Dunmore East Trawler Tragedy Appeal

News of the trawler disasters at Dunmore East, Co. Waterford, appeared on the Bluegrass Ireland Blog on 13 January. At that time, Duncan Pratt of Co. Mayo had already suggested that the bluegrass community should respond by fund-raising performances - as practical help for those who suffered loss, and to show moral support, sympathy, and gratitude to Dunmore East, which has done much for bluegrass since 1995.

The Dunmore East Trawler Tragedy Appeal has now opened, with an account at the Allied Irish Bank, Ardkeen, Co. Waterford (sort code 93-44-02; account number 12200048).

Contacts:
Fr Brian Power, Killea PP, Killea, Dunmore East
Joefy Murphy, lifeboat coxwain
Ciaran O'Mullain

Practically every Irish bluegrass band has played at previous Dunmore East festivals, as have many bands from the UK - White Lightening, the Coal Porters, Foghorn Leghorn, Grassroots, and others. American bands include the Bluegrass Patriots, the Schankman Twins, Hickory Project, and the Boxcar Preachers. Dunmore East was the first Irish bluegrass festival to book bands from continental Europe, and the Blue Grass Boogiemen, 4 Wheel Drive, Fox Tower Bluegrass Band, Vabank Unit, New Section, Jack Danielle's String Band, and Blue Railroad Train have all played there.

A benefit show dedicated to aid the appeal, or a cut of the proceeds from a band's regular schedule, are both possible ways of contributing. There may be other ways. The main point is to help and support the bereaved of Dunmore East.

For guitarists AND others

Cathal Cusack reports:

Take a look at this - normally interest in Tony Rice is limited to guitar guys, but he makes some interesting comments about bluegrass and music in general. There's a new Rowan/Rice CD coming out shortly.

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Thanks also to our friends on the original Bluegrass Blog for the news that Craig Havighurst has written a thought-provoking piece on the common ground between bluegrass and jazz, which can be found here. A sample: 'Guys in bluegrass have the biggest ears in the world' (quote from Bill Evans, saxophonist; and it's a compliment).

Tennessee Hob kicks off UAC concert series

Press release


Tom Hanway and Karl Deeter (Tennessee Hob) will kick off a new roots music concert series at the United Arts Club, Dublin, on Saturday 3 February, 9.30 p.m. €5.00.

The UAC celebrates its centennnial year and is located at 3 Upper Fitzwilliam St. (near Baggot St.). The third-floor drawing room, where concerts are held, has been renovated and is ready for action. There will be an open jam session after the concert - bring your instruments. There will be a small cover charge for all concerts, depending on artist fees.

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Hanway's Hootenanny is now on the first Wednesday of every month in J. J. O'Reilly's, 1 Main Street, Longford, 8.30 p.m.

Danish singer-songwriter in Dublin, 8 Feb.

Press release

Copenhagen-based singer-songwriter Mette Kirkegaard writes and sings in English and Danish. She is now releasing her debut album Heart against rock and playing in London and Dublin.

Mette Kirkegaard (DK) is playing original songs at the Cobblestone, Smithfield, Dublin, on 8 February at 8.00 p.m. with Dave Hennessy (guitar). Featuring Michelle Ann Kelly (IRL). You can hear album samples here.

BIB editor's note: Don't expect bluegrass; but try the MySpace samples.

Tennessee Hennessees in action!

The Tennessee Hennessees on stage: Sean McKerr, Bill Johnston, Gerard Thompson, Mel Corry

Mel Corry sends the welcome news from Lurgan, Co. Armagh, that the Tennessee Hennessees are available for bookings with immediate effect.

Mel reports: 'The lineup includes myself and Sean along with Gerard Thompson on guitar - you'll remember Gerard from the Dusty Millers days; he was our kid bass player - and Bill Johnston on bass. The show will be the usual hard-driving bluegrass, with original instrumentals and interesting song choices. Hope to see everyone down the road this year!'

For bookings and further info, contact Mel by e-mail at this link.

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Ernie Sykes, Jr., who has played with many of the greatest in bluegrass music and was here a year ago with Buddy Merriam & Backroads, comments, on his own blog:

I have seen and actually picked with these guys at various times, and they are great players with lots of energy, and they have a knack for picking material which sets them apart from the rest of the pack. They have tons of personality and some of the cleanest pickin' you'll hear this side of the Mississippi. If you haven't seen them before, go out of your way to do so! I know I will the next time I'm in Ireland.

For a warm endorsement by Buddy Merriam, click on the 'Comments' link at the bottom of this post. Thanks, Ernie and Buddy!

Syncopatin' shuffle...

... is the title of a half-hour broadcast about the banjo on BBC Radio 4 at 1.30 p.m. on Tuesday 23 January. The Radio Times note in the schedule says: 'Julian Vincent reveals the beauty and virtuosity of playing the banjo, which, despite being much maligned in recent years, evolved from its African roots to become the darling of British popular entertainment.'

Thanks to our friends on the original Bluegrass Blog for pointing out that the entire show can be heard on line here. It does not bear comparison with the superb film originally shown in 1990, on Channel 4 TV's 'Echos of America' series, which took twice the time and achieved infinitely more.

UK Autoharp Day, 10 February

FOAOTMAD reports that the first UK Autoharp Day in 2007 is on Sat. 10 February at St Matthew's Primary School, Church Road, Cainscross, Stroud, Glos. GL5 4JE, beginning at 11 a.m. and ending at 6.00 p.m. The legendary Mike Fenton is the main tutor for beginners and for the whole group, and there will also be classes for 'singing with the autoharp', 'noodle a tune', and technical help with instrument maintenance. There will also be a jam session, open stage, concert, and the opportunity to try new instruments including a 'floating pentatonic/diatonic 2 key harp in Bb/F with tandem chordbars'.

Complete beginners, non-members, and other instrument players are welcome as well as experienced players, and loaner autoharps will be available. Check out the details on the UK Autoharp website and contact the Advance Organiser, Sue Laughton (01963 251026), or the Event Organiser, Sue Edwards, at this link.

Second Coastline Bluegrass Music Event, 8-10 June

After the success of last year's inaugural event, at which the Kevin & Geraldine Gill Band were one of the leading acts, the second Coastline Bluegrass Music Event will be held on 8-10 June 2007 in a new venue - Plas Uchaf Farm, on the B5381, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from Junction 19 (for Llandudno) on the A55 through north Wales.

The concert schedule includes A Band Like Alice, Roots and Galoots, Thunderbridge, and the Feet First Appalachian Cloggers, together with Open Mike sessions, jams, and workshops at beginner and intermediate level. Food, bar, and camping will be available on site. B&B or hotel accommodation should be booked early, as this area is very popular with visitors.

An adult weekend ticket is £36 with camping, £32 without; if you book before 1 May, both cost £4 less. Under 16s are admitted free. Book online at the website or by post to C.B.M.E., 7 Castle Place, Abergele, CONWY LL 22 7SS, Wales.

Bluegrass Songwriter Association formed

The January/February 2007 issue of the IBMA's newsletter International Bluegrass includes an article by songwriter Louisa Branscomb - 'Composing the kickoff: a bluegrass songwriting association is born!' The Bluegrass Songwriter Association came into being at the last IBMA World of Bluegrass Business Conference, and looks like being a very important development.

The whole article can be read here. Anyone who wants to join the e-mail list which currently forms the link between those taking part, please use this link.

Bill Monroe stamp campaign continues

Kitsy Kuykendall of IBMA reports:

I thought I would mention again to those of you who have not (or even have) sent a letter to the US government about getting a Bill Monroe stamp that we need to get back on top of this. The ten-year waiting period since he died has passed and we need to remind them again that we want a stamp for the Father of Bluegrass.

All you have to do is write a letter to the US Postal Service outlining why you think Mr Monroe deserves to have his face on a stamp. Send the letter to:

Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee
Stamp Development
US Postal Service
1735 North Lynn Street, Room 5013
Arlington, VA 22209-6432

If you would like some more input into this, go to this site for information and some 'talking points' for your letter. Thanks for considering doing this - it is about time to recognise him and the bluegrass world.

Vincent Cross in 'Dark of the moon'

Vincent Cross reports from New York:

I hope the new year has started off as well for you as it has for me! At last I have some new tunes on my site recorded the old fashioned way. Check them out on my MySpace.

Also, I am also performing in an off-Broadway play called 'Dark of the moon' which features live bluegrass music - there are plans for an album!

Hope to be back in Ireland some time this year.

BIB editor's note: 'Dark of the moon', by Howard Richardson and William Berney, was written in 1942 and remains one of the few plays that require Appalachian music.

Tragedy for Dunmore East

Dunmore East, Co. Waterford, has welcomed members of the bluegrass communities of these islands, Europe, and the USA since the first annual International Guinness Bluegrass Music Festival was held there in 1995.

Among the many new features at Dunmore East since then is the memorial at the harbour to those lost at sea - a reminder of the realities that support the picturesque surface of a fishing village. The loss of further lives in this week's storms will be felt by everyone who knows Dunmore East; and the sympathies of the bluegrass world should be extended to the families of the crews of the Pere Charles and Honeydew II.

A report on the disaster from Friday's Irish Times can be found here.

Wanted: information on jams in Ireland

Patrick Boulton of the USA writes:

Howdy,

My wife-to-be will honeymoon in Ireland on March 11. We are both bluegrass musicians and, since we've never been to your country, wondered if anyone can help. Please tell us where the local jams are located!!! I'd like to make ground plans based on the local events. Doesn't have to be bluegrass, thought we'd also like some Celtic jams to see the variety.

Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks,

Patrick

Contact Patrick by e-mail at this link.

Sugar Hill Records closes in Durham, NC

Lynda Wittig Dawson reports: 'Effective this Friday, the Durham office of Sugar Hill is closing and the label is relocating to the existing Nashville location. Most of us in Durham have not been offered to move with the company, as the Welk Music Group [which bought Sugar Hill in 1998] is streamlining operations. Although we all hope the transition will mean good things for the label, it's a sad week for everyone here.'

Lynda, who also picks rhythm guitar, sings lead, and writes songs for the band Kickin Grass, based in Raleigh, NC, sends this link to a story on the closure in the Raleigh News & Observer.

Meanwhile, a forthcoming release on the label is by the Nashville-based Infamous Stringdusters, one of the hottest new young bands on the US bluegrass scene, who make their Sugar Hill Records debut on 13 February with Fork in the road. All customers who preorder will be entered for a special prize draw, in which the winner will get twenty sets of D'Addario EXP17 Medium Gauge EXP Coated Acoustic guitar strings, a Planet Waves chromatic tuner, and a Planet Waves guitar strap.

New on the net: 'Lonesome Highway - bluegrass and beyond'

Ronnie Norton of Lonesome Highway magazine, and ace photographer to the Irish bluegrass and old-time scene, is presenting a new two-hour radio show, 'Lonesome Highway - bluegrass and beyond', on the internet radio station CMR Nashville. Beginning on Friday 12 January, the show goes out live every Friday from 4.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. with repeats through the night, and then again on Sunday from 10.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon.

CMR Nashville broadcasts 24/7 from studios in Nashville, London, Ireland, and soon in Australia.With facilities including daily news updates and 'The Ranch' forum, the station sets out to be 'your one-stop site for all you will ever need as a country fan including the best mix of country music on line'. The site has had in excess of 100,000 hits in the first few weeks of operation.

Ronnie adds: 'Please stress the "and beyond" element in the title, otherwise the bluegrass police will pull me over for a major highway offence. Bluegrass content should average 90 per cent, with some country cousins getting a look in. It's to my taste and should draw a wider audience.'

Ronnie Norton, AIPPA, QEP,
Norton Associates,
Unit 11, Trinity Enterprise Centre,
Pearse Street,
Dublin 2, IRELAND.
tel. +353 1 6712500
fax. +353 1 6712539
mob.+353 87 253 6720
e-mail

The Special C. on radio

Please note that the Special Consensus are making the first public 'appearances' of their seventh tour in Ireland, with two broadcasts and one concert in Belfast on Thursday 11 January.

As previously announced, they will appear live on the Frank Mitchell show, U105 FM, at 11.00 a.m.; and then in the early afternoon on the Alan Simpson show on BBC Radio Ulster (announced in the Radio Times as beginning at 3.05 p.m.), which had originally been scheduled for the previous day. They will play the Black Box in Belfast on Thursday evening.

The Special C. will be driving back down south to play at the Séamus Ennis Cultural Centre, Naul, Co. Dublin, on Friday evening. Doors open at the Centre at 8.30 p.m. For further details, 'phone (01) 8020898, or e-mail.

All other details of the tour are on the BIB calendar.

A Nechville banjo for Irish music?

The January 2007 issue of Bluegrass Now magazine reports: 'Nechville Musical Products and Irish banjo wizard Gerry O'Connor are teaming up to bring the world a new sound in banjos... The final design is still under development, but the result of this collaboration will undoubtedly become the pinnacle of advancement in 4-string banjo function and sound.'

BN also mentions a projected bluegrass festival to be held in Italy in September 2007. Bands who would like to take part should contact Tom Nechville. The fall 2006 issue of Tom's quarterly journal Banjovia, including a major illustrated feature on his tour of Europe, and a report by the Carter Brothers on the fifth Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival, can be viewed online here.

New bluegrass and old-time music venue

Good news for anyone visiting one of the nearest parts of England:

Starting on 2 February, the first Friday of each month will become Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Night at the popular High Lane Conservative Club, High Lane (on the A6), Stockport, Cheshire. So, if you like your music live, and appreciate the acoustic sounds of banjos, fiddles, guitars, mandolins, Dobros, double basses, and high lonesome singing, then mark those first Fridays in your diary, because you're in for a treat.

The host is to be bluegrass performer and recording artist Tom Travis. Tom ran the Edale Bluegrass Festival, the largest of its type outside America, for many years and will use his many contacts to ensure a regular supply of top quality bands and musicians from the UK and abroad.

To kick off the first show Tom Travis will perform with his own recording band, The Bluegrass Incident, which contains musicians acclaimed as among the best in the country.

For more information contact Tom Travis by 'phone (+44 (0)1457 861789) or e-mail.

Music at the Glenside continues!

Thanks to Paul McEvoy for the welcome news that bluegrass and bluegrass-related music will continue at the Glenside, Landscape Road, Churchtown, Dublin 14, on Saturday nights in the new year for the foreseeable future. The Glenside is a pleasant pub, and has been a hospitable venue for the music during the past year.

The resident band is the Tin Box Company: Barney Bowes (vocals, guitar, fiddle); Martin Kavanagh (mandolin, banjo); John Heaney (bass fiddle); Martin Gilligan (banjo, vocals); and Paul McEvoy (vocals, guitar).

Bonne Année y'all - from BRT!

Philippe Perrard, Thierry Lecoq, Sharon Lombardi, Jean-Marie Redon, James Field

Blue Railroad Train report:

L'année 2006 nous a rendu très heureux. Et pour 2007, tout le groupe vous souhaite une Nouvelle Année plein de Bonheur et de Musique!

It was a great 2006. And for 2007, the whole band sends you their Best Wishes for a Happy - and musical - New Year!

In 2006 BRT played in Ireland at the Dunmore East and Omagh festivals and several other shows before going on to play at IBMA's World of Bluegrass and elsewhere in the USA.

Terry Holland: update

Ron Stevens of the Heart of England Bluegrass Venue sends the following news:

Terry Holland passed away in the early hours of Christmas morning, after recently being diagnosed with lung cancer. Terry is being cremated on Wednesday [3 January]. No-one is to attend, as this is a private ceremony.

The family are setting up a 'Donate in memory' page on the Cancer Research page. You can display a message about the person you are remembering, add a photo, then people can donate to the charity - they will have sorted this page out by Friday and will let us have the web address then.

On Friday 5 January 2007 there is to be a musical celebration of Terry's life, taking place at Carreg Cennen Castle, Trapp, Carms., Wales SA19 6UA. Everyone is welcome. If you wish to attend this celebration and you are travelling a long distance, Janet has said she is happy to have people stay at the house, provided they are prepared to not necessarily get a bed... so you'll need to bring sleeping bags. With that in mind, breakfast will be provided but we need some idea of numbers. Would you please e-mail Sherryl Payne to let her know if you will be staying, just to get an idea of quantities.

At 2 p.m. on Friday anyone is welcome to pay tribute to Terry; this could be verbal or musical. If you would like to take part in this tribute, please contact Ian & Hayley on 01239 891 536 or by e-mail. From 2.30 p.m. there will be refreshments, a bar, and a chance to play all the tunes that Terry loved. Feel free to bring your instruments.

If you would like to send any words/wishes (perhaps you can't make it) please forward them to Ian (e-mail above). If you haven't already got it, Janet's address is The New Inn, Gwynfe, Nr Llangadog, Wales SA19 9NS.

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28 December 2006

Dave Bresnen, chairman of the BBMA, sends the sad news that one of the central figures of the UK bluegrass scene, Terry Holland, banjo picker and organiser of the annual Tel-Fest, died in hospital early on the morning of Christmas Day.

Terry's marriage to Janet Churchill featured on the cover of British Bluegrass News #37 (spring 2006) with a two-page article by Gill Harrison, 'Bluegrass wedding of the year'. Many over here will remember Terry, Janet (rhythm guitar), and the twins Beth (bass) and Lucy (mandolin) at the earliest Dunmore East festivals as well as many less formal settings around Ireland. Terry also established a website which remains a rich source of instrument history and information.

The Ireland connection: Ferguson, Miner, & Wade

Press release

A couple of years ago, singer/songwriter Gary Ferguson booked a musical tour in Ireland. He enjoyed his time there so much that he decided to make it an annual event. In 2005 he was accompanied by his friend and frequent musical partner Gail Wade from Connecticut. Gail is a strong guitarist with a rich and soulful voice and a talent for crafting original material as well as bringing forth fresh renditions of folk, blues, bluegrass, and swing favorites.

In the summer of 2006 Gary returned to Ireland with Dave Miner, who is quickly gaining recognition in the bluegrass community as a top-notch and tasteful acoustic steel slide guitarist. In September 2006 the three artists decided to join up for the first time in the States and the mix turned out to be great musical chemistry.

Gary, Dave, and Gail will be performing together again with a mini-tour of Maryland in February 2007. Join them at Baldwin's Station in Sykesville, MD, on 1 February; Beans in the Belfry in Brunswick, MD, on 2 February; Andy's in Chestertown, MD, on the 3rd; and WestSide Café in Frederick, MD, on the 4th. For a detailed schedule, visit Gary and Dave's MySpace page or Gary's online presskit.

BIB editor's note: For the tour in Ireland which Gary and Dave are preparing for this coming summer, see here.