Day One of the WinterWonderGrass Music & Brew Festival launched on Friday at the Steamboat Ski Resort in Steamboat, CO, with performances by Billy Strings, Keller & The Keels, Molly Tuttle, and more.
Friday also saw performances from Della Mae, Bluegrass Generals, Jeremy Garrett’s Funk Band, Jon Stickley Trio, Meadow Mountain, Buffalo Commons, and Twisted Pine.
Billy Strings, the WinterWonderGrass Steamboat day one headliner, treated fans to a bevy of originals and covers during his set. The band, comprised of William Apostol (Billy Strings), Billy Failing, Royal Masat, and Jarrod Walker, kicked off the set with a geographically appropriate cover of John Hartford‘s “Steamboat Whistle Blues” before cycling through “Turmoil & Tinfoil” and “Slow Train”, two of Strings’ original tunes.
A traditional cover of “Cheap Tequila” led to “Highway Hypnosis” before segues connected a cover of Béla Fleck‘s “Slipstream”, the original “Enough To Leave”, and a traditional cover of “Red Rocking Chair”. The title track from Strings’ 2019 release, Home, then set up the fan-favorite “Away From the Mire”. After “Long Forgotten Dream”, Strings would end his headlining set with a cover of The Dillards‘ “Ernest T. Grass” and The Stanley Brothers‘ “How Mountain Girls Can Love”, which preceded an encore of the oft-played Blackfoot cover, “Train, Train”.
Below, check out a gallery of images from day one of WinterWonderGrass Steamboat courtesy of photographer Zachary Belfer.
The final day of WinterWonderGrass Steamboat wraps up today (2/23), however, the festival will make its way to Squaw Valley, CA (3/27-3/29) and Stratton, VT (4/10-4/11) later this year. Head to the festival’s website for tickets and more information.
