Bluegrass and Old-time Documentary Film Festival

Presented by The California Bluegrass Association, in celebration of the
50th Anniversary Fathers Day Bluegrass Festival

In the Groove: Short documentaries featuring artists who will be performing at the 50th Anniversary Father’s Day Bluegrass Festival
30 minutes. Bria Light, San Francisco, CA. 2025

In the Groove: featuring Kathy Kallick, Scott Gates and AJ Lee. Why do we play music? Write songs? Juggle a career in music and real life? In each of these three mini-documentaries, we step behind the scenes with three beloved California bluegrass musicians, going beyond the groove of their music and into the groove of life.

Don’t Get Trouble in Your Mind: The Carolina Chocolate Drops’ Story
80 minutes. John Whitehead, St Paul, MN. 2025

Don’t Get Trouble in Your Mind chronicles The Carolina Chocolate Drops, a North Carolina string band, and their mentor, traditional fiddler Joe Thompson (1919-2012). The documentary reveals how three musicians from the hip-hop generation embraced a 19th-century folk tradition and elevated it to Grammy-winning acclaim. This intimate portrait weaves historical context with personal stories following their meteoric rise and eventual breakup. It captures a group’s emotional journey and spectacular musical achievement that revitalized a nearly forgotten American art form while creating something uniquely theirs. https://dontgettroubleinyourmind.com/