This weekend is the 10th anniversary of Flagstaff’s Pickin’ in the Pines Bluegrass and Acoustic Music Festival. In that time, hundreds of national and regional artists have taken the main stage, including the Mars Hillbillies. They’re as local as it gets. An acoustic string band from Flagstaff, they’ve been together for more than a dozen years and have played Pickin’ in the Pines many times. They’ll do it again this anniversary weekend. The Hillbillies recently stopped by KNAU for a jam session and an interview with Arizona Public Radio’s Ryan Heinsius.
Ryan Heinsius: Pickin’ in the Pines is in its 10th year this year and it’s become an undeniable local institution. What’s been the staying power of this festival?
Bill Vernieu: I think what has happened with the Pickin’ in the Pines Festival, it was organized by a group of local musicians here in town. It’s been a long-held dream and people have wanted the kind of bluegrass festival where some of the top talent in the nation, and possibly even the world can come to. But also where there’s a big campground scene, where there’s a lot of jamming and homemade music as well.
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RH: What’s fostered that community?
Keith Gomora: The community has been pretty hungry from something of this ilk for a long time before this festival even started. So I think that it was sort of a natural that people would gravitate toward a fun, end-of-the-summer, outdoor festival.
RH: Pickin’ in the Pines every year is such a great combination of these great national and regional bands with the locals. How has the contingent of Arizona musicians and bands dictated or affected the flavor of Pickin’ in the Pines?
BV: I would say that the local music around here reflects a lot of that diversity of the town of Flagstaff. So, it’s not really a traditional bluegrass scene here.
KG: Sure, take a walk around the campground any night of the festival and get quite a wide diversity of different kinds of styles out there: gypsy jazz to bluegrass to folk and rock ‘n’ roll.
RH: Northern Arizona in general and specifically Flagstaff has become a real haven for traditional musicians. Why is this area such a place where people who play roots music coalesce?
KG: Maybe we think we’re already half way out into the wilderness here, and so (for) us folks in Flagstaff (it’s) easy to see the beauty in the bucolic and that might include its music.