Wintergrass!February 21-24, 2008
By Kim Ruehl
The Overview: Wintergrass takes place in downtown Tacoma, WA. The performances are spread over a couple of hotels and a nearby church. Friday and Saturday mornings are workshops galore on everything from overcoming stage fright to mastering Old Time fiddle. The hotel lobbies are replete with impromptu jams.
The Jams: This is really the reason most people come to Wintergrass. Especially locals from the Pacific Norhtwest will come to Tacoma with their instruments, and never even purchase a ticket to the festival - they'll just hang out in the lobby for three days and play with strangers. Fun to participate or just to sit and listen.
What to Bring: Wintergrass takes place in February in the Pacific Northwest. Tacoma is on the water, so there can be some awfully cold air blowing in and down from Alaska. Bring a coat and a hat. Bring your instrument if you play one. You might want to pack a lunch if you're driving in for the day - or make sure you get a rental car, if you think you'll want more than two dining options.
What to Expect: Expect tons of folks jamming in the hotel at all hours of day and night. The only place you'll find some quiet is in the bathroom. The performances are spread out over a couple of hotels and a church. The church is, by far, the best place to hear music, so try to put in some quality time there. There are a lot of unknown performers as well as big names. You can usually trust the unknowns are going to be just as great - so venture out to see a few of them.
The Music: Wintergrass is a Bluegrass music festival, but there is a lot of appreciation for Old Time Music. A lot of the jam sessions include people playing Old Time tunes. Many of the performers are old school bluegrass, though there are occasionally some Old Time bands and some contemporary country/folk singer/songwriters. Performers include well-known legends as well as local and regional newcomers.
The Jams: This is really the reason most people come to Wintergrass. Especially locals from the Pacific Norhtwest will come to Tacoma with their instruments, and never even purchase a ticket to the festival - they'll just hang out in the lobby for three days and play with strangers. Fun to participate or just to sit and listen.
What to Bring: Wintergrass takes place in February in the Pacific Northwest. Tacoma is on the water, so there can be some awfully cold air blowing in and down from Alaska. Bring a coat and a hat. Bring your instrument if you play one. You might want to pack a lunch if you're driving in for the day - or make sure you get a rental car, if you think you'll want more than two dining options.
What to Expect: Expect tons of folks jamming in the hotel at all hours of day and night. The only place you'll find some quiet is in the bathroom. The performances are spread out over a couple of hotels and a church. The church is, by far, the best place to hear music, so try to put in some quality time there. There are a lot of unknown performers as well as big names. You can usually trust the unknowns are going to be just as great - so venture out to see a few of them.
