A good start to the festive season

Thanks to Phil Leadbetter, Brad Bechtel, and the BGRASS-L forum for the news that the Gibson company have a splendid little video festuring Earl Scruggs (banjo), Gary Scruggs (bass), and Randy Scruggs (guitar), Ricky Skaggs and Sam Bush (mandolins), and Phil Leadbetter (dobro), which can be seen and downloaded here. Earl's playing - especially in backup - is a joy to see and hear, and in general demeanour he resembles Andres Segovia (father of modern classical guitar) more closely than ever.

Pete Goble: update

From the IBMA-L discussion forum, Stephanie P. Ledgin forwards this news from Pete Goble, songwriter:

We just wanted to update you on Dave's Dad, Pete. He was released from rehab today and is now home. Praise God! We have truly witnessed a miracle. Thank you all so much for the calls, hospital visits and most of all for your prayers during the past 6 weeks. Words cannot express how much each of you mean to us.

God Bless!

Love, Dave & Connie Goble

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2 November

From the BGRASS-L discussion forum, Freddie Harris reports:

I just received a message about my cousin, Pete Goble. Pete is in the hospital recovering from a back surgery that he underwent last Tuesday. Yesterday, doctors believe he suffered a blood clot in his lungs which caused him to go without oxygen to his brain for several minutes. He is now on life support (ventilator) and his prognosis is very critical. He is in the intensive care unit at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and doctors have told the family to be prepared for the worst. For those of you that may not be familiar with Pete, he is one of the finest songwriters in bluegrass music. Many of his songs ('Big spike hammer', 'Julie Ann', 'Knee deep in bluegrass', 'Colleen Malone', etc.) have become bluegrass standards.

Please remember Pete in your prayers and pass this along. Thank you!

BIB editor's note: Veteran fiddler Carl Nelson (b. 23 Aug. 1935), who played and recorded with Bill Harrell and many other musicians of the Washington DC area, died on 1 November after a long battle with
emphysema. He also played in country bands, and played piano as well as fiddle. Thanks to Roger Ryan for additional details.

For fiddlers

Acutab Publications announce the long-awaited release of their first instructional fiddle DVD, Ron Stewart's Playing fiddle in the bluegrass style (90 minutes). More details about it are available here.

Ron Stewart has been playing since he was a toddler, has toured and recorded with many top artists in bluegrass, won the IBMA's Fiddler of the Year award in 2000, and is now working with J. D. Crowe & the New South. The backup band includes Kenny Smith (IBMA Guitarist of the Year, 1998 and 1999) on guitar.

BIB editor's note: I consider Ron Stewart an absolutely exemplary player on both fiddle and banjo (his Acutab banjo DVD came out some time ago), so this release looks like being an event.

Prison Love at the Village, 3 Dec.

Howdy folks,

It's time to get your dancin' boots on, as Prison Love commence the holiday season in style. Join us in the heart of Dublin's live-music quarter for a night of Cajun, gospel, old-time, bluegrass and good times.

The Village, Wexford St., Sunday 3rd December; doors 8.00 p.m., €10

Be good,
Hurricane Barry

Soapy adds:

Special guests on the night are the soon-to-be-legendary I Draw Slow (TBC) - check them out here.

See Prison Love's MySpace place.

'Prison Love trade in high-octane bluegrass with just the right tincture of trouser-hitchin' country. Their sizzling songs set the bar high from the get-go': Siobhan Long, Irish Times

'... spectacular musicianship and crowd-cajoling enthusiasm...': entertainment.ie

Pat and Noreen

Paul McEvoy and Ann McGuire send the sad news that Pat Shannon of Dublin and Noreen Hunter of Sixmilecross, Co. Tyrone, have both been in hospital, and both of them need all our good wishes. Messages of sympathy can be sent to them through Paul and Ann here.

News from the Northside

Mike Stimpson reports:

Traditional, country, and bluegrass session every other Thursday at the Clontarf Court Hotel, 225 Clontarf Road, Dublin 3 ('phone +353(1)8332680) – next one 7 December, then 21 December, etc. The session has been going for some months now and is well established. All welcome.

Fiddler wanted for West of Ireland band

Wanted: good fiddle player, located in the West of Ireland and able to travel, for band aiming at the corporate market, but who can still play hard-core bluegrass when required. Please contact John at 086 8532961.

Bluegrass lessons FREE from Hickory Project

Anyone who's seen Hickory Project at a Dunmore East or Omagh festival, or (if you're a member of Prison Love) at HP's own festival in Pennsylvania, knows they're a high-powered band. Anthony Hannigan, HP's mandolinist, reports:

Hey everyone, wanted to get the word out about a new site geared towards the musician in training, already established, and advanced players. The site is called Music Moose. The lessons are up now and running, and they are absolutely free; yes, that's right - all free!!

We are looking at getting some feedback from the musician community to see what everyone thinks or get some ideas on what to teach in the future. Right now the mandolin is taught by me, Anthony Hannigan; the banjo is taught by David Cavage and Mark Cavage; and the fiddle is Jeff Wisor. SO - enjoy, everyone, and let us know what you think.

BIB editor's note: The HP website includes a gallery of photos taken at Dunmore East and Omagh.

Kilkenny Bluegrass Festival: 24, 25, 26 Nov.

Thanks to Tony O'Brien for notifying us of the bluegrass festival to be held at the Langton House Hotel, Carrigans, and the Marble City Bar, Kilkenny city, this coming weekend. The following program is shown on the festival flyer.

Fri. 24th: 8.30 p.m. Official launch at Langtons, with complimentary food and drinks reception
9.30 p.m. Prison Love; Langtons, the Ballroom
9.30 p.m. The Clem O'Brien Band; Carrigans
10.00 p.m. Frankie Lane & Paul Kelly; Marble City Bar
11.00 p.m. The Rye River Band; Langtons, the 67 Bar

Sat. 25th: 4.30 p.m. The Rye River Band; Langtons, the 67 Bar
9.30 p.m. Frankie Lane & Paul Kelly; Carrigans
10.30 p.m. Ray Barron 5-piece band, with special guest Vince Milne (ex Bone Idol); Marble City Bar

Sun. 26th: 9.00 p.m. Northern Soul; Carrigans
9.30 p.m. The Clem O'Brien Band; Langtons, the 67 Bar
11.00 p.m. Philip Donnelly & Foul Play; Langtons, the 67 Bar

Guinness International Bluegrass Festival, Dunmore East

The Guinness Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival is becoming a family tradition for those who enjoy contagious music in this picturesque holiday village on the Waterford coast in the sunny southeast of Ireland.

The international festival, held annually the last weekend in August, is famous for its celebration of bluegrass and Americana music in a completely relaxed family-friendly atmosphere. Now in its thirteenth year, the Dunmore East festival provides a safe haven for tourists and music buffs from all over Europe, from the Americas, and even further afield.

Holidaymakers will enjoy the warm ocean breezes and discover a beautiful beach and placid harbour, with a breathtaking view across to the Hook Lighthouse in neighbouring County Wexford. During the day, couples stroll among the thatched cottages, with placid marine views; meanwhile, kids explore the craggy coves, play on the beach, swim and dive into safe, calm waters. Sun-worshippers and beachcombers have always enjoyed the inviting climate of Dunmore East, where there is nary-a-care sunbathing and swimming.

Over four days, the buzz never stops in this off-the-beaten-path paradise, with a dozen delightful bands playing music both indoors and outdoors to enraptured audiences. Spread out comfortably are the festival's six attractive venues: the Strand, Power's, the Ocean Hotel, the Haven Hotel, the Spinnaker, and the Ship.

There are impromptu jam sessions going on all the time, where the performers and audience sit and talk together, relaxing to enchanting fiddle, guitar, and banjo music, or the rich, complex sound of a full bluegrass band, in lovely gardens or cosy pub settings.

There is no admission fee and local and international bands move around from venue to venue throughout the weekend – starting at eight on Friday evening and noon on Saturday and Sunday, and going on till past midnight on all three days.

Several restaurants all specialising in fresh seafood dishes dot this serene fishing village, offering fine dining and tranquil scenery. Stroll down to one of the many bathing places for a swim; or to the harbour for the atmosphere of a real fishing village; or sample the fresh Guinness or huge variety of single malt whiskeys at the grand Haven Hotel. Other activities in Dunmore East include golf, angling, fishing, pony trekking, biking, sailing, and wind surfing. Lovely cottages, fine hotels with magnificent sea views, B&Bs and pubs with friendly staff also recommend this comfortable and idyllic vacation spot.

With so many reasons for holidaymakers and music pilgrims to come to the annual Guinness International Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival, it's not just the same friendly faces who turn up every year – new fans and vacationers keep coming from all across Europe and America to this most hospitable of fiestas that never seems to stop growing and improving. It's hard to imagine a better setting for a music festival and a family get-together.

Review by Tom Hanway, 14 November 2006

Woodbine: farewell performance

Woodbine - Tony O'Brien (rhythm guitar, vocals), Nicola O'Brien (upright bass, vocals), Liam Wright (lead guitar, vocals), and Patrick Chanders (mandolin) - played their official farewell show on Saturday 18 November at the Carlton Abbey Hotel, Athy, Co. Kildare (the venue for some afternoon shows and the Sunday gospel concert during last July's Athy festival). The room was filled though the night was very cold, and the music made up for that: Woodbine's singers were all in fine voice, and the solid rhythm section supported some blistering lead instrumental work from Liam and Paddy. In the second set Rob Chanders came up for several numbers on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, and your editor had the real treat of being able to sit in on banjo.

As Tony mentioned in his original release, Woodbine formed in 2002, and has since played all the Irish bluegrass festivals, some bluegrass-related events, and a string of gigs around the country, and released one CD, Shades o' grass. With Paddy now working in Dublin, travel problems made it hard for the band to sustain a viable schedule of bookings; but Tony looks forward to all its members still playing a big part in the Irish bluegrass scene.

For future Athy events, see the Athy Bluegrass Music Association website.

Deadline for EWOB 2007 bands approaches

Liz Meyer sends this reminder on behalf of the EBMA:

Applications to showcase at the 10th European World of Bluegrass (EWOB) Festival close on 20 November! Bands that want to apply, hurry on over to www.ebma.org for info & online application forms. I believe the committee contacts the selected artists in January.

The festival dates will be 17-19 May 2007, and the event is located, as always, in Voorthuizen, the Netherlands.

Most years we've featured four or five guest artists from the USA & Canada. The list has included the Kate MacKenzie Band, Chris & Sally Jones in various incarnations, Bill Clifton, John Reischman & the Jaybirds, the Chapmans, Laurie Lewis & Her Bluegrass Pals, Randy Waller & the Country Gentlemen, Hunger Mountain Boys, Abrams Brothers, the Gordons - lots of great bands.

EWOB is a veritable bluegrass feast, and May sure is a lovely time of year to visit Holland! The EWOB Festival is a colorful and fascinating event, with bands from the far corners of the globe bringing the unique flavors of their homelands and a high level of musicianship to bluegrass music. We have the Roots & Branches back home, but time and technology have carried the seeds of this music to the most unexpected places. It is deeply heartwarming to experience what results when music from Kentucky takes root in far-flung lands like Slovakia, Italy, Sweden, Estonia, and of course, the Czech Republic, with its literally hundreds of bluegrass groups. Join us in celebrating our 10th anniversary!

Death of the banjo

A new book by Carole Wade, The death throes and demise of the banjo, is announced in the USA; a press release can be seen here. Learn why the banjo has become so boring! Learn the fatal significance of Chicago in the 1970s!

Passions are already being aroused by the news, and the book seems certain to become a best-seller; every banjo-player will want to work out who the author could have been listening to. Does 'Carole Wade' conceal the identity of a renegade banjo-picker, taking revenge on his (or her) community? Is it part of a plot by the non-banjo-playing world to provoke banjoists into terrorist reprisals, justifying a security crackdown on all playing of the instrument? We urge everyone to remain calm.

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Kraig and Valerie Smith report:

In light of the recent demise of the banjo, we here in Bell Buckle are offering a 'Banjo Amnesty' day. Bring us your pre-war Gibsons, your Deerings, your Nechvilles, your Stellings, and your Vegas, and for one day only we'll exchange your dead banjo for a 'live' instrument such as a lute or a ukulele. I would suggest all you former banjoists take advantage of this one-time offer before your dead banjo begins to smell.

Valerie adds: 'We had a great time in Ireland last summer, hope to get back that way again one of these days.'

Sore Fingers Week, 9 - 13 April 2007

Kingham Hill School in the heart of England is once more the location for Europe's premier annual bluegrass instruction course. Here's a press release received from FOAOTMAD:

Contrary to last week's comments, Tim O'Brien is not able to teach at Sore Fingers Week next year due to other commitments.

Organizers John & Moira Wirtz would like to appeal to anyone wishing to work on their songwriting. At present they have just one student booked on this course with Chris Stuart, and they need at least fifteen to make this course work out financially. John says that Chris Stuart is a great songwriter, and anyone who has seen Backcountry when they toured here a year or so ago will support this claim. He really needs to get some people booked if they are to run, and he is setting a deadline of the end of the year to make a decision on this. So, if interested, please let John know as soon as possible.

The full list of confirmed tutors is as follows and starting with the old-time folk:
Old Time Fiddle - Travis Stuart
Old Time Banjo - Trevor Stuart
Songwriting – Chris Stuart
Singing – Mollie O'Brien and Rich Moore
Guitar – John Lowell (as seen as part of Growling Old Men at Didmarton this year)
Mandolin – Ben Winship (also seen as part of Growling Old Men at Didmarton!)
(they're working on a second mandolin tutor, details to follow)
Bluegrass Fiddle: they're still working on the tutor! News as soon as they have some!
Bluegrass Banjo – Janet Beazley
Bluegrass Banjo – Noam Pikelny (has just joined the Chris Thile Bluegrass Band!)
Dobro – Rob Ickes
Bass – Dave Griffiths (TBC)
Autoharp – Heidi Cerrigione
Beginner/Intermediate Banjo – John Dowling
Beginner/Intermediate Bass – Lucy Williams
Beginner/Intermediate Fiddle – Eleanor Cross
Beginner/Intermediate Guitar – James Dewdney
Beginner/Intermediate Mandolin – Dan Norton

Sore Fingers October Weekend – Oct. 2007 (exact dates TBC) at Kingham Hill School.

As some of you probably know, John and Moira ran a pilot weekend version of Sore Fingers at the end of October 2006. It was a great success and the only downside was that they had no Old-Time course. That, they want to change in 2007 and Kate Lissauer has already put her name forward to teach either fiddle or banjo next year.

This weekend is the ideal opportunity for people to dip their toe in the water and find out what Sore Fingers is like without committing to the full five-day event at Easter. If you are interested, please let them know and we’ll definitely make sure there are Old time courses on.

Keep checking their website for the latest news and contact details.

International Bluegrass Music Museum: the work (and shopping) goes on

The links on the right of the BIB now include one to the International Bluegrass Music Museum (IBMM) in Owensboro - a great place to visit if you're in west-central Kentucky, only half an hour's drive away from Bill Monroe's birthplace at Rosine, the site of the annual Jerusalem Ridge Celebration.

In June the Museum began a year-long exhibition focused on the international aspects of bluegrass, in addition to its major projects for preserving the history of the music and preparing its future. Gabrielle Gray, IBMM director of development, says: 'This is an exciting time for the future of bluegrass music - please help us spread the word about "Bluegrass in the Schools" [BITS], the Video Oral History Project, the Archive/Library Project, and ROMP Festival. It is only through the support of our members, donors, and sponsors that we are able to offer such enriching programs to the community and the world.' Ms Gray has been appointed to the new post of director of development, after a term as executive director in which the IBMM budget increased tenfold, and membership is nine times what it was in July 2006.

A recent IBMM acquisition is the Vega long-necked banjo of Pete Seeger, who is #100 to be interviewed in the museum's Video Oral History Project.

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New: Elizabeth Fuhrman Bragg, IBMM Curator, reports:

Hey everyone! We are now officially signed up at shopformuseums.com. Please remember to go there first when shopping online and we get a percentage of your purchases donated to the museum. I am attaching a list of participants [see the website] which also has the amount of purchase which is donated, usually between 2% and 5%. You just sign up on their website and then they direct you to the other websites from which you can shop. You just have to go to their site first; when they redirect you, most websites (like amazon.com) will know you and your lists etc. will be accessible! This does not cost you or the museum anything, so please remember us when you are completing your Christmas shopping.

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Gabrielle Gray reports:

ROMP has just been awarded first place in the Kentucky Parks and Recreation's competition for best Arts and Humanities Event in the State. Our mutually-produced event now advances to the national level next spring. This is the first time an event in this region of Kentucky has advanced to first in the state, so we have every reason to be proud.

Abigail Washburn on YouTube

Anyone who liked the work of Abigail Washburn (banjo, vocals) with Uncle Earl at the last Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival - and especially if you bought her Sparrow Quartet disc - will be glad of the following news from Michael Johnathon via the BGRASS-L list:

Some of you might enjoy a chance to watch a mini-documentary about the current trip Bela [Fleck] and Abigail - with Casey Driessen and Ben Sollee (they call themselves the Sparrow Quartet) - are making in China. It is of the four of them jamming on a rooftop outside of Bejing with a Chinese folk group. Enjoy!

Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend

Herschel Sizemore in the lobby of the Renaissance Hotel, Nashville, during IBMA's World of Bluegrass 2006 (photo by Carol Hawkins)

Herschel Sizemore reports:

Thanks to everyone that came to the Roanoke Bluegrass Weekend that just finished. Also all the folks that came to the Saturday night concert, thanks again to you. If you were unable to be there, you missed nothing short of a GREAT HAPPENING. One of the highlights of the concert was our Charlie Derrington Gibson Scholarship winners performing on stage together. I know this made Big Joe Vest with the Gibson Company happy, and I think Charlie would have been just as pleased.

We would surely like to thank all of our volunteers. Folks, we could not do this without you. To all of you guys that were our instructors this year, I can't tell you what a great job YOU DID! We can't forget our sponsors and vendors; you guys help us to keep on keeping on. We are already looking forward to next year. And we can promise our lineup will be just as great as in the past. Thanks again.

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Mike Conner of the Roanoke FiddleFest reports through the BGRASS-L forum:

First, a huge thanks to Herschel Sizemore and John Lawless for again putting together a fabulous four days of music and instruction [the weekend just past], and for allowing me to be a small part of it. Man, where to begin? The jams were sublime... [read more here]

Annapolis Bluegrass Coalition: PS

ABC at Airfield, Dublin, 29 Oct. Left to right: Sue Tice (fiddle), Bob Tice (banjo), Dan Kimball (mandolin), Roger Green (guitar), Jim Duvall (bass)

Roger Green of Annapolis Bluegrass Coalition reports:

'Airfield was special, that's for sure. It's probably the longest show we've ever played, but a more enthusiastic audience couldn't be found anywhere... Someone took a short video clip of us performing at the Sirius Art Centre in Cobh. There's one for us and one for the Gill Family. We have a concert in Chestertown, Maryland on 18 Nov. We're working towards doing a live CD there... For the next couple of months, we'll be going back into practice mode and working on new material. I need to sit down and write some more songs.'

Our post of 30 October read:

Annapolis Bluegrass Coalition delivered the best part of three hours of solid bluegrass at Airfield on Sunday 29 October to an audience that filled all seats and the back wall of the hall, gave them an enthusiastic response from the outset, and wouldn't let them go without several encores. This was all the more impressive, because the delighted audience included very few of the Dublin bluegrass mafia. Thanks to Sancho Gallilei at Airfield for putting on this fine band, of whom he had no previous experience; the results fully justified the chance taken, and ABC has done a good job for the future of live bluegrass shows in Dublin.

Dr Ralph Stanley receives National Medal of the Arts

Thanks to Kitsy Kuykendall and Art Menius of the IBMA for the news that Dr Ralph Stanley was one of twenty recipients selected to receive the 2006 national medals of the arts and humanities - the USA's highest official awards in arts, arts scholarship, and philanthropy. President George W. Bush announced the selections yesterday for the awards, which were presented this morning in a private ceremony at the White House. For a Washington Post news item on the awards, see this link.

Thanks also to our friends and mentors at the original Bluegrass Blog for the news that a TV news clip on the award to Dr Ralph can be seen here.

North Antrim Music Forum / Dulcimer partners

Dick Glasgow of Causeway Music, organiser of the annual Causeway Dulcimer Festival, reports: 'Just wanted to let you know that I've launched a wee "North Antrim Music Forum" as an addition to my website.'

Dick hopes that the Forum might be (among many other things) another useful way to promote bluegrass & Appalachian music here in Ireland; and on a first glance it has great possibilities. The sixteen basic headings on the Forum include entries for live music happening now in North Antrim; Ulster and Antrim 'myspace' websites; the hammered dulcimer in Antrim; old-time music and the Appalachian connection; and videos of traditional music.

The wealth of material under the last heading includes the 16-minute 1947 film To hear your banjo play, with Pete Seeger (in his late twenties) playing 'Sally Ann', 'Flop-eared mule', 'Old Joe Clark', and other tunes; Woody Guthrie, Sonny Terry, and Brownie McGhee; and footage of Appalachian life and music, much of which is still going strong nearly sixty years later. Worth looking at for the sight of Pete Seeger's banjo tailpiece alone!

You can reach the NAMF by way of this link. Strongly recommended for entertainment, information, and communication generally in North Antrim and beyond.

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Thanks to FOAOTMAD for the news that Christie Burns, hammer-dulcimer player and former director of the Cork Dulcimer Festival (forerunner of the Causeway Festival), is now based in Bowling Green, KY; has 'partnered up (musically and matrimonially)' with mountain-dulcimer player Butch Ross and produced an old-time CD, Here to play, which can be sampled at their MySpace site. (The site also has a brief but priceless video clip of two nyckelharpas - the big Swedish keyed fiddle - playing for a dance.) Christie and Butch were recently tutoring at the Nonsuch Dulcimer Club annual week-end at Launde Abbey, Leicestershire, UK, on 28-9 October.

Chris Stuart and Sore Fingers Week 2007

The outstanding songwriter, bandleader, lead singer, and guitarist Chris Stuart reports:

Sore Fingers [the premier bluegrass/old-time workshop week in Europe, held every spring in the UK] is a well-known and well-run music camp outside London and I'll be teaching the craft of writing songs in the bluegrass, roots, country, and Americana tradition, with emphasis on the structure and inspiration of traditional songs and how to write within a tradition but still be original and fresh. Throughout the week, students will listen to songs from a wide range of roots sources, play their songs for the class, partake in discussion, sing, play, and develop a sense of the joy and heartache that comes with songwriting. Other topics will include how to pitch your songs, the business side of songwriting, developing word play, melodic invention, and keeping a sense of humor throughout it all. It will be a busy and fun week!

The earlier you sign up the better, so if you or someone you know might be interested, please get in touch with the camp. More information about the music camp is at www.sorefingers.co.uk.

Thank you and hope to see you there!

Here's my bio:
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Chris Stuart is a bluegrass and roots songwriter and a touring and recording artist with his band Chris Stuart & Backcountry. He's had five of his songs appear on the Bluegrass Unlimited chart (including a current song, 'Julia Belle', by banjoist and bandmate Janet Beazley), won first place in the songwriting contest at the prestigious Chris Austin songwriting contest at MerleFest in bluegrass and gospel categories, been selected for IBMA songwriter showcase in 2004 and band showcase in 2005, and has toured with his band in the US, Canada, the UK, and the Middle East. Chris's songs have been recorded by Claire Lynch, Dale Ann Bradley, Larry Cordle, Suzanne Thomas, Sally Jones, and many other artists. He was nominated for Bluegrass Songwriter of the Year in 2005 by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America. Chris also writes feature articles for Bluegrass Unlimited magazine and was nominated for Print Media Person of the Year for the IBMA. He has taught bluegrass rhythm guitar and songwriting workshops at many camps including the California Bluegrass Association bluegrass camp, the Sorrento Bluegrass Workshop in Canada, and the American River Acoustic Music Camp. For more information see www.chrisstuart.com.

Please sign up soon at www.sorefingers.co.uk!

Quotes:

'For some outstanding songs, and a whole mess of soul, check this songwriter out.' - Third Coast Music, Austin, TX, December 2004

'The story-oriented songwriting is one of the band's greatest strengths.' - No Depression, June 2005

'This isn't citified, ersatz bluegrass. It's the real stuff.' - Maverick, UK, January 2005