North Cascade Blue Grass Festival
In Nashville, the Ryman Auditorium, location of the former Grand Ole Opry, contains a historical sign titled “Birth of Bluegrass”. The sign says: “In December, 1945, Grand Ole Opry star Bill Monroe and his mandolin brought the Ryman Auditorium stage a band that created a new American musical form. With the banjo style of Earl Scruggs and the guitar of Lester Flatt, the new musical genre became known as ‘Bluegrass’. Augmented by the fiddle of Chubby Wise and the bass of Howard Watts (also known as Cedric Rainwater), this ensemble became known as ‘The Original Bluegrass Band’, which became the prototype for groups that followed.”
Bill Monroe originally played with his brother Charlie, and in 1929 they left the family farm in Rosine, Kentucky, moved to Chicago and formed a band called the Monroe Brothers which became a popular act in the 1930’s. In 1938, they split up and formed their own bands. Bill took his mandolin and started his band with Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt. Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys, had a different sound from other country bands. The most common instruments in bluegrass at that time were mandolin, banjo, fiddle, guitar, and base.
Later when Scruggs and Flatt formed their own group, the Foggy Mountain Boys, the Dobro* was added, and the banjo took on a new style with three-finger picking. It’s also common for each or most members of bluegrass bands to highlight their own instruments during their performances. In the 1960’s bluegrass festivals were introduced. Bluegrass bands today reflect the influences of many different types of music from blues, jazz, contemporary country, Celtic, rock & roll, and gospel music. *A Dobro guitar is a resonator guitar that was developed in Los Angeles in around 1933 by the Dobyera Brothers as a way making guitars louder. These guitars are frequently used in bluegrass music.
The North Cascades Bluegrass Festival is held annually for two days, on Labor Day weekend at the Deming Log Show Fairgrounds, northwest of downtown Bellingham. It is a program of the Whatcom County Parks and Recreation Foundation which is the recipient of proceeds from the Festival. In addition to the arena and stadium where the Log Show is held, the Festival site contains a museum / community center, over 200 RV and tent camping sites, and several humorous historical displays. The Bluegrass Festival is held in an adjacent field, large enough for food trucks, vendors, a beer garden, the stage, and seating for several hundred bluegrass lovers. To clarify – seating is on whatever you bring to sit on – your own chairs, blankets, coolers, or just use your imagination.
Three friends and I journeyed north to Bellingham for the Festival, in part to celebrate this post as the seventieth journey of the Inspired Journeys project. The project started in 2021, in honor of my 70th birthday, to photograph and write about seventy locations in Western Washington. All of these friends, plus one more who wasn’t able to come with us, had traveled with me to many of my journeys, making this trip a very meaningful one.
The festival itself has several segments, in addition to the main stage performances. The Access Living Showcase performers are local bluegrass bands from around the Pacific Northwest, in the U.S. and Canada, whose members are building their careers and are not yet on the national circuit. They bring bluegrass to their communities year round. With six 45-50 minute sets over the weekend, six bands have an opportunity to play at the Festival prior to the main stage programs.
Throughout the weekend sixteen workshops are offered by some of the main stage musicians. From Five Tips to Upgrade Your Mandolin Experience, Improving your Improvisational Skills, Flat Picking Guitar, to How to Play Well with Others, and more – there are many opportunities to learn. Sheryl happened to stop in on one of the workshops while she was taking a walk, and she told us she thought the workshop was going to add value to her piano playing because it was about about telling a story with your music rather than just playing notes.
On Saturday evening after the last set, musicians from the different bands are assigned to one of the Pro Jam sites located throughout the festival grounds. The groups are planned in advance so most of the instruments are represented at each, and have musicians who may or may not have played together before. As well, these sessions are not limited to the professionals; anyone with an instrument is able to sign up for Pro Jam. Like many jam sessions someone calls out a tune and a key and the music begins. Audience members can flow among the different locations, or stay at one, and they have as much fun as the musicians just being able to enjoy more bluegrass.
The Main Stage performers were wonderful. There were six sets each day and a total of seven different bands, with five of the bands playing on both days. Of course, I had my favorites, but none of them disappointed. The Main Stage segments started at 11:45 each morning and wrapped up around 8:00 P.M. (I noticed, however, that the Beer and Cider Garden opened at 11:00.) The music is so lively that you might find yourself slapping your knees, clapping your hands, dancing, smiling with a huge grin - or all of them together. This is happy music. I’ve gone to a lot of concerts of many types in my time, but I don’t remember when I was able to sit for hours hardly moving. And that we did, until the stage show was over and the Pro Jam started.
There were times that nothing was going on. There was a 30 minute dinner break and about 10 minutes between groups. We were prepared - We had a backgammon set and took turns playing until each of us won at least one game. It was also a good time to walk around and look at the stands of different crafts for sale.
Kristen Grainger & True North, one of our favorite bands, had some really beautiful original songs, written by Kristen Grainger herself and some by her husband Daniel Wetzel. In addition to Daniel playing guitar, mandolin, ukulele and other stringed instruments, other members were Martin Stevens, also on guitar and mandolin, and Josh Adkins playing upright bass. We love listening to the words of their pieces, and Kristen gave me permission to share some with you. These are the words from their song “The Avalanche”. Click on the link to their website to hear their music.
I won’t soon forget the day I slipped and fell into the Milky Way.
And the shimmering lights of a billion stars shone like fireflies in Mason jars.
I won’t soon forget the night the owl shared a gift of flight
and I silently rise over rocks and trees beneath the watchful eyes of the Pleaides.
But of all the beauty I have seen wide awake or in my dreams
Nothing moves me. Nothing moves me. Nothing moves me like you do.
I overcame a fear of heights to catch the beauty of the Northern Lights With the city below me and the clouds at my feet. Beheld its gorgeous luminosity
I won’t forget we got the chance To ride the crest of the avalanche.
Well it shivered my timbers, it rolled like a whale. All sparkling white like a wedding veil. It bucked like a mustang; it struck like a pike. It was everything I wanted true love to be like.
But of all the beauty I have seen. Wide awake or in my dreams
And of all the beauty I have known In the world and on my own
Nothing moves me. None of that moves me.
Nothing moves me like you do. Like you do.
Saturday the weather was beautiful and warm, and it became warmer throughout the day. The field was wide open with only several trees, one much larger than the others. As the sun moved across the sky from east to west, along with others we moved closer to the tree to stay in shadows. Every hour or so we’d follow the shade and move again, all under the one large tree. We were not alone. Many people did the same thing, and as it got warmer the the area around the tree became more crowded. Other audience members had their own ways of dealing with the heat, including one couple who put their umbrellas over their legs.
The groups following True North were two more of our favorites. The Kruger Brothers were originally from Switzerland and now live in Wilksboro, North Carolina. The brothers, Ewe (guitar) and Jens (Banjo) are joined by bass player, American Joel Landsberg. They have played together since 1995. Jens is an award winner banjo player and composer, and has received commissions for ensemble compositions from the National Endowment from the Arts and others. Ewe is the primary singer of the group.
Red Wine is an Italian bluegrass group that that has been active since 1978, and plays all around Europe and the US. Banjo player, Silvio Farretti has been in the group since its inception, and now his son, Marco, is the guitar player.. Martino Coppo plays a variety of mandolins and is the leader of the band. Lucas Bellotti play bass guitar, always with his dancing feet and a big smile. In 2008 they started their own annual festival, the Red Wine Bluegrass Party, which takes place in Italy and attracts many musicians from all over the world.
The second day was gray and cool. We brought our rain gear just in case. By the afternoon the drizzle had started and remained on and off for several hours. Again we moved under the tree, along with most others, although there were a number of people that seemed to be perfectly content with umbrellas over their heads. At about 4:30 in the afternoon, the rain started coming down in buckets. The musicians were dry on the stage, but the audience was not. Finally the producers decided to move everyone inside to the Log Show community center.
An hour or so later the audience, the musicians, and the entire sound system were relocated, and the music restarted. We were sitting in the front row, close enough to clearly see the picking of the banjos. The Kruger Brothers played first, then were joined by Martino Coppo from Red Wine. Just watch those fingers. Ultimately the remaining musicians from Red Wine joined in. Sometimes there was one banjo and sometimes two. And sometimes there were three guitars. It was glorious and no one wanted it to end. Red Wine played a few more pieces on their own, including several from Woodstock, which was a great surprise - “We Shall Overcome” in Bluegrass!!!
I’m hooked. There are eight blue grass festivals in Washington State, in Darrington, Chemainus, Stevenson, Toledo, Medicine Lake, Shelton, Rainier, and this one in Bellingham. Surely you can find this wonderful music somewhere next year. I certainly will.