Auburn theater proponents planting bluegrass roots

By: Gus Thomson 
Friday, September 1, 2006 5:47 PM PDT 

The sweet sounds of bluegrass will be wafting through the Gold Country Fairgrounds in mid-October when one of its leading purveyors hits the stage for the inaugural Auburn Bluegrass Festival. 
 
The Auburn Place Performing Arts Center committee is bringing in fiddler-singer-songwriter Laurie Lewis - one of the genre's bigger names - to headline the Oct. 14 festival. Lewis earned a Grammy in 1997 for "True Life Blues: The Songs of Bill Monroe," and was nominated a year earlier with mandolinist-singer Tom Rozum for their CD "The Oak and the Laurel." Rozum will team with Lewis for the outdoor show at Ferrell Wren Park in the fairgrounds. 
 
Berkeley-based, Lewis is part of the bill at this weekend's big Strawberry Festival in Groveland and will be popping up all over the map in the next few months with the release of her latest disc. 
 
"A Prairie Home Companion" listeners may recognize Lewis' voice - or a singular fiddle sound that melds modern bluegrass and pop. She's a frequent visitor to the public radio staple. 
 
Lewis, a two-time California state fiddling champion, lives to play off-rhythm, inventing cadences on the spot that add depth to traditional tunes. She's also been twice named female vocalist of the year by the International Bluegrass Music Association.

The Performing Arts Center committee has booked several opening acts for a festival that will run from noon through 10 p.m. Guitar makers and craftspeople will also be on hand as the Arts Center group uses the event to raise funds for rebuilding the Old State Theatre in Auburn.