The World International Blue Grass Band

Banjo player, former Blue Grass Boy, and author Butch Robins is forming a World International Blue Grass Band as a statement of cooperation, goodwill, and peace.

The band consists of Kazuhiro Inaba from Japan (guitar); Arnold Lasseur from the Netherlands (mandolin); Jan Johansson from Sweden (fiddle); Hamish Davidson from Australia (fiddle); Sean McKerr from Ireland (acoustic bass); and Butch himself on banjo. His father, the late Calvin Robins, who was a close friend of Bill Monroe, was a major influence in introducing Butch to visitors from outside the US and encouraging him to make contact with different cultures.

The World International Blue Grass Band will be playing shows in autumn 2007, including appearances at the IBMA's World of Bluegrass Business Conference, Award Show, and Fan Fest in Nashville, TN.

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Enda Donnelly reports:

I was delighted to see Hamish Davidson in the role of fiddle player in WIBGB, even though he is a terrific banjo player as well: listen to his 'Davidson County' instrumental in the 'Friends' section of Fair City Grass's MySpace site.

I met the Davidson Bros some years ago in my travels around Australia, at a bluegrass jam session at Bluegrass Club in Melbourne, along with the great mandolin builder Stephen Gilchrist, also a good mando player.

Hamish was a chiropractic student then & musician, along with his brother Lachlan on mandolin & fiddle, and of course baby sister very good on fiddle also. On that terrific jam, Hamish played banjo, fiddle, guitar & (would you believe) piano. I had the pleasure of playing tunes like 'Jerusalem Ridge' etc. with them. They are a very musical & friendly family, and Hamish or Lachlan could have filled the role on any instrument in WIBGB.