Pleasant Valley Boys featured on new Nugget Market website

August 10, 2007 by pleasantvalley

Pleasant Valley Music is proud to announce that their Boys‘ music is featured in a new video for Nugget Market’s FreshToMarket.com website.

At 1 minute 20 seconds into the clip, you’ll hear PVB’s own Pleasant Valley Hop, written by PVB banjo player George Goodell! Keep watching/listening because the Hop-clips last ’til the end!

Click here to watch!

Pleasant Valley’s RoseBud Blue Recording!

July 27, 2007 by pleasantvalley

Pleasant Valley Music artist RoseBud Blue has finished pre-production of their forthcoming innaugural recording, and is set to commence recording at PV’s Squirty Records Studios next week! Producer Keith Little has been engaged, claiming he’s inspired to “create a unique sound” for band primaries Jenny Williams and Angela Personeni.

Keith and RBB

Also on board as of press-time are mandolinist/baritone singer, and band confidant, Matt Dudman, and banjo picker extraordinare and luthier, “BanjoBoy” Josh Tharp. Who do y’all think’s a’ gonna saw on the strings, playin’ fiddle? … Don’t know? … neither does RBB yet! “Stay tuned” to find out … ! :)

Pleasant Valley artist Jake Quesenberry (MacRae Brothers) passes over Jordan

July 9, 2007 by pleasantvalley

Jake

Jacob Onsby Quesenberry, of Pleasant Valley’s MacRae Brothers, died of heart failure in the early afternoon of Tuesday July 3, 2007 at Veterans Administration Health Care System hospital in Palo Alto, California.

Jake was born in Salt Lick, Virginia on April 15, 1930. At 15 years old Jake ’snuck’ into the Army, which sent him to California in 1950, where he then met Janet Pelle. Their marriage lasted until her passing over 50 years later, producing four daughters in the meantime.

Jake’s lifetime passion was bluegrass music. He learned mandolin, guitar and singing at a very early age from his family and, after moving out west, quickly became an unusually charismatic front-man l for several San Francisco Bay Area country and bluegrass bands. He co-founded the California Bluegrass Association in 1974 with his lifelong best friend Carl Pagter, which organization became the world’s largest of its kind. That organization later awarded him a coveted honorary lifetime membership. ‘Criminally’ underrecorded, Jake did make three well received CDs containing many of his original songs in the late 1990’s-early 2000’s as half of the old-time country ‘brother duet’ act The MacRae Brothers, who also performed for the International Bluegrass Music Association in 2001.

In 2004 he was honored by the CBA as a “California Bluegrass Pioneer”, and in that same year Kentucky’s Governor commissioned Jake as an honorary Kentucky Colonel, the highest honor awarded by the Commonwealth. In 2006 Jake was recognized in an official proclamation from The City of Morgan Hill, California, the same year he was asked to be the subject of the prestigious International Bluegrass Music Museum Video Oral History Project on “Bluegrass Masters”. That film debuted in 2007 during the IBMM’s River of Music Party, at which Jake was invited to perform, which he did just days before his passing.

Jake’s skill and passion for the music was widely regarded, but was nearly eclipsed by his incredibly warm, friendly, humorous and make-you-feel-good personality. Universally well-loved by the entire bluegrass community and beyond, Jake will truly be sorely missed.

Jake is survived by a sister Christine, his four daughters Susan, Diane, Annie and Judy, eight grandchildren and as many great grandchildren, as well as various siblings and cousins. The above referenced videography can be viewed at the IBMM headquarters in Owensboro, Kentucky, and his recordings are available at PleasantValleyMusic.com. Funeral services will be held July 9 at the South Valley Community Church in Gilroy, CA, and a ‘bluegrass picking party memorial’ will be held at his request at the San Martin Country Park, 13865 Monterey Hwy, San Martin, CA at a later date. Jake’s self produced “Brown Barn Festival” will be continued in his honor by his family at the San Martin Country Park on September 8-9, 2007.

PVM Becomes a Saga Dealer!

June 27, 2007 by pleasantvalley

Saga Logo

Blue Ridge Logo

We’re happy to announce we recently became a dealer for Saga Music. We now have several Blue Ridge guitars in stock and can order you anything you want from SagaMusic.com!!

Don’t forget we also deal String Swing, Black Diamond, ProPik, Mel Bay, On Stage Stands, and ATS Acoustics products, and we can probably get you pretty much anything else you need from anywhere else!

The MacRae Brothers take Kentucky by Storm…

June 26, 2007 by pleasantvalley

Or at least IN a storm! Along with the thunder and lightening came some wonderful music at this year’s ROMP festival in Owensboro. As always, the MacRae Brothers put on a wonderfully entertaining show. Jake’s charismatic nature won over the hearts of all present and once again left his mark on Kentucky.

062207macbrosromp.jpg

Jake goes to Kentucky!

June 2, 2007 by pleasantvalley

Pleasant Valley Music is proud to announce that Jake Quesenberry, from the MacRae Brothers, is being honored as a “Master Musician” as part of the International Bluegrass Music Museum’s oral video history project. Jake and Matt are bringing a special version of the MacRae Brothers to Owensboro for a performance on June 23.

For more information visit:

http://www.bluegrass-museum.org/programs/voh.htm

-PVM

Hello world!

May 17, 2007 by pleasantvalley

Welcome to Pleasant Valley Music’s new blog.  Stay tuned for exciting new events and happenings to come!!