Wintergrass- What Do I need to know?

[cu4life7]

Being local to the Seattle area, I am considering heading over to Wintergrass in Bellevue for the first time this February. For those that have been before, I am hoping you can share your insights on what I might need to know before I go.

A little background on me is that I started as a guitar player, before branching out to Mandolin, Banjo, Dobro and Piano all in the past two years. So my mandolin playing is pretty limited right now to basic chords and simple fill runs occasionally as a backup instrument in a band setting. I have set a personal goal for the year to learn how to solo and take on more of a melody role vs just playing or chopping chords since that is the style of mandolin that I love. I am not huge on Traditional Bluegrass, but love all of the bluegrass shootoffs like Mandolin Orange, Goodnight Texas, etc. I am hoping to sit in on the Mandolin workshops and hear some great music in the concerts and grow as a player.

So here are few questions:

Do I need to familiarize myself with Trad Bluegrass songs to participate in workshops?
Is the festival open minded or more traditional?
Will I get "put on the spot" in front of a big group of players?
What workshops would you guys recommend?
Is there anything that is "Can't miss"

Thanks in advance. As you can tell, I have a bit of trepidation with a mandolin in my hand vs a guitar. I feel like I might feel like a fish out of water, but that is probably how I will grow.
-Jake

[slewis]

Jake, I've been a volunteer there for most of the past 12 or so years and all I can tell you is that you'll probably have an absolute blast. I was never a bluegrass fan specifically but got involved just because I love acoustic music. And there's all ranges of talent in the random song circles that form as well as the on-stage talent, although the latter is of course all very stage-worthy. I'd recommend checking out their website for the acts that will be there and looking into every one individually. I've seen acts there that I've never heard of that were just fantastic. In fact, I worked at the door some years ago and wouldn't let Tony Rice in the door with his guitar and no wristband. Never had heard of the guy and certainly didn't recognize him, but my co-worker quickly let me know that, no, this guy can go in. Tony was not amused but was quite civil about it all... And you'll find very traditional music there as well as lots of "newgrass" and everything between. Anyway take whatever you might want to play and play it -- it's a very friendly group overall. By the way, if you are interested and able to volunteer for various levels of free admission, the website has info on that too and it's a lot of fun. The food room is great and you get to chat with lots of performers in there... Have fun!

[Taylorplayer516]

Is anyone else going this year? Nice line up and looking forward to seeing the area for the first time.

[slewis]

I'm not, but I've been many times and I bet you'll have a great time. Let us know how it goes. There are great surprises every year there...