PORT ANGELES — Happily, this is not complicated.
“It’s the middle of winter, for crying out loud,” observed singer-guitarist Jim Faddis, so “if you want to feel good,” come to Snowgrass this Saturday night.
Faddis sings and plays guitar in FarmStrong, one of the five bands in the rare wintertime bluegrass festival.
But hold on. When the music starts flowing at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, it won’t be just bluegrass. FarmStrong dishes out Americana from the likes of Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal, John Prine and even “Drive,” a hit from the New Wave band the Cars.
The rest of Saturday’s bands travel across the grassy spectrum, dipping their toes into country, Western and traditional folk, from “Going up Cripple Creek” to “Wildwood Flowers” and “The Old Crossroads.”
A benefit for First Step Family Support Center, Snowgrass takes place every year at the Port Angeles High School Performing Arts Center, 304 E. Park Ave., with 30-minute sets by each band and master of ceremonies Denny Secord — a self-described “Northwest hillbilly” — plus prize drawings and refreshments from the Blackbird Coffee House.
Tickets are $12 in advance for general admission or $9 for seniors, and free for children 10 and younger.
At the door, tickets will be $14 general and the same lower prices for seniors and kids.
“Bluegrass is a community music,” with all that harmony singing, said Faddis.
That’s clear at Snowgrass, as bands from all over the county — and musicians age 8 to 60-plus — get together.
First up Saturday night is Crescent Blue, a well-known group from the West End; then comes FarmStrong, whose members are from Sequim and Poulsbo; after intermission it’s Loose Gravel, a Forks-bred bluegrass outfit; then the Flying Strings, formerly known as the Fiddle Kids.
The final act is Luck of the Draw, whose specialties are country music and humor.
Musical families will lay out a feast on this night. To begin with, Crescent Blue’s set will include Barney Munger and his daughter Rochelle Munger’s unleashing of “Dueling Banjos.”
“They are really good,” said Mary Munger, a fellow Crescent Blue member who might be just a bit biased about her family members.
When it comes to the Flying Strings, five kindred spirits will take the stage: Elizabeth Watkins, 15; her brother Adam, 12; their father Al Watkins, the bandleader; their cousin Imogen Fraser, 8; and family friend Charlotte Hertel, 13.
Elizabeth, a musician since she was 3, sings and plays guitar while Charlotte also sings and plays the fiddle. The Flying Strings have done some high-profile gigs, such as the Port Angeles Farmers Market Harvest Hoedown and the Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts.
Imogen, a third-grader in Port Angeles, plays the washboard, and despite her youth is a veteran of three Snowgrasses before this one.
“I really like it,” she said, adding that in addition to her work with the Flying Strings, she plays the piano and is interested in taking up the harmonica.
The girls admit to some stage fright, though.
“The waiting is worse than the performing,” said Charlotte. And Imogen, who stands in front of her bandmates, said it can be tricky to stay on that up-beat.
Once you’re on the stage, though, we can agree: fun takes over.
“I love [music]. It’s totally my favorite thing that I do. I hope to be able to pursue it in college, and throughout my life,” said Elizabeth.
In keeping with its community spirit, Snowgrass will wrap up with a sing-along. All of the bands will gather on stage to lead “Keep on the Sunny Side,” the 1899 song made famous by the Carter Family.
Sounds like a good tune for the middle of winter.
“It’s so fun,” Elizabeth said, “to see the audience getting into it.”
