(Note: Jenny Wasson is the fiddler for the Moon Mountain Ramblers and an employee of The Bulletin. She attended the Wintergrass festival late last month and filed this report. The photos are hers, too. Part 2 is here.)
Anatomy of a Bluegrass Festival, by Jenny Wasson
As a musician, it’s easy to start playing in a rut, where all your solos start sounding the same. Going to festivals is one way to recharge your playing, gaining inspiration from exciting performances and by jamming with different people.
When Ben Salmon asked me to write a blog post about Wintergrass, I jumped at the chance to share with Frequency readers one of my favorite festivals during the “off-season.” I have been attending Wintergrass regularly since 2003. Originally held in Tacoma, Wash., the festival moved to Bellevue, Wash., last year. This was my first opportunity to see the new venue at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue.
Although I love the summer outdoor festivals, there is something special about an indoor festival. You don’t have to worry about the elements – be it rain or heat – or overly used honey buckets. It’s all about the music.
Jayson Bowerman loads the Subaru.
I rode up on Feb. 24 with two members of The Pitchfork Revolution, Jayson Bowerman and Rob Sidle. We answered the age-old question, “How many instruments can you fit in a Subaru?” Bowerman, a noted luthier, was bringing some of his beautiful wares to sell at the festival. After some Tetris-like maneuvering, we managed to squeeze in eight guitars, two fiddles and two mandolins. Packed to the gills, we started the annual pilgrimage to Wintergrass.
After a seven-and-a-half-hour drive through whiteout conditions, ice and trucks stranded on the side of the road, we finally arrived at the hotel around midnight. Exhausted from our travels, we checked in and decided to call it a night. As we walked to the elevators, we were greeted by musicians jamming in the hallway. It was a nice way to soak in the festival.
Friday
A clogging workshop at Wintergrass.
I started my morning at workshops offered by some of the performers. Workshops are generally set up in two ways: as demonstrations or hands-on classes. I experienced both Friday morning. After a quick bite to eat, I came in halfway through Charmaine Slaven’s workshop on clogging. A member of Seattle-based Squirrel Butter, she was teaching a room of about 25 people the four basic parts of the Tennessee walking step. According to Slaven, clogging is a way to add a percussive sound without playing an instrument. I didn’t join in, but it looked like the participants were having a lot of fun.
The next workshop featured double fiddling, taught by members of Washington D.C.-based Scythian. By having two fiddles – what they termed “power fiddle” – they are able to add intensity, depth and dimension to their arrangements. I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of music that they play. During the course of the demonstration, they performed Irish reels, Ukrainian folk songs, a Native American folk song and a medley that included music from “Fiddler on the Roof” and the Hebrew folk song “Hava Nagila.” Although they weren’t on my list, I made a mental note to try to find time to squeeze one of their sets during the weekend.
As of lover of newgrass and progressive bluegrass, I was interested in seeing mandolinist Sam Bush’s workshop. One of the festival’s headliners, he drew an audience of about 200 to 300 listeners. Accompanied by his guitarist Stephen Mougin, Bush answered questions from the audience about practicing and improvisation, and he performed popular bluegrass tunes including “Salt Creek,” “Paddy on the Turnpike” and “Wayfaring Stranger.”
The final workshop of the day, “Rhythm Workshop for Strings,” featured Brittany Haas and Tristan Clarridge from Crooked Still. They have mastered the violin “chop” that was developed by fiddlers Darol Anger and Richard Greene. By altering its rhythm and length, the “chop” gives fiddle players creative ways to be their own accompaniment. The duo taught Scottish bagpiper Gordon Duncan’s tune, “Ramney Ceilidh,” to a crowd of 50 fiddlers and cellists.
After spending the morning and afternoon in workshops, I decided it was time to listen to some music. I picked a seat near the front of the Grand Ballroom. During the next seven hours, I listened to six bands: The Henhouse Prowlers, Crooked Still, The Boxcars, Darrell Scott, Josh Williams and The Sam Bush Band. What’s nice about Wintergrass is the variety of music in the lineup. Under the guise of bluegrass, the music spans from the traditional to progressive to all-out rock.
Although traditional bands like The Henhouse Prowlers, The Boxcars and International Bluegrass Music Association’s 2010 Emerging Artist of the Year Josh Williams were terrific, my ear was drawn more to the bands that took a unique approach to their music.
Led by Aiofe O’Donovan, Crooked Still is playing some of the most innovative music of any acoustic band today. Simultaneously delicate and strong, O’Donovan’s soulful voice carries beautifully over the driving string grooves of banjo, fiddle and cello. The band is currently promoting their newest CD, “Some New Country.” Songs included “Cold Mountains,” “Sometimes in This Country,” “Henry Lee” and “Distress.”
Crooked Still
This is the first time I saw the group with fiddle, and it was a perfect addition. Brittany Haas’ five-string fiddle nicely compliments the gritty cello lines of Tristan Clarridge. The interplay between the two instruments created a nice ebb and flow of energy. After rousing applause, Crooked Still performed The Beatles’ “We Can Work it Out” as an encore.
Darrell Scott
Grammy nominated songwriter Darrell Scott was one of the only solo artists of the evening. With strong lyrics and a deep baritone voice, Scott completely filled the stage by himself. He was promoting “A Crooked Road,” a CD that focuses on 30 years of relationships. Beating down on his guitar, Scott performed songs like “Long Wide Open Road,” “Colorado” and “Whiskey That Eases the Pain.”
The night closed with The Sam Bush Band, the closest thing you can get to a rock band at a bluegrass festival. All of the instruments were plugged into Roland amplifliers and the band featured a drum kit. Proficient on both fiddle and mandolin, Bush played music that fused folk, jazz, reggae and rock elements.
In his workshop, an audience member asked Bush what was on his current playlist. He mentioned Jethro Burns, Flatt and Scruggs, Bob Marley, Jeff Beck, Jean Luc Ponty and John Hartford. This eclectic mix of music was reflected in his set, including my favorites “Vamp in the Middle” by Hartford and “New Country” by Ponty.
Sam Bush
After the concerts, it’s all about the quest to find the perfect jam location. In Tacoma, there weren’t as many places to jam, so by Saturday the hotel would be filled with a cacophonous sound of hundreds of people jamming at once. The aural assault on the ear was a little too much to take at times, especially by the end of the festival. In contrast, the Hyatt Regency is super spacious with long hallways and two towers.
The Hyatt opened up its conference suites on the third floor of the Olympic Tower to late-night jamming. Other musicians set up in the hallways or elevator alcoves. Although I didn’t witness it this year, some musicians have been known to play inside elevators or bathrooms.
Being eight months pregnant, I sided on convenience and jammed in the room next to mine with musicians from Portland and Bend. We played songs like “Minor Swing” and “Clinch Mountain Backstep” over the course of the next few hours. Exhausted, I said my goodbyes and went to bed at 2 a.m., relatively early for a festivalgoer. The rest of the gang played music till dawn.
Tags: Crooked Still, Darrell Scott, Jenny Wasson, Sam Bush, Scythian, Wintergrass
