Wintergrass has made a decision that it had to change the way it exists to improve the festival. This change is major, including moving out of the great Tacoma,WA location to a different style venue. This venue which will allow the festival to be held with multiple stages, workshops, lodging, vendors and most important some great 24 hour jamming locations all in a top notch venue.  The location that will allow the music to be presented at it’s best is a brand new addition to the 4 Star rated Bellevue Hyatt Regency in Bellevue, WA.  The hotel will be offering some great  rates $109 per night (lower than the rates from last years)  for the festival and with over 700 rooms this will allow us to house everyone in one location. Please watch the blog and website for all the details on everything. We will be posting all the details as soon as we can. There is alot of info to be given. The bottom line is that Wintergrass is about the music (both on the stages and off),the “Wintergrass community” and lets get ready to move Wintergrass forward.

Thanks to all our friends and businesses that have supported Wintergrass for the past 16 years and hopefully they will follow us down the road to our new home.

So far the bands scheduled for Wintergrass 2010 are The Seldom Scene, Tim O’brien, The Infamous Stringdusters, Crooked Still, The Dry Branch Fire Squad, Mike Marshall & Darol Anger with Vasen.

Thanks for those of you who have taking the survey so far. If you have not yet it would really help. So far at this point over 500 people have expressed their views and it is really helping Wintergrass to see not only your opinions on the location but a few other items that matter to you.

The Wintergrass staff and board are all reading the survey. They are listening!  Really. And we’ll keep listening. They will not only post our decision as soon as we make it, but we’ll also send out a detailed accounting of what folks had to say in the survey in our next newsletter. Current ticket holders should rest assured that we will take care of them first no matter what decision is made. We can’t say enough how much we appreciate all of the feedback.

To access the survey just head over to the website at http://www.wintergrass.com

Strum-a-thon this Monday, June 8, 4-6 pm at Paddy Coyne’s Irish Pub in Tacoma. The organizers of the Wintergrass will be deciding on Tuesday whether to move their festival to Bellevue.This event is being held for you to help show your support for Wintergrass in Tacoma.  Go to the Wintergrass website and fill out their questionnaire: http://www.acousticsound.org/

Click on the link below for more information.

http://event.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.detail&eventID=503524.71972&hashcode=bafca5fc-b625-460c-b342-c037b27ef2d3

Your input will be greatly appreciated if you could take the time to fill out the new survey on the Wintergrass site. You can also sign up for the Wintergrass e-mail list from the site.

Thanks!!

This is not an easy decision for Wintergrass. After a very successful long run in Tacoma, Wintergrass feels that it might have to make a move.
An opportunity has come available to move the festival to the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue. This hotel is undergoing a major addition (not a remodel) which will provide some great facilities for a festival like Wintergrass. They are adding hundreds of rooms. They are adding major convention space.  It will all be held in one venue with a multi-year commitment. No leaving the venue to go to workshops or other stages.This will put all of the people in one hotel instead of scattered at hotels all over(no lugging instruments on a shuttle). No room lottery. The Bellevue Hyatt is a 4 star facility. Bellevue itself offers a variety of restaurants within walking distance, shopping malls,grocery stores and easy highway and public transportation. Check out the hotel’s website and ignore the rates on there, Wintergrass rates will be greatly discounted.

Wintergrass is in the final stages of negotiations with the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue. We are strongly considering relocating the festival in 2010.
•The Hyatt offers over 700 rooms, all stages, workshop rooms, plenty of vendor space and lots and lots of unrestricted jamming space.
•The stage capacity of the venues is roughly equivalent to Tacoma, but there is room to grow in Bellevue.
•Rooms rates are about 1/3 lower at the Hyatt than in most hotels we’ve been at in Tacoma. We are negotiating a multi-year contract so that the great room rates we get year one, will be in place for a number of years.
•Jam-friendly? Yes.  The manager grew up in a house full of musicians who stayed up all night playing music. His dad was a working musician who performed well into his 80s. He loves music and understands the joy of playing tunes together with friends. He just doesn’t want us sticking signs on the walls. We can handle that, right?
•We know traffic can be a bear, but we also know there are ways to work around the worst of it.
•We have not signed anything yet and we very much want feedback from Wintergrass fans.  If we moved to Bellevue, would you come with us? Leave a comment here or email Wintergrass. If you sign up for the Wintergrass email list a survey will be sent to you. Also visit us on Facebook.

Thanks from Wintergrass

Wintergrass is currently working on some major improvements. As of now Wintergrass is considering moving it’s current location for a variety of reasons.  Bellevue, WA is a possible location for Wintergrass 2010 and beyond. An announcement will be made here and on the website in a few days.

Some of the items that Wintergrass is trying to improve include: jamming areas, stage locations, sound, vendor locations, availablity of rooms, room rates, parking.

Wintergrass is taking into consideration the comments that have been expressed by fans from emails, comments at the festival and from the surveys completed on the website.

Hopefully we will have more info in the next few days.

Thanks from Wintergrass!!

May is Bluegrass Music Month!!

Here are some resources for you to “Celebrate” Bluegrass Month. Check out the IBMA Website

Check out some of the great supporters of bluegrass and Wintergrass.

You can always hear some great bluegrass from our radio supporters:                                                                                                                                KBCS 91.3  Bellevue WA- KBOO 90.7 Portland, OR-KPBX 91.1 Spokane,WA-KSER 90.7 Everett, WA- KAOS 89.3 Olympia, WA- Uptown Bluegrass-CITR 101.9 Vancouver, BC

Order some music from our recorded music resources:
Adventure Music, Tricopolis Records, Rounder Records, Sugar Hill Records, Acoustic Discs.

Get yourself a new instrument or repair from our instrument dealer friends:

Greg Boyd Music, Dusty Strings, Rayco Resophonics,The Folkstore, Doucet Guitar Works, SMI Guitars, D’addario Strings, Ted Brown Music,Nechville Banjo’s, Martin Guitars, Collings Guitars, Deering Banjos, Gibson Guitars, Weber Mandolins.

Enroll in a workshop at the Mandolin Symposium

Order your Wintergrass tickets. So far Wintergrass has signed The Seldom Scene, Tim O’Brien, The Dry Branch Fire Squad, The Infamous Stringdusters and Crooked Still.

Subscribe to Bluegrass Unlimited to keep up with everything bluegrass.

Check out Wintergrass on Facebook. Just search for Wintergrass.

Join a bluegrass assocation: Washington Bluegrass Association, California Bluegrass Association, The Inland Northwest Bluegrass Association

Today is the last day for the Super Early Tickets for Wintergrass 2010 and by ordering today you get your name entered in the lottery to get the chance to reserve rooms at the Hotel Murano and Courtyard Marriott.

And Wintergrass is also on Facebook and Twitter. For Facebook just search for Wintergrass and on Twitter you can follow Wintergrass.

Wintergrass sends out an electronic newsletter every few months and here is the text version of the Spring 2010 Newsletter (you can sign up at this link)

2010 Lineup so far…

Tim O’Brien

Seldom Scene

The Infamous Stringdusters

Crooked Still

Dry Branch Fire Squad new

Väsen & The Duo (Mike Marshall & Darol Anger) new

Super-early bird Ticket Deadline April 16^th!

Happy Spring! It’s only 319 days til Wintergrass 2010, give or take a day or so. Never too early to plan but almost too late to get in on the best ticket price of the year. The super-early bird discount goes away at midnight on April 16^th. Weekend passes are $95 for all adults. Be sure to get your weekend passes by then to take advantage of this price. Purchasing your weekend pass by April 16th also makes you eligible for the room reservation drawings at both the Hotel Murano and the Courtyard Marriott. You may purchase your tickets online at www.wintergrass.com, or via the mail with a check or money order. Printable ticket order forms are available at www.wintergrass.com. There are processing fees for both online and credit card orders, but no fees at all associated with orders paid by check. Zero. Nada. Zip. You know what to do – zip on over to your computer and get those tickets now. You save $$$ and you help us keep things running all year long. Everybody wins!

PS – We can’t make your car payments for you, but we can and will hold prices to 2009 levels!

Weekend Pass (full festival pass) price deadlines for 2010 tickets:

(single day tickets will go on sale April 17, 2009)

Super-early bird Tickets available through April 16, 2009

$95 adults

$250 family (2 adults, up to 4 kids 6-17)

Early bird Tickets available April 17, 2009 through September 1, 2009

$110 adults

$100 seniors (age 62+), students, military, Canadians

$280 family (2 adults, up to 4 kids 6-17)

Pre-festival Tickets available September 2, 2009 through February 22, 2010*

$115 adults

$105 seniors (age 62+), students, military, Canadians

$290 family (2 adults, up to 4 kids 6-17)

*online ticket sales will cease at midnight on Tuesday, February 22, 2010. After that at-the-door prices will apply.

Kids ages 6-17 are always $25 no matter what time of year you buy your ticket. Kids under 6 are always free.

The Inside Scoop

“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” – Vincent Van Gogh

Every year, we hear some very nice things from you.

“It’s the happiest place on Earth!!…great people, great volunteer experience, great music!!! Can’t wait till next year.”

We can’t wait either. Actually, that’s really true. We started working on Wintergrass 2010 before 2009 even started. All that friendly, well-organized, fun stuff seems to just happen like magic, as it should. But it takes a lot of work all year long to make things as good as they can be.

Wintergrass operates with a corps of about 300 volunteers, a couple of dozen volunteer managers and a tiny staff of three people. That tiny staff works all year and believe it or not, Wintergrass is their day job. This year, the volunteers and staff together presented 70 shows on 5 stages, dances, and four education programs. Bluegrass in the Schools provided training to over 35 teachers. The Youth Academy inspired over 60 kids to polish their bluegrass chops. The Reader’s session helped 40 classically trained musicians experience the joy of improvisation. The Wintergrass Academy provided intensive instruction with some of the best players in bluegrass for 50 students. And then we had that crazy Choro jam where over 100 people showed up with readers and improvisers rubbing shoulders while churning out Brazilian rhythms while the girls danced. The girls and Andy, that is. And despite a couple of rough patches, countless jammers still found a way to make the halls ring out with the sounds of our beloved bluegrass.

Despite our fancy digs, the festival operates on very slim margins every year. Most years, we’re happy to break even. This year, the bad economy affected us every bit as much as it has affected other parts of community. That’s left us perched precariously between now and next year.

But you can help.

•The best thing you can do is buy your ticket now.

But there are other things you can do too.

•You can join a growing band of folks who are Acoustic Sound Supporters. In addition to buying tickets and/or volunteering these folks provide us with additional funds that truly do help to keep the lights on in the office all year. For that they get goodies, big and small, including invitations to unique events both at the festival and throughout the year. Last year we hosted a spectacular event with Chef Greg Atkinson and Mike Marshall & Big Trio at the home of John Eisenhauer. We hope to do one or more such events this year. Read more about the Acoustic Sound Supporter program at http://www.acousticsound.org/!as_about.htm

But wait! There’s more!

•Our longtime, faithful webmaster, Steve Johnson, has been shipped off to Iraq this year. Our best thoughts and prayers go with him and we fully expect him to be back. But this year we are very much in need of help with the website. If you’ve got webmaster skills and can help us out, please contact Patrice directly at patriceo@comcast.net.

•We’ll be further developing our education programs, and are particularly compelled to build on the good success of the Bluegrass in the Schools program. If your band, or you are interested in helping us to develop this program, contact us at patriceo@comcast.net. At this point, this doesn’t mean we have school gigs to hand out, but with your help, we think we can make that a reality.

“Wintergrass – O’ MY Gosh! It was a freaking blast. I played for the first time with a jam group. Loved the workshops. People were exceptional (I lost my banjo bag, and got a mail from the parking garage that it was found, with all my gear). Did I say it was great?”

And Wintergrass 2010 performer Aoife  O’Donovan of Crooked Still will be in town soon with a side project of hers:

There are so many great concerts happening it would be impossible for us to list them all in this newsletter. But we’ll try to let you know about one or two every time we send something. This month, folk goddesses Aoife O’Donovan (of Crooked Still) and Heather Masse (of The Wailin Jennys) unite to wail and still the ears and hearts of west coast audiences this April 2009.  Aoife and Heather were classmates, collaborators, and friends while attending The New England Conservatory of Music from 00′-04′.  Five years later, both having made a name for themselves in the music world, they reunite joining forces to sing together again.  They will be making their way to the west coast to perform their original songs and music accompanied by a full band from April 19th-26th.

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