Is there a Northwest playing style?

Does anyone feel Northwest dulcimer playing has its own sound or style?I've often entertained a notion that the Northwest style is a little wild around the edges... players take chances, break new ground, mix up the rhythms with syncopated strumming, and write new tunes more than interpreting tradition. I'm thinking of the players who go to the Kindred Gathering and those of the 70's and 80's who kind of got things going. Your thoughts?