A weekend of walkin in the finest jamgrass around was made possible by the debut appearance in Vermont over December 14-16 at Stratton Mountain. WinterWonderGrass, now in its 7th year, has held events in Colorado and California since 2012, with founder Scott Stoughton and his team creating a musical village with a welcoming vibe at all turns.
Stratton was as idyllic a setting out east as WinterWonderGrass could have asked for. Located in south-central Vermont, the mountain is tucked away and has sprawling condos and chalets, a village that practically transports you to the Alps and world class skiing. This weekend added in 8 hours of bluegrass daily, with artists from across the country making the inaugural WinterWonderGrass at Stratton a rousing success.
Scott spoke to Jambase earlier this month about the inception of the WinterWonderGrass: “The original idea for WinterWonderGrass came together because I saw a lot of different music festivals happening,” Stoughton explained. “I saw the beer culture expanding. I was also living in a mountain town at the time, and I saw corporatization of mountain communities, influx of people, everything was branded, and it wasn’t feeling right. It wasn’t authentic.”
The result of Scott’s strive for authenticity is a music village that could be found at any ski mountain – after a run down the slopes, take off your skis and head over to the sound of banjos, mandolins and dobros and take a break with a cold one (or some hot coffee, cocoa or yerba mate). Walking into the venue each day, you feel like a member of a larger family, one that is smiling, laughing and dancing, and most of all, welcoming and friendly to all.
Friday kicked off with multiple sets from Pappy & Friends, Beg, Steal or Borrow, Fruition, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, Pickin’ on the Dead and Vermont’s own Saints & Liars. With the three tent stages all close to each other, catching all three was as simple as strolling 50 feet away for a taste of something new. Headliners Jeff Austin Band and The Infamous Stringdusters had the crowd looking forward to the next two days, with powerhouse sets from both. Jeff Austin led a Yonder-style band with a set of speedy jammed out bluegrass originals and covers, capping the set with crowd favorite “Sideshow Blues,” while Stringdusters took spins on Phish’s “Possum” and “Bathtub Gin,” and invited up artist-at-large Bridget Law for Aretha Franklin’s “Respect.” Late night sets featured more from Saints & Liars and Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, as well as John Stickley Trio and Beg, Borrow or Steal.
Individually Rebecca Loebe, Grace Pettis and BettySoo are established singer/songwriter/performers, each with a Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Competition winner title in their pockets. In 2017, Rebecca suggested a joint tour by the three “just to share the road, share our audiences and have a bit of fun.” That one-off idea was followed by a homemade promo video, a songwriting session, a record deal, and the birth of Nobody’s Girl.
NYS Music spoke with all three members by phone in late November after a scheduled return to the Towne Crier in Beacon, N.Y. was “snow-poned” due to a heavy dumping of white stuff, canceling the evening’s show and taking our pre-show interview with it.
After “announcing” ourselves on the line, we were ready roll.
Mickey Deneher: I think of this as the evolution of Nobody’s Girl. You guys started out as friends. When did you first meet?
Grace Pettis: We first meet around 10 years ago at the Kerville Folk Festival.
MD: Each one of you is an award winner (at Kerville.)
GP: We did all win the (New Folk) competition in different years. (But) that was the first year we all were there and hanging out and just became pals.
MD: You go to Kerville, do song circles, a one-off tour, a writing session, and then a record deal from the session. Was this just a flash or the progression you where looking for?
Rebecca Loebe: You pretty much nailed it, the progression of it. Basically it just happened organically and very quickly. That as soon as we got together and started singing together we had this great sort of harmony and chemistry together and just sort of opportunities kept presenting themselves really quickly.
You know our first co-write was pretty magical. We wrote 3 songs in basically 18 hours that we really liked. When we played them for the folks who owned the recording studio where we had gone to write, they offered us a record deal. At that point we had not even played a gig together. We didn’t have any plans of touring or plans of becoming a band. I think that made it all develop really naturally, the fact that it wasn’t something that any of us where all gunning for. We didn’t have, you know, aspirations to make this the coolest band project ever. We just thought it was fun when we sang together.
Rebecca Loebe
MD: Let’s talk about the writing for the EP. All three of you are credited (for the originals). Is that because it is the writing process or do you all have to get in pieces?
Grace Pettis: We are an equal collaboration at the writing table. Which is such a new and cool experience. I have written with a lot of people. I love co-writing. But I have never been in a band, where all three members are professional songwriters and get so much joy out of that process and can kind of meet each other at the same level as co-writers. That’s just been really fun. All of the songs are true, true collaborations. Like honestly, nobody really takes the lead. Maybe somebody will have an idea, somebody will take it and run with it, and then somebody else will chime in with a different direction and we write them from scratch. Together. Equally.
MD: You went in for a writing session. You didn’t go in as a band, but you came out as a band.
BettySoo: We were writing for the three of us to sing together. We definitely had that in mind. I don’t think we were writing like we would scrap a song if it was good and it didn’t feel like it was going to suit the trio that well. But definitely, that was definitely sitting in our minds as we were writing. Whether it was subconscious or whatever, that this was a song for the three of us.
Grace Pettis: Definitely.
BettySoo: I’m sure that shaped the process some, whether we were that conscious of it or not.
MD: So you had the “voices” in your head that you were writing for.
BettySoo: Absolutely.
We turned our conversation to the band’s recently released debut recording “Waterline,” which contains 4 original compositions, two covers, and a bonus acoustic rendition of the title track. It was recorded at Studios at Fischer with assistance from some of Austin’s top session players. The EP was released on the Lucky Hound label.
MD: I’ve enjoyed the EP. The writing, the harmonies, there are different voices in there. I’ve grouped them as I hear the different voices. Tell me about “Waterline” and “Riding out the Storm.” Metaphoric songs? Deep things happening to you guys? Am I thinking correctly?
BettySoo: “Waterline” is an interesting example of a song that started with one idea and ended up in a completely different place. It started with, I remember really clearly, a chorus idea that I had on Christmas morning last year. I would sing it for you but you would not recognize it. It did not end up in the finished song. I brought the chorus to the group and we thought oh yeah that’s a good starting place, we’ll start with that. We wrote some verses and then we liked the verses that we wrote so much more than that chorus that we had to write a better chorus to match the song.
I think there is a metaphor in that song about how things change slowly and you can use the waterline as a reference. Gauge how things have changed over time.
BettySoo
MD: “Bluebonnets” (a Raina Rose composition) is an opening up of what I want to become? I haven’t been there? This is what I’m going to be?
Grace Pettis: That’s an interesting take. I think at the time, we were left kind of writing toward a theme in terms of let’s write five songs that all fit into a theme. We just were all writing from out experiences in life and some themes just came naturally out of that. When we decided to play “Bluebonnets,” it was mostly just because we all loved the song and we loved the songwriter Raina Rose. Rebecca suggested that one. I tried it on, cause it kind of fell to me. It was time for another song where Grace is singing lead. I was sort of tooling around with it. As I was playing it, I had always liked that song and I had know of it for maybe a decade, as I was playing it, I fell more in love with it as I was singing it because it just sounds like this classic Texas country song. To me it sounds like a Willie Nelson song or Townes Van Zandt song or something like that. It just sounds like classic and there is so much heart in it. So I feel like it sings itself almost.
MD: “Call Me,” (Blondie cover) fun song, great song. What brought that to the EP?
Rebecca Loebe: I think it came out of a conversation on what kind of songs we wanted to cover. We were talking about writers who inspire us; women who inspire us. We sort of all stumbled into our admiration of Debbie Harry, who is the driving force behind Blondie and an absolute badass, and Grace mentioned that she had been rehearsing “Call Me” and thinking of covering it. We pulled it up and listened to it and it really clicked with all of us. We sat, spent an hour working on an arrangement, and it was just so much fun using all our voices and BettySoo’s incredible electric guitar to come up with a version of that song that really feels like us.
Grace Pettis
MD: Let’s talk about the band name. Who came up with that? (All three start laughing.)
BettySoo: That may have been the most full on equal part labor.
Grace Pettis: Yeah.
BettySoo: That thing (band name) that we wrote, even more than the five (songs.) Because we didn’t intend to be a band at first, we just thought we’re three pals going out on a kind of co-bill tour; that was nothing that we spent a lot of time working on. We were writing songs thinking it would be a special moment in a show. All of a sudden we find ourselves with this record deal, and realized we were a band and like, oh shoot, if we are going to put out a record, we have to have a band name.
None of us were quite satisfied with the first name that we had, Sirens of South Austin, because we really just thought of that as a tour name. And, oh my god, we went through dozens and dozens and dozens of band name ideas. I think if we all didn’t love each other so much we would have killed each other (laughs.) What a way to come up with a band name. That was the most angst-ridden discussion we probably had as a band. Maybe that’s fitting, because your name is really such an identity marker. It’s how people will judge you before they meet you, trying to make that impression about having a name you are proud of. That you feel conveys all of your personalities but also who you are as a new entity. It was really hard to land on one thing. We also started listing a bunch of songs and albums and different titles of books and all kinds of things that were references for us. I think Grace at one point had mentioned the Bonnie Raitt song “Nobody’s Girl” and surprisingly it was something all of us could agree on. As time goes by, I think we have all gotten even fonder of it.
Rebecca Loebe: It definitely says something. It says something quickly. It speaks to all of our character and the roots were building as a band.
Grace Pettis: I liked it because it was versatile. It sounds fun. Sounds like it could be a pop band. But then it also has a bit of a bite to it.
MD: It’s a statement.
Rebecca Loebe: Definitely.
MD: What’s on tap for 2019?
RL: We’re doing a few international trips in 2019, including a tour in Europe (that) we are really excited about. We are going to be touring The Netherlands, Germany & Ireland. We’ve gotten some sweet requests to play shows. We will be in Texas in March and touring in the summer.
Nobody’s Girl’s “Waterline” is available on the band’s website, ITunes, and at their shows. As for that canceled show at the Towne Crier, they’ll be back (but I think there is an no-snow rider in the contract).
“Petty Grass is bluegrass versions of Tom Petty hits. Sing-alongs that some people didn’t even know they knew. Tom Petty songs are like that and Petty Grass celebrates this.” ~ Keller Williams
Keller Williams and the Hillbenders performed Keller’s latest project, Petty Grass, at a new venue in Jersey City, NJ, White Eagle Hall. The recently renovated and restored historic theater has been “outfitted with the latest sound technology” and has two hand-crafted stained glass skylights.
Williams began the concept in 2015, for a local S.P.C.A benefit. After Petty’s recent death, Williams decided to take the concept on the road and add a band. The Hillbender’s couldn’t be a more perfect choice to fill this role.
The Hillbenders, a talented bluegrass band from Springfield, MO, are experienced with translating rock and roll into bluegrass and are the perfect compliment to Williams. They released a bluegrass version of The Who’s Tommy called Tommy: A Bluegrass Opryin 2015.
The show was indeed a big audience sing-a-long, with the crowd participation increasing during each song. Tom Petty had many fun loving hits. William’s sing-a-long version, combined with the Hillbender’s picking intensity, successfully showcases this. The band often came together as a group on stage, demonstrating their exemplary skills as a bluegrass band.
Notable songs included “Refugee,” the extended jam combined elements of William’s Grateful Dead roots with the Hillbender’s penchant for picking. “Even the Losers” had a great texture from the mandolin by Nolan Lawrence. “Last Dance With Mary Jane” was meant to be a bluegrass sing-a-long. “Running Down a Dream” has a harmonious melody from Gary Rea on guitar and Chad Graves on dobro.
Nestled along Tuscarora Lake between the Madison County college towns of Cazenovia and Morrisville, the Blue Canoe is a charming Adirondack style family restaurant. On Friday, November 30, this off-the-beaten-path venue was packed as it hosted Blaine Holcomb, a Nashville singer-songwriter born and raised in Hamilton and a graduate of St. Lawrence University.
Holcomb was in the area for a hometown-ish show, celebrating the release of his self-titled debut CD and did not disappoint. Holcomb is a young artist with a flair for modern country, yet has a truly high classic country IQ. His reverence for country royalty — George Jones, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, George Strait — is evident in his writing and he makes it well-known that these people are his music idols.
Holcomb entertained the standing room only crowd at the Blue Canoe with an almost three-hour set; his only breaks taking place between songs when he signed CDs for the many in attendance. If there’s one thing Holcomb is, it’s appreciative. He has spent the better part of the past few years in residency at Nashville’s famed Tootsies Orchid Lounge, and in that time, has learned the skill of entertaining. He’s not above taking requests but makes sure he sprinkles classics into his set to let everyone know his roots.
His set reflected the modern country charts, with covers from Eric Church, Keith Urban and Chris Stapleton, but also paid tribute to the legends, covering his idols, George Jones and Merle Haggard. Holcomb’s take on Jones’s “He Stopped Loving Her Today” and Haggard’s “Mama Tried” had the crowd engaged and would have done the original artists proud.
Speaking of Holcomb’s roots, his visit to Erieville on Friday was a testament to that. He holds his family and friends close and makes sure to fit in a local show whenever he is in town, whether it’s at the Blue Canoe or Ray Brothers BBQ in nearby Bouckville. His maternal grandmother sat at a table stage left the majority of his set while his mother worked the crowd selling CDs. Many fellow St. Lawrence alums and former bandmates were also in attendance.
A highlight of the night was a ballad Blaine Holcomb wrote in honor of his grandfather, who he spent much time fishing with in his youth. The song, “Keep Your Line in the Water” is an emotional ode to an influential man that Holcomb held close and brought tears to the eyes of many in attendance.
Holcomb paid tribute to friend Daryle Singletary, who he’d met in Nashville, describing the affable nature of the man as he introduced his cover of Singletary’s song “Spilled Whiskey” that is included on Holcomb’s album. Singletary died earlier this year at the age of 46.
He tried ending his set several times throughout the night, but bowing to the crowd kept extending the set for “one more” song. One more song wound up being five more songs ending the night with rousing covers of Garth Brooks’s “Friends in Low Places” and Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues,” with his fans singing along and begging for more.
Blaine Holcomb is a unique presence in this new world of country music. An old soul housed in a young body who isn’t afraid to mix the classics with the new. You can pick up his new album at his website here or at his shows. He returns to Nashville this week to continue his Tootsies residency. You can catch him live there or through the Tootsies Live Cam here.
Pop-Fest 518 takes place at The Linda on Saturday, Dec 1 from 7-10 pm. Featured in this evening of eclectic musicians are Blockhouses, Sydney Worthley, Pop-Clique, Sarah Kohrs & Coyote, and Daniel Conley. While students can get a $10 ticket at the door with ID, all-ages $15 tickets can be purchased through The Linda’s Pop Fest 518 event page. This one-night show not only showcases original work by performers native to the 518 area, but admission goes towards the upstate arts community fostered by the Columbia Arts Team.
Blockhouses
The pop trio Blockhouses will groove the audience followed by festival-seasoned, 16 year old Sydney Worthley, who takes the stage to build on that energy with her country/rock infused lyrics. Expect a blast to the past as the internationally recognized Pop-Clique takes concert-goers back with a ’60s flavored vibe. A new face joins the stage with them as notorious singer/songwriter Liv Cummins makes her Pop-Clique debut on Dec. 1 at Pop-Fest 518.
The mood changes yet again as Sarah Kohrs & Coyote deliver their take on blues and jazz; the influence of iconic female vocalists Joni Mitchell and Amy Winehouse comes through in Sara Kohrs’s performance. To cap of a great night of 518 artists, Daniel Conley has a large body of work to pull his Americana offerings from as he has launched two albums in the last year.
The Columbia Arts Team is a non-profit performing arts company that promotes local arts efforts and has partnered with The Linda to make this performance possible. The Linda is committed to growing the arts in New York as it serves as the performing arts studio for Albany-based public broadcast radio station WAMC. There is growing community interest in the cultivation of original, local, musical talent. Pop-Fest 518 gives these unique voices a stage where they can truly shine.
There aren’t a lot of options for purely original local artists to perform in a concert format…This is music that belongs in a ‘listening’ venue, not a bar. This is music that needs to be heard.
– Andy Gregory, WEXT Radio’s Local 518 program host.
The Egg recently announced five great musical acts visiting the Capital Region for shows this coming spring. The first is Americana, rock, and improvisational group Railroad Earth. The group self identifies with rock-and-roll, but their distinct bluegrass influence is undeniable. Who says you can’t have the best of both worlds? You can see this incredible fusion of musical genres yourself Feb. 14.
Railroad Earth
Next in the line up is local talent who hail from Albany, the folk group Dannybrook Fair. The three original members recently celebrated a successful summer tour. You can catch the trio during St. Patrick’s Day celebrations on March 14.
March’s offerings continue at the performing arts venue as Pat Metheny’s recent jazz project Side Eye makes an appearance on March 30. Universally recognized as one of the best guitarists in jazz history, Metheny is joined by pianist James Francies and drummer Nate Smith for this musical experiment. You will not want to miss a performance from the unmatched Pat Mentheny.
Last, but not least, Candlebox comes to Capital region audiences on Thursday, April 25. The Seattle rock group, who rose to fame in the ’90s grunge scene will be showcasing songs from their sixth album Disappearing in Airports.
A favorite feature of the Colorado version of the winter music celebration, WinterWonderGrass Stratton has finally introduced its own iteration of the Grass After Dark Series with one month until the event kicks off.
Bluegrass fans new to the festival should be aware that festival tickets are not required for the Grass After Dark series. All of the late night shows are 21+ and are a separate purchase from the WWG day festival tickets. Grass After Dark tickets are limited and expected to sell out quickly. You can secure your spot at the event by purchasing your tickets at the WWG website.
The night series opens on the eve of WWG Stratton day festivities, with An Evening with the Infamous Stringdusters on Dec. 13 at Grizzly’s. The GAD series is hosted between two intimate mountainous locations for four nights of bluegrass in the village. Dec.r 15 is the only night attendees will have to choose between Grizzly’s and the Green Mountain Room in Black Bear Lodge at the Stratton Mountain Resort. The full GAD late night show schedule is down below:
GRIZZLY’S:
Thursday, Dec. 13 – An Evening with the Infamous Stringdusters
Saturday, Dec. 15 – Keller Williams and Fruition
Sunday, Dec. 16 – Billy Strings and Lindsay Lou
BLACK BEAR LODGE:
Friday, Dec. 14 – Horseshoes & Hand Grenades and Saints & Liars
Saturday, Dec. 15 – The Kitchen Dwellers and Rumpke Mountain Boys
Tickets are still available for those interested in the full WinterWonderGrass community experience. Single day prices are currently $59 for Friday, $79 for Saturday, and $59 for Sunday. For the complete festival schedule and all ticket packages, visit the WinterWondergrass website for more information.
With 7 Hulaween sets and 4 in Philadelphia under their belt in the week prior, fans were unsure how the boys would be feeling coming into the weekend. Starting the first set off with the southern rock hit “On The Road,” they quickly dove into an incredible jam-filled “Sometimes a River.” Michael Kang belted on an 11-minute “Come As You Are” straight into an epic cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie On Reggae Woman.” From Stevie, the boys continued this long string of non-stop jams to their salsa-inspired “Latinnismo,” last played in July of 2007 at Horning’s Hideout. They were really pulling out all the stops.
The second set continued the high energy of the first with just six songs. There are almost no words to describe how heavy and jam-filled these were, as there were very few words to be heard from the band. After a long “You’ve Got The World” to start, they began what would be close to 75 minutes of non-stop music. Cheese slowed down only slightly for one of Bill Nershi‘s bluegrass classics, “Windy Mountain,” and the set ending with a 20-minute, extremely heavy “Howard.”
Saturday, Night Two
There didn’t seem to be any way that String Cheese could match their intensity from night one. Everyone was sure they would have a very bluegrass-heavy night, which would still have been amazing, but they were wrong… very wrong. The first song was a powerful “Let’s Go Outside,” into The Who’s “Eminence Front,” then back into LGO. They began a long string of classic fan favorites with “Little Hands,” covering Bob Dylan’s “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues,” and ending the first set with yet another full fired rendition in “Rosie”.
There is a lot of disagreement among Cheese fans about what they’re best at. Many love them for their roots as bluegrass greats, while others can’t seem to get enough of their heavier, more electronic bangers. The final set of the Halloween tour was one that everyone could enjoy. It was almost comical when the band went from one of their heaviest songs “Rivertrance” into “Pretty Polly” and back into Rivertrance. What makes this so incredible is Polly has long been sought after by the bluegrass-friendly fans, as it had not been played since October of 2013. After the set was finished with an eardrum-bursting “Beautiful,” you could tell the band was in high spirits. With incredible jovial energy, they ended their Halloween run with one of their all-time greats, “Colorado Bluebird Sky.”
Fans old and new agree that these will go down as two of the best nights of Cheese in history, as would quite a few from this run, and a few more this year. The String Cheese Incident is one of the few bands that just continue to get better after 20 years together. They return to Colorado this New Year’s Eve to Broomfield. They also have their Jamaican Incident in January. They have yet to release any other information for 2019, but rest assured, each show and every set will be very Gouda, whether aged or smoked.
The String Cheese Incident are finishing up an eastern stint of shows, with last night and tonight seeing them play at Worcester, MA’s Palladium Night Club. Earlier this week, the band spent Halloween in Philadelphia, performing two back to back shows at the city of brotherly love’s The Fillmore.
After a monumental weekend at Hulaween, in which three headlining nights from the band included plenty of guest sit-ins and lots of musical surprises, the hype for String Cheese’s Fillmore run was pricked with anticipation. Many were wondering if they had steam left after delivering such a jam-packed weekend, and others had no doubt at all.
Fillmore Night One
That these were going to be some strong shows was definitely clear soon enough into night one’s firs set. A “Song in My Head” > Can’t Stop Now brought the first smiles of the run, and the band was at least in tight form, if not risk-taking right away.” Way That it Goes” through “Believe” saw incredibly heavy Cheese. The intensity, not to mention the sheer decibel level, on even an old school jazzier number like “Pirates,” was pretty staggering. A first set “Sympathy For The Devil,” sung by Keith Mosely, was our Halloween nugget for the night, and it certainly seemed appreciated given the enthusiasm emanating from the crowd all the way through.
Set two invited the most electronic side of Cheese to party, with a “Tinderbox” to start that saw the band enter full-on dubstep style. The crowd appeared to dig on it, though, and so the band followed it soon after with a similarly crystallized version of “Bumpin’ Reel.” Kang broke out the fiddle here, and buttoned up this wildly looped jam with some choice intermittent soloing.There were a few big gems of this two-night run, and arguably the first came in night one’s final, towering segment that kicked off with a “Miss Brown’s Teahouse.” While this was a straightforward version, it rolled on in mystical fashion towards a highly received “Land’s End,” perhaps one of the most appreciated songs in the Cheese catalogue. The band took their time gracefully here, treading thoughtfully through a section of space, comprising a “Glory Chords” jam, but soon enough took off running into a “Just One Story” to close out—another one of Cheese’s most appreciated numbers.
This magical combo worked with the encore to leave The Fillmore fully satisfied for night one. The encore which might have actually stood out in the context of the whole run. A very fun “Born On The Wrong Planet” segued with ease into an “I Know You Rider” that saw the latter of those two tunes fleshed put nicely, complete with a slowly cascading reggae jam, to be a standout version.
Fillmore Night Two
While Halloween have default regard as special shows, it stands that String Cheese’s second night in Philadelphia came as the better of two nights—nothing damnable about making the next show better than the last! Again, the band made fast moves to show their chameleon-like ability to divert musical styles and moods. After a welcomed “Don’t It Make You Wanna Dance” opened it up, the engine for the evening really starting revving with a funky, murky jam coming out of ‘Eye Know Why.” The band was in sync, and they were making improvisational choices with confidence.
The “Shine” to end the first set was fine and feel good as any other, but the “Outside and Inside” coming before it was the real ticket: a type two version that flung itself into the first set ender with pure adrenaline. But, if you were to listen to just one song from this entire two night run, make it the “Lonesome Fiddle Blues” that blew out the doors of The Fillmore on night two, set two. The crowd was caught off guard with the insanity of this one, and when Hollingsworth helped catapult this eruptive version, with an organ solo that still has this writer shaking his head, nearly everybody in that room went from chill to berserk in seconds flat.
The set only evolved from there, with the band venturing into some of the most improvisational territory yet with a fantastic “Best Feeling.” After some cosmic interplay led to a tension-tinged climax, “Feeling” dropped succinctly into “Illegal,” a song that has been a big hit with Cheese fans this year. Over the last week, the band has been cycling through the new material penned by each member of the band, and this one, composed by drummer Michael Travis, is a doozy. It’s neat, coastal-vibe like chorus gives way, in back and forth style, to a wicked prog-rock like instrumental section, which the band nailed here at The Fillmore with a real tenacity.
Coming back for the encore, Hollingsworth recounted warmly he grew up down the street from The Fillmore, and that all six of his siblings were in attendance. Nershi commented: “Seeing family come to all the shows makes us feel like we’re doing this thing right. And you all of course are our family too.” The band played a textbook “Restless Wind” to finish out, highlighted with a great few minutes of solo trading between Kang and Nershi, and brought a terrific two-night stand down for a soft landing.
String Cheese Incident’s next scheduled concert appearance is their highly anticipated three-night New Years Eve run at 1st Bank Center in Denver, Colorado. For more information visit their site at http://www.stringcheeseincident.com.
WinterWonderGrass arrives this weekend at Stratton Mountain Resort from December 14-16 in Stratton Vermont. Locals introduced to this traditionally Colorado music festival can expect craft beers, tasty treats, outdoor winter fun, and the intimate family atmosphere that WWG is famous for fostering. At the popular mountain resort located just a short drive from both Boston and New York City, concert attendees can enjoy a perfect winter backdrop for WWG’s inaugural New England appearance.
Here’s this weekend’s schedule including ‘Grass after Dark’ shows held nightly.
Single day tickets are currently $59 for Friday and Sunday, while Saturday tickets are $79. The best priced ticket package is the three-day ticket ($149). On top of three days for WWG musical offerings, three-day tickets include three hours of beer, cider, tea and Switchel samplings each day.
After each day’s main headliner, fans are welcome to attend special performances at the Soapbox featuring Pickin on the Dead on Friday, Rumpke Mountain Boys on Saturday, and the Jon Stickley Trio to wrap up on Sunday. Committed to community engagement, WWG is also hosting free afternoon meetings for WWG artists and local musicians interaction. Bring your own instrument, refreshments will be provided.
Be on the lookout for more bluegrass events at the festival, more is still to come for the evening. WWG is preparing to announce ‘Grass after Dark’ late night shows on Nov. 13. The late shows will bring guests to more intimate peaks and settle the concert into a more casual vibe. Connecting artists with the local community, these events bring you up close and personal with bluegrass icons as they improvise musical conversations with ease.
WinterWonderGrass is a low-impact event with music throughout the day. Get to know the lay of the land, what beers will be available for sampling (daily from 2-5p), what food trucks will be on hand, where the Kids Zone is and more.
If you still need lodging options,WinterWonderGrass has partnered up with a few local options to ensure maximum comfort during your visit. Shuttles will run from select properties in Manchester as well.
In 2018 alone, WinterWonderGrass diverted more than 23,000 lbs of waste from landfills due to their composting, recycling and food donation program. WWG has long been a partner with Waste-Free Earth out of Burlington. Get to know their company and how big of an impact they’ve made on our festival community.
Check out the dining options around the resort outside of the festival grounds and for more info, check out WWG’s additional FAQs with anything and everything you need to know to have the best possible WWG experience. From what to wear, what not to bring, what’s allowed and so on. See you in Stratton!
MD: What’s on tap for 2019?
Single day tickets are currently $59 for Friday and Sunday, while Saturday tickets are $79. The best priced ticket package is the three-day ticket ($149). On top of three days for WWG musical offerings, three-day tickets include three hours of beer, cider, tea and Switchel samplings each day.