Old Timey Folk-Pop Duo Tippy Canoe & AntonetteG to Kick-off Four Date Tour of the Pacific Northwest on February 4th.

Oakland, CA (Wednesday, December 29, 2009) – Tippy Canoe and AntonetteG, in their second collaborative incarnation as The Cupcake Diaries, will tour the Pacific Northwest February 4th-7th. The tour will promote both Tippy Canoe’s release Parasols and Pekingese and AntonetteG’s Antonette & The Golden Boys. Each performer will do a solo set and then combine forces for sister-like harmonies and a euphonious fusion of guitar, ukulele, washboard and bass.

Tippy Canoe (aka Michele Kappel-Stone) moved from her drum kit (as a member of The Kirby Grips - Sympathy For The Record Industry) to a ukulele in 2003 and this year added guitarist to her resume. On her 2008 debut full-length album, “Parasols and Pekingese,” Tippy shows off her enchanting and dynamic sound. Her voice is a blend of 60’s girl group, classic country and its own quirky nature sounding through. It is what one reviewer described as “jaunty country rock.”

AntonetteG (aka Antonette Goroch) is a singer and storyteller who has dabbled in various musical styles including opera, musicals, rock, country, folk and blues. Antonette has been recognized for her voice, melodies and lyrics and has been described as “a compelling blend of intelligence, innocence and insight, with a dash of intellectual insanity.”

The name, The Cupcake Diaries, was derived from their first tour’s final destination: a cupcake bakery in Olympia, WA and The Cupcake Diaries stuck. On their musical journey they combine a thirst for exploration and revel in the delight of their colorful lives like Thelma and Louise on a sugar-high. Their background in power-pop and melodic punk adds a sharp edge to their sweetness. Catch a show and be part of the next chapter in their adventure.

Tour Dates:
February 4th 2010 8:00PM 21+ $7.00 Conor Byrne Pub: 5140 Ballard Ave. NW, Seattle WA 98107

February 5th 2010 8:00PM all-ages $7.00 The Parlour: 2628 SE Powell, Portland OR 97202

February 6th 2010 3:00PM all-ages free The Mandolin Cafe: 3923 South 12th St., Tacoma WA 98405

February 6th 2010 9:00PM 21+ $5.00 Sirens: 823 Water Street, Port Townsend WA 98368

February 7th 2010 9:30PM 21+ $5.00 The Cabin Tavern: 307 West Holly Street, Bellingham WA 98225

Tippy Canoe and Antonette Goroch are available for interviews. Contact K.G. Music Press @ 323-336-0500 or email us at Kim@KGMusicPress.com

Bluegrass Music Festival in Bellevue

On a recent tour of the Hyatt Regency, Trisha Tubbs, Tom Peterson and I peered into the room that will become the new home of Wintergrass hospitality. There was a meeting going on and a short, slightly wild-eyed gentleman clad in flannel and ball cap came over to greet us. "What are you guys doing in there today?" we asked. "Casting out demons. Got any demons? We can cast 'em out for ya." From the look in his eye, it was clear he thought we had a passel of demons that needed tending to.

And from the feedback that we got from the survey in July asking whether or not folks thought we should move Wintergrass from Tacoma to Bellevue, there are a lot of people who would ask whatever possessed us to make such a move. We don't think it's fair to give the devil the credit or the blame for such a decision, but we do think it's fair to explain just what was going on in our heads.

When the notion of doing a bluegrass festival indoors in the winter in Tacoma first occurred nearly 17 years ago there were more reasons not to do it than to go forward. First, bluegrass festivals happen in the summer. Everyone knows that. They happen outside. Bluegrass in a hotel? Nonsense. In Tacoma? Dangerous nonsense. But of course, it did work and it worked so well that there are now many such successful festivals all across the country, including one just across the river in Portland. And the city that was such a bad match for bluegrass in the beginning came to believe after 16 years that there was no better place to host such a gathering. All of that history and change is phenomenally heartwarming and humbling. And all of it is only possible because the bluegrass community made it so.

For years Wintergrass was the only such festival around. About eight or nine years ago, other winter festivals and bluegrass cruises started cropping up. One in Denver; one in Boston, a cruise here and there, and the list started to grow. With every addition it became more of a challenge to get the bands that we wanted for the festival. We did ok, and think the competition just made us think and work harder. Not a bad thing. But all of those festivals were far away and aside from making hiring a little more difficult, they had little impact on Wintergrass. When River City started up, however, that was right in our back yard and suddenly, people in the Northwest had a choice about where to get their bluegrass in the winter. From the beginning the two festivals have worked together to ensure that each has a distinct lineup every year. Organizers of both festivals attend and volunteer at both festivals. We compare notes and share information. It's a good relationship and as it should be. That said, from the beginning River City has had an impact on Wintergrass. We feel that is neither good nor bad, simply a fact. Let's leave that for the moment and look at some other facts.

Half of the people who attend Wintergrass stay at a hotel for at least one night - many for 3 or more nights. The cost of a hotel room far outweighs the cost of a festival ticket and is something that a large portion of our audience pays attention to.

Two years ago the most expensive hotel room during Wintergrass weekend was about $125. That price shot up to $140 a year ago, then to $159 this year. Granted those are Hotel Murano prices, but all surrounding hotels followed suit and raised their prices similarly. The cost of housing at Wintergrass increased over 30% in two years for fans and festival organizers alike. That's a lot. And it had an impact on both. For the first time in years, many loyal Wintergrass attendees who normally spend the whole 4 days at the festival, just simply couldn't do it. Despite the best efforts of those who work with us venue rent also increased. The combination of higher costs and lower ticket sales was a double-whammy hit to the festival this year and one that could not be sustained.

This was a tough year for every business and particularly difficult for festivals. Last fall at IBMA before the worst of the financial crisis had hit, nearly 30 festivals had gone under, many large, stable festivals among them. The weather and the economy were not kind to River City this year and in fact led to their decision to suspend the festival in 2010. Although the weather was kind enough to Wintergrass, the economy was not and like so many, we had to step back and take a new look at ourselves and figure out how to weather the economic storm.

But there were other less tangible factors at work at Wintergrass. We knew that the dramatic renovation of the Hotel Murano would have an impact on the festival, and indeed it did. While there was and is an awful lot to like about the change, it became more difficult for Wintergrass people to feel like it was home. The hotel staff worked hard with us over these last two years to figure out a way to fit our tapping toes into their new glass slipper, but something was bound to break. This year, despite the fact that many had a fantastic time at the Murano, both the festival and the hotel received hundreds of letters of complaint. That is not an exaggeration and if you were one of those letter writers you are probably not surprised.

Immediately after the festival we sat down with the hotel staff and worked through the most difficult of issues, and sent out a letter to the Wintergrass email list (are you on it?) detailing how things would change in 2010. But confidence had been thoroughly shaken and our bottom line was looking pretty shaky, too. Chris Palmer graciously called us in early April to let us know that River City would sleep in 2010 but be back in 2011 at the Red Lion where rates would be about $110 a night. We knew that costs for a hotel room in Tacoma in 2011 would top $160 a night. The writing was on the wall. When the board and staff convened in April we devised a budget that would allow us to go out of business in 2011. Enter the Bellevue option.

It was suggested that we check out the newly renovated Hyatt Regency in Bellevue. Like many, our first reaction was, "Bellevue? Are you kidding me? No way." The short version of the story is that I toured the facility with Dan Mortenson in early May. As soon as I walked through the door, I knew it would work spectacularly well. A week later Stephen and I took the tour together. As he drove off of I-405 he shook his head and said, "No way. This will never work…" and kept saying some version of that until the moment that he stepped through the front door. He stopped talking because his jaw was on the floor.

The 733-room hotel has four ballrooms, three of which will be used for Wintergrass stages with capacity equal to or greater than what we had in Tacoma. There is a lot going on in Bellevue and our capacity will increase substantially over the next couple of years as plans materialize. The Hyatt offered us rates of $109. Not just now but for eight years. The cost of a hotel room will rise only very slightly over the next eight years. That offers incredible stability to both festival and fan alike. No venue rent. Now there's a savings that the accountants in our group are rather fond of. Parking is free. The hotel is also assuring us that we'll have basically 24 hour unrestricted jamming in almost all public space - and there is a lot of it. Guest will have their choice of jamming or quiet floors. There is much, much more room for not only jamming but for vendors. Is it too good to be true? Not really. Everything is clearly spelled out, written down and contractually secured. Since that first tour in May, many tours, meetings and more tours have happened with hotel staff, festival volunteers and staff and local businesses. Every single time, even the most reluctant, skeptical, and Bellevue-hating among us are instantly transformed into enthusiastic, happy, almost giddy supporters of the move.

But though we instantly like the facility, the decision to make the move did not come quickly. Back in Tacoma, news of our possible departure was met with shock and sadness, of course. The city mobilized its forces and we met with a roomful of local officials and friends who made a very strong pitch for us to stay. That pitch included money from the City, reduced rates at hotels, and assistance in a host of other areas. It was a profoundly moving offer and many tears were shed around that big table. We walked away to think, ask questions, and think some more. We asked you what you thought. Over a thousand of you took our survey. Your answer to the big question of whether or not to move was split right down the middle. 50/50 all the way. It felt like a national election.

Though the response from Tacoma was very strong, in the end what was offered was only temporary. What the Hyatt could honestly offer, Tacoma could not sustain. In 2011 prices would go right back up to where they were and no matter how much money the city could give to the festival, it couldn't change the reality that hotel rooms and parking are significantly more costly in Tacoma than they are in Bellevue. Now there's a brain twister for sure, but it's true.

In the end our commitment to making sure that Wintergrass could continue to preserve and present bluegrass music was stronger than our commitment to where we did the preserving and presenting. And thus, the big move. No demons involved, just a lot of soulsearching and a lot of deciding what was most important. Although we agonized over much about this decision, it was never a question what that most important thing is -- the music and the people. That combination of music and people made an improbable festival, in an improbable place become a joyous, musical refuge in the dead of winter. We hope you'll do it all over again with us in Bellevue. Our office remains in Tacoma and we hope to present Wintergrass Roots concerts at the Urban Grace Church from time to time. Our phone number and address will also stay the same. The best way to keep up on all the news about the big change and all other festival related news is to get yourself onto our e-mailing list. Sign up at the newly redesigned Wintergrass web site at www.wintergrass.com Thanks for your kind support and thanks for listening.
Patrice O'Neill

(Port Angeles, WA) – First Step Family Support Center (www.firststepfamily.org), a United Way agency, is excited to announce that SNOWGRASS 2010 will be held on Saturday, January 30th at 7pm at the Port Angeles High School Auditorium. Tickets are $10, $6 for seniors, and free for youth 10 and under. Doors open at 6pm and the show gets started at 7pm. This is the 8th year that Snowgrass has been produced and 2010 looks to be a terrific time for the entire family!

A number of local bands will provide old-time, hand-clapping, toe-tapping bluegrass music to raise funds for First Step Family Support Center. This year’s line-up includes Deadwood Revival, Crescent Blue & The Finleys, and Marilyn K. & Company and the show will be emceed by Denny Secord, Sr. Artists performing at Snowgrass 2010 are generously donating their time and talent to raise funds for First Step Family Support Center. For more information about each band, a biography and/or photos are available. Please contact Cherie at 360-457-8355 or cherie_fstep@olypen.com.

Tickets can be purchased in Port Angeles at First Step Family Support Center, KONP, Strait Music, Odyssey Books, Port Book & News, and Necessities & Temptations. In Sequim tickets are available at Pacific Mist Books and in Forks at Forks Outfitters.

All proceeds will benefit First Step Family Support Center. Since 1971, First Step has worked with thousands of families to help their children thrive through parent education, family support, and child development programs. First Step offers a variety of innovative services, including several home visiting programs, parenting classes, vocational counseling, health education trainings, support groups, resource and referral services, emergency formula, baby equipment and clothing, transportation, school readiness, and parent advocacy services. With funding from a variety of grants, contracts and local donors, First Step Family Support Center strives to meet the needs of parents, families, and their children in a respectful and responsive manner.

If you would like more information about First Step Family Support Center or Snowgrass 2010, please contact First Step at 457-8355.