Hello,

My name is Ryan Ramsdell. I am not a native of Forks, rather Tacoma, but have had the great honor of having been a visitor to Forks and the Hoh Rain Forest every summer for the past 35+ years of my 37 total. My grandfather introduced my father and my father to me, the great Hoh rain forest and, in particular, The Cottonwood Campgrounds on DNR land. My grandfather and father are since gone but my brother and I continue to invite our families each year to camp, river raft, fish and generally relax in the tall greens of the forest as well as make our regular sojourn to the Forks Thriftway and the numerous shops around town.

Why the long introduction? I am the upright bass player for a band called The Cottonwood Cutups. We are comprised of my brother-in-law Joel, his brother Jesse and myself. We formed out of campfire jams at The Cottonwood Campgrounds and named ourselves after the campgrounds.

Our debut full-length album came out on Friday, March 21, and that was followed by a big CD release show in Tacoma on the 22nd. The News Tribune will be adding a story on Friday, about us as well. Our Tacoma weekly article came out Wednesday: www.tacomaweekly.com/citylife/view/cottonwood-cutups-to-celebrate-debut-release-new-frontier-lounge/.

The music is a mix of Americana, bluegrass and a bit of punk. I am unclear if this would make for the appropriate fare for your paper, but I do know that our name has raised a bit of attention and appreciation for what the woods can bring and the beauty of the area.

If you are interested in previewing the album, I certainly would send you a copy. I considered that this could make for an interesting article. One song, in particular: “The River HOH Down” is about some of the locals (sadly, I have forgotten their name), showing up to our campsite and jamming with us before driving off.

My hope is that it may be stocked in Forks soon. It is up on Amazon.com, CDbaby and will be up on iTunes and etc. shortly.

Ryan Ramsdell

Lakewood