Arizona Folklore Preserve

Old Pueblo Bluegrass Band
2025-09-28 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Phoenix) | Arizona Folklore Preserve, 56 E. Folklore Trail, Hereford, AZ, 85615, United States
The Old Pueblo Bluegrass Band has been delighting audiences with high-energy bluegrass music for five years. Bandleader Reid Griffin, on guitar and vocals, is a Tucson native. He has performed throughout the Southwest since the 1980s and toured Europe with his band “Griffin Brothers”. Steve Reed, on electric and upright bass and vocals, majored in music at Pima College, then made a long musical journey from classical to jazz and onward to bluegrass. Bob Frankot, on fiddle, has been steeped in bluegrass all his life and has played with the popular California bluegrass band “Hot Off the Press” through the 1980s before coming to the Old Pueblo.

Nathan McEuen
2025-10-04 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-10-05 14:00 - 16:00
With over 40 years of touring, more than 3,000 shows, and appearances on American Idol, The Stagecoach Festival, the Grand Ole Opry, The Tonight Show, Music City Roots, and XM/Sirius Radio, his music has reached audiences around the world.
Held in the highest esteem by his musical colleagues, Nathan has shared the stage with an impressive lineup of artists, including Bon Jovi, Steve Martin, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Kenny Loggins, Leon Russell, Mason Williams, Vassar Clements, Jay Leno, Billy Bob Thornton, John Carter Cash, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Albert Lee, David Grisman, The Dillards, Dwight Yoakam, Carlos Santana, Kiss, Dave Mason, Jim Messina, Gabriel Iglesias, John Denver, John Jorgenson, Michael Martin Murphey, Trisha Yearwood, David Crosby, Shawn Colvin, Colin Hay, Chris Stills, Richard Paige, Chris Issak, Jason Mraz, Steve Postell, Chris Hillman, Herb Peterson, John Oates, Kevin Nealon, John Hartford, Brett Dennen, Garfunkel & Oates, Jennifer Warnes, Blind Boys of Alabama, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, Malcolm McDowell, Paul Williams, Abe Laboriel, Ann-Margret, Ronny Cox, Chris Thile, Van Dyke Parks, Laurie Lewis, Gary Morris, Gonzo the Muppet, Russi Taylor (Voice of Minnie Mouse) and Hanna-McEuen (w/ his brother Jonathan, and cousin Jaime Hanna).
Most recently, Nathan has collaborated on writing and composing music with legends like Mason Williams (Classical Gas, Smothers Brothers, SNL) and Chris Caswell (Daft Punk, Tron, The Muppets). Alongside his EP “My One and Only” for Mesa/Bluemoon Recordings, Nathan co-produced The McEuen Sessions – For All the Good for the label in 2011. He has also released several acclaimed albums through his independent label, Lint Records, including Grand Design, Festival, Scrapbook, McEuen Sessions, and Side by Side.
With a rich musical heritage, a lifelong passion for songwriting (200+ songs to date), and a love for storytelling, Nathan’s engaging performances showcase his artistry and dedication to his craft. Whether on stage or in the studio, his music continues to resonate with fans worldwide.

​“I think ‘Side By Side’ is wonderful. Great record; accomplished and emotional.” ​
– Steve Martin (Writer, Comedian, Musician, Actor)“Beautiful!”
-Jeff Alan Ross
(Co-producer of Beatles XM radio show “From Me To You”)“A shining example of the Americana genre.”
– Chris Jay, VC Reporter (Ventura, CA)
“McEuen Sessions is a thing of beauty for the whole musical family.”
– David Wilde (Huffington Post/Rolling Stone)
“A fantastic listen. I thoroughly recommend it.”
– Malcom McDowell (Actor)
“Nathan McEuen is a genius!”
– Nathan McEuen (Musician/Writer)
“‘Side By Side’ is a perfect example of his talents.”
– Jim Messina (Poco, Buffalo Springfield, Loggins & Messina)“I love his music and I love this album [Side By Side]!”
– Crystal Gayle (AMA/CMA & Grammy Award winning singer)
“What excellence. Positively blew me away! Great inspiration.“
– Ken Hardley – Rolling Hills Radio (New York)
“For pure musical intent and accomplishment, McEuen Sessions doesn’t get any better.”
-Linda Ronstadt (Singer)
“Nathan McEuen’s light is shining bright. A fine singer, guitarist and an excellent songwriter. There is hope on the horizon.”
– Chris Hillman (The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Bros.)
​

PICTURE COMMENT:
Nathan McEuen grew up surrounded by incredible music and talented musicians. By age five he started performing with his father, John McEuen (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), Nathan soon became a natural showman.

Ted Ramirez
2025-10-11 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-10-12 14:00 - 16:00
Teodoro “Ted” Ramirez is a Southwest troubadour with a captivating sound and distinctive music style. His performances are a celebration in Southwest culture. The name “Teodoro” is the Spanish version of English “Theodore”, and is a old family name – one that dates back to before the 1700’s in his family. Ted often with a smile says: “my name is Teodoro, but all my friends call me Teo or Ted.
Ted’s repertoire is a mixture of original music, classic American and Mexican folk songs, and stories. Ted is an established and seasoned live concert performing artist having toured extensively in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and northern Europe.
Ted was born in Tucson, Arizona in 1953 with family roots that pre-date the Spanish and Mexican eras of the region.
Ted presents songs with intriguing introductions drawn from personal experience, and the oral and written histories of Mexico and the American Southwest.
Ted has received numerous awards including: “Arizona Culture Keeper Award” and named “Tucson’s Official Troubadour” by the Tucson’s Mayor and City Council in 2001.
Ted is the founder of the celebrated Tucson-based folk group; “The Santa Cruz River Band”.
Ted’s live performance presentations are well-suited for: concerts, festivals, educational programs, residencies, workshops, and special presentations and ceremonies for all ages.

The Mule Boys
2025-10-18 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-10-19 14:00 - 16:00
Scott Muhleman, namesake of this duo, blows a mean harp. He’s been bending notes and playing the blues since the sixties. LA, Waikiki in ’68, Alaska, San Francisco, to Bisbee, Arizona. He came to Bisbee the first time while touring with DC Miner and Blues on the Move. Jon Messenger’s story has been a journey through, away from, and back again to the American West. A musical journey through the west. And the Everglades. And Cornwall-on-Hudson. Always some guitar player willing to be patient with him, indulge him with some music and “communicate to me how to play.” Scott and Jon met at a campout at Parker Canyon Lake in 1992. Assembled with like minds in fine surroundings, music was made. Music continued to happen and will happen again this weekend!

Doors open at 1 p.m., performances begin at 2:00 p.m. Reservations are preferred; however, walk-ins will be seated if space permits. The Arizona Folklore Preserve is located at 56 E. Folklore Trail in Hereford. Make reservations at www.arizonafolklore.com.

Gary Allegretto
2025-10-25 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-10-26 14:00 - 16:00
Gary Allegretto is the 2019 International Western Music Association (IWMA) Performer of the Year. Western Horseman Magazine raves, “Gary’s music transcends genres, generations and cultural barriers, yet is so professional, engaging and core to the cowboy that listeners can’t help but want to ride along a while longer and discover something new in a song.” Not only is Gary the best harmonica player you will likely ever hear, but he is also a remarkable singer, songwriter, guitarist, and a masterful entertainer. His talents have also earned him Grammy nominations, an Academy of Western Artist (AWA) Will Rogers Award, an EQUUIS Award, and a Best of the West Award. His songs have reached the #1 spot on the Western Music radio charts. His music is featured in major motion picture soundtracks, and he has provided interviews and performances for Western music films and television shows. Gary’s engaging and often laugh-out-loud songs tell stories drawn from his rich and diverse life experience in the West (including ranch hand, forest firefighter as a USFS Hotshot, and bouncer in a couple of rough honky-tonks).

Eric Ramsey
2025-11-01 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-11-02 14:00 - 16:00
Eric is a perennial favorite on the Folk and Blues Festival circuits, not only for his dynamic, engaging performances but for his open tuning and slide guitar workshops as well.
With soaring vocals and organic arrangements, Eric’s original compositions reflect his musical influences, but come from a place all their own. He writes from experience about the human condition – at times sensitive, at times humorous, always thought-provoking. His arrangements and delivery encompass a spectrum of styles, from delicate fingerpicking to raucous, bluesy bottleneck slide.
Eric lives in the Phoenix area with his patient, long-suffering wife, three kids and dogs of indeterminate pedigree. He can often be found in the garage, where his family prefer he practice….

Jerry Hall and Trick Shot
2025-11-08 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-11-09 14:00 - 16:00
Jerry Hall and Trick Shot have performed at Western music events in California, Wyoming, Arizona and Elko, Nevada. They’ve shared the stage with the likes of Baxter Black, RW Hampton and Waddie Mitchell. The band has opened for the Riders in the Sky, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers and played alongside with Rex Allen, Jr., The Sons of the Pioneers and Sons of the San Joaquin.
The group have five albums to their credit, over twenty videos on YouTube of their live performances, and have been featured on RFD TV.
Jerry Hall is the featured vocalist and a sure enough cowboy, having been raised on the Gill Cattle Ranch in Springville, CA. He ropes and rides almost everyday. Ed Hughes sings lead and harmony vocals. He trains horses on his ranch. Randy Fowler is a long time cowboy in training and arranges most of the band’s music.

Michael Grande
2025-11-15 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-11-16 14:00 - 16:00
Michael Grande, one of the world’s beloved entertainers is returning this weekend.
Grande, who tours the world, only performs in Cochise County twice per year. A singer-songwriter and virtuoso guitarist, Grande brings laughter and tears to audience members as he moves from exciting instrumentals featuring his famous five-fingered picking technique and breathtaking guitar flourishes to his gentle, almost caressing of the strings, as his sexy, smooth voice, tells tales of soldiers, families and the great depression.
But if the song is a sad one, the mood is uplifted immediately by Grande inserting songs and stories of friends, family and animals: a little girl’s first horse, the loss of a stray dog that became a hero to a family it saved, and the romantic love story of an Arabian stallion and mare.
In between songs, Grande is known for his tales. Growing up in an Italian family, he tells of being a child in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he used to tie the tail of his coonskin cap to his bicycle and pretend it was a horse as he raced through the mean streets of Bensonhurst. In his mind and his dreams, he was always a cowboy, and he was always in Arizona.

The Nevermores
2025-11-22 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-11-23 14:00 - 16:00
Nancy McCallion
The daughter of an Irish-Scots immigrant and a Texas farm girl, McCallion grew up in Tucson. She heard — and was obviously influenced by — the Norteño sounds of her Southwest side neighborhood, her older sister’s Beatles’ records, and 1970s and 1980s radio rock, mixed with her dad’s Irish trad and her mother’s Texas old-time country. Throw in adolescent Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello and Pogues fixations and the cultural stew emerged as The Mollys’ drop-jaw repertoire. McCallion has continued to write and has resumed performing live and recording as a solo performer after The Mollys disbanded. McCallion has performed at the AFP several times with her husband, Danny Krieger.

Sabra Faulk
Sabra Faulk has been a Tucson music staple for 30+ years playing bass guitar and rhythm guitar in several bands, fronting her own band, and being a solo singer-songwriter. Her band, The Angel Band, headlined the 2012 Tucson Folk Festival. Her styles range from country all the way to funk.

Jim Jones and Mariam Funke
2025-11-29 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-11-30 14:00 - 16:00
Jim Jones and Mariam Funke are award-winning musicians from New Mexico, and are two-thirds of the band, The Cowboy Way. As a group they have been named Western Group of the Year four times by the International Western Music Association, and have taken home numerous individual awards from the IWMA, the Writers of America, the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, and the Academy of Western Artists. Their music captures the spirit of the West…the past, the present, and the future, as well as the values, challenges, and allure, while their lively shows feature tight harmonies, high energy and smokin’ instruments. They honor traditional cowboy songs and then bowl you over with their dynamic contemporary original Western tunes.

Peter McLaughlin
2025-12-06 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-12-07 14:00 - 16:00
Peter McLaughlin is an acclaimed acoustic guitarist, songwriter, vocalist, performer, recording artist and music instructor located in Tucson, AZ. He plays many genres and styles, and specializes in acoustic flatpicking and fingerpicking techniques. He was born in Washington DC, and his family’s roots are in Scotland and England by way of Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina. Early on, his parents, Bill and Nancy McLaughlin, brought music into the lives of Peter and his brother David. They were introduced to all types of music, had a family band, and were surrounded with love and encouragement.
Peter started playing the guitar at the age of eight and was very soon jamming at bluegrass festivals and fiddle conventions. He lived in Denmark in the early 70s, and attended a Danish high school. In 1974, Peter moved again, this time to attend Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, where he played with Tom Rozum (mandolin, fiddle, and vocals), Roger Smith (bass and vocals), John Zarske (rhythm guitar and vocals), and Frank Dedera (banjo) in the group Flying South, an acoustic string band specializing in bluegrass and early swing era jazz. A later incarnation of Flying South included Kirby Mittelmeier (mandolin and vocals) and John Willis (bass and vocals).
In 1983, Peter moved to Tucson, where he played music with banjo player Ross Nickerson in various bands, including the 1988 Telluride Band Contest winners, The Titan Valley Warheads, who Peter still plays with on occasion.
In 1991, Peter had the opportunity to reunite with his long-time pal, Tom Rozum, and joined Laurie Lewis, touring nationally and internationally for six years as guitarist and harmony vocalist with her band.
In 1992 Chris Brashear moved to Tucson. He and Peter struck up an immediate and lasting friendship and a strong musical bond and began performing and recording together.
In 1996, Peter released his first solo album, a CD entitled Cliffs of Vermilion, produced by Laurie. She, along with Tom, Chris, brother David, father Bill, and others appear on Peter’s stellar debut CD, which is on Dog Boy Records.
In 1999 when Chris recorded his first solo CD, Wanderlust, an excellent new bluegrass band formed out of that project when producer, Jody Stecher, along with Bluegrass Boy banjo picker, Bob Black, bassist, Forrest Rose, Chris and Peter started Perfect Strangers. Their self-titled CD, released on Rebel Records in 2003, was also produced by Jody.
Since the late 1980’s Peter has performed off and on with Bob Meighan, Earl Edmonson, Kirby Mittlelmeier and Brian Davies in a band affectionately known as The Dreadnutts. In 1991 they won the Telluride Bluegrass Band Contest.
In 2011 Peter’s current band, The Sonoran Dogs, was formed out of a tour with the late Japanese guitarist, Maro Kawabata. The “Dogs” continue to perform regularly at various festivals and concert venues. Their first CD was released in 2014 on Dog Boy Records.
In 2013 Peter was inducted into the Tucson Musicians Museum.
Contest Awards:
• First Place in National Flatpick Guitar Championship, Walnut Valley Festival, Winfield, KS (1988)
• Second Place in National Flatpick Guitar Championship, Walnut Valley Festival, Winfield, KS (1986)
• First Place in Telluride Bluegrass Guitar Championship, Telluride, CO (1988, 1991)

Joel Alden White
2025-12-13 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-12-14 14:00 - 16:00
Joel Alden White is a singer/songwriter from West Texas. Six-time nominee in the IWMA and recipient of the Academy Of Western Artists 2023 Song Of The Year. Joel has cowboyed and managed ranches in West Texas, been a Yard Manager for a West Texas Commercial Feedyard and a cattle buyer in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Arizona. Currently Joel is “technically” retired spending time with his wife, Kelly, in their home in Timbercreek Canyon just outside of Amarillo, making music, traveling, and performing. White’s first 2 albums found success on the Roots Americana Country Charts with singles charting as high as a #1 and 2, #2’s. At this time his EP “Once I Was A Cowboy” has been in the top 30 Album chart for the IWMA for the last 2 years. The title song, Once I Was A Cowboy, was the #1 song on the summer 2024 IWMA Western Radio chart.

Out of the Blue
2025-12-20 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-12-21 14:00 - 16:00
Out of the Blue started creating their “Bordergrass” style in the early 1990s. You already know three of the members if you’ve heard Way Out West or Dharmapoke at the AFP through the years – Tom Poley on guitar and banjo, Emmy Creigh on guitar and Slim Rost on bass. Donny Russell rounds out the Out of the Blue quartet on mandolin. The band has a reputation for their unique, signature vocal harmonies. Based in Tucson, they have traveled throughout the Southwest playing their distinctive original songs as well as traditional bluegrass and Americana covers. They have toured Europe 3 times and won 2nd place in the Telluride Band competition in 1998. The band members have received honors from the Western Music Association and Tom Poley has won 5 songwriting awards from The John Hartford Festival Songwriting Challenge. You can expect an energetic and fun performance in the acoustically pristine AFP that will feature some of their signature songs as well as some new gems added for these shows.

Eric Schaffer & Loren Dircks
2025-12-27 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-12-28 14:00 - 16:00
Eric Schaffer has been recognized as one of Southern Arizona’s favorite singer/songwriters, having been a finalist in the Great American Song Contest, the Passport To Nashville songwriting contest, a 3-time Tucson Folk Festival songwriting competition finalist and the winner of the 2022 Tumbleweed Music Festival songwriting contest. With a writing style heavily influenced by the great singer/songwriters of the 60’s and 70’s and a voice that has been compared to Kris Kristofferson and Steve Earle, his songs are sometimes sweet, sometimes melancholy, sometimes funny, and always well crafted. Eric has performed throughout the US and has opened shows for Clint Black, Blackberry Smoke, Marc Cohn, Lonestar and Darden Smith.

Loren Dircks is well-known as one of Arizona’s most accomplished guitar pickers. He was the front man and lead guitarist for the band Gila Bend when they pioneered “country-punk” in the ’90s and continues to play everything from jazz to folk to punk and country. Aside from his work with Eric and The Other Troublemakers, Loren still performs with Gila Bend and his new project, The Classless Chaps.

Doors open at 1 p.m., performances begin at 2:00 p.m. Reservations are preferred; however, walk-ins will be seated if space permits.

The Notorious No-Gig Girl Band
2026-01-03 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-01-04 14:00 - 16:00
With everything shut down in 2020, The Notorious No-Gig Girl Band formed when four friends who had met at the Desert Bluegrass Association workshops decided to break COVID quarantine and jam outdoors in a city park. Spaced well apart from each other, the group played and sang for the pure joy of being together and making music. Playing every week in (nearly) all weather, they developed a following among park visitors, and were especially popular with the under-4 set.
Jennifer Johnson on bass brings raucous good humor and a strong beat. Karen Dismachek on guitar and fiddle lays down a mean groove. Louise Courtney plays an unusually soft-spoken banjo, but has been known to let her rip on occasion. Suzette Sommerer on fiddle just plays whatever the heck she feels like. All four sing like angels (possibly angels with tarnished haloes), and their tight harmonies really bring the band together. Made up entirely of musicians who either took up their instruments late in life or who came late to bluegrass or both, they are a great example of how it is never too late to find passion for something new. Who ever thought that one day this group would be gigging? And no, they are not planning to change the name!

Dave Munsick
2026-01-10 14:00 - 16:00
Dave writes and sings of a west that many miss; a west of endless emotional landscapes unbroken by borders between people, times and places. These are stories and songs that go down smooth and stay with you awhile.
Besides songs, Dave writes and tells stories that resonate the adventures that his music has taken him on. He has produced 7 CDs of original music, and written and recorded themes for historical documentaries as well as compositions for government, commercial and private sectors. He also develops educational learning modules that immerse students in the pivotal themes of western history.
Dave is a performer, playing solo as well as with his bands. He has opened for or played fiddle, piano, and guitar for artists including Chris LeDoux, Lyle Lovett and Ian Tyson.
“Dave Munsick is a damned fine fiddle player!” – Ian Tyson
He gives educational workshops, arranges songs for his concerts and dances, and has had his music played on television as well as U.S. and European radio stations. His music has been reviewed in Western Horseman, Rope Burns, Eclectic Horseman, and Cowboy magazines.
