PORT ANGELES — Snowgrass is a winter tradition here, a celebration of the bluegrass sound — and its brothers and sisters called Americana, folk and gospel.
But hold on. We’re not speaking here of a mere music festival.
The 10th annual Snowgrass, to take over Port Angeles High School’s auditorium Saturday night, is also a major benefit for First Step Family Support Center, a haven that has served Clallam County parents and children for 31 years.
Musical get-together
Abby Mae & the Homeschool Boys, Crescent Blue, the Old Sidekicks and the Rock Island Ramblers star in this party beginning at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
Local country singer-guitarist-yodeler Denny Secord Jr. will be master of ceremonies.
Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 at the door, while seniors ages 60 and older pay $7, and children 10 and younger get in free.
And since all four bands are donating their time, proceeds benefit First Step’s programs.
Abby Mae & the Homeschool Boys sit atop the bill — and they’re not even bluegrass.
“That shows you how open-minded the other bands are,” said Homeschool Boys guitarist David Rivers.
In 2011, “we went in kind of awkward. We weren’t sure we were going to be accepted.”
Accepted they were — and the boys are back to dish out their mix of traditionals and originals from “Come on in My Kitchen” to “Shake That Thing” and “Run Away, Ladies.”
“We’re the headliner, so the pressure’s off,” Rivers joked.
Abby Mae & the Homeschool Boys don’t have many gigs booked around Port Angeles this winter, and the band has postponed its next CD release. So Snowgrass is a good time to do a couple of things, Rivers said: Hear the new song “Sally Cole,” a ballad named after a friend and fellow Port Angeles resident, and pick up a copy of the 2011 Abby Mae & the Homeschool Boys CD.
Crescent Blue, Old Sidekicks
Snowgrass is largely locally grown, with Crescent Blue representing Forks and the West End, and the Old Sidekicks coming from Sequim and vicinity. But this year also has bluegrass from across the water: the Rock Island Ramblers, a quintet from Vashon Island.
Spokesman Cliff Simpson isn’t shy about describing the group’s sound: “We like to drive the beat hard,” he said, “and hope to generate a few whoops and hollers along the way.”
Snowgrass has another thing to marvel at, said Steve Sahnow of the Old Sidekicks: The median age of Abby Mae & the Homeschool Boys’ members is around 22, while Sahnow reports the Sidekicks’ average age is 70.
Both bands make “real, fun music,” the Sidekick said. “There’s something for everybody.”
To add to the festivity and fundraising Saturday night, First Step will have soft drinks for sale, tickets to various prize drawings and an information table.
For the evening’s finale, the Old Sidekicks will bring Crescent Blue, the Rock Island Ramblers and Abby Mae & the Homeschool Boys on stage for “I’ll Fly Away,” that traditional gospel number. W.L. Martin, the Sidekick who recently celebrated his 83rd birthday, will serve as song leader.
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-417-3550 or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
