The Bay Area trio known as The Warblers is on hiatus right now. The threesome featured the lead singing and guitar playing of Yvonne Walbroehl, known to longtime readers of Bluegrass By the Bay as the erstwhile author of "The Parking Lot Picker." California festival goers may also recognize Yvonne, a ubiquitous presence at the best of the late night campfire jams, for her powerful voice and soulful picking. Claudia Hampe and Larry Carlin, of the groups Keystone Crossing and Blithedale Canyon, joined Yvonne in haunting two and three-part harmonies. The band often played at the original Sweetwater in Mill Valley.
They also played the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park in October of 2002.
WARBLERS BAND MEMBERS
Yvonne Walbroehl - Yvonne's roots are firmly planted in bluegrass. Originally from the state of Virginia, Yvonne (or "Dr. Y" as she is sometimes known) did her undergraduate studies at Mary Washington College in her home state. She went on to get her Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill while a kid named Jordan was playing basketball there. She spent some time in Michigan before relocating to the Bay Area in 1994, and she spends her vacations riding in bicycle events and going to bluegrass festivals on the West Coast. She has been playing guitar since she was 11-years-old, and her favorite singers growing up were Hazel Dickens, Emmylou Harris, Bill Monroe, and the Stanley Brothers. She is one of the hottest flat-pickers around, and her ax of choice is a 1947 Martin D-18. Her major influences on her guitar playing were Clarence White, Tony Rice, and Doc Watson.
Claudia Hampe - Claudia is originally from Radnor, PA, where she sang in a folk group in high school called The Jovial Singers, who, in 1965, beat out a young singer named Jim Croce in a talent contest. She sang in the band Rowdy & The Rivets a few decades back during the "Urban Cowboy Scare" of the early 1980s, and she also warbles the high parts with The Warblers. Claudia sings and plays rhythm guitar, and it is her beautiful harmonies that made this band sound so good. She also plays with the duo Keystone Crossing as well as the bands Keystone Canyon and Blithedale Canyon. She has been living in Mill Valley for four decades.
Larry Carlin - Larry is a longtime performer, producer, and writer of bluegrass and country music in the San Francisco/Bay Area. Originally from King of Prussia, PA, he has been living in the area for 40 years, and he sings and plays bass. He performs in three bands, he wrote a biweekly e newsletter for ten years called "Carltone's Corner," and he produced the monthly shows Local Gold and Bluegrass Gold for 15 years at the original Sweetwater in Mill Valley. He also plays with the duo Keystone Crossing as well as the bands andKeystone Canyonand Blithedale Canyon.
