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From local leaders and hometown heroes to breaking stories and in-depth conversations, the KMAS Podcast brings you the voices that matter in Mason County, Washington. Hosted by longtime broadcaster Jeff Slakey, each episode dives into what’s happening around the Hood Canal—government, education, small business, the outdoors, and everything in between.
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Well folks, once again, this weekend is another big weekend for music in Mason County. It's bluegrass from the forest and it's its 20th year. Greg Linder on the phone with me.
How you doing, Greg? I'm doing real good. This is exciting, 20 years. It's a lot to put these festivals on year after year and for it to be here now in its 20th year, it's got to make you feel good and be exciting for the lineup.
It's actually kind of hard to believe. So tell me, I mean, when did this first, 20 years ago, 2005, what was the thought process here? See, I believe the store downtown used to be, it was Lumberman at the time. Yeah.
And Dwayne Wilson, who works with me in this festival and is with the Kiwanis Club, we were out in the parking lot and we kind of thought, yeah, should we start a bluegrass festival? And that's how it started. We just said, okay, let's try it. We had a history in the past, like back in the late 80s and early 90s of putting on a yearly one day concert of three different bands at the high school performing arts center.
And so we already had experience in doing stuff like that. But yeah, so that's how it started. That's awesome.
I know I've been talking to you guys for almost the whole time about this every year, kind of explaining what's happening. And it's really cool to see because I believe now, I was talking to Zach Hansen the other day and he said that one of, he was listening to some music in the Oyster Bank when I came in, and he goes, this guy played as a kid or something like that at Bluegrass many years ago. And so you're kind of getting into that portion now, where... I think you're talking about Zach Topp.
He played as a teenager and went to our festival, played in a family band at one point. He went kind of through the years at our festival as a young kid. And he is now way up on the top in country music.
He's won a CMA New Artist of the Year this year. That's wild. Nationwide.
He's a big, big star now. So that's pretty cool. That is really cool.
It is. And we've had three others, at least three others that have gone national. They're playing out all over the country.
Yeah, it's fun to watch. Pretty cool. Pretty cool.
This year has got a great lineup. It's once again at South Mason Youth Soccer Park. This has turned into a great location.
Yes, it has. Yeah. Big space for camping.
We needed more room. Oh, yeah. Beer and wine garden near the stage.
Camping, jamming, workshops. All through the night you hear people in different little pockets of the campgrounds playing. Everybody kind of gets together every so often.
Tell me about some of these bands that'll be here this year. Seth Mulder and Midnight Run. Jim Hurst, whose name is familiar from the last couple years.
I remember his name. Yeah. Jim Hurst was here a few years ago, and he's a great, really wonderful person to start with, but he's a real excellent musician and songwriter.
He'll be here doing two shows. He's from Nashville. Seth Mulder and Midnight Run, also they're a top, top band in the country now in the bluegrass realm.
They're out of Nashville, Tennessee, and they just do a fine job. Really great, straight, traditional bluegrass. Very, very active.
Very high energy. I love it. That's cool.
They just got back from Europe, a tour in Europe last week. How does bluegrass in Europe, how does that go over? Well? It does. There's a great, even in Japan, too.
It's all over the country. There's bluegrass, there's a niche genre of music in several countries. I think they were in Ireland.
Wow. That's cool. Never Come Down is coming up from Oregon, as well as Midnight Run and Way Far Yonder, so these are kind of more Northwesterners, plus the Buckaroos.
Yep. The Marseille Buckaroos, they play for our Saturday Night Dance, which is from 10 to midnight, and then at midnight is our Midnight Hot Dogs. That's turned into quite the tradition, too, for folks that are there.
I think last year we got rid of like 150 in just a short time. I love it. Tell me about that school of kids, the bluegrass kids, the Chick Rose School.
What happens there? Actually, I just got a call from Stacey Harnew, who hooked that up. She comes out of Oregon and has several of the people helping her do a workshop from 10 to 12 on Saturday, and it's free for the kids. Then they work up some stuff.
Before the evening main acts on Saturday, they get up and do a show on the main stage, which is really fun to watch. They're all excited. That happens every year.
Chick Rose, years ago, he initially did the workshops, but he suddenly passed away, but the tradition is being carried on by a lot of his students. They grew up and they're playing bluegrass music now, and they're helping out with this workshop every year. You can see the lineup at bluegrassfromtheforest.com. It's also where you can get tickets.
In Shelton, you can get them at Bobland Records, also Builders First Source, which is that original Lumberman's location we were talking about that got the whole thing going, plus Shelton Music are other places that you can do it. Bands from across the country are coming in, lots from Oregon and around here, too. Where all are people coming in, like ticket people, buying their tickets? Where do they come from? Mostly in the Northwest, quite a few people out of Oregon, some people from Canada, eastern Washington, and of course, western Washington, the area here.
It's pretty wide range. I just got a call today from someone from Denver. They're coming through.
A lot of people make their rounds at different bluegrass festivals, and they just make it part of the route. I think we talked about this a few years ago, but this is one of the first ones in the summer music series for bluegrass. One of the early ones, yes.
Yeah, that's pretty cool. In fact, after ours, there's a whole string of festivals for several months every weekend. People can just... Somewhere around the Northwest.
Somewhere. So you guys are playing as well. Runaway Train, your band, continues on to be on the stage there.
Well, we try to die, but we never do. Keep coming back, keep going. Gosh, they keep saying yes.
Yeah, we almost broke up twice in the past, but then something happened. We got to keep it going. We're having a lot of fun.
You guys sound so good all the time. I see you all over the place. You play in Matlock.
We've done that. We've done music in the park. Music in the park.
Yeah, we play all over the Northwest. We played all the festivals in the Northwest. We played Wintergrass two years ago.
That was really fun. Yeah. This is going to be... So again, it starts on Friday through the weekend.
And how do the tickets work? You have to buy for one... You can get a pass. You go to the website, you can buy for any individual show, which is a show Friday night at 7 o'clock. There's a show Saturday afternoon, a show Saturday evening, and a show on Sunday.
And so the lineup kind of mixes and matches. So you're not going to... Yeah. Most of the bands play twice in two days.
Yeah. So we've got three days of shows, but most of the bands are playing twice. Sure.
Camping is available on site, 15 bucks a night. And there is a lot of space. You get a lot of camping.
All kinds of spaces. People ask if there's space when they call up or text. There's no problem with that.
We've got three soccer park complexes. Over the years, you and I and Dwayne have all talked about... In the early days, not so much now because it's packed there when I go out and check it out. There's people from all over Shelton, Mason County, like you said.
But from the early days, we always were talking about, how do we get more locals in? So folks listening now to this interview going, I do have... We have an open weekend, and I keep hearing about this. What's another... Give me the pitch again. What's another good reason to come out to this? Well, a lot of people have the sad ideas about what bluegrass is, and they think it's just a bunch of corny, crazy, stupid stuff.
But they get to this festival, they'll see what real good quality music is. I mean, they'll fall in love with it. A lot of people are converts.
It's really fun. I love it. It's not produced country.
It lands a lot in the Americana genre that people love to just listen to. And that's one of my main fallback types of musics that I listen to is Americana music. And it just has a certain sound to it and a certain... It's real comfortable.
It's really nice. I look back, just for the fun of it, from our first festival in 2005 to... See how many bands, unique, different bands we've hired? Over 65. Wow.
Throughout those years. And they're all different. They're all different.
And like we were saying, some now are in the upper echelons of the country music world. Yes. The CMA Awards and all that stuff.
Plus, I'm sure countless of awards when it comes to bluegrass, the genre of bluegrass and things like that. Yeah. It's kind of fun to see who has moved on or moved up the ladder or who just still is into it, playing regionally or just playing at the festivals.
It's a real fun time. Well, you got to come out. It is a wonderful time at South Mason Youth Soccer.
It's on John's Prairie Road right next to MCRA, behind Belco there on John's Prairie Road for this. Not only is it... There's music, but there's also food and vendors and it's a whole thing. It's a festival.
It's been going on for 20 years. We've got workshops, workshops both days. So kids... So folks, adults too can come and learn? Absolutely.
Play around with things? Oh, the workshops. Yeah. I mean, all ages.
Yeah. The kids' program is one thing, but there's also workshops for all ages. Like I said, food, music, beer and wine garden.
The dance on Saturday night is always a fun one with the Barkay Buckaroos followed by... It's a great dance. The hot dog roast that people... You work up an appetite dancing for two hours. You got to have a... Yeah.
You go around the grounds and say, Midnight Hot Dogs, Midnight Hot Dogs, and people come in like zombies out of the dark. Crazy. I love it.
This weekend is when it is. Bluegrassfromtheforest.com. I'll put the website and the links to this too, but you can also get tickets in town. Bobland, the record store there in town, plus Lumberman's, Builder's First Source, whatever it's called these days, and Shelton Music as well.
Four at the gate and same price. Okay. Yeah.
Very good. You might as well grab the camper, come on out and stay the whole weekend because it's... And even if the band's playing... You said bands are playing twice, but they're not necessarily playing the same songs and it's a different energy every time. Yes.
Yes. Awesome, Greg. Well, good on you guys.
Each show has three different bands. Oh, is that how it works? Okay. Yeah.
Each show has three bands. Well, good on you guys for keeping this going. And I know over the years, the local crowds, which is something you guys have really wanted to get to understand what this is, have really started turning out for you, but people coming from all outside... Yeah.
The last few years, they've already started building up the locals. Yeah. That's awesome.
And I've also hired a variety of types of bands. For example, Never Come Down this year, they're somewhat a more progressive type and they're being a different crowd. Okay.
There's a lot more younger people showing up with families. Well, that's great. Yeah.
That's awesome. All right, Greg. Well, I'll let you go and get you ready for the weekend, but it's going to be a big one.
Weather looks like it's going to be perfect for it. Once again, another sunny weekend in Shelton for a great music festival. Bluegrass From The Forest, 20 years strong.
It's this weekend. bluegrassfromtheforest.com for your tickets and more information. Thanks, Greg.
Thank you.