2024
Winlock
Pickersfest
August 02 - 04, 2024
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Winlock Pickersfest
David Grier’s journey to becoming one of the greatest flatpick guitarists in the world started at a young age at the feet of Bluegrass legend, Bill Monroe.
David Grier’s father Lamar Grier, was a member of “Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys” in the mid-1960s. Throughout his childhood, David spent hours listening to Monroe as well as many other prominent pioneers of Bluegrass music. Among the most influential to him were flatpick guitarists Clarence White, Tony Rice and Doc Watson. David Grier quickly found a strong passion for guitar and began to develop what is now his own world-renowned distinctive style.
In 1985, David Grier moved to Nashville, TN and began touring and recording with established acts such as “The Country Gazette” and International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Hall of Famer, Doug Dillard. He also formed the band “The Big Dogs” with Andrea Zonn and genre-bending banjo player, Tony Trischka.
In 1988, David began recording a series of critically acclaimed solo albums for the Rounder Records label. It was these recordings that pushed David to the forefront of the Bluegrass scene and brought him three IBMA Guitar Player of the Year awards.
In 1996, David became a hero of the contemporary acoustic music scene when he collaborated with former members of the David Grisman Quintet, Darol Anger, Mike Marshall and Todd Phillips. Together, they created the contemporary Bluegrass band, “Psychograss”. This group set the tone for innovative and forward-thinking acoustic music.
In 1998, David launched his own record label, Dreadnought Recordings. Under this label, he released albums, “Hootenanny” with Dirk Powell and Tim O’Brien; Highly-acclaimed “Live at the Linda” (2007); “Evocative” (2009) featuring Victor Wooten, Paul Franklin, and Stuart Duncan; “I’ve Got the House to Myself” (2002), and “Fly On The Wall” (2014).
In 2000, David was recognized by Acoustic Guitar Magazine as one of the “Artists of the Decade” and his solo album "I've Got the House to Myself" was included in the "100 Essential Acoustic Guitar Recordings of All Time." He has also played on four Grammy Award-winning albums (True Life Blues: A Tribute to Bill Monroe; The Great Dobro Sessions; Alison Brown’s Fairweather; and Amazing Grace 2: A Country Salute to Gospel).
Recently, David assembled an all-star Bluegrass quartet, “The Helen Highwater String Band” in collaboration with Mike Compton, Shad Cobb, and Missy Raines. With this project, David discovered another side of his artistry through songwriting and singing.
On his newest upcoming album, “Ways of the World”, David showcases his vocals for the first time on five original songs. The new album is a brilliant example of David’s expansive capability and artistic evolution. He continues to captivate listeners with exciting new material while keeping traditional virtuosic flatpick guitar at the heart of his sound.
Click here to visit David Grier’s WebsiteThe Muddy Souls are a leading progressive/jamgrass band based in Eugene, OR featuring original songs, virtuosic improvisation, tight vocal harmonies, and a high-octane groove that always has the dance floor bouncing. Formed in 2018, the band has four albums of completely original music, and has played more than 150 shows across the Pacific Northwest, Northern California, and the Northeast including festival sets at Freshgrass, Bridge City Bluegrass, Oregon Country Fair, and Wintergrass. A gem of the Northwest music scene the Muddy Souls are sure to get your feet dancing and your face grinning.
“The Muddy Souls aren’t just a bluegrass band…they will take you on a musical journey through life, love, space, and time. Do yourself a favor and catch a Muddy Souls set when they come around.” - Ed Kashin, KRVM 91.9 FM Eugene, OR
“The Muddy Souls have crafted a unique and raw sound, combining a musicality reminiscent of everything we love about the genre, but with gripping vocals, intricately woven arrangements, and lyrics completely of their own style. Excited to see what more this group has to bring to our musical community.” - Hilarie Spangler, Freshgrass Music Festival
Click here to visit The Muddy Souls website.Talent, Oregon is Mark's current home where he lives with his wife and two cats who Mark believes don't give a rat's a_ _ for him (the cat's, that is - he's pretty sure his wife loves him). He considers himself a singer/songwriter of the Folk American genre but is also influenced and inspired by rock & roll, blues and jazz.
There is a wealth of talented musicians in the southern Oregon region. Mark taps into that vein to find willing members for his shifting and nebulous band, the Jackknife Poets. Current and recent members include the likes of Gene Black, Bob Evoniuk, Alice Dimiceli, Bret Levick and Dennis Freese, to name some. They are all very accomplished musicians and/or songwriters themselves and Mark considers himself a lucky fellow to have them as friends and accomplices. But, it's a given that once you are a Jackknife Poet, you are forever a Jackknife Poet.
Washington is Mark's home state where he still has many beloved friends, old and new. His first band, The Exides, hails from Richland, Washington, where it was founded in1963 and subsequently unraveled a year or so later on account of legal and parental problems involving a stolen mic that each band member claimed to have no knowledge of while pointing a finger at his bandmates. (It's still a mystery and we remain friends to this day.) Although Mark has continued to write songs and perform over the years he was smart not to have given up his day job.
Nowadays Mark is semi-retired and has more time to spend sharing his stories and music. Mark is proud of the three well-received albums he has to his credit; My Angel's Door (co-produced with Bob Evoniuk), Another World (co-produced with Bret Levick) and, I Made It All Up (co-produced with Gene Black). When he makes an appearance on stage, it could be with any combination of Jackknife poets, or Mark could very well perform solo. After all, he really only needs to show up with a guitar and his stories...and a microphone, bought and paid for with a receipt to prove it.
The Geoducks are one of the most exciting acoustic bands in Seattle’s music scene today. Their rousing self-written tunes are boldly original with nods to the traditions of jazz, klezmer, swing, classical, bluegrass and old time music. This lively multi-instrumental trio is Henry Wine on keyboard, mandolin, banjo, guitar and cajon; Hank Sebring on vocals, fiddle, mandolin and bass; and Diego Sotelo on clarinet and guitar. Over the last couple of years, The Geoducks have played some of the best festivals and stages in the Pacific Northwest, including the historic Moore Theater, the Paramount Theater, Port Townsend's Thing Festival, The Grange in Duvall, the North Cascades Bluegrass Festival and, year after year, the Fisher Green Stage at the Northwest Folklife Festival.
INSTAGRAM LINKThe Union City Council, based out of the South Puget Sound and Hood Canal area, is a quintet recently formed out of a mutual love for traditional bluegrass. Mixing elements of old-time, mountain, fiddle, blues, gospel, jazz, and folk, they deliver a sensational, high-energy performance. Featuring Guy Demartino and Greg Linder on steel-string acoustic guitars, Donald Strand on the dobro & mandolin, Martin Strand on bass, and Gwendolyn Taylor on the fiddle. Each of the members comes from a diverse musical background, allowing them to weave their Individual experience and approach to traditional bluegrass in a creative way. Along with vocals Harmonies and skillful instrumentation, the Union City Council is sure to please any audience!
WAMA is ecstatic to have the renowned Jackson Linder back again as our Pickersfest Audio Technician. His vast experience and professional expertise as a sound technician, along with his acquired familiarity with our own Pickersfest venue, will ensure that the fantastic bands we have in our lineup will sound their very best and that the shows will all be first class. WAMA is once again very grateful for Jackson's service!
