Rhonda Vincent and the Rage are ringing in the new year with a string of sold out performances. Vincent has been a bluegrass legend for the last decade and began playing mandolin at the age of eight. It clearly shows as she owned the small stage at Berkeley’s Freight and Salvage. It was the perfect venue to see a truly talented musician at work.

Vincent’s name is featured prominently on this year’s advertisement for the Stagecoach Festival. The annual country extravaganza also features performances by entertainers such as Rascal Flatts and Kenny Chesney. Vincent is straight up bluegrass and her cross over appeal has been wonderfully overlooked. Her name is instantly recognizable and her frequent presence at shows with contemporary country artists helps her overall appeal.

The intimate venue’s general admission seats filled up quickly and although the patron’s average age was somewhere in the ballpark of fifty, its clear why Vincent has found a home in bluegrass music for so many years. It may be because of her instant on stage persona that comes off as relatable, her mean mandolin skills or her show stealing voice. Whatever the case may be she can command a stage like few entertainers do.

Nowadays Vincent is spending an equal amount of time talking about her daughters group Next Best Thing as she does discussing her own endeavors. It seems Rhonda’s musical ability was passed down to her two daughters Sally and Tensel. Whether they’ll reach the success their mom has is yet to be seen. With those genes they have a pretty good chance.

Vincent rounded out her two hour set by sitting behind her modest merch table signing copies of her new album “Taken.” The queen of bluegrass has performed thousands of times, undoubtedly shaken thousands of hands, and signed thousands of autographs. She still does so with a genuine smile and took time to speak to the line of fans that awaited her after a long performance. A performance that was bluegrass at its best.

Check out our interview with her below...



Interview By: Tyler Sobie