No, not a word...

The editor reports:

I'll be absent during the period of IBMA week (24 September to 1 October) and for a few days before and after; so please continue to send in news and comments, but don't expect them to appear on the BIB till I get back, when they will go in as soon as possible. Our son Tim is minding the store, but that does not include editorial functions.

Carol Hawkins reports:

Well, we are off once again to indulge ourselves in a feast of bluegrass music at IBMA. We have just come back from the Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival, which had a really incredible line-up - something for everyone. Richard was jamming till 3.30 a.m. every day in exalted company.

We would like to say a big 'Thank you' to Chris & Kathy and also to Lisa and all the volunteers. It was a fantastically enjoyable, well run festival. Well done! The bar staff of the Longford Arms did a great job, working flat out for the duration of the festival. Roll on next year!

Dobros and JD at Longford

Colin Henry reports:

Ireland's small but highly dedicated dobro fraternity (plus one from Spain and two from England) were joined in an afternoon session in the Longford Arms by none other than Jerry Douglas, often (if not always) named as the greatest dobro player in the world. He came in with dobro in hand and we all had a round of 'Fireball Mail' as he led the way. Jerry then sat and played some solo pieces and showed off his current guitar - a Beard, by the way. We had an informal question-and-answer session, and then the highlight for me personally was when Janet asked Jerry if he would accompany her in a song. He immediately agreed and Janet sang a song written by ourselves while Jerry played backup and took a solo. This is something that only happens once in a lifetime and I'm glad it was in mine.

Jerry Douglas is an absolute gentleman who obviously puts his fans first, taking time out of his very busy day to sit in a bar in Longford with a bunch of middle-aged (Gerry Fitz and I) and younger (all the rest) dobro amateurs playing a tune he must have played more than any other on Planet Dobro.

Many, many thanks to Gerry Fitzpatrick for setting the whole thing up and for staying up so late the night before just to secure the meeting!

I attach two photos: one of Jerry playing in the bar and one of Gerry Fitz taking his break with the maestro on 'Fireball Mail'.

Kevin Montgomery in Ireland, 6-10 October

Gerry Fitzpatrick reports:

Kevin Montgomery will doing a short acoustic tour of Ireland. He will be supported by Andrea Zonn (fiddle, vocals) who has played with James Taylor and Vince Gill amongst others. The dates are:

Oct. 6th: Spirit Store, Dundalk
Oct. 7th: Errigle Inn, Belfast
Oct. 10th: Cobblestone, Dublin

Note: special guests for the Dublin show will be the Sick & Indigent Song Club.

Crooked Still tour in Ireland, 22 Sept.-1 Oct.

A reminder that:

Crooked Still, a young, dynamic quartet of musicians from the north-east US, play traditional-influenced, distinctly American-based music comprised of an extensive bluegrass, Appalachian, and blues repertoire. Their extensive tour of Ireland in spring of last year was a major success thrilling audiences in ten venues around the country, playing live on national radio, and garnering praise from several of the country's top music writers.

The band has just released their second CD, Shaken by a low sound, on the Signature Sounds label. (You can hear full songs from the CD on their MySpace site.) They are looking forward to a return to Ireland in a week's time for ten days of concerts north and south. Read more about the band here. Full dates are on the BIB calendar.

Carmel & the Ravens meet Jerry Douglas on the air!

Tom Sheerin reports:

Carmel Sheerin & the Ravens will be joining Jerry Douglas on Shannonside 104FM Radio on Saturday morning next (16 September) at 11.00 a.m. The special Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival show is being hosted by Charlie McGettigan and is one not to be missed.

Rough Deal and smooth greens

Thanks to Bill Whelan for the news that the Rough Deal String Band will be playing at the K Club, Straffan, Co. Kildare, on Thursday 21 and Friday 22 September during the forthcoming 36th Ryder Cup. The next Ryder Cup in two years' time will be played in Kentucky, so the RDSB are fulfilling the vital function of making the US team feel at home.

(Never mind the logic; anyone hearing the RDSB is going to feel good anywhere, at any time.)

TeenGrass discussion group

Garian Vigil of Boulder, Colorado, a member of IBMA and the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society, says: 'I hope you will pass this along to any teen pickers you know. Thanks in advance. Please tell your membership about TeenGrass!

'TeenGrass is a Yahoo discussion group for pre-teen, teen, and young adult bluegrass musicians from all over the world. The group site has room for uploading pictures and files, and it's a great networking tool for the members to share information, tunes, good news and encouragement.

'To fully access the site, the user must have a Yahoo profile which is easy to create, but the email list can also be delivered to any inbox of any email system. The group is fully moderated, so there's no spam or other inappropriate email. Please pass this along so that this group can grow!'

BIB editor's note: The monthly magazine Bluegrass Now now carries a 'Teen Scene' column in every issue. By the way, the September issue of BN also has a cover feature on Greg Cahill, who as chairman of the IBMA's 'Bluegrass in the Schools' committee and leader of the Special Consensus has done a lot to bring bluegrass to people still at school. Greg and the Special C. will be in Ireland early next year; see our calendar for dates.

Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival, 14-17 Sept.

A reminder, for anyone who needs it, that the 5th annual Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival in Longford town begins on Thursday 14 September with an evening concert at the Longford Arms ballroom, the main festival concert venue. From then till Sunday night, indoor and open-air concerts, street and pub sessions, and masterclass workshops will be taking place practically non-stop.

With the Jerry Douglas Band (USA) at the top of the bill, there are likely to be plenty of dobros in town. For old-time enthusiasts, there are Uncle Earl (USA), the exciting new all-woman string band band; the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band (USA) featuring Leroy Troy; and our own Rough Deal String Band. Bluegrass is represented by our own Carmel Sheerin & the Ravens, #1 European Bluegrass Band 2005; the Carter Brothers (USA); two legendary US banjoists, Tony Trischka with a full band, and Pete Wernick with his wife Joan; the Jeff & Vida Band, and our unique Niall Toner Band (Ireland). And more! For the appearances by Ottley, Hanway, and Dillon, see our post here.

As always, the Irish-music side of the programme is equally distinguished. Full details are on the festival website. And if you want a new banjo or something fixed on your old one, call on Tom Cussen of Clareen Banjos who will have premises in Longford during the festival.

Further details from this link; phone 087-281-7825; international +353-87-281-7825

More MySpace

Gerry Fitzpatrick reports: 'I've posted a version of "Cincinnati Rag" on MySpace. See what you think.' Gerry's MySpace includes links to many musicians including Jerry Douglas, Kevin Montgomery, Randy Kohrs, Phil Leadbetter, Tim Graves, the Dutch bluegrass/Celtic band Blue Dew, and Colin Henry of Belfast.

There's also a link to the MySpace of the Sick & Indigent Song Club, which is described in Gerry's notes, along with the new monthly session run by Noreen & Brian McGrane in Booterstown, Co. Dublin, and the weekly bluegrass jam in Harold's Cross. MySpace looks like being an increasingly useful way of spreading information and linking people up.

Bill Monroe: more tributes

The original Bluegrass Blog carries many tributes to Bill Monroe on the tenth anniversary of his death. Several items are contributed by Richard Thompson, a founding member of the British Bluegrass Music Association, as well as one by Enda Donnelly of Fair City Grass, who has been a friend of Richard's for over twenty years and contributes a memory of meeting Bill Monroe in Cork city in the 1980s.

Bill Monroe tribute concert, Athy: report

Tony O'Brien and Rob Chanders report:

The ABMA brought their '06 events to a close on Friday night with the Bill Monroe Tribute concert, and what a fitting way to end a great year that has seen us host our most successful festival in our sixteen-year history. The tribute was a great success with a nice audience of 50-60 people and great music. Woodbine opened the show and were joined by Richard Hawkins on banjo, and did a fine set of Monroe songs and standard bluegrass numbers. The Blue Grass Boys for the evening were Clem O'Brien (guitar/vocals), Tom Hanway (banjo/vocals), Paddy Chanders (mandolin), and Liam Wright (bass); and what a fine job they did, with over an hour long set of Monroe songs/tunes. Mr Monroe would certainly have approved and can rest easy in the knowledge that his music lives on to such a high standard.

A big 'thank you' to Tom Hanway, Richard Hawkins, and Clem O'Brien, also to the members of Woodbine for making the effort to be part of this tribute. They know and appreciate where bluegrass came from. Thanks to everyone for a great year and we look forward to '07 with confidence of an even better one.

BIB editor's note: The above image reproduces Tony's flyer for the tribute. The photo below, used by courtesy of Denise Hanway, shows Woodbine: left to right, Paddy Chanders (mandolin), Liam Wright (guitar), Nicola O'Brien (bass), and Tony O'Brien (guitar), plus Richard Hawkins (banjo).

Prison Love and then some!

Hurricane Barry reports:

Howdy folks!
We're real excited to announce some new dates, especially with Dirk Powell & the Foghorn Stringband Oct. 2nd in Whelans. Hope to see you there!

September

Sunday 10th, 5.00 p.m.: Cobblestone back room, €10. Catch Prison Love in the intimacy of the Cobblestone back room, top of Smithfield Square, 77 King St., Dublin 7

Wednesday 13th, 10.00 p.m.: Spiegeltent, €15. The World Famous Speigeltent hosts Wraygunn (Portuguese gospel rock), with One Day International (Aussie ambience) and Prison Love supporting. Get there for a unique musical experience! George's Dock, Dublin, 1

Sunday 17th, 5.00 p.m.: Cobblestone back room, €10. Catch Prison Love in the intimacy of the Cobblestone Back room, again! Top of Smithfield Square, 77 King St., Dublin 7

Wednesday 27th, 8.00 p.m.: Tripod with Hayseed Dixie, €17.50. We're supporting Hayseed Dixie's Dublin leg of their UK & Ireland tour. With Bray Vista. Old Harcourt St. Train Station, Harcourt Street, Dublin 2

Friday 29th, 8.00 p.m.: 8th Belfast Open House Festival, £6. Prison Love kick off four frantic days of bad-ass Bluegrass & Lo-fi Punk Blues. Special guests Choral Sex. The Black Box, 18 22 Hill St., Cathedral quarter, Belfast

October

Monday 2nd, 8.00 p.m.: Whelan's, Wexford St., Dublin 2 €15.00. Appalachian fiddle and banjo legend Dirk Powell plays a night of Cajun & old-time with Foghorn String Band (US) and Dublin's own Prison Love.

Bluegrass darling brings original songs to Longford

Press release:

LONGFORD, September 2006 – Ruth Dillon, a Clonmel-born singer-songwriter, will perform her original folk and bluegrass songs at Eamon Farrell's Town and Country Pub on Earl Street on Friday 15 September and Saturday 16 September, 10 p.m. Ruth will sing and 'flatpick' her acoustic guitar and is joined by two world-class bluegrass musicians, Ivor Ottley (UK) on fiddle and Longford resident Tom Hanway (USA) on banjo.

Ms Dillon, who is the darling of the Americana and folk music scene in Galway, served an impressive apprenticeship with the Dolores Keane band for five years, with whom she travelled the world. Since then, she has released two solo CDs of all-original songs, Silent thief and Woken. She also performs with Ivor Ottley in Wildwood, and the two recently made guest appearances in August with Hanway's Tennessee Hob at the Dunmore East International Bluegrass Festival, Ireland's biggest free bluegrass festival.

Ottley, Hanway, and Dillon will perform original and traditional bluegrass material, ranging from hard-driving bluegrass instrumentals to softer ballads, Americana, and gospel songs. All three musicians sing and the powerful combination of hoedown fiddle, banjo, and guitar is guaranteed to lift folks off their seats.

Tom Hanway (USA/Ireland) is one of the hottest 5-string banjo players on the planet and has performed on the stage with Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass, and with many bluegrass and Americana legends, including Peter Rowan, Vassar Clements, Bill Keith, and Tony Trischka. Tom Hanway co-designed the worldwide-selling SwallowTail Banjo, manufactured by Stelling in Afton, Virginia, USA. (Actor Steve Martin purchased a SwallowTail in 2006.) Tom is the author of Mel Bay's Complete book of Irish & Celtic 5-string banjo, and in 2005 held the prized banjo chair in the #1 European Bluegrass Band, voted by his musical peers in EBMA.

The combination of Ottley, Hanway, and Dillon will delight with their original songs, luscious harmonies, and hard-driving bluegrass picking.

Contact: Tom Hanway, 043-46340 or 087 610 1712

Omagh: personal memories (update)

Acoustic Grass at Omagh: left to right - Barney Bowes (mandolin), Dessie Crerand (fiddle), Sean McKerr (bass), two audience members, Tony Curran (banjo), Colin Henry (dobro), Frankie Robinson (guitar)

Colin Henry reports: I attach a photo for the blog of the lads at Omagh. Barney in full song as other dubious looking characters back him up! Could I also take the opportunity on the blog to thank Tony Curran and Frankie Robinson for inviting me to play with them. I had a great time, and for a band that hadn't played together ever before (and even for some that had) the music sounded pretty good to me.

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Doyle Lawson and Carol Hawkins before Prof. Jack Bernhardt's MacAuley lecture on Sunday 3 September


Doyle Lawson and Jack Bernhardt during the lecture

Kevin Welch & Kieran Kane in Ireland, 7-13 Sept.

Thanks to Terry Turner for the news that Kevin Welch and Kieran Kane, Dead Reckoning Records recording artists, will be playing the following shows in Ireland in the next few days:

Thurs. 7th: Belfast - the Real Music Club @ the Errigle Inn
Fri. 8th: Rathfriland, Co. Down - the Bronte Music Club
Sat. 9th: Portstewart, Co. Londonderry - Music Station @ Cromore Halt
Mon. 11th: Galway city - the Roisin Dubh
Tues. 12th: Dublin - Whelan's
Wed. 13th: Monaghan - the Brewery Bar

Record crowds enjoy Omagh festival

Press release:

Patsy Toman of Northern Exposure

Everything was blue but the mood at the Ulster American Folk Park last weekend as over 7,000 visitors enjoyed the 15th Annual Appalachian & Bluegrass Music Festival. Energetic, exhilarating, and at times breathtaking performances greeted the record crowds over the course of the three-day musical extravaganza. Despite an unpromising weather forecast, blue skies dominated much of the festival weekend, allowing visitors to explore with ease the picturesque musical locations dotted throughout the award-winning museum.

Three evening concerts brought sell-out numbers to the festival marquee each night to witness many of the world's best bluegrass acts. This included electric performances by acts such as The Wilders and Bearfoot Bluegrass, and simply iconic displays of musicianship from the legendary Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. The festival marquee moved from hushed silence to uncontrolled bursts of applause throughout each spectacular show.

Richard Hurst, Festival Organiser at the Ulster American Folk Park, was delighted with the success of this year's event, commenting: 'Some of the top names in bluegrass from the United States and Europe took part this year – a reflection of the reputation this festival has developed internationally. Grammy-nominated Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver received a phenomenal reception from their audiences whilst The Wilders from Kansas City had the crowds shouting for more.'


Ike Sheldon, lead singer and guitar player for the Wilders

Undoubtedly, part of the festival's repeated success is the insistence on variety; the diversity of acts on display ensured that there was a bluegrass musical style to suit all tastes. This included Italy's Mideando String Quintet as the current European Bluegrass Band of the Year, Roll's Boys from the Czech Republic and young contemporary acts such as Beansprouts from Holland and Carmel Sheerin and the Ravens from Ireland.

Doyle Lawson, who headlined the sell-out Saturday night concert with his band Quicksilver, said: 'Myself and the band have really enjoyed our time at the Ulster American Folk Park. We have toured all over the world but this is truly a special place with a landscape that reminds us very much of home. Everyone has been extremely friendly, helpful and welcoming. We certainly have felt the Irish welcome we'd heard so much about. And what a reception we got at the Festival – it was unbelievable!'

The relaxed atmosphere of the 'Bluegrass in the Park' afternoon sessions still appealed to many as both tourists and locals converged on the museum to appreciate a Saturday and Sunday afternoon with a difference. For many it was an opportunity to see how bluegrass music has its roots in the tunes and ballads which emigrants from Ireland brought with them to American many centuries ago.



Hog's Rose: Enda Donnelly (mandolin), Paul McEvoy (guitar), Duncan Pratt (bass), Richard Hawkins (banjo)

The 'Spirit of Bluegrass' gospel concert once again provided the finale to the 2006 festival, and it certainly lived up to its title. The crowds were moved by the emotional harmonies of the Gospel Jubilators and the iconic Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, whose mainstay has always been gospel music. The atmosphere created provided a truly up-lifting end to the three-day event.

Peter Kelly, Head of Museum Services, said: 'This was our best Bluegrass Music Festival to date, and we are delighted with the huge numbers of visitors who enjoyed this special weekend. A special thanks has to be made to all our sponsors including Creative Media (main sponsor), TC Autos, Dannios Medical Centre, Signal Signs, Molly Sweeney's Filling Station, Omagh District Council and the US Consulate General. We have already received great feedback from visitors about this year’s festival and are looking forward to an even bigger and better one next year!'

For further information contact Paula Donnelly on 02882 256309.