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.