Year Two for Magoo
02/02/2026 11:14AM ● By Skylar Leeson
Image courtesy of Jeff Fasano/Magoo.
Erik Hill, guitarist and vocalist for the Denver-based progressive bluegrass quartet Magoo, spoke with “Steamboat Magazine” ahead of the band’s second appearance at WinterWonderGrass this year. He reflects on the group’s rapid rise, their deepening connection to the Steamboat music scene and the unique energy of returning to one of Colorado’s premier winter bluegrass festivals.
Steamboat Magazine: You’re back for WWG year two - what are you looking forward to this year? Any tips from other artists for being on the main stage for the first time?
Erik Hill: We get a lot more sets this year so it’ll be fun to play quite a bit more. We get two sets on Friday night in the tents, two sets Sunday night in the tent, on top of the mountain on Saturday morning and late night with Matt Grass Saturday night. So there'll be a lot more playing which is what we love to do. It's one of the best festivals. I think just warming up and making sure your fingers are nice and warm. The people’s smiles and energy in the crowd, that oughta do the trick to warm you up, just making sure you're soaking all that in to stay physically warm.
S.M.: What were some of your highlights or favorite memories from last year?
E.H.: Last year we saw a lot of good music, and we met a lot of great people. Kyle Tuttle sat in with us on banjo in the VIP tent – that was really fun. He is such a nice guy and a phenomenal musician. We also got to do a late night show at The Press. That was a lot of fun and super rowdy.
S.M.: Do you have any pre-show rituals or traditions that fans would never see?
E.H.: We do a band handshake, basically set the intention, make sure everyone's ready to have a good time. Nothing too unusual but we do it before every gig.
S.M.: What does playing WinterWonderGrass mean to you personally?
E.H.: Means a lot, I am not from Colorado but I’ve lived here for a little over eight years and so it's kind of a local festival in a way. Being able to be a part of this – granted it's only our second year – but it feels like it's a family affair for sure. To be invited back by Scotty and the bonfire team, who put on amazing events, is really meaningful for us to be included in that family.
S.M.: Who are you excited to see perform this year?
E.H.: We’ve recently become hip to this band Broken Compass that plays bluegrass out of California like the Nevada City/Tahoe area. They are doing some tent sets this year. And they are very young. I think they're in their early 20s and they are just amazing; I can't wait to watch them. They are definitely exploding on the scene.
S.M.: What does the next chapter look like for you and the band?
E.H.: Well, this is our busiest year to date. Last year was the first year getting on the road; we bought a van and we toured out of the state quite extensively, played a lot of new markets and traveled a bit. This year we are going to play around twice as many shows, a good chunk more than we did in 2025. So the touring will be extensive, lots of great festivals we get to play for the first time and festivals I've never even been to but have heard about for years. We’ve been announcing those slowly and have a bunch more to announce. We’ve also got our first full length album coming out on the Friday WinterWonderGrass starts so that's very exciting, so we’ll be doing a lot of press and marketing and touring for that album.
Follow Magoo on social media @magootheband or on their website, www.magootheband.com.
Erik Hill, guitarist and vocalist for the Denver-based progressive bluegrass quartet Magoo, spoke with “Steamboat Magazine” ahead of the band’s second appearance at WinterWonderGrass this year. He reflects on the group’s rapid rise, their deepening connection to the Steamboat music scene and the unique energy of returning to one of Colorado’s premier winter bluegrass festivals.
Steamboat Magazine: You’re back for WWG year two - what are you looking forward to this year? Any tips from other artists for being on the main stage for the first time?
Erik Hill: We get a lot more sets this year so it’ll be fun to play quite a bit more. We get two sets on Friday night in the tents, two sets Sunday night in the tent, on top of the mountain on Saturday morning and late night with Matt Grass Saturday night. So there'll be a lot more playing which is what we love to do. It's one of the best festivals. I think just warming up and making sure your fingers are nice and warm. The people’s smiles and energy in the crowd, that oughta do the trick to warm you up, just making sure you're soaking all that in to stay physically warm.
S.M.: What were some of your highlights or favorite memories from last year?
E.H.: Last year we saw a lot of good music, and we met a lot of great people. Kyle Tuttle sat in with us on banjo in the VIP tent – that was really fun. He is such a nice guy and a phenomenal musician. We also got to do a late night show at The Press. That was a lot of fun and super rowdy.
S.M.: Do you have any pre-show rituals or traditions that fans would never see?
E.H.: We do a band handshake, basically set the intention, make sure everyone's ready to have a good time. Nothing too unusual but we do it before every gig.
S.M.: What does playing WinterWonderGrass mean to you personally?
E.H.: Means a lot, I am not from Colorado but I’ve lived here for a little over eight years and so it's kind of a local festival in a way. Being able to be a part of this – granted it's only our second year – but it feels like it's a family affair for sure. To be invited back by Scotty and the bonfire team, who put on amazing events, is really meaningful for us to be included in that family.
S.M.: Who are you excited to see perform this year?
E.H.: We’ve recently become hip to this band Broken Compass that plays bluegrass out of California like the Nevada City/Tahoe area. They are doing some tent sets this year. And they are very young. I think they're in their early 20s and they are just amazing; I can't wait to watch them. They are definitely exploding on the scene.
S.M.: What does the next chapter look like for you and the band?
E.H.: Well, this is our busiest year to date. Last year was the first year getting on the road; we bought a van and we toured out of the state quite extensively, played a lot of new markets and traveled a bit. This year we are going to play around twice as many shows, a good chunk more than we did in 2025. So the touring will be extensive, lots of great festivals we get to play for the first time and festivals I've never even been to but have heard about for years. We’ve been announcing those slowly and have a bunch more to announce. We’ve also got our first full length album coming out on the Friday WinterWonderGrass starts so that's very exciting, so we’ll be doing a lot of press and marketing and touring for that album.
Follow Magoo on social media @magootheband or on their website, www.magootheband.com.