Whiskey Deaf is set to perform in Chehalis on Feb. 15.
The Washington Bluegrass Association will host their first concert of 2020 Saturday when they welcome Whiskey Deaf to the stage at the Veterans Memorial Museum in Chehalis.
The band is based in Portland where three members reside, but Whiskey Deaf also features a pair of musicians from the Seattle area.
“Whiskey Deaf has also benefited from having an enthusiastic local audience to play for, having sold out every previous show they’ve performed at the Vet,” according to a news release from the bluegrass association.
Whiskey Deaf is co-led by Portlander John Kael, a veteran guitarist, singer and songwriter who has performed and taught at festivals and workshops throughout the northwest and parts of Canada.
Fellow Oregonian Dee Johnson has played stand-up bass for a number of bands (including Mountain Honey, who appeared in Chehalis last November) after having competed as a fiddler at the renowned National Old-Time Fiddlers Contest in Weiser, Idaho.
Banjoist/singer Jamie Blair of Kent has become an in-demand musician working with several bands since emigrating from Ohio a few years ago while Seattleite Ethan Lawton, a multi-talented founding member of the country/swing band Western Centuries, will provide mandolin and vocals for Whiskey Deaf.
Co-leader Annie Staninec is a California native and fiddler/singer who is a past winner of the IMBA’s Momentum Award, given to rising bluegrass musicians, and has gone on tour with legendary mandolinist David Grisman and Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Rod Stewart.
Doors at the Veterans Museum will open at 6 p.m. Saturday night with the concert to begin at 7 p.m. Tickets include a free intermission access of veterans exhibits and are now available at the museum and will be sold at the door.
For details, go to WashingtonBluegrassAssociation.org online or call (360) 785-3478.
