Blue Railroad Train in Ireland, August-September

Back in March, we heard from James Field, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of Blue Railroad Train, and have since had the pleasure of meeting him at the EWOB Festival in the Netherlands. James wrote: 'The band includes some of the finest players in France: Jean-Marie Redon on banjo, Thierry Lecocq on mandolin and fiddle, and Philippe Perrard flatpicking lead guitar. We played at Dunmore East last year and have been invited back again this year, to which we just added a booking for the Appalachian and Bluegrass Music Festival in Omagh. After those two festivals, we will head for the States to attend IBMA's World of Bluegrass and then play the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival in early October.'

Thanks to John Meegan, Blue Railroad Train will also be playing in Ballybay, Co. Monaghan, on Thursday 31 August. They would still be glad of another booking to help cover the expenses of staying in Ireland between the two festivals. This is an outstanding band both vocally and instrumentally, hard-driving, composed of some of the most experienced bluegrass musicians outside the USA, and with a great repertoire. If you can offer them a show, please contact James at this link, by post at 14 rue des Acacias, 75017 Paris, France, or by phone: +33 (0)1 45 74 08 67; mobile +33 (0)6 14 83 94 51.