Bela Fleck, American born, was named after Hungarian composer Béla Bartók, Austrian composer Anton Webern and Czech composer Leoš Janáček. You could literally say he was born into music. He was drawn toward the banjo, the instrument for which he is most well-known, after hearing Earl Scruggs picking away. He formed Bela Fleck and the Flecktones with Wooten twenty three years ago and they haven't slowed down a bit. As with any group playing for over two decades, members have moved in and out of the project. However, tonight we get a taste of nostalgia: Bela will be playing with his original Flecktones once again at Chateau Ste Michelle in Woodinville, WA. Don't forget your chairs and/or blankets unless you want to shell out the extra bucks for reserved seating. more ›

It's been no secret that the parent company of Chateau Ste. Michelle is UST, powerhouse of smokeless tobacco (Copenhagen, Skoal). Three decades ago those tobacco profits, looking for a safe haven, provided desperately-needed investment capital for the young Washington's wine industry. Seriously, Washington wine wouldn't exist if not for the enlightened owners of UST. But times change, and those enlightened owners have long since coughed their last. This week UST was sold to Altria, owners of Marlboro among other cigarette brands, for $10.4 billion. Industry observers say it's only a matter of time until Altria puts the entire Ste. Michelle wine division on the block. Your crack Seattlest news team is on the case (five million cases a year, actually), will report back. more ›