"Beer, Bluegrass, Mountains" - Winter WonderGrass, Tahoe, at Squaw Valley, Lake Tahoe, CA, March 20-21, 2015. (I did not attend Sunday, March 22)

The Winter WonderGrass festival’s first foray into California, outdoors at Squaw Valley at Lake Tahoe, came through with flying colors, March 20-22. The boutique festival that boasted many of the West’s hottest pickin’ and grinnin’ Americana jam bands attracted about 4,000 clothing-layered music fans per day, according to festival founder Scott Stoughton.

While the dry winter left a surprisingly sparse amount of snow clinging to the surrounding mountaintops, the unseasonably warm weather allowed many festivalgoers to romp around in shirt-sleeves and open shoes, at least by day. At night, the chill came quickly, especially on Sunday as the final acts performed during a wintry mix of precipitation. Away from the main stage, festival promoters provided heat-generated tents, two of which offered other musical acts, and one that served up hot beverages. The VIP section, which featured outdoor standing heaters, also had an additional heated tent. Local gourmet food and coffee vendors provided fine onsite provisions. Following the fest’s closing performances—Infamous Stringdusters on Friday, Trampled by Turtles on Saturday, and Greensky Bluegrass on Sunday—the energy continued with two-act, late-night shows at Squaw’s Olympic House, as well as at Moe’s BBQ, on the lake in Tahoe City. More at http://synthesisweekly.com/winter-wondergrass-festival-2015. All images ©Alan Sheckter / AlSheck@comcast.net.