Westport Festival launch, 6 June

Electric Cave Production announces:

Greetings to you all,

The official launch of Westport's 3rd Folk and Bluegrass Festival will take place this Saturday 6/6/09 in Geraghty's Pub in Westport, Co. Mayo, at 9.00 p.m. On the night we will have some words by Uri Kohen, the festival producer, and four excellent acts to give a sample of what's to come in the festival.

Geraghty's pub was the home of all our promotion gigs for the festival and it's one of the venues of the festival since we started three years ago. The acts on the night are:

TIM ROGERS and special guest - Tim is a well known old-time and bluegrass musician and he is coming back to the festival for the third year.

DAVID HOPE - David is a singer/songwriter from Shannon; he played to a full house in the first promotional gig of this year's festival and is retuning to Westport due to the fans' demand.

THE MACEVILLYS - Hubie and Sarah are coming back to the festival for the third time and prove to be one of the best acts around. They are performing great bluegrass tunes in upbeat and happy vibes.

ODI - Odi are a duo from Wexford, led by Claire Odlum, and they are currently touring with David Hope.

The Electric Cave production team would love to see you all attending the event, which will mark the start of what is bound to be another great festival in Westport.

New Low Country Boys CD

The Low Country Boys from east Co. Down have just released their latest gospel CD, 'No lang tae go', which is good listening and good reading. The generous sixteen tracks include familiar material ('Rock of ages', 'Angel band', 'Down to the river', 'Shield of faith', 'Leaning [on the Everlasting Arms]') along with original tunes and songs: the four instrumentals include a banjo tune, 'Granda's 35'. Several songs and the final spoken track, which retells the story of the prodigal son, are in Ulster Scots.

The CD notes are a storehouse of local history, with many evocative photos of life in the Low Country of east Down last century, or earlier - two pages deal with the 1798 rising and its background. Note the banjo mandolin bought from Matchett's of Belfast in 1938, and the original invoice; you can probably still buy a similar instrument there, but not for £1.25...

Gibson Young and Ivan McFerran have a good sound here, with a particularly nice blend on the vocal harmonies. Guest musicians appear on flute, snare drum, pipes, and guitar. Since the recording, the band has been augmented to a three-piece with dobro guitar; details are on the Low Country Boys blog. The CD can be bought online or from selected shops (listed here), from the News Letter, or at Low Country Boys concerts.

News from Bean Blossom

The Bean Blossom Brown County Jamboree Preservation Foundation, which supports the famous Music Park in Bean Blossom, Indiana - once owned by the Father of Bluegrass, and owned and operated as a memorial to him by former Blue Grass Boy Dwight Dillman since 1997 - announces that the Bill Monroe Memorial Bean Blossom Bluegrass Festival will be held on 13-20 June 2009.

The Park now has a new website, which carries a great deal of information relating to Bill Monroe as well as many links, including those to the museum and store. If you've ever envied the BIB editor's black T-shirt with an image of Mr Monroe, this is the place to get one!

Kieran Halpin in Dublin, 31 May

In the wider acoustic music field, Gerry Fitzpatrick, dobro player with the Sick and Indigent Song Club, with the McGrane Family, and filling dobro-shaped holes generally, reports:

Kieran Halpin - one of our best singer/ songwriters and now resident in Scotland - will be making a rare visit to Dublin to play in the Cherry Tree tomorrow, Sunday 31 May, 9.00 p.m. Brilliant songwriter and performer and an old pal of mine!

Omagh 2009: our sources reveal...

Claire Lynch

Thanks to Sharon Loughrin, who writes:

Just letting you know that the Omagh lineup has been revealed; it certainly is up to its usual high standard. Heading the line-up are the Claire Lynch Band from North Alabama, and Dirk Powell. The Malpass Brothers are returning and will be playing Sunday night along with the top bluegrass gospel duo Kenny and Amanda Smith.

I'm also really glad to see that Omagh has booked the Foggy Hogtown Boys from Canada (a recent link on BIB drew our attention to them and I was hoping they would play close to home on their tour) Also confirmed are 4 Wheel Drive, Turquoise from France, and of course lots more good local talent. It's all looking good for this year.

No doubt about that at all...

Bluegrass on the Tube

Thanks to Carl Carlson of the SouthEastern Bluegrass Association, located in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, who sends this news of a resource he has created for the enjoyment of bluegrass:

Just for fun, I put together Bluegrass on the Tube, a free website that is designed to promote bluegrass music among bluegrass fans and 'friends' of bluegrass fans. The website currently has over 250 videos in the library, representing a wide variety of artists and styles of bluegrass. New videos are added weekly.

In addition to direct access to the entire library, I have incorporated a Subscription Service, also free, which delivers a new video each day (no spam, easy opt-in, easy opt-out).

Hopefully this new website resource might be of interest to your membership community. Please take a look. Give it a try. I would appreciate your feedback.

Update: Thanks to Sharon Loughrin for the news that she has just signed up; one of the first videos Sharon found shows the Steep Canyon Rangers (USA) playing at the Omagh festival a couple of years ago!

Musicians wanted for new project

The Bluegrass Brothers: Patrick Simpson (guitar) and Aran Sheehan (mandolin) keeping cool in the kitchen

Thanks to Carl Mark O'Neill for these photos from a picking session on Saturday 16 May at Aran Sheehan's house in Dublin. Among those present was John Sweeney (left) on bass.

Aran reports: 'The Sunny Busker Boys need a bass player, fiddle, and banjer for a new musical project combining traditional and unorthodox bluegrass music.'

Free video lessons and more for banjo

Thanks to Denis Hayes of Cork, who reports:

I just want to inform the 5-string banjo-players that the Music Moose website is being closed down but will be replaced by this website. There is some great free lessons here for anyone with the inclination to learn some banjo.

The Moose will be off the internet from 1 June 2009. The farewell notice by its originators is worth reading, and part of it follows:

The Moose started out as a place where people could come and learn from top caliber talent, and we think we actually managed to achieve some of that goodness. We'll be leaving up the lesson videos on revver and YouTube, so you can at least keep learning, but alas, the cartoon moose we all know and love won't be around anymore.

I would like to truly thank each and every one of you who made the Moose what it was while we were up and running. This has been a great community of folks who've been passionate about learning, and if you learned one lick from any of the videos or forums, then it was worth it. Keep the Moose spirit alive wherever you go!

The new website takes the form of a blog by David Cavage (photo above), formerly banjo-player of the Hickory Project (USA), a powerhouse of a band who have appeared several times in Ireland, chiefly at the Dunmore East festival. David's blog includes all the banjo instruction material formerly on Music Moose, reorganised to serve the user better. It includes literally scores of video lessons, grouped in miniseries of which the most recent demonstrates the style of Don Reno.

Portland, OR, at the Cobblestone and on 'Roots Freeway'

Niall Toner reports:

They are certainly not bluegrass, but they make a fine old-time sound! The Flat Mountain Girls from Portland, Oregon, are my special guests on 'Roots Freeway' next Tuesday evening on RTE Radio One at 9.00 p.m. They will be explaining all about their music and playing a selection of tunes and songs. Also on the show is Huck Notari from Portland, with Dave from I Draw Slow on frailing banjo.

The Flats played last night at the Cobblestone, Smithfield, Dublin, supported by I Draw Slow, and Huck Notari will be there tonight, supported by the Little Ass Birds. Note that all 'Roots Freeway' shows can be heard via the links to the programme's archives.

Fiddle tunes illuminated

Following the BIB post of 9 May on Henry Reed (1884-1968) of West Virginia and his legacy for old-time fiddlers, we learn that Alan Jabbour has now published a 120-page spiral-bound book, Fiddle tunes illuminated, with full transcriptions, playing advice, stylistic comment, and much more on forty-five tunes learned from Henry Reed and other fiddlers; many of the tunes are now considered fundamental in old-time fiddle repertoire.

Full details here, including price and a package deal with recordings of the tunes. Thanks to FOAOTMAD for the news.

Berklee graduate brings the Big Fiddle to Limerick

Thanks to Nick Balkin of Berklee College, Boston, Mass., for the news that cellist Liz Davis Maxfield (left) from Orem, Utah, who graduated from Berklee earlier this month, is the first Berklee graduate to receive a Fulbright scholarship. She will take up the scholarship at the University of Limerick - where she will also be the first cellist accepted for the university's traditional music programme - and will be writing a book on using the cello to play Irish traditional music, both as a melody and a rhythm instrument.

More here, which is linked to a report in the Utah Daily Herald. Liz Maxfield has already brought out several CDs, the latest being Big fiddle (right), after an old Scots name for the cello.

Why is this news for the Bluegrass Ireland Blog? Well - apart from the significant visit to Ireland by Berklee last month, which is scheduled to be repeated next year - Liz Maxfield plays not only Celtic music but jazz, newgrass, and old-time; her recordings recall the work of Rushad Eggleston with Crooked Still and on the Compass album Fiddlers 4 (one of your editor's personal favourite CDs). A few years ago Katy Leonard was also at Limerick, writing a thesis on bluegrass in Ireland; and Katy is now on the staff of the IBMA. You never know how connections will turn out...

Gary Ferguson: fifth tour of Ireland, July 2009: update

Colin Henry and Gary Ferguson

Thanks to singer/songwriter Gary Ferguson for an update on his fifth tour in Ireland during this coming summer, with Colin Henry of Belfast on dobro, and with Janet Holmes on some shows.

Gary reports that house concerts (as noted on the BIB yesterday) are becoming common and popular in the States. Owing to a cancellation, there is now a date open on the tour schedule - Monday 6 July. Gary and Colin are consequently looking for a gig that day, and would welcome the opportunity to try a house concert.

Foggy Hogtown Boys in Ireland, September 2009

Good news for people who like bluegrass which is solidly tradition-based and at the same time sounds as if the band is inventing it on the spot out of pure energy and enjoyment: the Foggy Hogtown Boys from Toronto, Canada, will be in Ireland and Britain this autumn. The FHB, who also have a MySpace site, consist of Andrew Collins (mandolin), Chris Coole (guitar), Max Heineman (bass), Chris Quinn (banjo), and John Showman (fiddle). Andrew and John are also members of the Creaking Tree String Quartet, a perhaps more cerebral but no less passionate type of string band.

At present the one date in the FHB tour for which we have firm details is their last in Ireland: 17 September, when at 8.00 p.m. they play the Source Arts Centre, Cathedral St., Thurles, Co. Tipperary; 'phone +353 504 90204; e-mail. Adm. €18.00/16.00. The following day they will be in Cornwall for the 6th Cornish Bluegrass Association Festival. They will, however, apparently be in Ireland for the best part of two weeks, playing in each of the four provinces. More details when we have them.

Knotty Pine String Band play in Wales, 29 May

We frequently hear the question: 'What are Omagh's finest, the Knotty Pine String Band, doing now?' Well, they're touring to promote their new album - the fourth - and will be performing for the Boomswinger Bluegrass Club at the Mackintosh Institute, Keppoch St., Roath, Cardiff, South Wales, from 8.00 p.m. to midnight on 29 May. Tickets cost £5.00 from the Spice of Life, 1 Inverness Place. Thanks to Dee Hallett of the BBMA for the news.

Jeff & Vida back in August-September '09

Jeff Burke and Vida Wakeman, from New Orleans but now based in Nashville, TN, will be back in Ireland this year in late summer/early autumn. Regular and indefatigable favourites on the festival and gig circuits for seven or eight years now, they will be appearing (according to the present state of the schedule) at Barry's, Grange, Co. Sligo, on 14 August; at the Crane Bar, Galway, on 21 August; and at the Dunmore East (28-30 August) and Omagh (5-6 September) bluegrass festivals. They will then spend the rest of September in Britain, where they will be touring with the Carrivick Sisters.

The House Concert European Hub (& Acoustic Music Club Network)

'House concerts' - if you have not encountered this term before, or have no idea of how to organise a house concert (or get one organised for your band), check out the House Concert European Hub (& Acoustic Music Club Network).

'A house concert is a chance to experience music in a warm and intimate environment. This is a place for artists, guests, and hosts to network', says the homepage (or 'vestibule'). Learn all the details of how to organise a house concert - it need not even be in a house. If you're a touring musician or prospective impresario, join the network and get your own page. There's an associated network, Country Locals, which may be more adapted to the needs of some bluegrass bands.

Bluegrass Babies on YouTube

Thanks to Paul on the BGrass-L e-mail list and to our friend Erio Meili in Brazil for this link to a more than nice little animation on YouTube. The Bluegrass Babies play 'Cindy', assisted by their toys, with breaks on 'Foggy Mountain Breakdown' which are really some of the best picking you'll hear from a pink rabbit anywhere. Cajun fans should listen to the closing music especially.

Erio liked the link so much, it is now on his Titanic Harbor Stage jam session flyer page.

Carmel Sheerin & the Ravens at Athy, 27 May 2009

Carmel Sheerin & the Ravens are continuing their nationwide tour and are set to play in the Carlton Abbey Hotel, Athy, Co. Kildare, on Wednesday 27 May. An enjoyable night is promised as Carmel and the boys perform songs from their recently released second album, Here with you, with multi-Grammy-Award-winning Nashville producer Bil VornDick.

'This band simply gets better and better with each performance'

Carmel & the boys have scaled new heights in the past year and performed on the international scene, at a level most bands in this country could only aspire to. In America, this band is being mentioned in the same breath as artists such as Alison Krauss, Ricky Skaggs, Rhonda Vincent, and Tim O'Brien. This is mainly down to the unique sound of Carmel on lead vocals and the band singing clean harmonies throughout. The recently released album consists of a lot of the band's own material, and some collaborations with top American and Irish bluegrass songwriters, including Tim O'Brien (Male Vocalist of the Year & Song of the Year Winner 2006) and Charlie McGettigan.

Tickets for the Concert can be purchased at the Carlton Abbey Hotel, Athy.

They've got him on the list...

The International Bluegrass Music Association has recently published its reference list of bluegrass recordings eligible for nomination for an award, compiled from product reported as released between 31 March 2008 and 1 April 2009. Among on the list is Home away from home, by Vincent Cross & Good Company. Vincent, though now based in New York, remains in close contact with the bluegrass community in Ireland. The IBMA adds:

This list does not necessarily contain 100% of the bluegrass recordings first released during the eligibility period, so members are not restricted to the entries on this list when making their first ballot write-in nominations.

Eilidh Patterson at Westport, 23 May

Uri Kohen of Electric Cave Production, organiser of the 3rd Westport Folk & Bluegrass Festival (26-28 June 2009), reports:

As part of the collaboration of the Electric Cave Production and Geraghty's Pub in Westport, we are proud to keep bringing to Westport some of Ireland's and the world's best artists.

This Saturday, 23 May 2009, we will host Eilidh Patterson. Eilidh will arrive in Westport on the back of a successful mini-tour in the States and moments before the release of her new album. She is a unique singer/songwriter who presents her songs for the highest quality.

Geraghty's Pub, Westport, Co. Mayo
Saturday 23/5/09
9:30 p.m.
Admission free

Athy Festival launch: a hot time in the old town

Tony O'Brien receives Clancy's sponsorship cheque from Emma O'Brien; at rear, Clem O'Brien

The cosy back bar in Clancy's on Leinster Street, Athy, Co. Kildare, is a favourite venue for traditional music sessions in the town. On Friday 15 May it was the place where the Athy Bluegrass Music Association held the launch party for this year's festival (9-12 July). There were almost more musicians taking part than the bar would hold, but enough room was found for a packed and enthusiastic audience drawn from the bluegrass mafia of Kildare and adjoining counties.

The NTB, performing one of Niall's tributes to Bill Monroe

Woodbine, Bending the Strings, the Niall Toner Band, the Sullivan Brothers, and Paul McEvoy all performed; and nearly all these musicians somehow squeezed together behind the microphones to wind up the evening with a jam on two songs. Food was provided for everyone present on a generous scale. In conclusion Tony O'Brien expressed the ABMA's gratitude to Clancy's, which is a major sponsor of this year's festival. The night air was chilly, but there was undoubtedly a hot time in the old town that night.

Bending the Strings

Two Macs become one

The definitely happy couple

Congratulations to Paul McEvoy and Anne McGuire, who were married on 7 April; and thanks to them for these photos, which were taken at the wedding reception in the Hazel Hotel, Monasterevin, Co. Kildare.

Barney Bowes

Secret Yellow Airplane flies on Saturday night

Thanks to Cathal Cusack for this link to YouTube, where one of two 'Secret Yellow Airplane' videos of Saturday night bluegrass jams can be seen. The music is hard-core traditional bluegrass, the atmosphere of a hotel room jam at IBMA's World of Bluegrass is perfectly conveyed, and the main distinctive feature is that the guitar player is Tony Rice.

Cathal says the clip made him smile for lots of reasons. A good deal of quiet satisfaction can be got just from watching Tony Rice's pick hand as he plays rhythm. Something else to smile about is how young most of the other musicians are. The mandolinist appears to be Aaron Ramsey, and the banjo-player Patton Wages of the Donna Hughes band.

Ola Belle Reed on 'Tapestry of the times'

Ola Belle Reed, 1977 (photo from Ola Belle Reed family MySpace site)

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution, the national museum of the US, announces a recent media event that should interest BIB readers.

WYPR public radio in Baltimore, MD, runs a series of weekly radio programmes and podcasts, 'Tapestry of the times', which explores the Smithsonian Folkways collection. One recent episode, 'Ola Belle Reed: an enduring legacy' is online now and available for free stream or download, via the podcast. Listen to the podcast, watch the video, and see Ola Belle Reed’s Smithsonian Folkways albums (still in print) here. BIB readers are offered a 20% discount on any Ola Belle Reed recording from Smithsonian Folkways - CDs or digital downloads - by entering the code “OlaBelleReed09” on their orders.

Ola Belle Reed (d. 2002), singer, songwriter ('High on a mountain', 'I've endured', and many more), and picker, embodies the meeting-point of old-time music, early country, and bluegrass. 'Ola Belle Reed: an enduring legacy' includes testimonials, interviews, and original on-site recordings, and is a must-listen for any fans of Ola.

For more biographical information, see the Remembering Ola Belle Reed website, and Walt Saunders's 'Notes & Queries' column in the Oct. 2008 issue of Bluegrass Unlimited, pp 23-6. The Fourth Ola Belle Reed Homecoming Festival will be held on 14-16 August 2009 at Lansing, NC, in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Old-time music at the United Arts Club, Dublin

Noreen and Bryan McGrane of Booterstown, Co. Dublin, organisers of the weekly sessions at the Old Punch Bowl, Booterstown, will be giving a concert of old-time music and songs with guitar and autoharp at the United Arts Club, 3 Fitzwilliam St. (photo), Dublin 2, on Thursday 28 May, following the Club's AGM. The show is expected to start about 8.00 p.m. and last for an hour, accompanied by a talk of about 15 minutes on old-time music by Richard Hawkins. More details will be published when available.

Bluegrass and old-time music were first introduced to the United Arts Club a few years ago by Tom Hanway, who organised a series of concerts and enjoyable jams in this elegant and hospitable setting.

Hot news from Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival

Uri Kohen of Electric Cave Production, organiser of the Westport 3rd Folk and Bluegrass Festival, reports:

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Gone to Grass won't be able to attend this year's festival. Thanks to Tim Rogers, one of the Festival backbones, we are delighted to announce that the Rough Deal String Band [above] will now appear in our rich programme. They will join the opening night lineup with the MacEvillys and Stevie (One Bloke, One Mandolin).

Uri is sure this latest addition to the festival of Ireland's premier old-time string band, with its international reputation, will help bring the fans to the west. He adds:

We would also like to remind all the bluegrass lovers that during the festival's weekend, there will be free sessions and they will be welcome to join in. This year we will have two bluegrass workshops: one run by Tim Rogers and a bluegrass singing workshop run by the Henry Girls. See you all in Westport 26-28/6/09!

See the BIB post of 7 May for the Festival poster.

Athy Festival launch party, Friday 15 May

Tony O'Brien of the Athy Bluegrass Music Association and festival organiser, reports:

The Athy Bluegrass 2009 Festival Launch will take place this Friday night, 15 May, in Clancy's Bar at 9.00 p.m. Music by Woodbine [photo, at 2008 festival] plus many guests, refreshments served, NO CC.

Clancy's are the main sponsors of this year's fest', so we hope as many friends of Athy Bluegrass as possible will attend.

Clancy's is at 12 Leinster Street - the main street of Athy as you enter from the Dublin direction - about 100 metres from the Square.

May Day jam in Brazil

The São Paulo Bluegrass Music Association in São Paulo, Brazil (centre of the South American Bluegrass Network) celebrated the opening of International Bluegrass Music Month with a bluegrass-and-Celtic jam session at the Olivo Bar. Thanks to our friend Erio Meili (above, in red shirt and banjo) for a link to the SPBMA website, where many more photos and soundbites from the session can be found.

Yesterday the SPBMA showed its breadth of musical sympathies further when Erio brought the Tirolli Quintet to his Titanic Harbor Stage, as recorded here.


Update - Erio adds: 'On Saturday 30 May we shall have a farewell party at the Titanic Harbor Stage when our fiddling and banjo-picking Glenn Shepard and his family will be moving from Campinas (São Paulo State) to Belem (Pará State). Hopefully there will be some fiddle tune sessions live at the Titanic Harbor Stage to upload early June on our Titanic Deviation Video page.'

Henry Reed commemorated

FOAOTMAD reports:

The 7th Annual Henry Reed Memorial Fiddlers Convention will be held in Glen Lyn, VA, on 12-13 June. Glen Lyn is located along the New River near the VA-WV line - right across the river not far from where Henry used to live.

Friday will include shows by the Reed Family band, Stateline Bluegrass, & Box 283. Most of the competitions will be held on Saturday, & include a variety of band & individual categories. Alan Jabbour will again be giving a two-day fiddle workshop.

Henry Reed (1884-1968) of West Virginia was recorded in the late 1960s by Alan Jabbour, who thoroughly documented his music (see the Fiddle Tunes of the Old Frontier website) and played the tunes with the Hollow Rock String Band; as a result, many of them are now standards of the old-time fiddle repertoire.

Biographical and other detail is on a website set up by Henry Reed's grandchild Terry Reed. Henry's father, John Marion Reed, is said to have come from Ireland to the US around 1845, and to have been a banjo-player and fiddler. A film, The Henry Reed legacy, is planned for release on DVD in late summer 2009 by Horse Archer Productions, who made Why old time? (see the BIB post of 20 February). A nice trailer for The Henry Reed legacy can be seen here.

NTB at the Courthouse, Tinahely

Thanks to Niall Toner for this photo of the Niall Toner Band with young fan Mark Ryan, at their recent show in the Courthouse Arts Centre in Tinahely, Co. Wicklow - a venue for which Niall has a high regard, and a very successful show.

Note that Mark is already colour-coordinated with everyone else on stage, ready to fit right in. The Blue Moon of Kentucky makes a special guest appearance in the upper right-hand corner.

Carrivick Sisters to tour in Ireland?

The Carrivick Sisters

Thanks to Adele Ingram-Magee of One-A-Chord Music Promotions for the news that the Carrivick Sisters (UK), who have built a strong reputation with their multi-instrumental skills, original material, and duet singing, are available for a tour in Ireland between 2 October and 18 October 2009.

To hear Charlotte (vocals, guitar, mandolin, clawhammer banjo) and Laura Carrivick (vocals, dobro, fiddle, cello, guitar), and for more information, visit their MySpace and SonicBids sites. Their brand new album Jupiter's corner is available now.

If you can suggest a booking, contact:

Adele Ingram-Magee
One-A-Chord Music Promotions
48 Shore Street, Killyleagh
Co. Down BT30 9QJ
Tel: +44 783 4811671
e-mail

Prairie Dawgs play Tumbleweed Love @ the Cobblestone, 9 May

The Prairie Dawgs play at the Cobblestone, Smithfield, Dublin, at 9.00 p.m. on Saturday 9 May in the continuing Tumbleweed Love Sessions:

Hi there,

The Dawgs are just back from an absolute cracker of a weekend at the Kilkenny Rhythm & Roots Festival. There were lock-ins, parties, & even the odd gig! We had the time of our lives. It's been a hard road which often involved Stout at Dawn but we refuse to lay down just yet!!! So why not come by the Cobblestone this Saturday for more madness?

By the way we have some new tunes on our MySpace page if you care to have a listen! Lots of Love,

The Dawgs X

Hot off the bow

Thanks to Sharon Loughlin for the above photo of Betse Ellis and the Foghorn Duo in action at the Belfast Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival last night; all three are playing today at the Baltimore Fiddle Fair in Co. Cork. Sharon writes:

Just writing to recommend Betse Ellis and the Foghorn Duo to any BIB readers down in Cork. We had a great night last night in Belfast, lots of old-time fiddle music and a mix of material from their new albums. Betse will be touring June/July with the Wilders, and the good news from Caleb is that the Foghorn String Band will be back together in May next year, they have dates organised in England but as yet nothing over here - hope someone can get a few gigs organised, they would love to come back to Ireland. Best wishes for now, wish we could get to Baltimore tonight...

Also at Baltimore are Dirk Powell, Joel Savoy, and Nadine Landry, who were making another classic night last night at the Village in Dublin. Hosted by Prison Love (who deserve the thanks of everyone who was there), the evening was driven by Dirk Powell's powerhouse Cajun accordion playing and singing - he played banjo also on half a dozen old-time numbers.

Powell is a supreme example of the ground shared by the old-time, Cajun, and bluegrass communities; other examples last night were Vera van Heeringen, playing indispensable, self-effacing rhythm guitar (she was on the old-time fiddle course at Sore Fingers Week last month), and Nadine Landry, who was here last autumn as bass player and lead singer with Hungry Hill (Canada). On this trip, Nadine will be joining Sammy Lind and Caleb Klauder to make up the Foghorn Trio.

The West's awake with the sweet sounds of bluegrass

Uri Kohen of Electric Cave Productions is glad to reveal the poster (left) for the Westport 3rd Folk and Bluegrass Festival in Westport, Co. Mayo (26-28 June 2009). As with all BIB images, click on it for a larger view.

The posters will be with the printer this coming weekend, and the full programme should be available by the end of May. The poster will also be published on the Festival's MySpace site.

Looking further ahead, Uri reports that Sara Grey, who toured in Ireland earlier this year (see the BIB for 8 January 2009) has been booked to play in Westport on 4 September; details TBA.

Spring Creek: rising band from Colorado

Spring Creek: Alex Johnstone (mandolin), Jessica Smith (bass), Taylor Sims (guitar), Chris Elliott (banjo)

This summer we'll welcome back the Bluegrass Patriots, the doyens of traditional bluegrass in Colorado, whose place in the favour of Irish fans dates from their appearance at the first Dunmore East festival in 1995 (thanks again, Gerry Madden). Colorado has continued to produce powerful and influential bands, and Spring Creek, formed five years ago, made a national name for themselves in 2007 by winning the band competitions at the Telluride and RockyGrass Festivals - the only group to win both in the same year. At present they have no firm plans to visit this side of the Atlantic...

After bringing out two independent albums, Rural & cosmic bluegrass and Lonesome way to go, Spring Creek signed with Rebel Records in 2008; their first CD on Rebel, Way up on a mountain, was released yesterday (5 May), and they are touring extensively in 2009 to promote it. The album blends traditional and innovative original material, and features award-winning fiddler Michael Cleveland on several tracks. In addition to their website, the band are on ReverbNation, Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube.

Cajun night at the Village, 7 May: LATE EXTRA

Mark O'Mahony sends this extra info for the show at the Village, Camden St., Dublin 2, on 7 May (tomorrow night):

Just a small change to the running order:
- 8.30 Dirk Powell, Joel Savoy, and Vera van Heeringen
- 9.30 Prison Love
- 10.00 Dirk Powell with Prison Love
- 11.00 Late bar

Get your tickets on the door or at Ticketmaster (search for Prison Love). First come will get the tables...

Also, tune in to Lyric FM tomorrow between 2.30 and 4.30 p.m. to hear Dirk, Joel, and Vera play three tunes live on John Kelly's show.

May, International Bluegrass Music Month

Niall Toner reports:

As part of RTE's contribution to International Bluegrass Music Month [see the BIB for 7 April], Roots Freeway on Tuesday 12 May will include an interview with all four members of Special Consensus, conducted by me at the 2008 Athy Bluegrass Festival. All four members of SC talk about how they choose material and their various approaches to playing bluegrass. They also perform a couple of songs live on the show.

NTB play Clancy's in Athy this Friday. The main venue is undergoing renovations at the moment, so we will be performing in the 'small space', whatever that means! It will be one of those 'intimate' gigs...

Kilkenny Rhythm & Roots Festival was a great success this year, and showed no signs of the 'R'... It would have to be said that there was very little bluegrass per se, but great performances from a variety of country/blues/roots artists, including the Jack Grace Band (featuring Tom Hanway on lap steel and banjo), Otis Gibbs, the Pilgrim Sisters, Devon Sproule, Hillbilly Casino, the Sullivan Brothers, and a dozen others.

The stars of the weekend for me were a band who have been playing together for forty years, and it shows! They were Loudest Whisper from Fermoy, with an all-original set. Every band in Ireland, whatever their music, could learn a lot from watching and listening to these boys.

Red Wine in Bluegrass Unlimited

The May 2009 issue of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine carries an article (pp 38-42) by Erin Faith on Red Wine - premier bluegrass band in Italy, in the front rank of bands throughout Europe, highly respected in the USA (where they have toured since 1995), and frequent visitors to Ireland.

The article - 'Red Wine: European ambassadors for bluegrass celebrate thirty years' - frequently quotes RW banjo-player Silvio Ferretti, and incorporates a report by Silvio on the Red Wine Bluegrass Party, with Tim O'Brien as guest of honour, which the band held in February to mark their thirty years together (see the European Bluegrass Blog for 20 February).

Flat Mountain Girls in Ireland, 22-27 May 2008

The Flat Mountain Girls: Laura Quigley (bass), Nann Alleman (guitar) Lisa Marsicek (banjo, fiddle), Caroline Oakley (guitar, fiddle)

May 2009 looks like being good for the old-time music enthusiast in Ireland. Apart from the regular high-quality sessions, the shows by visiting artists in the first half of the month include those by the Foghorn Trio, Betse Ellis, Dirk Powell and Joel Savoy in Belfast, Dublin, and the Fiddle Fair at Baltimore, Co. Cork.

In the latter half of the month, the high-energy Flat Mountain Girls - like the Foghorns, from the vigorous Portland, Oregon, scene - will make a brief tour. Their repertoire, drawn from the full range of old-time music, is delivered with

tight, raw three-part harmonies, powerful fiddling, and performances that explode with irrepressible glee and bawdy humor...

They're cloggers, too! The Flats are scheduled to play the following dates before going to Belgium as headliners for the Hamawé Roots Festival at Hamawé (Virton):

Fri. 22nd: The Cobblestone, Smithfield, Dublin
Sat. 23rd: Baltimore, Co. Cork
Sun. 24th: McCarthy’s Pub, Dingle, Co. Kerry, 8.00 p.m. (with Huck Notari, also from the Portland scene)
Wed. 27th: The Crane Bar, Galway city

Huck Notari's schedule is:

Sat. 23rd: The Cobblestone, Smithfield, Dublin (with Little Ass Birds)
Sun. 24th: McCarthy’s Pub, Dingle, Co. Kerry, 8.00 p.m.
Wed. 27th: De Barra’s Folk Club, Clonakilty, Co. Cork, 10.00 p.m.
Thurs. 28th: The Crane Bar, Galway city, 8.00 p.m.
Sun. 31st: Kenny’s Bar, Lahinch, Co. Clare, 9.00 p.m.

50 years of Del McCoury

The Del McCoury Band has won many IBMA awards - Entertainer of the Year nine times, Instrumental Group twice, Album of the Year twice, Song of the Year once, Recorded Event once (sharing with Don and David Parmley), and a stack of awards for mandolin, fiddle, and bass. Del McCoury himself has been Male Vocalist of the Year four times.

All this has happened in the last twenty years of a fifty-year career. Del's half-century is being marked by the release on 12 May of a five-CD retrospective compilation, 50 years of Del McCoury. There are bonuses in buying direct from McCoury Music - all box sets sold through the website are autographed and come with a Best of Del McCoury Gospel CD not available anywhere else; and special prices on two further CDs, Live from State College and By request. Full details are on the McCoury Music website.

Jerry Harmon: update

Following our post of 27 April on Jerry Harmon (left), North Carolina singer, songwriter, and storyteller, the BIB has further details on his other dates in Ireland in May and later this year, thanks to Dirk Steitz, European representative of the Bronitsky & Associates agency. Some dates in the July and autumn schedules are free. Inquiries about booking Jerry Harmon should be sent by e-mail.

May 2-3 Kilcar Folk, Blues and Bluegrass Festival, Kilcar, Co. Donegal.
May 7: Bridge Inn, 2 Bridge St., Carnlough, Co. Antrim
May 9 Short´s Heritage Bar and Lounge, High St., Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim
May 18 Bealtaine Festival 7:00 p.m. Malahide Library, Main St., Malahide, Co. Dublin
May 19 Bealtaine Festival, 11:00 a.m. and late afternoon, Co. Roscommon
May 20 Bealtaine Festival, 11:00 a.m. and late afternoon, Co. Roscommon
May 22 Bealtaine Festival, Library, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, 11:00 a.m.; Nursing home, Celbridge, Co. Kildare, 2:30 p.m.
May 24 Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray, Co. Wicklow, 2:00 p.m.
May 25 Bealtaine Festival, Baltinglass Hospital, Co. Wicklow, 11:00 a.m.
May 26 Bealtaine Festival, Blessington Library, Co. Wicklow, 11.30 a.m.

Jerry Harmon will be performing in England at the Bath International Music Festival: on 28 May at the Rondo Theatre (8.00 p.m.), and on 29 May at the Pavilion, on stage with Dr Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys (8.00 p.m.).

He will return to Ireland and Britain later in 2009. Dates so far on the schedule include:

July 14/15/16 Earagail Arts Festival, Ballyraine, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, 1 matinee and 1 evening performance per day
July 23-4 Boyle Arts Festival, Boyle, Co. Roscommon: storytelling and music (11.00 a.m. both days)

Sept. 24-27 City of Song Festival, Derry city, Co. Londonderry (TBC)
Oct. Ballymena Children´s Arts Festival, Ballymena, Co. Antrim (TBC)
Children´s Book Festival (TBC)
Oct. 23-Nov. 1 International Storytelling Festival, Edinburgh, Scotland