It was a big year for the folks at Wintergrass in 2006. The IBMA just named this festival the 2005 Bluegrass Event of the Year, which no doubt attracted more attention and attendees.
Some would say the highlight of the whole festival were the jam sessions. The jams that take place at Wintergrass happen in every nook and cranny of the hotel. There are jam sessions in people’s rooms, and jam sessions in the hallway leading to the restroom. There are jam sessions outside, and jam sessions down in the basement. As several performers noted, the Saturday night jam sessions, in some cases, went quite literally until sunrise.
And then there were the performers.
Wintergrass is a great destination for music fans, whether you’re looking to check out a couple of sets by national stars like Del McCoury or Laurie Lewis, or whether you’re looking to discover groups you may have never heard of, like Red Brown & the Tune Stranglers.
Whatever your bluegrass tastes, there is certainly plenty of music to wet your chops on. There’s even a dance stage downstairs where you can check out bands like the hot-rocking bluegrass-folk of The Duhks, or slow dance with your honey to locals The Jangles.
If Old Time Music is your bag, there was plenty of that going around too. On Saturday evening, the church played host to Old Time gals Uncle Earl, much to the crowd’s appreciation.
If it was necessary to choose a best performance of the weekend, that prize would have to be split between the legendary Del McCoury Band and the newer Mountain Heart. Both bands far surpassed audience expectations, giving unforgettable performances each time they hit the stage.
Then there was the sing-along moment when Laurie Lewis pulled Mark Graham onstage to sing his newest song, “Dick Cheney’s Got a Shotgun (And He Can Shoot Whoever He Wants).” There was the impressive moment when Uncle Earl’s Abigail Washburn sang a Gillian Welch song completely in Mandarin.
The highlights just go on and on, but overall the festival was a huge success. The sound techs did an incredible job. There’s no doubt about it that everyone who attended this year went away happy.
