Wintergrass 2025: bluegrass bursting with tradition and innovation in Bellevue

Rain pounded the sidewalk in the tech-heavy Eastside Seattle suburb, where inside the shiny Bellevue Hyatt Regency, under glittering chandeliers, some of the best bluegrass and acoustic roots musicians were picking up a storm for this year’s Wintergrass (Feb 20–23). If you think of bluegrass as the rough-hewn southern backcountry picking of Doc Watson, it might seem incongruous to enjoy some of the finest bluegrass today in a corporate hotel ballroom. But if you think of bluegrass in all of Bill Monroe’s formality, with stiff starched suits and exacting harmony, this is the perfect spot. Either way, the music flowed through the halls.

I don’t think you can get a more perfect vision of roots music than husband and wife duo Pharis & Jason Romero. Masters of tone, by day they build some of the finest banjos in the world from their land deep in the wilds of northern British Columbia. Together on stage, they sing in perfect harmony but also write beautiful, evocative songs that pull on the heartstrings. They’ve built their reputation as instrument builders by having an uncommon ear for the rich timbre of acoustic instruments, and there’s no one better at expressing that sound.

In the current political climate in the States, I didn’t expect to fall in love with ‘red state bluegrass’ from the South, but darned if the hot pickers in East Nash Grass didn’t charm the pants off me! Formed from the ranks of young Nashville’s best musicians, the band had powerhouse chops. Fire-breathing Tennessee fiddler Maddie Denton floored me, and Arkansas mandolinist Harry Clark played the mandolin like he was firing a machine gun. But it was Clark’s softly fragile version of the Jimmy Driftwood classic ‘Git Along Little Yearlings’ that stuck with me for days afterwards.

Following in the deep bluegrass vein, mandolin and acoustic guitar duo Jacob Jolliff & Michael Daves were a delight. Both are wild virtuosos in the tradition, Jolliff known for his early work in the band Crooked Still, and Daves for his duo work with Chris Thile. Together, they dove especially deep into the brother harmony tradition of bluegrass icons Jim & Jesse, who they’ll be focusing on for their upcoming album. Of course, their playing was virtuosic, stunning at times, including some jaw-dropping runs on the mandolin, but it was all in service to the tradition. And their version of Dolly Parton’s ‘Early Morning Breeze’ put some sunshine in my heart.

One of the only acts that I heard make any political comments, American Patchwork Quartet had some inspiring things to say about the importance of celebrating the US’ immigrant culture. They would know, as their music does just that. The band blends US jazz, roots and folk with the captivating singing of Hindustani classical vocalist Falguni “Falu” Shah. Shah managed to build a bridge between Appalachian balladry and Hindustani classical singing. It was wonderful to see a mostly bluegrass crowd tap out the rhythmic cycles, or tala, of Indian music.