101.
Each month (September thru June), Darcy & Jim will teach a new bluegrass standard tune in an easy-to-follow format that makes it fun to learn. They will cover the vocal parts and how all the instruments work together to make it sound great!
Suggested donation on Bluegrass 101 nights is $5.00
Member Perk: If you’re a member of the Northern Bluegrass Circle, the cost of Bluegrass 101 will remain as part of your $2 suggested donation at the door.
If you’re a not a NBCMS member a $5 a donation will be requested at the door.
Our membership year is Feb 28th to March 1st.
$15 for an individual membership or $25 for a family membership.
Membership pays. Join today!
NBCMS Membership has PERKS!
