The 15th annual Wintergrass bluegrass festival kicks off Thursday at the newly remodeled Hotel Murano (formerly the Sheraton Tacoma Hotel) in downtown Tacoma. And popular Seattle singer-songwriter Laura Love dreamed up the opening night showcase’s theme: Black and Bluegrass.

It’s about exploring the intersection of African and European traditions in bluegrass and other forms of roots music. And it also happens to be the foundation of the new band that Love will unveil at 8 p.m. on opening night. Recently, we caught up with her to learn more:

So there will be a Black and Bluegrass showcase Thursday night.

That’s right, which will feature Ruthie Foster and her fabulous band … as well as my new band, Harpers Ferry.

When I first began doing festivals, and up until just very recently, I would be the only black person on the whole bill. I was the only fly in the buttermilk. (Laughs) And I thought that was a shame because so much of this music that I was playing had its conception in Negro spirituals and African American folk music and stuff that just came right out of slavery.

I read Bill Monroe often credits a black man named Arnold Schultz for a lot of his material, (and) it started to really dawn on me that it wasn’t so unusual that a black woman such as myself would feel so much love for this music; and feel that bluegrass music and Negro spirituals and field hollers and African American acoustic blues are very much wedded. They have a natural affinity for each other.

So the audiences are starting to become more diverse?

Yes. The audiences are kind of starting to look around and say, hey, wouldn’t it be nice if these festivals were a little more inclusive of a little broader picture of the music. I’ve never been a purist about anything. I love bluegrass, and I love all kinds of different musical genres. But I think that music is often strengthened by cultural blending and melding. While I love bluegrass in its pure form, I also love when people reach out and bring their culture to other cultures and have an exchange. And so this night is just a culmination a dream for me.

Is your new band kind of along the lines of what we’ve been talking about?

Exactly. … My first attempt was pretty much with (last year’s) “Negrass” (album) where I really went and tried to put these kinds of music together. And I liked it so much that I decided that I’ve gotta put together a band that’s only that.

So we’re gonna be doing a whole lot of Negro spirituals, which is kind of funny for an atheist/agnostic such as myself. (Chuckles.) I find these songs to be amazingly powerful and moving. And I think of the function these songs provided, and the hope and the motivation and encouragement to just get up and get through another day.

Tell me who’s in your band.

Well, I’ve got a black banjo player from North Carolina named Turbo. He’s just a wonderful player. He plays Piedmont-style pickin’ as well as hip-hop banjo. (Laughs) He’s just and amazing guy. And Tanya Richardson on the fiddle. She’s actually the bass player for Ruthie Foster’s band, but … I heard her play fiddle and said, “Girl, you’ve got to come play fiddle with me.” So she will be fabulous. And Orville Johnson, one of the most soulful Caucasians I’ve ever met. And he plays the Dobro as well as guitar. And a woman named Tory Ana. She’s a mixed-race vocalist I met in Michigan and I was blown away by her voice. I’m hoping we can get Clifford Irvin, a bones player from North Carolina, to play a few songs with us.

I wanted Harpers Ferry to play music that reflected both cultures and the melding of cultures. And I also wanted the band to be representative of both cultures.

I’ve heard your last album. How do you take the concept of melding cultures to the next level?

This is like the natural evolution and progression from “Negrass” to me. And I read this book called “Cloud Splitter,” and it was about (radical abolitionist) John Brown and his eventual end at Harpers Ferry, (West) Virginia. … In our touring last year, we were able to go to Harpers Ferry and see what’s left of it and the armory where he and his sons and his very small militia holed up and were overtaken and eventually slaughtered.

It was just an incredibly pivotal moment in American history, and was sort of the straw that broke the camel’s back. … And very soon thereafter the Civil War began.

So that concept kind of fit what you were trying to do?

Yeah, yeah. And I just realized how history and music are alive and evolving; and they’re dynamic and this music from Africa and the diaspora, and music from Northern Europe and the diaspora is constantly evolving in many different directions. And I love kind of getting back to where it started and then kind of taking it to, hopefully, some other level.

Are you thinking of recording an album with Harpers Ferry?

We’ll see how it goes. I hope people will like the band. I hope people will like what we’re trying to do. And I certainly hope they will come out and support this night because I’m hoping we start a trend here in the Pacific Northwest.

Ernest A. Jasmin: 253-274-7389

Here are five noteworthy bands and events scheduled for Wintergrass 2008. See www.acousticsound.org for a complete schedule:

Black and Bluegrass concert: A showcase of how African and European musical traditions have cross-pollinated in American roots music. Laura Love will debut her new band, Harpers Ferry, at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Hotel Murano pavilion, followed by Ruthie Foster at 9.

Michael Cleveland: The International Bluegrass Music Association has named him fiddler of the year for the last two years in a row; 7:55 p.m. Feb. 22, Hotel Murano pavilion.

Punch Brothers: Featuring Nickel Creek’s Chris Thile on mandolin; 11:15 p.m. Feb. 22 at Hotel Murano pavilion.

The Duhks: These rising Canadian stars fuse traditional bluegrass with eclectic modern sounds; 1:45 p.m. Feb. 23 at Hotel Murano pavilion, midnight Feb. 23 at Varsity Grill.

Vasen: This Scandinavian folk outfit will team up with Mike Marshall & Darol Anger. Pay attention, and you might even learn what a nyckleharpa is; 8:45 p.m. Feb. 22 at Urban Grace Church, 6:30 p.m. Feb. 23, Hotel Murano pavilion.

Ernest A. Jasmin, The News Tribune

When: Thursday through Feb. 24

Where: Hotel Murano (1320 Broadway), the Varsity Grill (1114 Broadway), Courtyard by Marriott Hotel (1515 Commerce St.) and Urban Grace Church (902 Market St.), downtown Tacoma

Tickets: Individual single day tickets are $10 to $55, varying by day and age; weekend passes are $25 to $110; family rates available; free entry for children 5 and younger

Information: 253-238-8000 or www.acousticsound.org