BLUEGRASS FROM THE FOREST

Kristmas Town Kiwanis is pleased to invite bluegrass friends and family back to Shelton! Bluegrass from the Forest 2021 is returning to the Olympic Peninsula for its 16th year in a new outdoor festival format at the South Mason Youth Soccer Park about two miles from downtown Shelton. Camping, jamming, workshops, and great bands are hallmarks of this annual event!

NEW OUTDOOR VENUE

The event is relocating to an outdoor venue, the South Mason Youth Soccer Park – less than three miles from the former location. September is the ideal time in the Northwest to take this festival into the forest! The larger area will allow for expanded camping, additional food and music vendors and a beer and wine garden near the stage. We are also pleased to have food vendors on site as well as dinners FRI/SAT evenings that you can pre-reserve to enjoy with the main stage bands!

2021 LINE UP

Crying Uncle Bluegrass Band (CA)

Whether playing straight-up bluegrass or virtuoso Dawg Grisman tunes, Crying Uncle Bluegrass Band delivers amazing instrumentals and vocal leads and harmonies that catapult the band into an elite sphere of artistry. Winners of the 2018 Pickin’ in the Pines Band Contest in Flagstaff AZ, and selected by the International Bluegrass Music Association to perform at IBMA’s World of Bluegrass in North Carolina, they are making waves in the bluegrass community. Brothers Miles and Teo Quale, National and State Champion fiddlers and pickers, are joined by award-winning bassist Andrew Osborn and former CBA Youth Ambassador guitarist John Gooding. Crying Uncle was founded in 2016 by Miles and Teo, as a duo band with invited guest artists. They invited Andrew and John to join Crying Uncle’s Bluegrass Band in 2017. The band released their first CD in 2018.

Kristen Granger & True North (OR)

Kristen Granger & True North is a folk-bluegrass powerhouse of terrific songwriting, lush vocals and crazy-good instrumentalists. The band is comprised of multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Dan Wetzel and Pacific Northwest bluegrass superstars Martin Stevens (mandolin, octave mandolin, fiddle, vocals) and Josh Adkins (upright bass, vocals), both formerly of the Bluegrass Regulators.

Kristen Grainger won the 2020 USA Songwriting Competition (folk) and took second in Overall Grand Prize (all genres).

She has collected accolades and awards at Telluride Bluegrass Festival (CO), Wildflower Arts & Music Festival (TX), IMEA (GA), Merlefest (NC), Kerrville (TX) and, together with Dan Wetzel, Wintergrass (WA). She also won the 2019 Local Roots Northwest songwriting competition (OR). On stage, the band deftly delivers the song-stories, mind-blowing harmonies and mad instrumentals of a band deeply rooted in traditional folk and bluegrass genres.

Whiskey Deaf Duet & Friends (OR)

The band is made up of talented and experienced bluegrass musicians who share a passion for finding and playing lesser known bluegrass and related music from the repertoires of first generation bluegrass, early country and oldtime sources.

Annie Staninec – Fiddle and vocals –began playing fiddle at age four, was performing by age 11 and since that time she has made her living performing and teaching in a variety of styles all over the world. Before the age of 21 Annie had toured with David Grisman and the Gypsy Caravan, Darol Anger’s Republic of Strings, and numerous other regional groups. Thereafter, she joined several national acts including Town Mountain and the Kathy Kallick Band, of which she is a permanent member, and expanded her repertoire to include such diverse artists as Mary Gauthier and even Rod Stewart.

John Kael – Guitar and vocals – has been teaching and performing bluegrass guitar, mandolin, banjo and bass for over 20 years, and is also an established songwriter – his award-winning song Handmade Cross can be heard on the Grammy-nominated album “Hard Game of Love” by Doyle Lawson.

Kentucky Sky (MT)

Kentucky Sky performs traditional bluegrass music. Randy Hackworth‘s roots take him back to the hills of Eastern Kentucky. Although he has played in several bands and genres of music, his love and passion is for that Bluegrass sound.

Emily Frank was raised listening to nothing but bluegrass music, and it’s still the only music she listens to. She has played in several different bands. The current group is called “Kentucky Sky” where she contributes with acoustic bass and vocals, as well as writing songs.

Fred Frank has been in many Bluegrass bands over the years starting his Bluegrass career with the Stone Mountain Bluegrass Co. He has played banjo, mandolin, and guitar in different bands, but in Kentucky Sky he is on five string banjo and singing vocal harmonies.

Chad Fadely is originally from Hot Springs, AR. Chad is the newest member of the band but has shared the stage with Fred and Emily many times over the years as a member of New South Fork. Chad has played in many bands from MT and when not making his living playing the mandolin, he’s selling guitars for Music Villa in Bozeman, MT. Visit their Facebook page.

Kian Dye and the Cascade String Band

Kian, Forrest, and Jack have played together in many different bands over the years and each is a powerful musician in his own right. Together, this trio takes their playing to a new level. Inspired by solid traditional bluegrass influences, along with Old Time and country-western, this band will not disappoint.

Kian Dye was raised in Portland, OR, where he made a name for himself as one of the premier fiddlers in the region, He toured with a variety of bands, and recorded on three full length studio albums and many other smaller projects. After graduating from Colorado College, he toured the country in several bands before settling in Seattle and co-leading the trio Rain City Ramblers. Forrest has played with Jeff FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10

SHELTON VETERINARY HOSPITAL

TICKETS

Buy your advance tickets at

BLUEGRASSFROMTHEFOREST.COM (EARLY BIRD RATE UNTIL 9/1/2021)

Regular Rate:

$55.00 Weekend Pass $110.00 Family Weekend Pass

(includes: 2 adults and up to 4 kids) $20.00 Friday Evening $20.00 Saturday Afternoon $20.00 Saturday Evening $35.00 All day Saturday $20.00 Sunday

12 - 17 - 1/2 price | 11 & under FREE Camping $15/night

Tickets are available at Shelton Builder's First Source, Music 6000 (Olympia), Shelton Music, and Shelton Mason County Chamber of Commerce.

Tickets are also available at the door – so come on over!

Runaway Train Bluegrass

Like strong traditional bluegrass with an edge to it? Then you’ll like Runaway Train Bluegrass! They perform on special occasions when time and availability permits. They’re the host band for Bluegrass from the Forest festival and they also play an important role in helping to get the festival going every year.

Jamie Blair, banjo & vocals – Maple Valley, WA Greg Linder guitar & vocals – Union, WA Kent Powell bass & vocals – Tacoma, WA John White mandolin & vocals – Olympia, WA

The Bar-K Buckaroos

The Bar-K Buckaroos play traditional western swing dance music in the style of Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys. They bring their love of Bluegrass, Country and Swing, Jazz, Blues and Raggae’ to form a great evening of western swing and 20-40’s era swing music.

The Bar-K Buckaroos are the host Band for the Saturday Night Country Dance

The band, based on the coast of Oregon, is made up of: Brad Griswold – Guitar & vocals; Dave Quinton – Bass & vocals; Richard Thomasian – Lead Guitar and vocals; Tom Peake – Percussion; Scott Wagner – Trumpet; Barbara Collins – Fiddle.

THE CHICK ROSE SCHOOL OF BLUEGRASS

Founded by Chick Rose, who passed away in 2012, it lives on in his memory and in the music of the many children who participate.

On Saturday,10AM – 2PM join Stacey Harnew and crew for an intensive children's workshop. The Chick Rose School of Bluegrass is a very special program for kids who want to play bluegrass music. Founded by Chick Rose, who passed away in 2012,the program lives on in the music of the many children who participate. Children are divided into small groups according to their musical ability and are coached by advanced musicians. The program culminates in a short performance of all the kids on Saturday.

BAND SCRAMBLE

Participants have 40 minutes to prepare two songs which they will perform at a performance on the Showcase Stage at 1:00 PM.

The band scramble is a time honored tradition at bluegrass festivals. If you’re not familiar with them, here’s the deal: Anyone who plays an instrument (at any level) can sign up to participate. Names will be drawn for the bands. Ideally, each band will end up with a bass, a banjo, a mandolin, one or two guitars and possibly some instrument hardly anyone has heard of. Hopefully there will be some singers among them. It’s not an exact science and it’s mostly a lot of fun. The newly formed bands have 40 minutes to meet, come up with an instrumental and vocal tune that they all happen know (or can learn quickly). Then they take it to the Showcase Stage for a live contest performance.

It’s a great way to meet folks, mingle and get up on stage. And it’s kind of like musical potluck–you never know what you’re going to get! Even if you’re not ready to join the scramble and brave the stage, just watching the show is worth the price of admission. It’s like a bluegrass reality show (if there was such a thing). A whole lot of folks meet up at Bluegrass From the Forest and end up creating wonderful song arrangements. Some even bring original tunes. How about getting up and sharing them at our Open Mic? It’s so much of fun and there is lots of support from fellow festival goers. It could be the beginning of your new band!

Castle & Coleman Logging Inc.

Grab your guitar, pack up your tent, and make a weekend out of it. You can take in a single performance or buy tickets to jam out the weekend.

Bring the kids along to enjoy programs and activities designed just for them; they get free or discounted pricing. We suspect you will all have a good time that you won’t soon forget.

For updates on schedule & reservations: bluegrassfromtheforest.com. For lodging and activities, explorehoodcanal.com.