Wintergrass - who is going?

[craigw]

I'm really regretting that I can't be there this year. My band, The Roustabouts, got booked at the Lake Havasu fest so if I want to stay on good terms with my band mates I'll have a to take a year off from WIntergrass. I'll definitely plan on being there in the Music Caravan booth in 2015.

[amowry]

We'll miss you Craig, it was great meeting you there last year!

[Austin Clark]

Too bad, Craig! Well see you at Grass valley, right?

[oldwave maker]

Sorry to miss the wintergrass parking lot treasure hunt in the back of Spruce's wunnerful farwood van, still working thru my BH02 stash. Try to behave yusef's!

[Dagger Gordon]

And man, the stage music looks to be awesome this year, no?
Wow...

Oh, and a single malt mando get-together might be in order?
See ya'll on campus...

Yes I would say it was awesome.

Single malts as well. This is all just too much!

[Spruce]

Try to behave yusef's!

Ain't gonna happen...

[craigw]

Yup, Grass Valley every year.

[mandopete]

Oh, and a single malt mando get-together might be in order?
See ya'll on campus...

Whatcha bringin' ? I will bring some 16 year-old Scapa.

See ya'll there!

[Spruce]

Whatcha bringin' ? I will bring some 16 year-old Scapa.

Geez, with the new booze laws in WA state, you have to get an estimate for a bottle of Oban...
Went from 60 bucks to 120 in one year...
Will go shopping tomorrow...

[mandopete]

Geez, with the new booze laws in WA state, you have to get an estimate for a bottle of Oban...
Went from 60 bucks to 120 in one year...
Will go shopping tomorrow...

Yeah, maybe pot will be cheaper next year!

[mandopete]

So if anyone on this thread is thinking of hosting any sort of a get together let me know, or better yet, let the whole thread know.

[mandopete]

Okay, Wintergrass has come and gone. Some mandolin highlights for me:

Got to visit Austin Clark and play one of his wonderful octave mandolins. I think I've done this for the past 4 years running and it's getting to be time I should buy one! Thanks for the jar Austin!

Got to hang out with Lawrence Smart and play some of his wonderful insrtuments. My favorite was his florentine mandola. He really has gotten the mandola thing down!

Got to meet Stan Miller while hanging out with Lawrence. There were more than a couple of Stan Milller mandolins in operation at Wintergrass this year. The nicest was the one being played by Tom Bekeny. A lot of great comments from mando-geeks on that instrument.

Here is Stan playing Lawrence's amazing 10 string fan-fret mandolin (don't look down!):

[Pete Martin]

My big highlight was the short time playing the 1937 F5, one # away from Hoss. Sounded just like it, what an instrument!

[DPrager]

Not exactly a highligh, but after a fun, late Saturday night, I was awakened at 7:30 - 8:00 by loud banging and shouts of:

Security....Open up....Security....Open up!

I just hid under the covers and hoped it would stop. Lord only knows what that was about.

[mrmando]

Security found out about the white lightning being passed around by mandolin builders who shall remain nameless. I had to throw them off the scent by sending them up to your room. Sorry about that.

I had a good time working in the builder room with Jonathan Franke, the nice fellow who made my fiddle. This didn't leave a lot of time for trying out mandolins, although Jonathan himself made a few back in the '80s and brought one of them along. It was built from a Siminoff kit and was old enough to have real ivory points. I did get to hear other people trying out Mowry, Clark and Smart mandolins nearby. Good jam sessions with Paul Lestock (he loaned me an Arrow G mandola for the occasion) and Carl Chatski, who very graciously played banjo and guitar and allowed me to cover the mandolin playing.