Caravan to WinterWondergrass kicks off Thursday

It’s time to catch up with the WinterWonderGrass community at their annual Caravan to Wonder Grass. Three events will be held from Oct. 17-19 with a dinner and two free shows from Midnight North.

“It’s kind of a time to reconnect with the community and celebrate, and share some music and stories and libations,” said Scotty Stoughton, WinterWonderGrass founder.

WonderGrass and The Tahoe Food Hub will host The Supper Club at the Tahoe Food Hub in Truckee on Thursday, Oct. 17. Chef Wyatt Dufresne, formerly of PlumpJack Squaw, will be preparing a seasonal four-course menu sourced locally.

San Francisco’s Midnight North performs at Moe’s BBQ in Tahoe City on Friday, Oct. 18, and at Alibi Ale Works in Truckee on Saturday, Oct. 19. Both shows are free and open to all ages.

MIDNIGHT NORTH

The shows kick off Midnight North’s Fall Tour. Grahame Lesh said he’s excited to be getting to Tahoe for the shows.

“It’s very cool to be kicking off the tour there,” the guitarist/singer/songwriter said. “We’re Bay Area folks, so we go to Tahoe all of the time.”

Midnight North made the WWG lineup for the first time, which was released last week. Lesh said he’s happy to be part of the WWG family. He’s looking forward to collaborating with friends and folks he’s toured with or will be touring with.

“What’s so fun about teaming up with these bands is teaming up to make music as well,” Lesh said. “We’ll be doing that with as many of our friends as we can fit into our set in March.”

Stoughton is excited to have Midnight North be part of the Caravan and the WWG festival for the first time. He said they’re a great band putting out some awesome music and they exemplify the regional sound coming from California.

“We’re excited to get to know them, and I think we’re in for a treat,” he said.

WWG VIBE

The WWG goals are to cultivate a relationship between nature, roots music and community. The Caravan emphasizes these with the free, all-ages shows, with what Stoughton say is their foundation.

“Putting on the free shows is kind of expensive for us, but it’s kind of a thank you,” Stoughton said. “We try to give back where we can — not only to local non-profits but also the music community.”

Lesh said he enjoys being able to include the younger people at Midnight North shows. His home base is Terrapin Crossroads in San Rafael, and he said the atmosphere is very family-focused there.

“It’s always good to include as many people as possible,” he said. “Everyone’s trying to reach young people.”

WWG in March

Lesh said besides performing and collaborating with friends at WWG, he’s looking forward to snowboarding. He said the whole band does some combination of skiing/snowboarding.

Stoughton said he’s always excited about new acts and bringing new musicians into the fold and community.

“We like to show them how we are and how we take care of them,” he said.

Midnight North will be one of those newcomers, and The War and Treaty mark its first time. The Devil Makes Three will make their second appearance in eight years. And Stoughton said he’s happy to see others who have worked their way up to headlining spots.

“It’s really cool to give Billy Strings his first headlining opportunity,” Stoughton said. “We’re glad to see him rise up and really proud of him for that.”

Second Home

Stoughton holds the original WinterWonderGrass in Steamboat Springs, Colo., where he also lives, and another in Vermont. He said Tahoe feels like a second home, and it’ll be great to be back.

“I’m the luckiest guy; I’m grateful to get out there. It’s like reconnecting with the family.”