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Festival and Event Blog

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Victory e-Mag

WinterGrass festival 2015

2/18/2015

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YES! Wintergrass is back as usual and lovers of bluegrass and related styles are delighted to be able to enjoy a wide variety of music and make some of it themselves from February 26th through March 1st at the Bellevue Hyatt Regency Hotel, which is such a warm and friendly environment that has served us well as participants and audiences for the past several years with no end in sight. And as usual, much will remain the same and much is added on in order to keep the festival vital in it’s tradition and allow for the essential growth and expansion that keeps us relevant as well as grounded. Theme: How Can I Keep From Singing?    

  Over the years we’ve highlighted a number of the instruments and traditions that have made bluegrass such a beloved and vital force in roots music. It’s only natural that the singers of this great music receive their due as a featured portion of a Wintergrass. Well, this is the year for it and do we ever have a list of vocal treats for you!  We’ll feature the high lonesome sound from old-timers, new and exciting takes on traditional songs and contemporary pieces from the younger generation, musical tributes to vocal heroes of our history and a variety of other stunning sounds from many other singers and bands. And of course all your favorite instruments will be on stage all the time, played by many stalwarts of the culture as well as some of the newer contributors that we’ll be privileged to hear and see.

 Let’s Start With Some Legendary Wintergrass Favorites that we’ll always love!  

  Del McCoury: Del is the leading singer in bluegrass (and probably anywhere) of what is known as the High Lonesome Sound. He’s been singing, recording and performing bluegrass with various bands (including his family band with his fabulous sons) for about a half century and has established himself as a giant of bluegrass culture and a performer who’s shows are required viewing for anyone serious about bluegrass as a musician of fan. He’s sung this music almost everywhere and always left his audience feeling much better when they left than when the arrived. At this time he’s in semi-retirement, will perform only 8 shows all year, and has picked our festival for one of them. Can we really afford to miss it?  

   Aofie O’Donovan: Aofie is a Wintergrass veteran despite being relatively youthful, having appeared several times with the immensely popular and excellent Crooked Still, who filled the auditoriums and dance halls of the festival time and again with an amazingly eclectic repetoire covering all sorts of music and subjects. They were never really true grass but fit into the culture via the variety of acoustic instruments and related sounds and were enjoyed by a wide variety of our clientele. since the group disbanded she has offered her singing talents to several other projects including Irish song and folk/jazz. This year Aofie will perform a solo set and will write and perform with the Wintergrass Youth Orchestra.   

   Mark O’Connor: The phrase child prodigy was made to describe someone exactly like Mark O’Connor. He was found to be immensely talented as a kid, was brought along as a public figure who could play as well as the adults and became a star before he could vote. Since then he’s only added on to his talent, credentials and overall repetoire and is considered to be one of the most important artistic figures in roots music of any kind. He also champions an expansion of all kinds of music so that an artist may feel free to express themselves exactly as they feel at the time rather than be hog-tied by an old tradition that refuses to budge. Mark will be at the festival on Sunday to play a set and write and perform with the Youth Orchestra, BUT he will also be conducting a 3 day seminar that is new to the festival and which will be discussed below.    

   Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick: Laurie and Kathy were early converts to the bluegrass tradition and so many years ago met and played with many of their heroes. They formed an early all women’s bluegrass group, the Good Ol’ Persons (which later added a token male) and became popular at folk and grass festivals and coffee houses of the day. They both went on from there to form various bands which were always excellent and popular and have also kept their friendship alive for over 40 years. At this time they will be treating our audiences to a tribute set for Vern And Ray; A vocal duo who were an early source of inspiration. This will include some of the finest and most loved songs of Americana culture and will be entertaining as well as historically relevant: A treat for old, new and in-between grassers. In addition, Laurie brings her band, The Right Hands, with partner Tom Rozum, which will deliver a fine performance from an expansive grass and related repetoire. Whether it’s vocals, fiddle of anything else Laurie delivers the goods. Who wouldn’t want to be there for it?      

  I suppose we could have a Wintergrass without Darol Anger but (in the words of many a gangster who wondered about a confederate who he wasn’t sure he could trust) why take a chance! He always brings something new and exciting and pleases our audiences with music that almost always expands the scope of what roots and bluegrass are and offers food for our musical consciousness. This year his group is Mr. Sun; A supergroup which will offer an instrumental and vocal mix of jazz and grass that will compliment the traditional offerings and will also be writing for and performing with the Youth Orchestra. The combination of all the above legends is more than enough to merit a sold out weekend, but there is so much more that makes this festival so important and all the prices seem so reasonable.

 And The Hits Just Keep On Coming!  

    What a blessing to have so many fine performers from all over the  bluegrass and geographical map to share the various stages over 4 days! Della Mae, also Wintergrass veterans, are a 5 woman band with local roots; Dale Ann Bradley and her band play traditional grass and she’s no stranger to best vocalist awards; Faast and Blair play what they have dubbed, “Extreme Bluegrass” which dcribes their music and feeling on traditional, original or pop tunes; Jeff Scroggins and Colorado present a great mix of old and new songs; The Steel Wheels have a marvelous lead singer and infuse their trad. and folk roots grass with a magical feeling and shape note influence; True North from Oregon offers diverse and intelligent songwriting featuring the vocals of Kristen Grainger and super hot interplay from the band; Patchy Sanders is a 7 piece jam band that features original material; Pearl Django is the much beloved gypsy Jazz band whose hot licks relate to the bluegrass music that didn’t even exist when Django made his reputation; Jamie Stone, a Canadian banjo player will present the Lomax Project; Preserving and performing songs from the Alan Lomax collection that has been instrumental in preserving our folk music heritage;  Cahalen Morrison and Eli West are 2 of the most innovative and subtle musicians of roots music anywhere and structure a sound that is based on bluegrass and old-time but is reflected through a 21st century lens. Their music is instantly accessible and built from simple materials but also seems to transcend it’s base fundamentals; Billy Strings, a wild man of vocal and guitar and Don Julian on mandolin  will present old country songs with very high energy.  And the above acts are not all the excellent performers there are. Come and see for yourself! And if your attendance is predicated on specific performers (or if you just can’t wait) just go to www.wintergrass.com and findit all out.

 How About Some New Learning Experiences.  
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   Wintergrass is pleased and proud to announce our first ever teacher training seminar with no less an instructor than Mark O’Connor! In a 3 day session specifically designed for music educators, O’Connor will offer his unique method of stringed instrument instruction and will fit in perfectly with the Wintergrass Youth Orchestra philosophy of bridging the gap between classical and oral traditions. Clinician Patti Hopkins will instruct on Tues. & Wed. before Mark appears on Thursday for a special lecture , demonstration and performance. Mark believes that a new American classical music is evolving because students do not wish to be left out of the great sound and energy of folk and jazz music simply because they desire to be great classical players. And he’s definitely right! Why should anyone have to choose one music at the expense of another for any reason? This seminar aims to bring teachers and students close together and help to create musical generations that will have a more holistic world view of playing and performing music then now exists in many places. The seminar will include 15 hours of instruction on the evenings of Feb. 24th and 25th, a full day on the 26th,  the O’Connor method books 1 and 2 and will cost $340.  For any other information you can go to the Wintergrass Web Site: www.wintergrass.com. No matter how much a music teacher knows there’s always room for expansion and when you can learn from one of America’s leading lights why pass up the opportunity?   

     Also new on the educational front is Joe Craven’s half day session on Creativity on Thursday morning, the 26th. Here’s his take on it; “I define creativity as ‘The Pursuit Of Possibility or Pop!’. I’m driven to help individuals take possession of what they already have and demystify art through self-expression as a daily ritual.” Joe has been instructing at Wintergrass for a good many years, is well known and loved for his abilities and immense good feeling. The cost is $55 and well worth it if you’re feeling stuck or simply want to check out a variety of creative possibilities and feel that there’s so much more out there than you’ve been exposed to so far.  Again, go the the web site for  all the details.  

And That’s Not All On The Educational Agenda.  



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    Thursday, Feb. 26th will offer a variety of intensives from some of the finest practitioners in the field. Aoife O’Donovan and Sarah Jarosz will present an all day workshop on vocal harmony for $100, Grant Gordy presents an afternoon session on guitar for $55, Tashina and Tristan Clarridge will present another new Wintergrass workshop on fiddle and cello in the afternoon for $55, Phil Leadbetter will teach dobro in the afternoon, also for $55, and Joe Walsh will offer a session for advanced mandolin in the afternoon for $55. There is also an intensive on mandolin for all from Don Julin, but unfortunately for some of you it is sold out. Yes, these sessions are popular so if you’ve an interest now is definitely the time to show it by going to the web site and registering!

 Passing It On.    

   The annual Youth Orchestra presentation, in conjunction with several of our performers/composers/instructors has become one of the most popular staples of the weekend, and no wonder. Lovers of any culture want to offer future generations an opportunity to enjoy the musics (and other things) that have given them so much pleasure and this partnership of professionals and students is a wonderful and rare opportunity to help bridge the gap between classical and oral traditional musics. This year Darol Anger and Mr. Sun, Aoife O’Donovan & Sarah Jarosz, Matuto and Mark O’Connor will be composing, instructing and playing with middle and high school musician/students from 3 schools as well as individual youth who wish to be a part of it all. There will be rehearsals in February (dates to be announced) and also on February 28th from 9:30AM to 1:30PM and culminating in a Grand Ballroom Performance on Sunday, March 1st. The cost is $100 per student and includes a pass for the festival on Saturday and Sunday. In addition, parents of orchestra students are eligible for a discounted parent Sunday pass. A good deal all around and for any other information just go to www.wintergrass.com as usual. 

 Will There be the usual free workshops that come with a ticket?    

  Yes, Yes, Yes!!!   All day Friday and Saturday morning a variety of sessions on a variety of instruments and other related subjects will be offered and the web site will let you know where and when. Always good to take a tiny bit more musical knowledge home with you than you arrived with.

 Let’s move our feet. It’s good for you.    

   A few years back Wintergrass began offering dance sets and the response has dictated that dance is indeed another festival tradition that you look forward to. This year the Regency Ballroom with come alive with the feet shuffling music of Patchy Sanders, Pearl Django, Caleb Krauder, and the Dust Bowl Revival. On Saturday you may enjoy the Steel Drivers, G-Burns, Matuto and more Dust Bowl. You already know what to do, right?

 So is anyone else making music this weekend?   

   YES!! You are!! You’ll bring that instrument and find more than enough friends (old and new) to play various forms of grass and related musics all over the Hyatt Regency Hotel during all hours of the day and night w/no curfew and no outside interference. And as you know, this is one of the joys of any folk festival, without which it wouldn’t be a real folk or bluegrass festival. The real culture is always about all of us making the music, which in the terms of our individual lives is much more important than being a spectator, no matter how great the performers are. The more of you are hanging out and jamming the happier we are, and the instrument check will be open from early till fairly late each day so you can ditch it when you want to attend a set, meet with friend or just be free of it. Another interesting fact of jamming at festivals is that many musical associations and bands and other kinds of relationships have begun with strangers meeting over jam sessions, becoming friends and eventually learning that they have other interests in common as well. Jamming can be a gift that keeps on giving! AND SUCH FUN!

How Can I Contribute To Wintergrass Besides Simply purchasing a ticket?   

   I’m glad you asked. I can think of two ways. One is to join Acoustic Sound/Wintergrass (Go to web site or there will be ample information at the festival) and by doing so you’ll contribute financially to our survival and also receive all information in advance. The other is to volunteer at the festival. There’s always something that needs doing and for 12 hours of work you can garner a festival pass for the weekend. And like the jamming scene you’ll meet people who may become friends musically or otherwise, Because (at least for me) volunteering for a community festival such as Wintergrass isn’t as much a job for a company as a family of like people who are helping to manifest something that we all love. The more we put in to anything the more we get out of it. Let’s get as much as we can out of Wintergrass in all the right ways.  

Where Can I Stay?    

  The Hyatt is SOLD OUT! That’s that. But the Courtyard Marriott can be reached from the web site or 425-454-5888, the Westin is on our web as well and at 425-638-1000, and the Silver Cloud Inn Reservations Line is at 800-205-6937. There are also other hotels on an extensive list at: Bellevue.com Hotels Page or at: Expedia.com. There’s got to be a place for you somewhere. And you’ll be pleased to know that a cab ride from a mile of Wintergrass is only $5, which is a lot less than day parking at the  Hyatt.

 So, Is there anything else we need to do?  

   Yes there is! You need to be thankful for our sponsors, for they are huge in our ability to put on this high quality cultural celebration year after year. Main on the list are the Hyatt Regency Hotel and the City of Bellevue who make it all possible in the first place. And then we are pleased to have Rayco, Nechville, D’addario, the Washington Acoustic Music Association (WAMA), the Oregon Bluegrass Association (OBA), and the Montana Rockies Bluegrass Association (MRBA) and several others that you will see at booths and around the festival. These contributions are important as we all know and so during the rest of the year when you’re shopping for something for you, or that gift for a holiday, birthday, etc. that is offered by one of the above, kindly remember their contribution to our success and purchase accordingly. The quality is excellent and the return of good Karma is good for all concerned!     

  Well, that’s all folks. All that’s left is to get your situation together and join us for one of the finest weekends of music and cultural education anywhere. See ya there!!    

   (All comments welcome: Percy Hilo: percivalpeacival@gmail.com)                                            

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wINTERGRASS: THE POWER OF INTERACTION AND COLLABORATION

2/27/2014

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Victory Review column: February 2014

WINTERGRASS: THE POWER OF INTERACTION AND COLLABORATION

by Percy Hilo

Once again it’s time for one of the finest bluegrass festivals anywhere, and right here in Puget Sound as usual. Yes, ‘grassniks and all other interested parties, Wintergrass will begin its third decade of arts and entertainment in the beautiful, spacious and accommodating environment at the Bellevue Hyatt Regency Hotel from Thursday, February 27th thru Sunday, March 2nd and will provide more than enough good times for everyone. Many of you already know this, but there’s always room for new bluegrass lovers to climb on board. And with so many new performers this year we’re expanding our universe and offering much more for Wintergrass veterans to enjoy as well as providing newbies a wide variety of past and future favorites. BUT FIRST, let’s get some basics out of the way.

The website is www.wintergrass.com, and it’s there that you can get answers to some of the questions that may be on your mind. The Hyatt is almost certainly sold out for rooms (this is true every year – you’ve got to be an early bird) and the website will have a list of various other possibilities. It’s also the place to go to buy tickets (which are probably going very fast, as usual), register for an intensive or register a child for youth programs (all  educational programs require an additional fee) and preview the schedule of performances and workshops. Of course, you’ll also find contact info in case you still have a question or two.

SO HOW ABOUT A HELPING HAND, FRIEND?

Another area of the website has volunteer applications, and I’m mentioning them separately because our volunteers are so very important to the success and continuation of the festival. In a very real sense, Wintergrass couldn’t possibly exist without all the helpers in every area imaginable. The on-line application lists all the jobs available and the hours they’re needed as well as the amount of hours required to be a volunteer and gain access to the entire festival. If you love Wintergrass and want to help out, or if you’re poor and still want to get cultured up, or if you have specific skills that would benefit the festival we’d love to hear from you. If you have a need to be included and haven’t been receiving enough yeses in your life, applying to be a Wintergrass volunteer will serve as a temporary remedy and also enable you to meet kindred spirits with whom you may find other endeavors in common and form relationships that go far beyond a simple weekend of good culture and enjoyment. I’ve found in my 16 years of volunteering that it’s more than a job, it’s a joy and has always made its own contribution to the high quality of my experience. I believe the same will be true for you.

A FESTIVAL WITHOUT SPONSORS? FORGET ABOUT IT!

A large attendance goes a ways toward a successful festival, but in almost all cases (including ours) sponsors are an integral part of the equation. We need them, and fortunately we have them. Better yet, most are already bluegrass admirers and active in the local music scene above and beyond the mere business of providing for our musical needs. D’Addario, Rayco Guitars and Northfield Mandolins are helping us out, so when you’re shopping for products that they carry why not give them the business and let them know that you appreciate their contribution. We’re also proud to have Orvis Sporting Goods and Hale’s Ales on board, so now you can buy that uniform, glove or whatever from Orvis to play with (or have your kid play with) and after playing or watching go to Hales and relax with a brew. We’re also most humbly grateful to the City of Bellevue for being with us and the Hyatt for more than just the accommodations – they’ve been into our mission from the beginning and have always made us feel right at home.



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SO YOU’D LIKE TO PLAY YOUR OWN MUSIC, WOULD YA?

Of course you would, and we couldn’t possibly be more in favor of that. It’s not a folk festival of any kind unless there are ample spaces and opportunities to join with old and new friends and share the pleasure of the culture while making your own good time. This jamming is exactly what separates folk cultures from classical, jazz and other forms in that not only can you do it too, but including the common folk picker and singer is what our culture is really about. There are plenty of performances and we know you’ll catch (quite) a few, but it’s a more complete weekend when you make your own music as well as watching the pros do it. For myself, as I ramble about the hotel I notice that the overall atmosphere is always higher when there’s lots of jamming in the lobbies along with the scheduled performances. And the instrument check is open long hours so you can ditch that thing when you want to. So why not travel from workshop to lobby to venue and receive the full treatment?


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CLASS IS ALWAYS IN SESSION

It’s not enough to simply enjoy a festival. We always want to take something new home with us, and not just CDs or good memories. We want to learn something new, however small, that will help us expand our house of music and open the door to possibilities beyond what is currently in our bag. This is a universal desire, and Wintergrass has been on board since the get-go. Let’s start with little people! The Youth Academy is for 7-14 year olds, focuses on beginning and intermediate players and culminates in a main stage performance on Friday evening. The Wintergrass Youth Orchestra is for middle and high school string orchestra players and provides them the opportunity to play alternate styles of music under the direction of American Strings Association President Bob Phillips. They will learn arrangements from Vasen, The Kruger Brothers and Rushad Eggleston and will perform with them at the Sunday morning concert. PintGrass is for 4-6 year olds who are musically inclined, and Youth Academy Teacher Training is for skilled players ages 14-21 to encourage showmanship, ensemble work and prepare for teaching possibilities. The children are always the future and we do what we can to prepare them for it. As previously mentioned, these classes require an additional expense and all information is available at www.wintergrass.com.

As for you big people, workshops on a wide variety of instruments, vocals, songwriting, forming bands, business acumen and so forth will be held all day Thursday the 27th and Friday all morning and early afternoon. If you desire more than just a general session, a number of intensives will be held on Thursday and be taught by some of our excellent performers. Among them will be vocal harmony with Tim & Mollie O’Brien, mandolin with Emory Lester and Nyckelharpa with Olov Johansson. The regular workshops are part of your purchase of a festival ticket; the intensives cost $55 for 6 of them and $100 for harmony and songwriting. And of course the website will reveal times, prices and rooms, etc. So we hope that as many of you as possible will add a new piece of knowledge to your festival experience, and in doing so become a more complete player and cultural practitioner than before.

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OUR WONDERFUL PERFORMERS

I know, I know. You’ve been reading paragraph after paragraph wondering when I’d get to the stage acts, but it was worth the wait. Our theme, The Power Of Interaction and Collaboration, relates to several acts that have been prepared solely for Wintergrass or are a partnership of various players who are on vacation from regular bands. Chris Thile received a large genius grant and has taken time off from The Punch Brothers to compose and form a temporary duo with fellow mandolin giant Mike Marshall, which should be delightful. Another temporary act will be Tim O’Brien and Darrell Scott, who will present a songwriter/singer/instrumental set. Another Punch Brother, Chris Eldridge, will team with Julian Lage for a jazzy set with two guitars. Beats Workin’ (Prairie Home Companion’s Peter Ostroushko with locals Mike Dowling, David Lange and Cary Black) will present new works commissioned by Wintergrass specifically for this festival, and Ramblin Rooks is a 4-piece configuration featuring already renowned players such as Don Rigsby and Kenny Smith. These are all “temporary” acts and will give attendees the privilege of enjoying some music that may never be played anywhere else. This is a rare blessing and could make for unique memories.

Another way of making sure that scheduling doesn’t get stagnant is to invite new bands to the festival and I can’t recall a year when so many new musical spirits have been with us. Town Mountain is a young ‘grass quintet that has been named the IBMA’s (International Bluegrass Music Association) best emerging artist of 2013. Dailey & Vincent are graduates of the Doyle Lawson school of gospel and tight harmony and will bring a 7-piece band with them. Elephant Revival is a youngish band of guys and gals who bring a washboard and clogs, among other treats. The Milk Carton Kids are two young singer/songwriters who have wonderful harmonies and a Simon and Garfunkel-like feeling. Mark Johnson & Emory Lester are a banjo/mandolin duo and we will get to hear Clawgrass, an original banjo style that Mark created. Front Country is a California 5-piece that features fine originals, excellent versions of standards and includes the likes of Utah Phillips in their repertoire. The Lil’ Smokies are a jamgrass band from Montana who take a bluegrass base and have fun going so many places with it. The Scott Law Band is a 3-piece featuring David Grisman’s son Sam on bass and Jack Dwyer on mandolin – they play Scott’s originals. Ricky Gene Powell & Acoustic Laboratory present a set of mixed ‘grass and swing. And finally, Top String (three of them named Top) are a 4-piece family band who are former Youth Academy students who’ve graduated to our stages and give evidence of the purpose and quality of our Wintergrass Youth Education Programs. It’s hard to imagine how you’ll be able to wrap your head around all this new, beautiful and exciting music but we’re sure you’ll find a way!

And of course we always welcome back our many veteran musician friends who’ve brightened up our stages for all these years. The aforementioned Mike Marshall/Chris Thile and Darrell Scott/Tim O’Brien are already worth the price of admission. Vasen with its beautiful Nordic tunes and The Kruger Brothers’ instrumental originals with a ‘grassy feel are always a welcome change of pace. So is the incredibly unique Rushad Eggleston with his solo cello (vet of several Wintergrass bands), made up languages and dancing; he’ll be doing workshops as well as Youth Orchestra. Joe Craven is another amazing multi-instrumentalist whose stage setup looks like a garage sale; he is always entertaining as well as a fine teacher of our youth programs. The Duhks are a high-energy band that features many originals and powerful lead vocals in a stage act that is just plain fun. Modern Grass from Nova Scotia plays traditional ‘grass and swing and was well-received in their 2012 Wintergrass debut. Matuto, who was also a success in last year’s debut returns with high-energy Brazilian songs with a ‘grassy feel. Mollie O’Brien is always a vocal delight and has Rich Moore in tow (also a workshop on harmony with brother Tim). The Cleverlys offer humorous and entertaining ‘grassy versions of pop songs. The Barn Door Slammers are a 7-piece swing band from Oregon who’ll play the dance stage only. Downtown Mountain Boys are a local first-rate, high-energy quintet with great vocalists and soloists who always entertain. And Kevin Pace & the Early Edition are a 5-piece from eastern Washington who’ll play a gospel set at the Sunday morning concert. To find out just who’ll be on which stage at which time, all you have to do is go to www.wintergrass.com and it’s all there. And as usual, you can close your eyes and point to anything on the schedule and know that it’s first-rate and up to Wintergrass’s exacting standards for bluegrass and all-around excellence in entertainment.

So there you have it – an unbeatable weekend of bluegrass and related cultures that will make for a jolly good time and many a fine memory. Save your money, make sure your instrument is in shape, get on the website, get there early and stay late. We look forward to seeing as many of our extended family as possible for our musical/cultural gangbang and social, and we’ll be doing all we can to make everything as convenient and wonderful as possible.

(All comments welcome. Percy Hilo, percivalpeacival@gmail.com and 206-784-0378206-784-0378.)



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