BG and Irish Jams--Olympia/Lacey/Tumwater WA

[Old Dog Dave]

Looking for any open jams and picking gatherings in Thurston County, WA--specifically, Olympia, Lacey, and Tumwater. I am not a beginner on the mandolin but working my way toward intermediate. Would love to get together with others to learn more, as well as just have fun picking. Thanks!!!

[Bill Cameron]

Not much take up and I can’t be very helpful since my last visit was in 1977, but your locale takes me back! Late 1975/early 76, during my brief tenure as a student at Evergreen I was fortunate enough to take some flatpicking lessons with a young picker named…Scott Nygaard. He was focussing more on fiddle at the time and literally did not have his own guitar—used one he referred to as “the communal guitar” shared with his house/bandmates. He shared with me his enthusiasm for Clarence White crosspicking styles, starting with “Billy In the Lowground”. Those arrangements have stuck with me through the years and I’m almost up to speed on the low-strings B-part variation on that one! Scott lives in Chile these days…but maybe you should try nosing around the campus, see if any faculty are doing roots music stuff…or students…checking the bulletin boards if such things still exist…hope the rain isn’t getting you down ;/=

[banjoboy]

There is a group that gets together on Wednesday nights at the Pig BBQ bar
Starts at 6:30. It's a jam by invite. So there is a different group every Wednesday. You should come down and check it out. If it looks like fun and something that would work, then you might get on the roster. Most of the musicians are pretty much intermediate.

[mbruno]

I don't get down to that area too often - but there's plenty in Seattle and a bit south if you're willing to make a drive (~1 hour one way though).

Machine Brewing on every other Wednesday is a beginner
Conor Byrne is every Monday and fantastic traditional bluegrass for the most part
Outlander Brewing on Sundays is one of my new favorites - though they pick some tunes that might be a bit more complex
Maltby Bluegrass Jam is a bit further out (https://www.facebook.com/MaltbyBluegrassJam) - but it's an all day thing so might be worth it. 2pm picking starts, 5pm potluck dinner. I haven't been myself but friends that go like it - more traditional bluegrass and very welcoming from what I gather.