Open House Festival (24-8 Sept.): lineup

The D.Rangers (Canada)

The Tenth Coors Open House Festival, to be held in the Cathedral Quarter, Belfast, on 24-8 September, held its launch party on 29 May. The programme for this year is now out - on the Festival website or in the handsome 48-page brochure - and it's not often one sees so many 5-string banjos and upright basses outside a dedicated bluegrass/old-time publication.

In addition to strong elements from Irish traditional and other genres, the bands appearing in the bluegrass/old-time/cajun/mountain folk spectrum include (in order of appearance):

The Southern Tenant Folk Union (UK)
The Rockridge Brothers (Sweden)
Trampled by Turtles (USA)
The Wilders (USA)
Prison Love (Dublin)
The Pine Leaf Boys (USA)
The D.Rangers (Canada)
Casa de Chihuahua + Philip Roebuck (Banjo Ninja) (USA)
O'Death (USA)
The Samsonites (USA/NL)
Outlaw Social (Canada)
Kendel Carson Trio (Canada)
Dyad (Canada)

More details and sound clips are on the Festival website. The Big Bluegrass Session on Friday 26 September will be hosted by the Tennessee Hennessees (Lurgan) in McHugh's; old-time sessions will be hosted in the John Hewitt on Saturday and McHugh's on Sunday by Ian Carmichael (banjo), Geordie McAdam (fiddle), Bernie Stocks (fiddle), Eugene Kelly (guitar), and Wilson Davies (bass); and a master class in American fiddle will be given on Sunday.

The D.Rangers from Canada (see above) are available for other gigs in Ireland each side of the Festival, so if you'd like to see them in your venue or your locality, contact Shawna Cooper by e-mail.



The Rockridge Brothers (Sweden)