The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG – Kate Hockersmith thought she was out of the Bluegrass business until Chris Philbrook knocked on her door in 2010 saying he wanted to be a Troublemaker and go to Japan. A few days later, Kavin Kuykendall showed up on her doorstep asking if she knew anyone who taught banjo.

"It was the strangest thing. At that same time, Emily and Beka Adams were learning to play fiddle, so I opened the doors and had a flood of kids. Most were homeschooled and some came from College Place and Dayton," Kate said.

That group of kids has ebbed and flowed over the years as the band has gone through several reincarnations. They started as the Rezonators, became the Barnstormers, and perform today as Switchgrass. But their goal of visiting Japan has remained steady, and they're set to meet it in October 2017.

Hockersmith became involved in Bluegrass in 2003 when she helped her son, John, form The Troublemakers – a parent-led band that played throughout the Touchet Valley and visited Sasayama, Japan as part of a sister-city exchange in 2007.

That group disbanded shortly after their return from Japan, but Kate said they still do an occasional performance when they can work it out. And John teaches many of the current band members.

As more kids became interested in learning Bluegrass, Hockersmith formed the Touchet Valley Acoustic Music Project, under the umbrella of the nonprofit Rural Youth Enrichment Services. As project director she mentors an ever-changing cycle of local Bluegrass musicians.

Switchgrass is made up of the most advanced musicians. Current members are Chris Philbrook on banjo, Emma Philbrook on mandolin, and Robert Walsh on standup bass. Makenna Barron and Kaleb Kuykendall are new to the band and both play fiddle. Everyone joins in on vocals.

Chris said he first approached Hockersmith after receiving encouragement from his grandparents, who gave him and his sister a banjo and mandolin. Chris claimed dibs on the banjo and persuaded Emma, who was twelve at the time, to join the band as well.

"I was reluctant at first. I was just going along as Chris' caddy, but I eventually got roped in to playing with the group," Emma said. As a college student attending Whitman College in Walla Walla today, Emma is finding it harder to make practices, but says the effort is worth it.

"I love collaborating with Chris and Robert. They are both very talented musicians. We do a lot of dinking around and come up with our own versions of stuff. It's neat when we do something and it works out well," Emma said.

The band has performed at gigs and fundraisers all over the Touchet Valley, including the Seneca Food Bank Benefit, the Dayton and Walla Walla Relay for Life events, the Frenchtown Rendezvous, the Columbia County Fair, Waitsburg Celebration Days, and many more.

Walsh, who has been with Switchgrass for about three years, says his favorite part of being in the band is the positive response they get from the audience and how appreciative people are.

Hockersmith, who went to Sasayama with the Troublemakers in 2007, can't wait for Switchgrass to share in that experience. The exchange is part of the Walla Walla-Sasayama Sister City Exchange program. Every five years, the cities do a cultural exchange of some kind, which is where Switchgrass fits in. The October 2017 exchange will mark the 45th anniversary of the Sister City Exchange Program.

Hockersmith said that the kids stay with host families and get a total immersion into Japanese culture. Students begin meeting with program organizers months before the trip to learn about Japanese culture, manners, and food.

While in Japan, they will spend evenings with their host families, but come together during the day to take tours and sightsee. Hockersmith said their performance schedule hasn't been set yet, but last time they played at high schools and junior highs, met and played for kids in FFJ (Future Farmers of Japan), and performed at a large community center.

"It's an amazing learning experience. I can't think of any other travel that would be as eye-opening as some of the stuff that went on there," Hockersmith said.

Emma, who said she hasn't been farther away than Boise, Ida., is especially excited about the stopover in Seoul, Korea, where her college roommate is from.

Dena Wood

Band members are quick to share their time and talents with the community. Here, Walsh and Chris Philbrook rehearse with 6-year-old Griffen Hinchliffe as he prepares to sing "East Bound and Down" for the elementary school Waitsburg's Got Talent program.

"We've introduced her to Izzy and taken her to the Liberty Theater and done all the typical Waitsburg things. It would be neat to get a peek at her world as well," Emma said.

The next challenge the band faces is raising funds for the trip. Each musician is responsible for their own plane ticket, which will run about $2,000.

Switchgrass will perform (and happily accept donations) several times during Waitsburg Celebration Days.

At 11 a.m. on Saturday, the band will play at the Wilson-Phillips House. The popular Walla Walla acoustic music group bIG fONT will play at the Classic Car Show in Preston Park from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, with Switchgrass performing between their sets at 1 p.m. Switchgrass will take the stage again at Burgers, Bands, and Brews at the Lions Club Building at the Waitsburg Fairgrounds from 5-8 p.m. on Saturday night, and wraps up the weekend with a 9 a.m. performance at Cowboy Church back at Preston Park on Sunday morning.