Bluegrass music has been a part of the Magnolia community for more than three decades, according to Aubrey Skeen, a member of Magnolia Bluegrass Friends. Since the 1980s, the group of local bluegrass musicians has hosted a monthly gathering in Magnolia, Skeen said.

“It’s been around this area for a very long time—we’re just trying to keep it going,” he said. “Once things become established, apathy sets in.”

The group plays—or jams—at the West Montgomery County Community Development Center from 5-10 p.m. on the first Saturday of each month. Depending on the number of musicians in attendance, the number of simultaneous jam sessions varies.

Skeen, who first became involved with the Magnolia group in 1982, said the monthly jam session features a relaxed environment for both musicians and onlookers.

“When the musicians tend to jam, anybody can join the group,” he said. “Y’all sit down and jam together. It [is] very, very unorganized, but the musicians are having a good time.”

Bluegrass jams traditionally feature a jam and a rehearsed stage show, Skeen said. However, the Magnolia event only features a jam session, a preference of its members.

Alice Hull, a member of the Magnolia group, said the group seeks to provide entertainment for the community.

“The people—the populace that comes to watch—they can go from jam to jam and listen,” Hull said.

Skeen said while attendance at the jams has dropped in recent months, the group is looking to attract younger musicians.

“Really what we’re trying to do is recruit musicians from [other] areas [in Houston],” he said. “If I could have gone and got with a bunch of musicians on a Saturday night [when I was younger], man, I would have been there.”

Fayetteville, League City and Bellville host monthly jams on the subsequent Saturdays, Skeen said.

Bill Ingram, who plays banjo with the Magnolia group, said the Magnolia jam is a prime event for residents north of Houston.

“For people who are on the north side, this area was the place to go,” Ingram said. “It’s kind of positioned geographically—and [the jams were] arranged on Saturdays—so that every Saturday you can go to a different place [in the Greater Houston area].”

While its members come from across the Greater Houston area—with roots from all over the country—Magnolia Bluegrass Friends is a family with a common passion for keeping bluegrass music alive in northwest Houston, Skeen said.

“The camaraderie is really part of it, and that’s what we’ve tried to do here,” he said. “We’ve tried to set up a friendly [jam] and have a good time as friends.”

Ingram said he hopes for a few dozen musicians to attend each month to sustain the music style—and the Magnolia group.

“Twenty, 30, [or] 40 people is a success,” he said. “The music is going to survive. You figure some of them are new, and they’re not all seasoned musicians. Then, the torch gets passed onto a younger generation.”