Blithedale Canyon, a melodious country/Americana/bluegrass band from Marin County, CA, is on hiatus but is also available for special bookings. Its members are longtime friends with decades of experience playing various kinds of music. Imagine old-school country songs, bluegrass and Tex-Mex with a bit of old-time rock and roll, played on pedal steel, Fender Telecaster and Precision bass, and a Martin acoustic guitar, with three lead singers and mellifluous three-part harmonies, and you’ll have a good idea of what to expect from this exciting new quartet. 

It all began in the winter of 2013 in Mill Valley, when original pedal steel player Gary Kaye (who has since left the band), who lives in the Blithedale Canyon area of Mill Valley, invited the local duo Keystone Crossing – Larry Carlin and Claudia Hampe – over to his house to jam some on acoustic guitars while he worked out on his steel. The duo began singing classic country songs from a few decades back, and over time a list of favorite tunes developed. After working up two sets of material, electric guitar playing friend Gary Bauman came by one night to jam as Larry switched over to playing bass, and Gary B. immediately added a magical third part to the duo’s harmonious voices. And just like that, the band’s sound suddenly began to gel. 

As a result, at any Blithedale Canyon show you are likely to hear a multifarious mix of Merle, Hank, Johnny, Patsy and Emmylou, along with Creedence, The Mavericks, Neil Young, The Desert Rose Band, The New Riders, The Byrds, and the Dead, all done in a style that has been dubbed "Marin County Country."