Benefit night successful

Following on from the BIB post of 21 November on the benefit show in Dun Laoghaire two nights ago, at which the Niall Toner Band were the main attraction, we learn with great pleasure from Niall that the night was a success, and the target of €2,000 was well and truly hit. Congratulations to everyone who contributed to this very worthy cause.

Pictures from the sunny North

Thanks to Norman and Heather Brown for these photos taken at the Omagh festival in September 2008. In November, it's good to be reminded of the weather that weekend... Many more photos by Norman and Heather from the festival can be seen here.


Broken Strings in the School House Field


Geordie MacAdam (fiddle) and Wilson Davies (bass) at the main parking lot jam; click on this for a closer look at the back of the bass!

Videos of European bluegrass wanted for US TV

Does your band or event have video footage which could be made available for airing in the USA?

A new channel - ZGrass, The Bluegrass Channel, LLC - will launch in March 2009, presenting 'all bluegrass, all day, all the time'. And its managing director, Harold Brown, is looking for all the video he can find from European bluegrass bands. Contact:

Harold Brown, Managing Director
The Bluegrass Channel, LLC
Telephone: +1-305-890-6843
e-mail

Red Wine news

For the many friends and fans in Ireland of premier Italian bluegrass band Red Wine - look up this story on the European Bluegrass Blog about a recent honour for them, and a coming event early in the new year.

The father of the mother of bluegrass magazines

Pete Kuykendall (centre) with his wife Kitsy and banjoist Blake Williams, IBMA World of Bluegrass 2006

Thanks to the original Bluegrass Blog for this link to a newspaper story on Pete Kuykendall, who has been virtually everything in the bluegrass field in his time - including multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, recording engineer, discographer, festival organiser, and member of the IBMA Hall of Fame - but he is best known as the founder and editor for over forty years of 'BU': Bluegrass Unlimited, the mother of bluegrass magazines.

The present strong position of bluegrass music is due in no small measure to Pete Kuykendall and BU, and it's good to be able to read even a brief article on their joint career since 1966.

UTV Country-Fest, 1-2 Aug. 2009: an absence of grass?

Thanks to Roger Ryan for the following news:

Following this year's inaugural event, the UTV Country-Fest will take place again next year but is moving to an indoor location. It will take place on 1 and 2 August 2009 at the Kings Hall, Belfast, and tickets go on sale from Ticketmaster at 9.00 a.m. on Monday 1 December. Over 60 acts are confirmed to perform and the headline acts are Dwight Yoakam, Ray Price, and Martina McBride. Other acts due to perform are Doug Stone, John Conlee, Hal Ketchum, Georgette Jones, Vernon Oxford, Moe Bandy, Leona Williams, Don Mescal, Jimmy Buckley, Robert Mizzell, Stephen Smyth, Kieran McGilligan, Philomena Begley, Tony Kerr, Mike Denver, Country Harmony, John Farry, Aidy Quinn, Bonnie Stewart, Thomas Maguire, Fhiona Ennis, Fiddler Adam, Hugo Duncan, Justin McGurk, Warren Smyth, Anthony McBrien, Boxcar Brian, Eamon McCann, Matt Leavy, Shaun Loughrey, the Barroom Buddies (Rod and Tracey), the Benn Sisters, Bryan Mullen, Shunie Crampsey, Gary Quinn, Marion Curry, Sean Corrigan, Kim Dickinson, Joe Moore, Ben Glover, the Murphys, Ally Harron, Nathan Carter, Deirdre Bonner, Colm Kirwan, Curtis Magee, Frank McCaffrey, Alistair Coyles, Liam McLaughlin, Damien Bowe and Ten Gallon Hat & the Big Salute. This is a very strong lineup for a two-day festival and is sure to draw capacity crowds to the Kings Hall, Belfast.

Mandolin chord dictionary on iPhone

Thanks to Charles Dumont for the news that a dictionary of mandolin chords is now available for use on iPhone: the link is here.

Carolina Chocolate Drops on video

Thanks to Tim Hawkins for the news that the Carolina Chocolate Drops, who have just completed a two-week tour in Britain (no Irish dates this time, unfortunately), can be seen on BoingBoing.net, one of the most popular blog sites, performing 'Memphis shakedown', a Memphis Jug Band song from 1934, at the Will Shade Gravestone Benefit. The video was posted in April on YouTube.

NTB at the Purty Loft, Fri. 28 Nov. 2008

Niall Toner reports:

NTB are doing a very special gig in the Purty Loft, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, on Friday 28 November: showtime is 9.30 p.m., and tickets are €15 each, available at 087-1228570, at the Purty website, or at the door on the night.

It's called 'Fundraiser For A Fallen Friend', and we really need to get a lot of 'bums on seats' for the occasion. There will be the usual extra-special raffles on the night, and a 'request-special', where the band will make a reasonable attempt at any country/bluegrass/old-time song/tune for an extra fee of €20 per item! A suitable hat will be passed around on the night to collect this extra cash... and there will be many other money-raising gimmicks, and other novel suggestions will be most welcome.

For the best of reasons, the beneficiary's name remains secret for the time being; but the BIB guarantees that this cause deserves all support from the bluegrass and old-time community, and we hope the Loft is packed out on the night. It's the long-established music venue upstairs at the Purty Kitchen on Old Dunleary, near the Salthill/Monkstown DART station and the West Pier. Niall adds:

NTB are playing for free, many people are donating raffle prizes, the venue is being provided free of charge, and all monies raised on the night will be handed over to the beneficiary in cash. We hope to raise at least €2,000 to make it a worthwhile exercise. There are a huge number of other live gigs on in Dublin on the same night, so we have our work cut out for us!

Booterstown session now every week!

Thanks to Noreen & Brian McGrane for the news that their old-time, folk, and bluegrass session in the front bar of the Old Punch Bowl, Booterstown, Blackrock, Co. Dublin (across the Merrion Road from Booterstown DART station), will now be held every Wednesday evening. The session has consequently been added to the list of weekly events at the head of the BIB calendar.

Congratulations to Noreen & Brian for building up the Old Punch Bowl session, which began on a monthly basis. NB: people coming by car should avoid using the DART station car park - cars improperly parked there may be clamped.

The sunny side of Appalachia

B. L. Dotson-Lewis. The sunny side of Appalachia: bluegrass from the grassroots. 8.5 x 11", 184 pages, large print, recycled paper, black & white photos. $15.95

Betty L. Dotson-Lewis was born in the coalfields of south-west Virginia and raised in the coalfields of West Virginia. In this original work she sets out to give the mountain people a voice through oral histories, photos, and narratives - uncut, verbatim, and in original dialect. She focuses here on the early struggles of bluegrass pioneers such as Bobby Osborne and Jesse McReynolds - the hungry years when they played at one-room schools and honky-tonks, or on top of concession stands at drive-in theatres, and contended with heartaches and uncooperative record companies.

The book is available online (and via Amazon) or from the author: B. L. Dotson-Lewis, 228 Madelia Place, Mooresville, NC 28115, USA; tel. +1-704-929-3118; e-mail.

Westport 2009: now on the web

Thanks to Uri Kohen for the news that the Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival MySpace site now has full details of next year's event, including the schedule of times and venues, the leading performers - the Blue Grass Boogiemen (NL), the Tennessee Hennessees, the Henry Girls, and Stevie (UK) - together with contact data for local accommodation and a slideshow of photos from the two previous Westport festivals.

The Third Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival opens at 18:00 on 26 June 2009 at the Porter House, Westport, and continues with sessions in Blousers, Geraghty’s, McGing’s, and the Mill Times Hotel (the main Saturday night concert venue), with the last session beginning at 16:00 on 28 June in Blousers.

I Draw Slow at the Cobblestone, 22 Nov.

A reminder that I Draw Slow will be in concert at the Cobblestone, Smithfield, Dublin, on Saturday 22 November at 9.00 p.m. Admission €10. The band consists of Dave Holden (guitar), Louise Holden (vocals), Adrian Hart (fiddle), Colin Derham (clawhammer banjo), and Konrad Liddy (upright bass), and their album Downside was released two months ago. Orla Keeshan writes:

This band is hauntingly brilliant, each gig of theirs could give you goose bumps and leave you with a sense that something otherworldly has happened... The five have created a new sound, rooted in the old-time style of the Appalachian Mountains, drawing on Irish traditional music and modern Americana. However, this is a whole new songbook of stories and melodies. These are tales of debauchery and trouble brewing in the wind; all songs are carried by the kind of well crafted melodies that survive lifetimes.

Don't forget that the A-team of old-time fiddle, banjo, song, and dance - Ira Bernstein and Riley Baugus - will be at the Cobblestone two nights earlier: Thursday 20 November.

Long story short: new CD by the Tashians

Niall Toner is one of the songwriters whose work appears on the latest CD by Barry & Holly Tashian, who have toured in Ireland several times.

Long story short is their seventh album (the first, Trust in Me, was released twenty years ago), and most of the songs are written by the Tashians along with Niall, Lisa Aschmann, and Pamela Hayes Brown. It was recorded in Nashville with leading bluegrass/country musicians including Mike Compton (mandolin), Mike Henderson (slide guitar), Matt Combs (fiddle, mandolin), Ross Sermons (upright bass), and Kenny Malone (percussion).

DJs and reviewers who'd like to get Long story short should e-mail Holly their postal address. The CD comes with tray card and inserts, but without a jewel box, so as to reduce plastic in the environment. It can be bought online at the Tashian website or at CD Baby; or it can be downloaded or sampled at their MySpace site. Niall Toner adds:

Barry and Holly have done a terrific job on their new CD, and I'm delighted and honoured to have two of my co-writes with them included, especially 'Long story short' as the title track, and their version of 'The promise' is just dandy.

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

Thanks to Cathal Cusack for pointing out that the Fall 2008 issue of the Fretboard Journal includes a feature on Barry Tashian, and that a documentary - 'America's lost band' - on Barry's 1960s band, the Remains, can be read about on the Remains website. The Winter 2008 issue of the FJ will include an article on the Telluride bluegrass festival, and the FJ calendar for 2009 is available for anyone who loves fine photos of fine instruments.

Hazard Hollow to play Phoenix Folk Club in Ballyfermot, Dublin, 20 Nov.

Ruth Dillon and Tom Hanway (photo: Denise Hanway)

On Thursday night, 20 November, Hazard Hollow, featuring Ruth Dillon, Bernie O’Mahony, and Tom Hanway will play traditional and original bluegrass and country songs at the Phoenix Folk Club, at Downey’s, Grange Cross, 343 Ballyfermot Road, Dublin. The show begins at 9.00 pm.

Ruth Dillon (vocals/guitar) will perform a few of her original songs and sing duets with Bernie, backed by Tom Hanway's hot banjo. Ruth, originally from Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, has toured the world with folksinger Dolores Keane and played on several projects with Tom in recent years, recording with Bernie and Ivor Ottley (fiddle) on Hazard Hollow’s debut CD, which will be available at the show.

Bernie O’Mahony (vocals/guitar), originally from Waterford, is a professional studio singer and recording artist who has performed with Sean Tyrrell’s highly acclaimed show 'The Midnight Court'. She and Ruth have been collaborating in Galway in recent years, performing at the Dunmore East International Bluegrass Festival, touring in Ireland and America, and holding down a monthly residency at the prestigious Crane Bar in Galway.

Ruth, Bernie, and Tom are a harmony tour de force, with each taking turns singing lead and backing the others in the grand traditions of American bluegrass and country music.

Bluegrass earthquake at Celtic Connections 2009

Dan Tyminski

Thanks to the Scottish Bluegrass Association for news of the Celtic Connections 2009 Festival, to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, from 15 January to 1 February 2009.

The schedule includes the following bluegrass and old-time music talent: Cherryholmes, Dan Tyminski, the Jerry Douglas Band, Bela Fleck, Tim O'Brien, Crooked Still, Bruce Molsky, Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet, Russ Barenberg, the Hot Seats, Leon Hunt & Guests, the Wilders, Dirk Powell & Riley Baugus.

As the SBA says, this makes Scotland 'the epicentre of a European bluegrass earthquake'. More details are on the Celtic Connections website.

Gold Heart tour in UK, 24 Apr.-3 May 2009

As we announced on 7 November, the Gold Heart Bluegrass Band from Virginia are among the US bands for whom tours are being arranged by the Scottish Bluegrass Association in 2009. They are already booked to be playing every night in the UK from 24 April to 3 May inclusive. Full details of the schedule are on the European Bluegrass Blog.

Our own Niall Toner has described them as 'one of the most exciting and fresh sounding bands I have ever heard'.

Tom Hanway gets heavy rotation on 'Best of Bluegrass'

Radio Bluegrass International's Bob Mitchell played 'What are they doing in heaven today' from Tom Hanway & Blue Horizon, on his 16 November broadcast, recorded at WFPK-FM 91.9, Louisville, KY. Bob Mitchell hosts 'Best of Bluegrass' every Sunday at 3:00 p.m. CST (20:00 GMT). Tom Hanway is deeply grateful to Mr Mitchell and all the artists, engineers, and producers who helped him to make his three recordings [full track listings at this link].

Advertise in British Bluegrass News!

With new moves taking place within the British Bluegrass Music Association, as reported on the BIB on 11 November, we've just heard from Sherryl Payne, who many here will remember as bass player with A Band Like Alice at previous festivals - their new CD Down to the wire was released in autumn 2008.

Sherryl is now BBMA treasurer and in charge of advertising in British Bluegrass News. BBN's advertising rates have been reduced - £40 is the cost for a full page, £30 for half a page, £20 for quarter page - and if you want publicity for your event, recording, instruments (or whatever) on the bluegrass scene in Britain, an ad in BBN is strongly recommended.

The next issue will be out before Christmas 2008, and deadline for copy is 1 December. Contact Sherryl by e-mail.

Tom Hanway signed to worldwide distribution deal

American bluegrass composer, banjoist, and guitarist Tom Hanway, now living in Ireland, has hit a major milestone by signing a worldwide distribution deal with Digital Revolution Entertainment for his three releases, originally on Joyous Gard Records. All music from Tom Hanway, Bucket of bees (13 tracks), Tom Hanway & Blue Horizon (15 tracks), and Tom Hanway & Vassar Clements, The Badbelly project (14 tracks) will be available as digital downloads in the following formats: (1) as entire albums, (2) a la carte - 42 songs, and (3) as ringtones. Amazon, Napster, Rhapsody, Lala, eMusic were the first to offer MP3 downloads (on 11/11/2008), with iTunes, Nokia, Liquid, MEdia Net, PassAlong, Puretracks, SNOCAP, SpiralFrog, and more online music stores to follow.

Tom Hanway, Bucket of bees, featuring Sam Bush, Vassar Clements, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, David Grier, and Tony Trischka, was recorded in New York City and Nashville, Tennessee, produced by Tony Trischka, Larry Cohen, and Tom Hanway. Tom Hanway & Blue Horizon, featuring Vassar Clements, Mark Schatz, and Roy Huskey, Jr., was recorded in Nashville, produced by Tom Hanway and engineered by Bil VornDick. Tom Hanway & Vassar Clements, The Badbelly project, featuring Larry Campbell and Lucy Kaplansky, was recorded in the Bronx, New York, co-produced by Lincoln Schleifer and Tom Hanway.

In Ireland and throughout the world, Tom Hanway’s three albums (42 songs) can now be purchased at this Amazon link, or visit Tom Hanway’s website and search under 'Music Stores'.

New Alison Brown CD: Christmas gift offer

Stephanie Fields of Compass Records (USA) sends this message to the EBMA and other bluegrass associations:

I wanted to let you know about banjo player Alison Brown’s new holiday album Evergreen. It’s her first recording of seasonal music and features lots of banjo pickin’ alongside performances by bandmates Joe Craven and John R. Burr on a variety of well loved holiday classics. The album has received glowing advance press ('The Alison Brown Quartet has packaged a fun and very fine gift for holiday audiences. The musicianship is top notch. If you enjoy jazz or bluegrass, Evergreen should definitely be under your tree!' - Christmasreviews.com) and, since I know it’s tough to find fresh acoustic-oriented CDs for the season, I thought your members would be particularly interested to know about the release.

As a special promotion for the album, Compass Records is offering a bundled gift set that includes the CD paired with an adorable banjo cat wine caddie, customised especially for Alison by an artisan in Kentucky and one of her favorite finds of 2008. We would like to extend a 20% off coupon to your members for purchases on our website during November and December 2008, good towards the purchase of the banjo cat gift set or anything else in our catalog.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Stephanie

Prairie Dawgs at the 108, Rathgar, Dublin, 15 Nov.

Conor of the Prairie Dawgs announces that the band will be playing at the 108 in Rathgar, Terenure Road East, Dublin 6, on Saturday 15 November, and adds:

Go on - it'll be great craic. Sure it's our 2nd last gig until late Jan. (last one is Sat. 22nd in Kruger's in Howth in aid of Focus Ireland).

We've a new member now on elec. slide geetar - very sexy (I mean the slide guitar not necessarily the player... although). So we are now officially a 9-piece!!! We're supported by the Long Knives. Its a great nite out in a daecent boozer with a daecent pint.

Hope to see ya,

Conor Dawg

European Bluegrass Summit in Germany, 7-8 Feb. 2009

During the IBMA World of Bluegrass 2008 in Nashville a few weeks ago, one of the features was a two-day International Summit meeting, which brought together thirty people from all corners of the world to discuss issues facing bluegrass music worldwide, and agree on programmes of cooperative action.

The results so impressed some of the European attenders that a similar event has been arranged (with IBMA support), to be held on 7-8 February 2009 in the town of Bühl/Baden, southern Germany (which holds its 7th International Bluegrass Festival in May 2009).

The input of anyone concerned for the welfare of bluegrass in Europe is welcome. Full details, including application forms for those who wish to attend, can be found on the European Bluegrass Blog.

The BBMA is back!

Richard F. Thompson reports:

Following the election of John Wirtz as the British Bluegrass Music Association's chairman at the AGM last April, the work has begun to raise the profile of the association and bring it back to the prominence it once had in the 1990s.

At the time the association was founded (in 1990), it was quite difficult for enthusiasts to find out what was going on. Plenty was happening but, apart from the efforts of Phill Morley, who founded British Bluegrass News, and later with assistance from Jan Jerrold and Richard F. Thompson, news tended to get around by word of mouth.

The BBMA changed all that. It experienced a honeymoon period before that little beast called the internet came along. Suddenly communication was easy and the more enlightened festival and gig promoters got websites going. The impact of the BBMA was dramatically reduced. The word on the street was: 'We don't need the BBMA now there's the Internet', and membership began to dwindle.

The internet is a great thing and the BBMA must embrace its power, but there are things the internet cannot do without an organisation behind it to ensure the information is useful, accurate, and well targeted. Good organisations are much more than suppliers of information: they can do many more things to support the activities of their members. In the past, the BBMA has provided grants and loans to allow bands to record CDs, it has sponsored young people to go to camps such as Sore Fingers Week, and it has underwritten gigs where promoters need financial support. However, the BBMA hasn't been very good at telling people about these things and, with low membership levels, has had limited funds available to improve its record. In recent years, the majority of the income from members has been used to produce the association magazine.

Six months into his tenure, Chairman Wirtz is pleased to report that the magazine has been redesigned and looks a lot more attractive. This has been achieved with a saving of 40 per cent on production costs – a real result! The magazine editorial team has also been increased from one to four people.

The next high-profile project is to redesign the website. The BBMA has never had a decent website and this is about to change. The new one will be simple, informative and designed to guide members to the right places to find information about bluegrass, be it about events and festivals or technical information about playing the music. The hope is to have the new site up and running by Christmas.

A new national area rep. coordinator has been appointed, and a greater number of regional representatives are being recruited to provide more comprehensive cover across the country.

There is a great deal of work to do behind the scenes to get the administration of the BBMA back on track. It has suffered from too few people trying to do everything, and that has meant the creative side and the ideas that would really benefit the members have suffered too.

In order to embark on creative projects, the BBMA needs to recruit enough people to run it. However, there are some great ideas floating about and just to give you a taste, here are some that have been discussed over the summer:

· A demo CD showcasing British bluegrass song writing.

· A programme for teaching music in schools using bluegrass and bluegrass instruments.

· A joint venture to set up instrumental teaching surgeries for all bluegrass instruments at the summer festivals.

· BBMA showcase concerts at festivals to promote new bands.

· A series of fact sheets downloadable from the BBMA website, with general advice for bands, promoters, and individuals.

The present committee members are really enthusiastic about these ideas and would be really happy if just one of these was to bear fruit during the next twelve months. It can be done, but not without you! More members are needed to increase the funds available to make these projects work.

In his first editorial in the current edition of British Bluegrass News, Wirtz promised change and he is pleased to say that the committee has started to deliver on that promise. He says: 'You may be one of those who didn't renew your membership because you were disillusioned. Well, it's time to come out of the depression and re-join, you will really make a difference and if you were one who never joined at all, it's time for a change of heart. If you are already a member, then why not go and recruit someone new?'

Richard F. Thompson
Feature Editor, British Bluegrass News
e-mail
Tel: +44 (0) 1543 252683

Trish Hockley
Membership Secretary
FREEPOST BBMA
Tel: +44 (0) 7889 607612
e-mail

More news on Westport 2009

Thanks to Uri Kohen for the news that in addition to the Blue Grass Boogiemen (NL) and the Tennessee Hennessees (Lurgan, Co. Armagh), as reported in our last post on next year's Third Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival, the programme will include some 'wild cards': on the main stage the Henry Girls from Co. Donegal, and in pub gigs Stevie, a mandolin-player and singer-songwriter from Basingstoke, England. Uri adds:

Although on their CD the Henry Girls are touching on jazz, they promise to put together a unique show with a real family-harmony bluegrass sound. It is a very special show and I'm sure it is going to be a wonderful addition for the event.

Stevie usually plays in pubs in England and in bikers' conventions, as he is a biker himself. He is sure to add some colour to our festival.

We promise to have some of our own local musicians, and once again we will give the fans a chance to 'jam' with the festival's main acts. We hope to have the full program revealed for the new year.

The festival website is being refurbished by Uri and Jan Michielsen of 4 Wheel Drive (NL), and will soon be fully operational.

Fair City Grass: new schedule

Thanks to Enda Donnelly for the news that, owing to rescheduling of bands for the winter in Mother Reilly's, Uppercross House Hotel, Rathmines, Dublin, Fair City Grass will be playing there next Wednesday (12 November), and every other Wednesday after that.

By good fortune, this means there will no longer be a clash between the FCG gig and the old-time/folk session in the Old Punch Bowl, Booterstown, Blackrock, hosted on alternate Wednesdays by Noreen and Bryan McGrane.

US bands to tour in 2009

Gold Heart Bluegrass Band

John Sheldon, secretary of the Scottish Bluegrass Association, writes:

I'm just back from the IBMA World of Bluegrass Showcase and Awards event in Nashville and have proposals for some great bluegrass bands to tour Scotland and the UK in 2009 :-

Gold Heart Bluegrass Band (MySpace site): UK tour starts on 23 April; dates available from Sunday 26 April

Gold Heart is an award-winning band with a 'fresh zest'! The band is revving up listeners and capturing hearts worldwide with their pure family harmony, solid lead vocals, and energetic instrumentation.

They absolutely knocked my socks off! They are called 'Gold Heart' and these young ladies are true to their name. Their pure talent is amazing and their harmonies are enough to break your heart. I really can’t say enough about how good they sound. It reminded me of the first time I heard Rhonda Vincent or Dry Branch Fire Squad — a unique sound all their own. Simply inspiring! They are a pure listening joy! (Les Evans)

The Midnight Ramblers Bluegrass Band: UK tour starts Friday 25 July; dates available from then up until 30 July

The Midnight Ramblers are a great example of why Southwest Virginia and the Crooked Road has become a hotbed of young bluegrass talent. Get a copy of Let it shine and you will be amazed (H. W. ‘Bill’ Smith, The Crooked Road)

... man, what a group of talented young singers! (Ralph Stanley II)

Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa Bluegrass Band: UK tour starts Thursday 24 September; dates available

Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa are a hot new bluegrass band with fantastic credentials. Between them, these guys have years of experience playing in famous line-ups including US Navy band Country Current, Emerson & Taylor, Jimmy Martin’s Sunny Mountain Boys, Emerson/Newton Band, the Gary Ferguson Band, to name a few. Coupled with Wayne Taylor’s brilliant songwriting abilities, this is one winning combination featuring seasoned professionals: Mark Delaney (banjo), Emory Lester (mandolin), Kip Martin (bass), Wayne Taylor (guitar), Dave Giegerich (dobro).

If you know of anyone interested in putting on a bluegrass show in your locality, please pass this information on to them.

Contact John Sheldon through the SBA website, by phone (+44 (0)1968670038), or by e-mail.

Does your guitar have a story?

Thanks to Stephanie Taylor of Mid Tennessee State University (MTSU) and Nancy Cardwell of IBMA for the following:

MTSU graduate recording student Aaron Raitiere is conducting a series of interviews on guitar stories throughout December. The stories will be compiled into a book and the project complete by May 2009. With a variety of interesting characters already on board, this project is proving to be very special. If you or anyone you know has a story behind their guitar and would be interested in becoming a part of the book, please contact Aaron [e-mail] immediately. The interviews take about half an hour. They are recorded and will later be edited for the book. Everyone from Willie Nelson to Willie Next-door is a candidate for an interview. Please get involved or forward this information to anyone who might be interested.

BIB editor's note: Just guitars? We can see this becoming a series...

Appalachian Roots in Ireland, 17-21 Nov.: UPDATE

The BIB carried last Thursday Orla Keeshan's news that on Thursday 20 November at 9.00 p.m. Appalachian Roots (Riley Baugus & Ira Bernstein) will be in concert at the Cobblestone, Smithfield, Dublin. Admission 10 euros. Orla's release reads:

Appalachian Roots is a duo show by Ira Bernstein with virtuoso old-time musician and singer Riley Baugus of Walkertown, NC. Performances are a dynamic mix of traditional dance, song, and instrumental music from the southern Appalachian region of the US, with a few international twists thrown in. Their gigs include percussive flatfooting, buckdancing, and rhythm tap-dancing performed by Ira. Riley has played with numerous old-time string bands including the Red Hots, Backstep, and the Old Hollow Stringband. He currently plays with the Dirk Powell Band and Polecat Creek. His singing is featured on the soundtrack to the recent Academy Award-winning film Cold Mountain.

We're now delighted to report that Appalachian Roots will be playing FIVE full-length concert dates in this island, as follows:

Mon. 17 Nov.: Mick Murphy's Pub, Ballymore Eustace, Co. Wicklow
Tues. 18 Nov.: Kilworth Arts Centre, Kilworth, Co. Cork
Wed. 19 Nov.: Colfers Pub, Carrig-on-Bannow, Co. Wexford; 087 8200986
Thurs. 20 Nov.: The Cobblestone, Smithfield, Dublin
Fri. 21 Nov.: Lyness Pub, Richill, Co. Armagh; 07771 571122

For anyone who likes old-time music at its finest and Appalachian dance at Olympic standards, seeing this act is an absolute must. Thanks to FOAOTMAD for news of the extra dates.

Janet Holmes at Killyleagh, 7 Nov. 2008

Janet Holmes, singer, songwriter, and recording artist, will be in concert at the Dufferin Arms, Killyleagh, Co. Down, on Friday 7 November at 9.00 p.m. Janet's latest CD, Wonder why, can be bought at live shows or on CD Baby.

Thanks for the news, and the above copy of the poster, to Colin Henry, who will be backing Janet on the night on resonator guitar (and possibly banjo), together with Ivan Muirhead (lead guitar) and Wilson Davies (bass), the combination shown in a photo on the BIB on 23 September.

John Pearse, 1939-2008

Dana Thorin of John Pearse Strings sends the sad news that John Pearse has died in Germany, where he had lived for several years. With his health declining in recent years, John had turned over the operations of the company completely to his business partner, Mary Faith Rhoads-Lewis, who since its inception in the '80s had always handled the business side.

For those who knew John personally, a guest book has been added to the John Pearse Strings website. Dana adds:

Obviously, the company will continue to honor John's memory by making sure his excellent strings and accessories continue to be available for all the players out there for many years to come. In honour of John, I would recommend you toast his memory with your favorite beverage! He would like that!