Tabard Theatre announces The Goat Hill Girls returning to Tabard for an in-person and livestream concert on July 2, 2022, with on-demand viewing available July 3 through 17. Single tickets for the concert are $10 to $45. The Goat Hill Girls are Sonia Shell on banjo, Lee Anne Welch sawing fiddle, Kim Elking on mandolin, Linda Maki on guitar and Lisa Burns plucking the acoustic bass.
Formed out of the desire to buck the tradition of all-male bluegrass bands, The Goat Hill Girls promise an evening of harmonious blending of old and new friends, some of whom have played bluegrass music together for 37 plus years. All native Californians, the Goat Hill Girls write and perform songs with the feeling of old-time California instead of East Coast mountain regions like most bluegrass music. In addition to their wonderful Cali-inspired originals, the Goat Hill Girls feature plenty of traditional bluegrass, vintage country, old timey, Irish and some fun novelty tunes. The Goat Hill Girls bring audiences the joy they share in making music together. Most of all, they are just plain fun.
Linda Maki offers her songwriting talents to the Goat Hill Girls with songs that people ask for time after time in their live performances. Her song, ‘Grabtown Gulch’ paints a vivid picture of how life was in a shady town in the redwoods on the California coast, evoking the theory of “what’s yours is mine” to a tee.
Linda Maki’s voice is smooth with a hint of an old time feel, but full of personality and emotion. Her grandpa was a ukulele-playing vaudeville actor and singer, and she believes his voice from beyond called her to start singing and playing guitar as a child.
Lisa Burns has won the best bass player award for several years from the Northern California Bluegrass Society. She has also played in numerous bands around the bay area and is sought after to lend the bass parts to many recordings.
Lee Anne Welch won best fiddle player 2013 and 2018 and Kim Elking for best mandolin player in 2009. Both Lee Anne and Kim have won the Lifetime Achievement awards also from the Northern California Bluegrass Society.
Tabard Theatre (formerly Theatre on San Pedro Square) — The Destination for Arts Discovery — is located in the heart of historic San Pedro Square in downtown San Jose amid a bustling restaurant district. This intimate and unique venue brings a touch of Manhattan to the South Bay with its rustic yet edgy feel. Old brick walls, plush leather seats, antique wood plank floors, sweeping red velvet drapes and a 35-foot mahogany bar create a casual cabaret atmosphere. The three-quarter round cabaret stage— described by artists as “a room that feels big and small at the same time” — is the perfect setting for live music and theatre.