Hear bluegrass stalwarts at a free concert in Edmonds

In Darrington, home of an annual bluegrass festival, they have an affectionate nickname for renowned musician Cliff Perry.

“I have long white hair and a beard,” he said. “They took one look at me and one of the guys started calling me ‘Moses.’ It was a real complimentary name for those folks up there.”

Perry, known as the musician who founded Southfork, a bluegrass band that has played throughout the Northwest, has opened for a number of bluegrass performers, including the legendary Bill Monroe.

He and members of the Cliff Perry Band will perform Saturday at a free concert in Edmonds, sponsored by The Edmonds Arts Commission and Friends of the Edmonds Library.

The event serves as a preview for the Wintergrass music festival scheduled for Feb. 20-23 in Bellevue.

The Cliff Perry Band is expected to play a selection of some of the group’s favorite songs, such as “Foggy Mountain Rock,” “Who will Sing for Me” and “Maple on the Hill.”

“We never get tired of them,” Perry said. “We play them over and over, always a little bit different. Might be a little faster one day, slower the next day.”

By request, they’re playing another favorite, “Old Salty Dog Blues,” what Perry calls “a real catchy little number and kind of fun.”

Tom Petersen, Wintergrass’ assistant education director who will emcee Saturday’s concert, said part of the reason for bluegrass’ popularity is that it is participatory. “People want to play and sing and be a part of it,” he said.

Saturday’s event includes just such an opportunity. Once the band completes its concert, members of the audience who bring along instruments will have a chance to jam with the band.

“We enjoy helping people get better on instruments and having fun with the music,” Perry said.

Most of the band’s members teach music and want to help people learn bluegrass music. “They’re a welcoming group,” he said.

The event also includes an instrument “petting zoo,” which will allow children to try out guitars, banjos, mandolins, a fiddle, an Appalachian dulcimer and autoharp.

“I’m telling you, you can’t tear those kids off the autoharp,” Petersen said.

This is the fourth year a Wintergrass preview event has been scheduled in Edmonds. The festival, now in its 27 year, is one of the biggest bluegrass festivals in the country, said Frances White Chapin, Edmonds’ arts and culture manager. Some 30 bands will be performing during the three-day event at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Bellevue.

The festival originated in Tacoma, but moved to Bellevue in 2009. Petersen said it was his idea to have an event preview show there at the city’s library.

One of those who attended was Day Chapin, the husband of the city’s arts and culture manager. He asked Petersen: “Can we do this in Edmonds?”

When Edmonds launched a music-in-the-library series, he essentially asked the same question of his wife, Frances White Chapin.

“He was a big music enthusiast,” she said of her husband. He loved the way that bluegrass encourages people to play together.” He wanted the event to not just be a concert, but a jam,

“It really took off,” Petersen said. “Unfortunately, he passed away last year. It was a great love of his.”

Perry, 76, teaches a bluegrass class at Shoreline Community College. Part of the popularity of bluegrass and country music is its purity of simplicity. “All you need is a guitar and a fiddle,” he said.

Perry said he and other band members were thrilled to be asked to perform at Saturday’s preview concert. The free performance means there are no financial barriers to participate in the event.

“Come out and bring the kids,” he said. “We do a nice, wholesome family program.”

Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com

If you go

The Wintergrass Festival preview and jam session, featuring the Cliff Perry Band, is at 2 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Edmonds Plaza Room, 650 Main St. in Edmonds. Following the band’s performance, a public jam session is scheduled. Bring your fiddle, guitar, bango and jam with band members. An instrument “petting zoo,” where children can try out instruments, also is scheduled. All events are free.