News from Vincent Cross

Vincent Cross (above; photo by Paul Collins) reports from New York:

I've been meaning to drop you a line about all things bluegrass and events in NYC. There is always plenty to see and to hear for sure. Firstly, I will be over for two gigs in August. I won't be bringing the full band but will have some special guests up...

August 10th: Monroe's Tavern (Function room), 9.00-11.00 p.m. in Galway

August 12th: The International Bar, Wicklow Street, Dublin, 9.00 p.m.

Secondly, I've been working on a new album called Home away from home which contains all original compositions with a full bluegrass instrument lineup. Songs veer from straight-ahead bluegrass barnstormers to more folk/Americana tunes. This will be my first full-length album, so I'm pretty excited about that.

Thirdly, I had the great honour of playing for Odetta, the legendary folk singer that Martin Luther King called the Queen of American Folk Music. My wife wrote a great article about it...

Finally, I got to chinwag with some bluegrass legends at Grey Fox this year. I always wanted to ask Grisman one of those nitpicky questions about his mandolin-playing requirements. So I asked him how often he changed his strings. I was surprised to hear that he changes them for every professional engagement, for fear of one breaking.

PS: I've attached a pic for the new album by a guy called Paul Collins; he has some fantastic cowboy stuff on his site if anyone is interested.