WinterWonderWomen
Story by Ida Mae Specker
Photography courtesy WinterWonderGrass
L
ast winter, Vermont joined Steamboat Springs, Colorado and Squaw Valley,
California in becoming home to music festival WinterWonderGrass
(WWG). This April, Stratton Mountain Resort will once again be
transformed for WonderGrass presents Sugar & Strings, an exemplary festival
showcasing world-class bluegrass, jamgrass, and roots music talent.
WinterWonderGrass is a standout in the festival scene because of its unique focus
on environmental responsibility, as well as community building and inclusion.
Vermont is a natural fit for the festival. Already brimming with outdoor
enthusiasts and a proud grassroots music scene, the state’s ethos is aligned with
the festival’s practice of sustainability and environmental responsibility, which
includes an 85-percent waste-diversion rate and a commitment to no single-use
plastics.
Bluegrass music has long been a male-dominated musical sector and women
have been historically underrepresented on bluegrass stages. WWG is consciously
working to celebrate and promote talented female musicians. To that end, 60
percent of the bands booked for Stratton 2020 have at least one female member.
Out of 2019’s WWG in Steamboat Springs, a super-group called
WinterWonderWomen has emerged and will take center stage at Stratton in April.
Led by Bridget Law, founding member of Elephant Revival and artist-in-residence
at WWG, WinterWonderWomen sets are spontaneous, creative, fun, and
collaborative as female performers and production staff members join together
to lift up each other and to sing along, celebrating the beauty and richness of the
feminine spirit.
Brittney Pare Stoughton, who is married to festival founder Scott Stoughton, grew
up in South Londonderry and had a big part in the festival’s expansion to
Southern Vermont.
Brittney says, “It’s Scotty’s life’s work—creating an authentic space for people to
really feel free and able to express themselves, as well as a safe space to just be. For
him it’s all about creating a sense of community in a really responsible manner.
Showing people how you can be authentic and sustainable and responsible, while
also having a good time. Scotty’s really intentional about only booking artists who
want to come and be involved in the community. It’s not about rolling in on your
tour bus and playing your songs and then getting off the stage and leaving. The
artists ski and go out into the community. The whole intention is trying to get
people to talk and facilitate the space for people to have conversations. In our
green room and artists’ lounge, we create an experience for artists to just jam with
each other. It’s like a huge family backstage. So it was completely in-line with the
vision, when Bridget Law said, ‘let’s get all of the women together and just do a
really big jam session.’”
16 VERMONT MAGAZINE