Not banjo picks, but Wintergrass picks!
Wintergrass 2009 is upon us! Wintergrass is a huge bluegrass festival in downtown Tacoma, that takes place in the Hotel Murano, Grace Urban Church, The Marriott Hotel, Rialto Theater, and The Varsity Grill. It is a fantastically fun destination for any bluegrass fan. We will be there for sure on Saturday, and possibly part of Friday. We definitely can't wait!
The festival offers a variety of experiences: jamming (the most common activity), concerts, workshops, and instrument vendors. This year, I am the "Official Planner for The Hess Wintergrass 2009 Experience." That theoretically means that I get to decide what we (my fam) will do at Wintergrass this year. So, I have researched most of the bands playing there this weekend, and will give you my top nine picks, as well as, a description of them. You can view the bands' webpages by going to the Wintergrass website. Here it goes!
#1 Blue Highway--Incredible bluegrass band, one of Caleb's favorite bands because of their dobro player, Rob Ickes.
#2 Michael Cleveland and Flame Keeper--We saw this band last year, and they put on an incredible show. Michael Cleveland is one of the best fiddle players I have ever heard. Make sure to attend his concert, you won't be disappointed!
#3 The Isaacs--A family band that is known for its good harmony--at least vocally-wise, I don't know much about their personal life. :) But, I bet they get along well to be able to sing like that!
#4 Three Ring Circle--A trio made up of Rob Ickes, David Pomeroy, and Andy Leftwich. Andy Leftwich is one of Clark's favorite mandolin players.
#5 Dewgrass--Another family band that we first met at Wintergrass last year. The whole family is very talented--Luke,the banjo player, beat me in a banjo contest last year. They have a lot of interesting and original material. Go see them!
#6 The Traveling McCourys--These are the McCoury boys of the Del McCoury Band with fiddle player Jason Carter.
#7 The Bee Eaters--These guys are more New Acoustic Music than bluegrass, but still have some pretty cool stuff. They have pretty unusual instrumentation: banjo, cello, 5-string fiddle, and hammered dulcimer. The banjo player, Wes Corbett, grew up near Seattle. He will be giving a workshop Saturday morning that I am definitely going to attend!
#8 The Alison Brown Quartet--Alison Brown was one of the first well known female banjo players. She is very talented, but has moved away from the bluegrass side of things. She is playing more of a jazzy style of music now, but I will still go see her so that I can steal some licks!
#9 Tony Trischka--Well-known banjo player. He won IBMA's "Bluegrass Album of the Year" for his album Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular, which I must say certainly deserved the award.
So that is my top nine picks. I hope this year's festival is a success, and that we will see you down there!
P.S. This is my Dad's first bluegrass festival, so be nice to him so that he will come back next year!
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