After was plagued by sporadic snow and subfreezing temperatures, fans could not have asked for a better change of fortune in 2016. Blue skies abounded and daytime temperatures crept close to fifty as the bluegrass faithful descended on the mountain town for three days of music, microbrews and mingling. Headliners included , The Wood Brothers, Leftover Salmon and more.
As in previous years, the festival was a showcase for prominent Colorado breweries to show off their latest and greatest batches. Two heated beer tents lined either side of Avon’s Nottingham Park, the festival’s home, and a daily 2-5 p.m. happy hour everyday offered attendees free tastings and intimate small stage performances. Standout beers included a sessionable Gaper Day ISA from Crazy Mountain Brewing Company and Down River Brown from Vail Brewing Co.
Though the Soap Box stage was added this year, set times were methodically staggered to reduce crossover between acts and provide ample opportunity to catch just about everybody. As soon as a set ended on the Main Stage, three simultaneous half-hour performances would begin in the side tents. Most acts limited to these secondary stages were offered at least two sets.
Friday, the main stage kicked off with sparsely attended sets from Wisconsin’s Horseshoes and Hand Grenades and The Travelin’ McCoury’s. Larry Keel’s WWG All-Stars followed with a feel-good outing that closed with the Band’s classic “Ophelia.” But it was the return of the Wood Brothers that kicked the night into high gear.
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Brothers Chris and Oliver Wood, alongside multi-instrumentalist drummer Jano Rix, played “the coldest set of their lives” last year during their Wondergrass debut. The trio seemed delighted to be performing under milder conditions this time around. Their sing-a-long set was weighted with rockers like “Singin’ to Strangers” and “When I Was Young,” but Oliver’s raspy leads took center stage for ballads “Postcards From Hell” and “Luckiest Man,” with Rix playing both drums and organ on the latter.
The main event Friday night was long-time Colorado favorites , and they did not disappoint. Vince Herman and company played an unpredictable, jam-heavy set that jumped from bluegrass standards, deep reggae numbers, and exploratory jams that let guitarist Drew Emmitt and drummer Alwyn Robinson really open things up. Bluegrass legend joined the band for a handful of tracks, including his own “Free Mexican Air-Force.”
In the side tents, the youthful Wayward Wanderers played two high-energy sets and Vail locals Town Calvary offered a jammy change of pace with crowd-friendly covers like Sublime’s “Badfish” and Phish’s “Free.”
Saturday the shows rolled on with Peter Rowan and his band getting their own main stage slot. Sporting a red shawl and relaxed on a stool center stage, Rowan played a loose, laid back set that included a take of the Jerry Garcia Band classic “Midnight Moonlight” and a medley that included teases of Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry.”
Fruition, the adrenaline fueled quintet from Portland,was next. Led by the mandolin of Mimi Naja and frontman Jay Cobb Anderson’s animated stage presence, the band’s originals were full of passion and their covers creatively reworked. Andy Thorn and Larry Keel joined the band for a rendition of Jimmy Cliff’s classic “The Harder They Come” and Greensky Bluegrass mandolin player Paul Hoffman accompanied on the original “Mountain Annie.”
Closing out the night was the festival’s top headliner, Greensky Bluegrass, playing their first of two rounds. The band has erupted in recent years as one of the most sought after acts in the genre, and their success has translated into rock star confidence and dialed-in stage production. With a sold out venue and a personal lighting rig utilized better than any other act, Greensky’s Saturday night set stood alone in scale.
Highlights included a banjo battle between Michael Arlen Bont and Andy Thorn during “Burn Them” and a light-hearted take of “Leap Year” that devolved into a funky jam with ironic teases of Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” and Chuck Brown’s “Bustin Loose.” Hoffman’s crooning was prominent–he just may have the best voice in bluegrass–but guitarist Dave Bruzza got his shot on lead vocals during the dobro-laced “Kerosene.”
Sunday brought yet another bluebird day and a change of focus musically, from traditional bluegrass acts to larger bands not afraid to offer up soul, funk and blues. Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds were the surprise hit of the weekend with sultry lead vocals, down-home harmonica and the first horn section of the weekend.
Dustbowl Revival was next up on the main stage, following a packed solo acoustic set by Paul Hoffman on the Soap Box stage. Yet another large band with horns, Dustbowl was a standout with raucous covers like Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” and a “pirate mariachi” number that showed off the band’s versatility.
The pop-friendly activist rock of Nahko and Medicine For the People was an odd choice for a bluegrass festival, but the band did bring along an added fiddle player for the occasion and gave the crowd a laugh by all wearing vintage neon ski suits. They sat in a reggae pocket for much of the set, though many of Nahko’s happy hooks and lyrics felt formulaic.
Greensky Bluegrass then closed out the festival with yet another main stage performance. Sunday’s set continued to burn through hits–“Jaywalking,” “In Control,” “Windshield”–but the band was also apt to show off their jam colors for the Colorado crowd. A cover of Traffic’s “Light Up Or Leave Me Alone” dropped into Phish’s “Tweezer” and back, jam staple DJ Logic joined on turntables for a scratchy improv, and the night encored with a take on the recently reunited ‘s “Your Mom.”
WinterWonderGrass did it again. Aided by a stellar lineup and a little help from mother nature, the festival’s fourth year may just have been its best yet.
