Homemade Jam: Wolves and People
Photo Credit: Bella Luce Photography
If bluegrass wasn’t born in a barn, it had to be close by. Five years ago after dilly-dallying for years, I worked up the courage to host a jam at the old home place, in Newberg on the edge of town. This is on Springbrook Farm—where I grew up and built my brewery-in-a-barn, called Wolves & People, opened in 2016 and named for a nighttime game of tag we played as kids—which my family took on in the summer of ‘67. Its slightly-leaning 1912 barn, once filled with filbert drying equipment, is now stuffed with shiny tanks. It’s my happy place.
The view from the beer garden is from orchard flats looking North toward Doug fir forests, vineyards, and a currently-quiet section of the Southern Pacific railroad. To the east is the pretty Parrett Mtn., hardly Himalayan but just high enough to have helped Oregon’s first settlers decide to stay forever. One of them, Bavaria-born Sebastian Brutscher, stowed away at the age of 19, named Newberg after his hometown, and farmed this tract with a sawmill on sleepy Springbrook Creek which wends across the property through several peaceful ponds to the Willamette. While there’s no evidence he was a musician, Brutscher farmed oats, hops, and wheat, which, when properly combined, are known to help people sing for hours on end. You can feel the history here.
Photo Credit: Bella Luce Photography
Speaking of history, it was late July, 2001, and the end of most pandemic restrictions afforded those with outdoor space added peace of mind. People were weary of lockdowns, eager to gather like old times. So we did.
Having also found a once-in-a-lifetime pawnshop guitar of which, to recall Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, I was not worthy (still ain’t), it was time to send out a smoke signal: not only did I want to meet others who could enlighten me, I thought they might like our brews. To my delight one sunny afternoon almost soon after posting the ad, local pickers Dave Poarch and Cam Urnes walked up asking, right here? I’d placed us in the blinding sun, far from customers. But it was a blast, and suffice to say, we don’t play over on the edge anymore. Poarch and Urnes have attended most of the jams since 2021.
Indeed, numbers swelled. Urnes helped set parameters to keep it from becoming acoustic karaoke. “There were just a few of us at first,” says Urnes, an accomplished banjo picker, “but it was a blast playing outside around a wine barrel. As word spread that the music was authentic, the musicians followed. You never know who will be there, a few hardy souls or a crowd. What is certain is that the music is always hot and the beer cold.”
Photo Credit: Bella Luce Photography
Bluegrass from trad to contemporary, oldtime, a bit of Grateful Dead/Dylan, alt-country, fiddle tunes, even original inspirations are standard fare. Attendees have formed fast friendships, and even one band (Knuckle Grease Station). An open, friendly, non-competitive, non-judgemental atmosphere has held fast. When the sun is setting, illuminating the willows, it’s pure serenity. “From the start, the W&P bluegrass jam has been so very welcoming and encouraging, especially to newer pickers,” says Poarch, a multi-instrumentalist McMinnville resident who performs with Bootleg Jam. “It’s evolved into an intermediate jam for sure, but you’ll find someone ready to take you under their wing. You’ll be among friends!”
Five years in the weekly jam draws from a few to up to 20. All levels are welcome, following clockwise protocol. Perhaps best of all, the sessions inspired us to launch our own music festival held at Newberg’s Chehalem Cultural Center every March, called Newgrass. So come to the farm, bring a song, leave with more. That’s how it’s been going. We are grateful for the chance to do it at all. See you at the barn?
- Christian DeBenedetti, Founder Wolves & People/Newgrass Festival
Photo Credit: Bella Luce Photography
Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery
30203 NE Benjamin Rd., Newberg OR 97132 | Thursdays from 6pm-close and Saturdays from 3pm to close.
Follow the brewery on Instagram @wolvesandpeople for news about new beers, @Newgrassfest plans, and info on our new as-yet-unnamed bar and music venue opening late Spring 2026
