Volunteer Project Catalog

The Center for the Arts

This is a great volunteer job for a friendly, responsible person who's interested in volunteering during the day. You'll welcome visitors to the Center, answer questions about our Gallery art, inform guests about upcoming concerts, help direct students who are coming in for classes, and prepare postering packets. Ideally, we'd love to have a committment for one shift a week, however, signing up for a single shift is much appreciated.

The Center for the Arts

2024 Holiday Concerts "Comfort & Joy," at The Center for the Arts, 314 W. Main St, Grass Valley, CA. Bar Cashiers Only With the Music in the Mountains Orchestra and Chorus

The Center for the Arts

Genre: Stand Up Comedy See who's getting the most laughs around town?!! Local stand up comedians will take to the stage.

The Center for the Arts

Genre: Rock Chuck Ragan’s bracing new release Till Midnight once again confirms what the iconoclastic singer-songwriter’s fans have known all along: that he’s a deeply compelling songwriter and an effortlessly charismatic performer, as well as a true believer in music’s ability to illuminate and inspire. Till Midnight‘s ten typically impassioned new Ragan compositions embody the artist’s trademark mix of eloquent lyrical insight and catchy, forceful songcraft. The album’s formidable blend of head and heart is reflected on such new tunes as “Something May Catch Fire,” “Vagabond,” “Non Typical,” “Bedroll Lullaby” and “Wake With You,” on which Ragan applies his distinctively raspy voice and sharp melodic sensibility to vividly expressive tunes that reflect both his early grounding in traditional American music and his deep affinity for rock n’ roll.

The Center for the Arts

Genre: Bluegrass The Brothers Comatose is a five-piece bluegrass band based out of San Francisco, California.The band consists of brothers Ben and Alex Morrison, who play guitar and banjo, respectively, along with Steve Height on the bass, Philip Brezina with the violin, and Greg Fleischut on the mandolin. Come and enjoy them at our celebration ringing in the New Year!

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Genre: Jazz, Pop, Rock, Country “Music is the medicine of the soul,” wrote Plato. “It gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, joy to sadness, and life to everything.” Remarkably, Plato recognized this truth somehow more than 2000 years before Tommy Emmanuel was even born, but it could have been written about him. The real-time exuberance Tommy brings to every note of every song he plays is palpable and infectious. His fans are in love with his unbound talent as a guitarist of multitudes, his ability to play three parts at once, always with pure heart and real soul. He is a true virtuoso. But he seems as delighted always with the magic of the music as the audience, if not more, and his joy illuminates everything.

The Center for the Arts

KVMR Annual Fundraiser Two of folk music’s most celebrated songwriters, Tom Paxton and John McCutcheon together Live! Enjoy the music of two legends as they reflect on the influence of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, the 1960s Greenwich Village scene and the origins of some of their timeless songs. John and Tom Paxton have been pals for decades, but it was COVID and Zoom that turned them into a songwriting team. Every Monday at 2PM they’d tell jokes, reminisce about old friends, and, of course, talk lots of sports. Eventually one would say, “Well, guess we better write a song, huh?” And off they’d go, two old warhorses pulling the plow. Now, a hundred songs later, they gathered fourteen for their first joint recording, the aptly titled Together which was released in the fall of 2023. Join the folk music legends live together in concert. It will be night of love, laughter, music and of course great stories. Tom Paxton has become a voice of his generation, addressing issues of injustice and inhumanity, laying bare the absurdities of modern culture and celebrating the tenderest bonds of family, friends, and community. In describing Tom Paxton’s influence on his fellow musicians, Pete Seeger has said: “Tom’s songs have a way of sneaking up on you. You find yourself humming them, whistling them, and singing a verse to a friend. Like the songs of Woody Guthrie, they’re becoming part of America.” Pete goes on: “In a small village near Calcutta, in 1998, a villager who could not speak English sang me What Did You Learn In School Today? in Bengali! Tom Paxton’s songs are reaching around the world more than he is, or any of us could have realized. Keep on, Tom!”

The Center for the Arts

Genre: Folk These days, every artist’s album needs to have a story. The music can’t speak for itself. But after 22 records, why can’t Ani DiFranco’s work speak for itself? Yes, her forthcoming album is shaped by stories — ones about reproductive freedom, the double-edged sword of the pandemic, identity and ever-evolving belief systems that have shaped each of its 11 songs. There are songs that were written in 2011 and in 2022; some for musicals, others for children’s books. The album isn’t linear, but it is inherently teeming with DiFranco’s spirit. It was paramount to the folk-feminist hero that listeners not be saddled with preconceived notions while diving into her 23rd album Unprecedented Sh!t. “I believe there is a rhyme and a reason as to why these songs have come together in this way now and I want people to experience this album as a journey, a piece of art, without being influenced by a cacophony of surrounding narratives.” While many of DiFranco’s albums were made more insularly, she’s opened herself up to collaboration in recent years. For 21 of DiFranco’s 22 albums, she opted to self-produce. With Unprecedented Sh!t, she wanted to try working with a producer and tapped BJ Burton, who produced one of her favorite albums, Bon Iver’s 22, A Million. With Burton’s help, largely from afar, they created soundscapes often using only DiFranco’s voice and guitar as the raw materials and manipulating them with effects and filters. “I really wanted to lean into the power of machines in a way that I never have before, so BJ and I communicating through many layers of them in order to collaborate, seemed apropos. This record was made almost entirely by me and BJ alone, bouncing things back and forth.”

The Center for the Arts

Genre: Tribute Local band, Souvenirs, will be honoring the music of Dan Fogelberg with Elena Rayo opening with the music of Joni Mitchell.

The Center for the Arts

Genre: Rock Guardians of the Galaxy Sacramento Prep Music Academy Benefit A benefit for the SPMA guitar project and scholarship fund.

The Center for the Arts

Genre: Tribute, Rock Eagles fans! Mark your calendars because on February 2, 2025, Vancouver Canada’s own Eagles Tribute - "Take It To The Limit" is landing in Grass Valley for the first time. Get ready for an unforgettable night of live music as some of Canada's most talented musicians and vocalists come together to pay homage to the legendary Eagles. Experience the magic as they bring to life your favorite Eagles hits, including classics like "Hotel California," "Heartache Tonight," "Peaceful Easy Feeling," "Take It To The Limit," "Desperado," "Life In The Fast Lane," "Take It Easy," "Lyin' Eyes," and more! With rave reviews from coast to coast, this show promises to be a fully immersive experience, capturing the essence and energy of an authentic Eagles concert.

The Center for the Arts

Genre: Folk-Rock, Country, Bluegrass John McEuen brings with him 45+ years of worldwide performing with his banjo, fiddle, guitar, and mandolin. Often referred to as 'the String Wizard', he weaves stories of his travels and family life (he has raised 7 kids), taking us through where his musical path has taken him. A founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1966, John instigated the 1972 classic Will the Circle Be Unbroken album, (inducted in to the Library of Congress as 'one of America's most important recordings). He has earned Emmy nominations, Grammy Awards, CMA acclaim, The Western Heritage Award, and many other accolades can be found on his website: www.johnmceuen.com. Proud to be an integral part of the first American band to go to Russia (in 1977!), John's love of performing is evident when during his shows he takes us 'behind the curtain' of the music world that so many of us know of only as listeners, and shows us how we have all been a part of it, more than we may know.

The Center for the Arts

ALO is a lot of things. Put simply, it’s a rock band, a family, an artistic outlet, a community, a business. But that only scratches the surface of this 3O-year musical vision-quest. ALO is an adventure, it’s a Spring break road trip to Colorado, it’s an all-night drive from Salt Lake City to San Jose. It’s the comfort of hanging out with life-long friends, of relaxing on a couch and finding treasures hidden in its cushions. It’s a coffee table full of amazing books on art, philosophy and music. It feels old and new, fresh and classic. It holds tension and dreams and possibility in its folds. It hopes to unveil something magical, something unheard of, something the world needs. It smells of super burritos and vans full of lemons, old bongs and epic hikes. It’s a sound of growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area. It’s a sound of northern California, with sprinkles of Santa Barbara and Augusta, Georgia. It was born of childhood friendships, of shared destinies, of inside jokes and of a desire to make people happy. It’s not for everyone, although it tries to be. It wants you to love and share in its vision. It’s long and meandering, then suddenly sharp, abrupt! It’s feral and clever, and it means you no harm. It’s love and freedom, collected and catalogued, then released back into the wilds from whence it came, over and over again. It’s an orchestrated liberation of our animal soul.

The Center for the Arts

Genre: Folk, Indie In a world where the line between the living and the dead blurs... This fall, prepare yourself for a Rainbow Girls show like no other. As the lights dim, and the fog rolls in, you'll step into a realm where shadows dance, and whispers echo through the night. Welcome to the “Haunting” album release tour—a spine-tingling journey into the unknown. Feel the chill as each note reverberates through the darkness, see the spectral visions come to life on stage, and as the music swells, you'll find yourself drawn deeper into the abyss. But beware—once you enter, you may never leave. This isn't just a show… it’s a journey into the unknown, where every song beckons you deeper into the shadows.

The Center for the Arts

Folk Yeah Rental

The Center for the Arts

Genre: Singer Songwriter Sam Beam is a singer-songwriter who has been creating music as Iron & Wine for over a decade. Through the course of seven albums, numerous EPs and singles, and the initial volumes of an Archive Series - Iron & Wine has captured the emotion and imagination of listeners with distinctly cinematic songs.

The Center for the Arts

Genre: Rock Tribute Experience the songs and stories of Johnny Cash on what would have been his 91st birthday. James Garner’s Tribute to Johnny Cash celebrates the life and music of the legendary ‘Man in Black’ with strong conviction and stunning accuracy. Garner and his band faithfully recreate Cash’s biggest hits, including stories and personal anecdotes about America’s most beloved singing storyteller. A fun, toe-tapping trip down memory lane honoring Johnny Cash’s life and music, and the boom-chicka-boom sound of his longtime backing band, the Tennessee Three. The closest experience to seeing Johnny Cash in person today. Don’t miss it!