Cobblestone events, Sept.-Oct. 2008: the Red Line Roots Festival

Thanks to Linda Devlin and Orla Keeshan for news of forthcoming events in the Back Room of the Cobblestone, 77 North King Street, Smithfield, Dublin, including the first Red Line Roots Festival a month from now. A full listing of events in the Festival is here. Orla adds:

I'm very excited to be sending off this month's listings. Months and months and months ago we started brewing up ideas to start a new roots festival; most conversations were had over pints while sat at the bar in the Cobblestone, and well, a lot of those conversations were forgotten when waking with a foggy memory. With seeing the summer flooded with new festivals, and well, the festivals then flooded with rain, the task seemed daunting and unsafe. The summer passed and the chit-chat about ideas and what ifs over pints finished. We hit the hard stuff, coffee, pencils, and blank paper. We looked at our resources and decided do it anyway. So I am very glad to present the first Red Line Roots Festival. Please direct your eyes to the listings towards the end of the email. Looking forward to seeing you all there! The highlight will be Prison Love & the North Strand Klezmer Band with a raucous gig of East vs West, cowboy hats included.

For the lead-up to the festival we have many excellent gigs. The Southern Tenant Folk Union will be exceptional! Sat. 4th Oct.

The Cobblestone schedule till 26 October - including the ongoing series of Tumbleweed Love Sessions, 'bringing you the finest in country, bluegrass, folk, blues & roots on the second & fourth Saturday of every month'. can be seen here. The Cobblestone also hosts small theatre productions, CD & book launch nights. Seating 60+. *Concessions/advance booking by e-mail with no. of tickets, name & band in the subject title. Also e-mail for future listings with "mailing list" in the subject title.

Southern Tenant Folk Union at the Cobblestone, 4 Oct.

London-based band the Southern Tenant Folk Union begin their autumn 2008 tour in Ireland at the Spirit Store, Dundalk, at 8.00 p.m. tonight and end it in the Cobblestone, Dublin, on Saturday 4 October. Orla Keeshan of the Cobblestone says:

This truly will be an unmissable gig!

Sat. Oct 4th: The Southern Tenant Folk Union: €10; doors 9.00 p.m.

They will be making a special appearance hot on the heels of Belfast's legendary Open House Festival!

For a full band bio, see the STFU website.

Bill Evans & Megan Lynch: latest update

An update on the all too brief visit later this year from Bill Evans & Megan Lynch (see the BIB post of 11 August), who after eight days in the UK, have scheduled the following shows in Ireland:

Fri. 31 Oct.: Hiney's Pub, Ferbane, Co. Offaly

Sat. 1 Nov.: Old Courthouse, Sixmilebridge, Co. Clare (final half of a fully acoustic concert starting at 8.30 p.m., with a jam scheduled after the show in Gallagher's bar, Kilkishen. The first half of the concert features Tania Opland and Mike Freeman (world music, inc. bluegrass))

Sun. 2 Nov.: Crane Bar, Galway

Bill and Megan are also still interested in doing workshops (for which they're abundantly qualified) on Saturday 1 November and Sunday 2 November during the day. Contact:

Maria Nadauld
Above the Bay Booking
e-mail
+1-510-582-2797-office
+1-510-828-6961-cell

Gary Ferguson: fifth tour of Ireland, July 2009

Gary Ferguson, award-winning singer/songwriter, reports:

I will be touring Ireland for the fifth consecutive year in July 2009. Colin Henry will be performing with me, plus Janet Holmes on select dates. My oldest son, Chris, may be coming and sitting in ocasionally as a special guest. Shows confirmed so far are the Athy Bluegrass Festival, Ardara Bluegrass Festival, the Phil Murphy Weekend, and the Phoenix Folk Club in Dublin. Anyone interested in hiring us can contact me by e-mail. Also, I have new Ireland pictures posted on my MySpace page.

Heartstrings in Ireland, 29 Oct.-1 Nov. 2008

Thanks to Cathal Cusack for news of the forthcoming autumn tour by Arty McGlynn, Nollaig Casey, Máire Ní Chathasaigh, and Chris Newman ('Britain's finest flat-picking guitarist') in association with the imminent launch of their CD Heartstring sessions. Newman is a world-class flatpicker and should be heard by any lead guitar player.

After fourteen dates in England and Scotland, the ensemble will play four shows in Ireland. Full details are on the Old Bridge Music website.

Wed. 29 Oct.: McGrory's, Culdaff, Co. Donegal. Box office: 074 937 9104

Thurs. 30 Oct.: Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen's, Belfast. Box office: 028 9097 1197

Fri. 31 Oct.: The Glór Centre, Causeway Link, Ennis, Co. Clare. Box office: 065 684 3103

Sat. 1 Nov.: Mermaid County Wicklow Arts Centre, Main Street, Bray, Co. Wicklow. Box office: 01 272 4030

Prison Love in Dublin and Belfast this week

Howdy Friends,

Muddied but unbowed from tours of duty in Glastonbury and Electric Picnic, Prison Love are let loose in Dublin and Belfast this week.

Dublin Thursday 25th
Crawdaddy 8.00 p.m.
Support from the superb I Draw Slow
Tix €12 from Crawdaddy online, or on the door.

Belfast Friday 26th
Open House Festival Marquee 8.00 p.m.
Hillbilly Hell: The Wilders and Prison Love
Tix £12 from the Festival website or Belfast Welcome Centre on 0044 28 9024 6609.

Take care now,

Mark

Fretless banjo for sale!

Thanks to Tony Curran for these pictures of the fretless banjo (fret positions inlaid flush with the fingerboard) which he is offering for sale. Tony says:

I believe the banjo itself is very early – about 1895-1910 – as evidenced by the forty head-retaining clips. It sports a wooden truss rod and tail piece(s), and has been sympathetically restored by Jimmy Quinn. All this and five spare sets of Nylgut strings for an asking price of €600 or £500: a bargain for any collector/player!

Contact Tony by e-mail.

Omagh keeps on the sunny side: UPDATE 2

Woodbine in the Pennsylvania Dutch Barn

Thanks to Des and Pat Butler for the above photo, taken at the Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh, Co. Tyrone, on Sunday 7 September, the final day of the seventeenth annual Appalachian and Bluegrass Music Festival. It conveys some of the atmosphere of this year's festival: the best ever for weather and attendance combined, with over 9,500 visitors paying in to the evening concerts and the afternoon 'Bluegrass in the Park' sessions.

OK, it also shows the band your editor has the honour to pick in; but he looks forward to receiving more photos from Omagh, including some of the many taken on behalf of the Park. Photos from this year's Dunmore East Festival - of which good reports have been coming in - will also be very welcome.

[23 Sept.] Thanks to Patrick Simpson for this link to his MySpace footage of part of Woodbine's set on the Log Cabin Field stage on Saturday 3 September.

************


Thanks to Colin Henry for these photos of Janet Holmes, accompanied by Colin, Ivan Muirhead, and Wilson Davies, in the Tullyallen Mass House at Omagh.

Roots Freeway Special, 19 September 2008

Niall Toner reports:

As part of the 'Culture Night' festival which is taking place all over Dublin on Friday 19 September, 'Roots Freeway' will host a very special live concert in Studio 1 from 8.00 p.m. Playing at the concert will be No Crows, a Sligo band with a unique blend of Irish traditional, classical, and world music, and the Carter Brothers from Nashville, with an exciting mixture of rockabilly, bluegrass, and newgrass!

This is the second in the live series of 'Roots Freeway' concerts. The first concert received hugely positive feedback, and demand for tickets (which are free) was overwhelming. There will again be a live studio audience at this concert. To apply for tickets, e-mail with your name, address, 'phone number, and number of tickets required. The maximum number allocated per person will be four. Tickets will be distributed on a 'First come, first served' basis. Looking forward to meeting you on the night!

The concert will be transmitted in two parts: on Tuesday 23rd and on Monday 29th, RTE Radio One, 9.00 p.m.

Nechville on the move

A message from Tom Nechville, banjo-player, -maker, and innovator:

Hello, my dear European friends,

I am going to be at the Cornish Bluegrass Association Bluegrass Festival next week in Newquay, England; then I'll be at the Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival in Longford, Ireland. I hope to see a few of you at those events. I have several new banjo ideas to show you and more things are coming in the near future. Please visit my website for recent news.

I am writing now to plant seeds for next summer. My daughter Leslie is getting married in France to a nice guy named Lionel Schmitt. Jane and I hope to combine some music business and fun with the trip. I want to remind you that I like to play, and I do banjo workshops. I teach banjo playing styles, and also teach banjo setup, design, and construction. Maybe we could put on a demonstration together or team up to do a special event sometime next July or August. Let's stay in touch.

I bet you would know someone who is interested in my new lightweight banjos. The example shown is one of many new configurations that I am experimenting with, and I am looking for your opinions. If you or anyone you know is interested in something unique and special from Nechville, or you are interested in becoming an associated player/rep., I'l like to talk to you. Special direct pricing is available on my newest series of custom banjo ideas. You can contact me directly, or contact one of my associates listed here for more information.

Richard Webster or Leon Hunt in UK
Oliver Waitze at New Acoustic Gallery in Solingen, Germany
Lluis Gomez in Barcelona, Spain
Marco Centemeri

Guitar heaven at Clonakilty, 18-21 Sept. 2008

The fingerstyle acoustic guitar virtuoso Pierre Bensusan, who won this year's Guitar Player Magazine award for Best World Music Guitar Player, will open the 2008 Guinness Clonakilty International Guitar Festival with a concert (25/20 euros) at De Barra's, Clonakilty, Co. Cork, at 9.00 p.m. on Thursday 18 September. Special guest at the concert will be Lucky Oceans, who will be in a seminar at 4.00 p.m. on Saturday 20 Sept. on the origins of the pedal steel guitar. Full programme and other details on the Festival website.

Free digital downloads of Flatpicking Guitar

Thanks to Cathal Cusack for the news that Dan Miller, editor of Flatpicking Guitar Magazine, is offering a free sample copy of the current issue of the digital edition (both magazine and audio files, pdf and mp3s). To get it:

1) Go to this page.

2) Fill in the information requested there.

3) Click the 'Sign up' button at the bottom of the page.

4) This opens a page that asks you to 'Pay Now', but don't! - stop there, close the page, and send Dan Miller an e-mail letting him know you've filled out the information. Put 'Flatpicking Guitar Digital Sample' in the subject line. He will then enter you in the databasefor one issue, and send you an e-mail confirming that you can log in (with the user name and password that you created) and download the current issue.

Current hard-copy subscribers can convert their subs to the digital version - which is cheaper, so your sub. will cover more issues. The hardcopy version of the magazine will still be sent to readers who prefer it.

Hungry Hill continues tour of Ireland and UK

Contrary to rumours circulating at the moment, the acclaimed Canadian bluegrass band Hungry Hill is continuing its tour of Ireland and UK. Two members of the band have returned to Canada because of a family bereavement, but the remaining members are committed to continuing the tour and have already found replacements. Remaining tour dates below:

Sept. 12: The Seamus Ennis Centre, The Naul, Co. Dublin
Sept. 13: The Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely, Co. Wicklow
Sept. 14: Colfers Pub, Carrig-on-Bannow, Co. Wexford
Sept. 18: Jumpin’ Hot Club, Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Sept. 19: Cambria Arts Centre, Tregaron, Wales - CANCELLED BY CAMBRIA ARTS
Sept. 20-22: Cornish Bluegrass Festival, Newquay, England
Sept. 25/28: Johnny Keenan Festival, Longford Town, Co. Longford
Sept. 26: Clifden Community Arts Festival, Connemara, Co. Galway
Sept. 29: The Cherry Tree, Walkinstown, Dublin

More info at the band's website and MySpace site.

Bending the Strings: new MySpace site

Thanks to Martin Cooney for the news that his band Bending the Strings now has a new MySpace site, where you can hear several classic instrumentals and the song 'Kiss me, mother' ('I am weary, let me rest'), and see a dozen photos of Martin, Moyra, and Vinny on stage at the 2008 Athy Bluegrass Festival.

Here with you - Carmel Sheerin & the Ravens

On Monday night the 1st of September, music-loving people from all over the land converged in the Loft, Cooney’s Hotel, Ballymahon, Co. Longford for the eagerly awaited new album from Carmel Sheerin & the Ravens. Those who came hoping to hear quality music surely didn’t leave disappointed.

Special guests on the night were Northern Exposure, Shane Downey, Declan Nerney, & Simon Casey. Northern Exposure opened the night with some quality bluegrass tunes. Northern Exposure hail from Lurgan, Co. Armagh, and included in their band is the Ravens' very own Jonathan Toman. Shane Downey then took to the stage & the crowd took to the floor. Shane is only starting out in the country music scene, and by the reaction of the crowd he is sure to be a great success.

Then came the main act of the night when Carmel Sheerin & the Ravens performed songs from their new album. The talent both musically and vocally of this band is unquestionable and the very fact that they are regarded as one of the finest bluegrass bands in Europe will come as somewhat of a given to anyone that has heard this band in the past couple of years.

Special guests Declan Nerney and Simon Casey then performed some favourites, much to the delight of all present, who danced the night away. The night of music and dance was rounded off by the sensationally talented Sheerin boys. There isn’t a song or tune in the world that these lads can’t sing or play, and sing or play seriously well at that. All in all it was a fabulous night’s entertainment & the band would like to thank all involved in making this a very successful launch & all who sponsored prizes on the night. The new album is on sale in most good record stores nationwide and also through the band's website.

Press review

Maiden City Festival: bands on YouTube

The Maiden City Festival, held at Derry at the beginning of August, can be revisited on YouTube, where there is a lot of video footage of music and atmosphere.

Several videos come from the 'Do ye mind the Mem?' concert, featuring the Signetts (with Frankie Robinson on electric lead guitar) and the various bands later formed by Signetts members. The bluegrass and old-time element of the festival is represented by Broken Strings, Bill Whelan's OXO Boys, and Woodbine, all shown in performance on the streets or walls of Derry.

The Maiden City YouTube site also has a recent addition, shot in the Pennsylvania Dutch barn at last weekend's Omagh festival: Janet Holmes (guitar) and Colin Henry (banjo) singing 'Sitting on top of the world', accompanied by Ivan Muirhead (lead guitar) and Wilson Davies (bass) from Broken Strings.

Eddie Adcock - Bionic Banjo-Player

Preparing for surgery

Eddie Adcock - 'Father of Newgrass', one of the most influential banjo-players in bluegrass history, and member of the 'classic' Country Gentlemen and of many Halls of Fame - has embarked on a course of Deep Brain Stimulation surgery at Vanderbilt Medical Center, Nashville, TN. The aim is to eliminate hand tremor, which has affected his playing and writing in the last few years. The method involves implanting electrodes in the brain while the patient is conscious and playing.

The process is painful, but Eddie is in good spirits and will get a post-op check-up before fine tuning of the system in early October. He is the first person to receive this treatment at Vanderbilt, other than sufferers from Parkinson's disease.

A new frontier: Raptorgrass

Thanks to Chicago mandolinist and current Dublin resident Martin McWhorter for this link to a news item in the Bluegrass Intelligencer. It looks as if bluegrass concerts are about to take on a whole new, exciting dimension. Audience members are advised to bring stout oilskins and heavy-duty fly swatters.

PS: This was all foreseen, as through a glass darkly, in the late 1980s when Robin Lynn Macy, now a Dixie Chick, was guitarist and singer for a band called Danger in the Air in Dallas, TX.

Jack Lawrence & Tony Williamson tour in progress

Jack Lawrence & Tony Williamson at MerleFest O8

Two of North Carolina's finest acoustic musicians, Jack Lawrence, outstanding flat-pick guitarist, and Tony Williamson, mandolin wizard and operator of Mandolin Central, have just played the first four dates in their current tour of Ireland, and will continue as follows:

Tues. 9th: Mick Murphy's Pub, Ballymore Eustace, Co. Kildare; +353 (0)45 864181

Wed. 10th: Tadghin's Bar & Restaurant, Ballylinan, Athy, Co. Kildare; +353 (0)59 862 5788

Thurs. 11th: Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal; (0)74 912 9186

Fri. 12th: Barry's Pub, Grange, Co. Sligo; +353 (0)71 917 3111

Sat. 13th: Galway Americana Festival, the Crane Bar, Galway

Sun. 14th: Colfer's, Carrig-on-Bannow, Co. Wexford (mini-festival with Hungry Hill (Canada); +353 (0)51 561159

Mon. 15th: Village Arts Centre, Kilworth, Co. Cork; +353 (0)87 792 1771

Anyone who saw them on stage and in the Park at the Omagh festival can testify that these are instrumental wizards and tasteful musicians of a very high order.

Open House Festival, Belfast, 24-8 September

We're in the thick of the festival season now, with Dunmore East just eleven days ago, Omagh beginning tomorrow, and the Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival in Longford and the Open House Festival in Belfast, both in the final week of September. A vast range of talent in bluegrass-related and old-time-related music in all of them; full details on their websites.

The Johnny Keenan Festival does an outstanding job of combining Irish and American music; and since 2005 it has not been alone in this. The 4th Picnic Festival, to be held this weekend in the spectacular Citadel at Namur, Belgium, offers bluegrass on Saturday and Celtic music on Sunday. So if you have friends within reach of Namur, share the good news with them.

Jerry Reed

Guitarists and innumerable others, whether pickers or not, will have been saddened by the news of the death (Monday 1 September) of Jerry Reed from emphysema. Listeners to the BBC years ago will remember his playing of 'The Claw' as a regular feature of the Folk and Country shows. A full report appears on the Bluegrass Blog, which includes tributes from Jim Hurst and Tony Rice.

Tin Box Company news

Thanks to Paul 'The Tin Man' McEvoy for the news that the Tin Box Company (see BIB posts of 9 June and 14 July), who have played several weekends at the Leitrim Marina Hotel during the summer, will be there again in October; the date is awaiting confirmation.

Their regular schedule of appearances at the Knocklyon Inn, Dublin, was suspended during August, and will resume when the dates are finalised. Meanwhile, the TBC, having been on the bill at the recent Dunmore East festival, will also be taking part in the 'Bluegrass in the Park' afternoons this coming weekend at the Omagh festival.

Ragin' Cajun Night at Armagh, 19 Sept. 2008

Thanks to Sharon Loughrin and Ryan McAnenny for news of the Ragin' Cajun Night to be held at the Market Place Theatre, Armagh, on Friday 19 September 2008. In concert from 8.30 p.m. will be Omagh town's own award-winning bluegrassers, the Knotty Pine String Band - Seamus McGurgan (banjo, dobro, guitar), Tony Hutchinson (vocals, rhythm guitar), Aidan McGale (vocals, bass), and Declan O'Kane (fiddle, mandolin). Admission is £13.00, or - for £24 - the concert plus a cajun dinner with jerk chicken, meat jambalaya, and much more. Click on the above image for an enlarged view giving full details.

For more fine Cajun events coming this month, see the BIB post of 6 August.

Killester session suspended for the present

The traditional (Irish and American) and bluegrass session which has been run by 'Iron' Mike Stimpson & friends at the Parlour Bar, Killester, Dublin, on alternate Thursdays this year, is no longer being held there. Mike - who recently got married instead of going to one of our leading bluegrass festivals - will pass on the news when a new venue for the session is found.