Billy Strings headlines WinterWonderGrass Friday night.
WinterWonderGrass Festival
WinterWonderGrass is finally happening. After two years of postponement, the 3-day festival will take place at Palisades Tahoe on April 1-3.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Scotty Stoughton said.
The festival is carrying over the same lineup that was booked for 2020 with some minor changes. Stoughton said it was incredible for the artists to do that.
“It’s like ‘Hot Tub Time Machine,’” he said. “We can go back in time like it’s 2020, and that’s pretty cool.”
The lineup includes Billy Strings; The Infamous Stringdusters; The California Honeydrops; Peter Rowan; Keller & The Keels; Fruition; The Lil Smokies; The War & Treaty; Brothers Comatose; Della Mae; Lindsay Lou; Larry Keel Experience; Kitchen Dwellers; WinterWonderWomen; Town Mountain; Trout Steak Revival; Midnight North; Cris Jacobs; Pixie & The Partygrass Boys; Pickin’ on the Dead; Old Salt Union; Rapidgrass; Twisted Pine; TK & The Holy Know Nothings; AJ Lee & Blue Summit.
The first bands start each day around 2 p.m. and between three stages, there will be music filling the air until the festival ends each night with no breaks. Check out the schedule here: https://winterwondergrass.com/ca-schedule/.
After the main event, there are late-night “Grass After Dark” shows taking place indoors at a few different locations. These are separate tickets, and more information can be found here: https://bit.ly/3tvAjwi..
INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS
The Infamous Stringdusters have been a staple to the festival since it was created. This will be their fourth time at the California event as they headline Saturday night.
Travis Book, who plays double bass for the Stringdusters, said WWG is always a special place for the band to perform.
“We feel like our music, it works for people in the city, but it really seems to resonate at high elevation and at places farther off the beaten path,” Book said.
He said the people who come to WWG are in harmony with what the band wants to do.
“It fits in with our general philosophy about life — adventurous music and an adventurous attitude,” he said. “It’s no surprise they keep having us back because we are made for that festival, and we love it.”
Part of the adventure in the mountains is the snow sports. Book said he’ll be taking some turns when they arrive Saturday morning. The festival gives people time to hang out on the mountain with the music starting in the afternoon. For those hanging around the mountain and the hotels, there’s always something going on and there usually are musicians performing spontaneously.
Book said the late-night shows are always fun and they’ll stick around and sit in somewhere since collaboration is a big element of the festival.
“We’re always looking for a good jam,” he said.
Once the night is over, Book said the band will get into the tour bus and head to Vegas for the Grammys on Sunday, where they are nominated for Best Bluegrass Album, “A Tribute To Bill Monroe.”
WHAT FANS CAN EXPECT TO REMEMBER
Stoughton said the layout of the venue hasn’t changed much and fans can expect it to be familiar to past events. There will be a bigger stage which gives more visual experience and space for the artist.
There are some minor changes people might notice, but overall Stoughton said there wasn’t much to change because everything works well.
“It’s like we keep improving and getting better, but if it is working well, let’s not reinvent the wheel,” Stoughton said.
ACCOMODATIONS
Beyond the music there is food, drinks and activities.
Children 12 and under are free to come with adult supervision. The festival brings a family-friendly vibe to include children and there’s a Kids Zone open each day with face-painting, hula-hooping and more. Stoughton will be bringing his 8-year-old daughter and he says she always enjoys herself.
If you need a hot beverage to warm you up, the Bivouac Coffee Bar can help you out. They’ll be serving espresso, chai tea, hot chocolate, cappuccinos, hot whiskey drinks and more.
Several local food trucks will be available to feed attendees.
There will be beer halls set up in heated tents and tastings from 2-5 p.m. daily for a sampling of craft brew, seltzer and a little cider and wine.
The festival is committed to zero-waste strategies, so they include a stainless steel Klean Kanteen cup, to try to use as little plastic as possible.
They ask patrons to bring your own water bottles because there will be stations to fill for free, otherwise there will be cans of water for $2.
The festival emphasizes safe driving and was able to provide public transportation to help. With late-night shows and people traveling to nearby towns, the festival wants to make sure attendees have adequate options. Find out more about shuttles and services here: https://winterwondergrass.com/tahoe/at-the-ca-festival/
PATIENCE, KINDNESS, COMMUNITY RESPECT
With how much time has passed since the last WWG, Stoughton wants to remind everyone attending to have patience and to respect each other and the community hosting the event. He said Palisades Tahoe is popular and busy, and they will still have business that isn’t part of WWG.
“We really want to respect the neighbors and community and ask everybody to come early, take their time, have patience and enjoy the journey to get here,” he said.
Stoughton said he and his team are grateful to do the event in a beautiful place with all the deep connections with the local community.
“It’s a time to honor everyone,” he said. “Let’s reconnect with our fellow humans, with a big heart and a big smile and a heavy dose of kindness and we can all succeed.”
