And, it's here! Announcing the Redwood Coast Music Festival 2026 official poster. Renowned Humboldt County artist Matt Beard has once again created a stunning work of art that perfectly captures the spirit of our music festival.
"Music Breaks Down Walls" portrays our Redwood Coast and local Eureka architecture transformed by the waves of energy that our performers and attendees bring each year.
RCMF is a celebration of music and dance featuring a wide range of American Roots music, including jazz, blues, swing, rockabilly, zydeco, and country as well as traditional New Orleans jazz with dance floors in every venue. A destination event, the festival takes place in Eureka, California, a charming coastal town known for its stunning natural beauty and vibrant arts community.
Matt Beard @beardart is a local treasure and you will find him painting our 2027 artwork live to the music at the Eagle House venue balcony during the event this year. Poster design by the talented board member/graphic artist Teresa Goodlin. Also our gratitude to photographer extraordinaire Mark Larson for capturing this performance by RCMF headliner Gino & The Lone Gunmen
Eureka - we've got a HUGE party coming our way Oct 1 - Oct 4.
Remember to like, tag, share, and follow along! 💃🏻🕺🏻🎙️🎶😎
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#rcmfest #visiteureka #visithumboldt #musicfestival #dancing
Coming in 2026! Alligator Recording artist, award winning blues vocalist, harmonica master and songwriting legend Rick Estrin, leader of the musically fearless, wildly entertaining, award-winning band Rick Estrin & The Nightcats, doesn't like to talk much about his own musical superpowers. But ask him about the Nightcats—multi-instrumentalist/musical mastermind/producer Christoffer "Kid" Andersen, keyboardist/organ wizard/bass player Lorenzo Farrell and endlessly creative drummer Derrick "D'Mar" Martin—and he'll be happy to sing their praises. "This band is killer. I'm enjoying this all more than ever," says the man who's been performing and recording professionally since the early 1970s. "It's a blessing—there's so much energy, so much collaboration. The band is just so good right now. And the live show is better than ever." Living Blues calls Rick Estrin & The Nightcats "a terrific blues band with a real character for a front man," continuing, "Clever, well-crafted songs framed by first-flight musicianship...hugely entertaining, intelligently conceived and executed roots rock with a wickedly cool and otherworldly twist on tradition. Estrin's harp work is masterful."
In addition to Estrin's celebrated songwriting and peerless blues harmonica playing, he and the band are among the most entertaining and colorful showmen around. Estrin's signature streetwise vocals and hipster-cool look, Andersen's eye-popping, off-the-cuff guitar pyrotechnics, Farrell's mighty organ, piano and bass work and D'Mar's dynamic, acrobatic drumming make every one of their live performances a must-see event. "People don't go out to see people who look like themselves," says Estrin. "They want to see something special. I was schooled in this business to be a showman, and that's what you get when you come to see us perform. We know how to put on a show. I feel sorry for anyone who has to follow us."
Welcome to Redwood Coast Music Festival Rick Estrin & The Nightcats!
Head over to rcmfest.org for info and tickets!
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#rcmfest #visiteureka #visithumboldt #musicfestival #dancing
Nothing gets us more excited than bringing the world's finest musicians to California's Redwood Coast and leading it off for us in 2026 is one of the best - the amazing Hot Club of Cowtown!
Since its beginnings in the late 1990s, the Hot Club of Cowtown’s reputation for jaw-dropping virtuosity and unforgettable live shows has become the band’s global brand. Lauded for its “down-home melodies and exuberant improvisation” (The Times, London), the Hot Club has always woven a combination of seemingly disparate styles together to its own magical effect, setting up camp “at that crossroads where country meets jazz and chases the blues away”
Hot Club of Cowtown has toured extensively worldwide for over twenty years, both on its own and with artists including Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Gatemouth Brown, the Mavericks, the Avett Brothers, Dan Hicks, Bryan Ferry, Roxy Music, the Squirrell Nut Zippers and others. American Songwriter observed that “the excellent three players of this band could be doing anything but have chosen to honor the greats of jazz and swing with their sound.”
Here at Redwood Coast we're thrilled to have these incredible musicians here on both Friday and Saturday - performing their renowned Hot Club of Cowtown live sets AND then breaking out into collaborative sets with many of the other fantastic musicians here at the festival. This is going to be something special!
Welcome Elana James, Whit Smith, Beau Sample - Hot Club of Cowtown to The Redwood Coast in Oct 2026!
Head over to rcmfest.org for info and tickets!
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#rcmfest #visiteureka #visithumboldt #musicfestival #dancing
We’re having ourselves a dancers appreciation party tonight! Our festival is known as a dancers festival, and we love having incredible bands like Dave Stuckey and the Hot House Gang(@dwstuck ) to play our shindig! We look forward to seeing you and the band at The Redwood Coast Music Festival this October 1sr-4th, 2026. 🎶🎹🥁🎙️🎻🎸
📷 @photosbymattjames
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#rcmfest #visiteureka #visithumboldt #livemusic #dancing
We’re having ourselves a dancers appreciation party tonight! Our festival is known as a dancers festival, and we love having incredible bands like Dave Stuckey and the Hot House Gang(@dwstuck ) to play our shindig! We look forward to seeing you and the band at The Redwood Coast Music Festival this October 1sr-4th, 2026. 🎶🎹🥁🎙️🎻🎸
📷 @photosbymattjames
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#rcmfest #visiteureka #visithumboldt #livemusic #dancing
We’re having ourselves a volunteer/sponsor appreciation party! A giant thank you to our sponsors and volunteers!!! Without you, we don’t happen. And huge shout out to Tom Rigney (@tomrigney9 )and Flambeau for playing our sponsor/volunteer shindig! We look forward to seeing you and the band at The Redwood Coast Music Festival this October 1st - 4th, 2026. 🎶🎹🥁🎙️🎻🎸
📷 @photosbymattjames
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#rcmfest #visiteureka #visithumboldt #livemusic #dancing
Spring is just around the corner. While we wish we could spring forward to our festival in October, it’s never too late to start planning for another epic music and dance party! 😎💃🕺🎶🎙️
With @naomisdevils from 2025.
📷- @photosbymattjames
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#rcmfest #visiteureka #visithumboldt #musicfestival #dancing
Here’s another throwback to last October at @rcmfest where I had the honor to be a special guest for a set with @thewesternflyers (and their special guest for the fest, @reddvolkaert ). I’m gonna put the whole tune up@on my YouTube channel, but here’s my solo on “After You’ve Gone”.
Thanks to my bud, @bill__regan for capturing it.
Last October, I was honored to be the special guest for a set of @thewesternflyers + @reddvolkaert at the @rcmfest - @archtopjoey and the gang were even kind enough to invite me to sing a tune or two, so here’s some of “Exactly Like You” captured by my buddy @bill__regan
One of the highlights of the Redwood Coast music festival the past few years has been getting to perform with guitarist Duke Robillard and the "all star" supporting band Marc Caparone puts together each year. And each year we've been very lucky to have jazz writer & live music advocate Michael Steinman recording it for us. Check out his articles and this video: https://bit.ly/4p63EH0 🎶
I wasn't feeling that great at time, fighting something off and on for the better part of a month. But sharing the stage with Miss Jubilee (aka Valerie Kirchhoff) and Alice Spencer for this special "Ladies of Song" set was a blast.
Special thanks to the amazing folks playing with me: Marc Caparone, trumpet (@marccaparone_trumpet ); Riley Baker, trombone (@low_brass_husbandry ); Jacob Zimmerman, clarinet and alto saxophone (@jacobrexzimmerman ); Duke Robillard, guitar (@therealdukerobillard ); Chris Dawson, piano (@chris.dawson.pianist ); Jake Sanders, guitar (@jake_sanders ); Sam Rocha, double bass; Josh Collazo, drums (@joshcollazo_music ), and recorded by Michael Steinman (@michael.steinman.jazz.lives ). And as always a huge thank you to Mark Jansen at the Redwood Coast Music Festival @rcmfest for putting sets like this together for us.
#livejazz #jazzsinger #jazzfestival #redwoodcoast
Redwood Coast Music Festival would like to take the opportunity this Artists Sunday to highlight one of the incredibly talented people that help make our festival so amazing, local artist Matt Beard @beardart !!! Matt's artwork has graced our posters for the last several years and every year he somehow manages to outdo himself! He is a genuinely kind individual and he has become a fixture at the Eagle House during the festival where he paints to live music!
If you are in Humboldt, you can see his works in person at his studio (1636 F St. in Eureka) or if online is more your style, check out his website at . #mattbeardart #mattbeard #artistssunday #supportinglocalart #supportinglocalartist #supportinglocalartists #redwoodcoastmusicfestival #rcmf #rcmfest #ArtistSpotlight #artistspotlight #supportinglocal #communitypartner #beautifulart #beautifulartwork #paintingtomusic #posterart #posterartwork #humboldtart #humboldtartist #buylocalart #artbyhumans #artbyhumans #humanmadeart #supporthumanartists #realart #humanartists
