Well Enough Alone at Waterside Bar, Howth, New Year's Day

Thanks to Martin McWhorter, mandolinist with Well Enough Alone (above), who reports:

Well Enough Alone are starting the new year off with a show at the Waterside Pub in Howth on New Year's Day. Show starts at 10.00 p.m. Free - no cover charge.

New Year's Eve Bluegrass Ball in Galway!

Tom Hanway sends this invitation:

Celebrate the coming of 2011 in style at McGinn's on the Quay, 2 New Dock St., Galway city, 9.30 p.m. Join us for a final 2010 bluegrass party featuring Ruth Dillon (guitar/vocals), Tom Hanway (banjo/guitar/vocals), and Paul O'Driscoll (double bass/vocals), plus special guests.

Photo: Ruth and Tom (by Denise Hanway)

Special Consensus in Ireland, 12-19, 26-30 Jan. 2011

Thanks to Nigel Martyn for this reminder and update:

The Special Consensus arrive in Ireland from Chicago later this month for their biennial Irish tour. As usual Greg Cahill will be introducing his latest incarnation of the band which has been around under the Special C. moniker for 35 years. To celebrate this landmark year there is a new CD, simply called 35. The new album, and the group's 10th release, features band founder Greg Cahill, Rick Faris, David Thomas, and Ryan Roberts on a high-powered bluegrass set which includes six new tracks and six tracks compiled from now out-of-print releases featuring lead vocals from some of the band's most illustrious former members. Over the course of their lengthy career Special Consensus have proven themselves to be one of the top-selling bands in the genre.

Wed. 12th Jan. GRANGE, Co. Sligo, Barry's Public House
Thurs. 13th BALLYMENA, Co. Antrim, The Braid Arts Centre
Fri. 14th ARMAGH, Co. Armagh, Marketplace Theatre
Sat. 15th NAUL, Co. Dublin, Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre
Sun. 16th SIXMILEBRIDGE, Co. Clare, Winter Music Weekend
Mon. 17th KILWORTH, Co. Cork, Village Arts Centre, tel. 087 792 1771
Tues. 18th DUBLIN, The Mercantile Hotel, Dame St.
Wed. 19th BELFAST, Out To Lunch at the Black Box
Wed. 26th LISTOWEL, Co. Kerry, St John's Arts Centre
Fri. 28th GALWAY, The Crane
Sun. 30th CARRIG-ON-BANNOW, Co. Wexford, Colfer's, tel. 051 561159

BIB editor's note: As announced earlier on the BIB, between 19 and 26 Jan. the Special C. will be touring in Britain.

Your instrument and the weather

Rapid changes in weather conditions, of a kind likely to affect musical instruments, are more common in the US than here; but the recent fluctuations between freezing and thaw have been so dramatic that this advice from Conor Daly (banjo-player with the Bluestack Mountain Boys) is salutary:

I just thought you might like to mention the sharp increase in humidity in the last few days on the blog. Sometimes people are tempted to make hasty seasonal adjustments when something feels a bit different or out of sorts with their precious instruments. I have done this on a few occasions when it would have been better to leave it alone. It looks as if this one will pass and stabilise in the next few days, so I think it's better to sit it out before doing anything drastic, especially with banjos.

Wookalily - now taking bookings for 2011

Thanks to Adele Ingram-Magee of One-A-Chord Music Promotions and Wookalily for the news that the Ulster-based band is now taking bookings for 2011. Their specifications are as follows:

Genre: Americana / Bluegrass / Roots Music
YouTube channel; MySpace

Bio: Between hammerin' out the harmonies, slammin' on the geetars, slappin' the bass, beatin the drums, pickin' on the banjos (not to mention the banjo player), chopping on the fiddle and striking blows to the flute, it's a miracle Wookalily haven't been arrested for cruelty to expensive musical instruments. Despite their reckless ways they've managed to create a unique and quirky sound that's all heart. Their style, sometimes referred to among the Lilys as 'chillbilly roots', has authentic feel with a modern appeal.

Members: Elaine Murphy (lead vox, flute), Siobhan Skates (backing vox, drum kit, cajón), Bronagh Donnelly (backing vox, fiddle, tenor banjo, mandolin), Adele Ingram-Magee (backing vox, 5-string banjo, guitar), Tom Watson (double bass)

Influences: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Emmylou Harris, the Byrds, the Band, Dr. John, the Carter Family, Grateful Dead, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Neil Young, Chris Smither, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Richie Havens, Nick Drake, Kate Wolf, Diana Jones, Carolyn Wonderland, Ruthie Foster, Bonnie Raitt, Baskery, the Lovell Sisters, Alison Kraus, Devon Sproule, Paul Curreri, Kelly Joe Phelps, Siobhan Skates & Rosemary Woods, Peggy Sue & Imelda May

Sounds like: Emmylou Harris, Dixie Chicks, Dolly Parton

For bookings contact One-A-Chord Music Promotions; e-mail
General contact e-mail

Festival performances to date
The Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival, Belfast
The Open House Festival/Chillifest Main stage, Belfast
The Ards International Guitar Festival, Newtownards
The Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival, Belfast
The Westport Folk & Bluegrass Festival
Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival
Blues On The Bay, Warrenpoint
Get Down With The Blues, Downpatrick
The Maiden City Festival (Bluegrass on the Walls), Derry

Dave Giegerich

Dave Giegerich with the band East of Monroe

Colin Henry sends sad news:

... Dave Giegerich the well known American Dobro player passed away yesterday following complications from a bone marrow transplant. I met Dave for the first time at the Moniaive Bluegrass Festival in Scotland in 2009 when he was dobro player with Wayne Taylor. He was a superb player and teacher and a great guy. He loved to pick and would do so at the drop of a hat. The Dobro world is a small place and it will miss him.

Bands that Dave Giegerich also played with included East of Monroe (NB: the Gary Ferguson listed as an East of Monroe member is not Gary Ferguson, as we wrongly supposed at first) and the Hula Monsters.

The NTB takes steps upward

Thanks again to Niall Toner, who sends this good news:

I am delighted to be able to let you know that the New Year is off to a cracking start for the Niall Toner Band [photo left], as we have secured exclusive representation in the USA for festivals and tours there with Mountain Music Entertainment Inc. The company is run by Steve Johnson, who I first met at the Monroe homeplace on Jerusalem Ridge in 2005. We jammed together for a couple of hours on Monroe's front porch [photo below], and Steve helped me out with organising musicians to play with me on the Festival stage, where I sang our Monroe tribute songs, 'The Master's resting place' and 'Bill Monroe's mandolin'.


I have remarked on my blog that personal contacts are a vital part of success in the music business, and this is a very good example of what I mean, even if it has taken almost five years to turn into something concrete. This was also on the same day that I walked through the woods by the Festival site, and wrote the chorus of 'WSM', a new Monroe tribute song which I only finished recently, and which will be on the next NTB CD.

It's interesting to note that MME Inc. also represent some fine US bands, like Ralph Stanley II, Grasstowne, and Karl Shiflett. Our representation with this company is effective from this week, and I understand that inquiries and bookings for NTB are already very healthy. Check out all they do at their website.

Update 14 Jan. 2011: the full artist roster for Mountain Music Entertainment can be viewed in this press release of a few days ago.

As if it were yesterday

Many thanks to Niall Toner for these historic photos (almost certainly taken by his wife Moira) of the Sackville String Band. The first (left) was taken in Hartigan's basement on the band's second appearance there in early December 1975, and shows your editor with his Jedson 6006 'Symphonic' with tunnel 5th string, and Niall with his recently acquired 'The Gibson' A-model mandolin. The banjo just visible behind them is almost certainly being played by Mick Daly.

The second (below) shows a later configuration of the band playing in a magnificent setting at Cork: (l-r) Colin Beggan (guitar), Paul Kelly (fiddle), Niall Toner (mandolin), Bill Whelan (bass), Jimmy Kelly (banjo). Jimmy, a phenomenal player while still in his teens, took over as Sackville banjo-player when your editor left in April 1979.


Thanks also to Colin Henry of Belfast, who - on learning that your editor was in the Sackvilles when they played at the Queens University Festival in the late 1970s - writes:

Pete Seeger once said 'there is nothing new under the sun' and I always add 'yes, but I learn something new everyday.'

There you go... you are partly responsible for me playing at all - you and Earl Scruggs, that is. I had just got hooked by the banjo sound of Earl and had started to play. I went to the SSB concert, saw a live 5-string in action (played as I now know by R. Hawkins), and decided I really wanted to do that. From there came the banjo and ultimately the dobro as I realised I couldn't match you or Earl on the 5-string! It's all your fault!! :-)

Thirty-five years ago

Among the distractions of this month, one anniversary has almost been overlooked: in early December 1975 (possibly even beginning at the end of November) there were the first public performances by a group that soon came to be called the Sackville String Band. 'Public' is just about allowable - the first venue was the basement of Hartigan's bar on Leeson Street, Dublin, a few yards from Stephen's Green.

The group - strongly influenced by the recordings of the Fuzzy Mountain, Hollow Rock, and Highwoods String Bands and others from the string band revival of that era - consisted initially of Niall Toner (mandolin), later of Hank Halfhead & the Rambling Turkeys, the Niall Toner Band, 'Roots Freeway' and other RTE programmes; Mick Daly (guitar), later of the Lee Valley String Band and Four Men & a Dog; and your editor (banjo). The name 'Sackville String Band' came from Niall, who had been a founder member of the Lee Valley String Band in Cork several years earlier.

In the following year the band moved to the Stag's Head in Dame Lane and later to the newly restored Tailors' Hall, gained two fiddlers (Imor Byrne and John Caulfield), and had Colin Beggan take over on guitar when Mick moved back to Cork; later still, after Imor's death in 1977, it was relaunched with more of a bluegrass orientation and with Bill Whelan (the subsequent progenitor of many string bands) on bass... But that's another story, or indeed several.

NB (30 Dec. 2010): We regret that Imor Byrne's first name was wrongly spelt when this post first appeared; the correct spelling is now in place.

A hot time in the old town TONIGHT

Now that it's possible to move freely in the Dublin area again - a discreet reminder that the Dublin Bluegrass Christmas Party / Extravaganza is on tonight in the city centre. For all details, click on the image (left) or see here.

Christmas greetings from Cedar Hill - and news

Thanks to Cedar Hill (USA) for Christmas greetings from the Ozarks:

Wishing you a very merry Christmas!
From Cedar Hill
Hope to see each and every one of you in 2011!!!
Best wishes -
Frank, Jim, Ferrell, Roger, Jackie, Earon, and Pam

Thanks also to Jim and Pam Bunch for their own message:

Merry Christmas to all of our UK and Ireland friends! Hope you have a wonderful holiday and a Great 2011! Hope to see all of you soon!
All our best –
Pam and Jim Bunch

Cedar Hill's record 'Merry Christmas you all' on GHGM Records will be played tonight on Rein Wortelboer's radio show 'It's bluegrass time' from the Netherlands; see the European Bluegrass Blog for details.

AND it will soon be possible to see Cedar Hill on the big screen - with a little help from their friends and other bluegrass fans everywhere. They appear in Sounds of home: bluegrass in the Ozarks, a documentary film by Michael C. Neitzel of Pacific Television & Film in Canada, who is completing the post-production stage. Sounds of home will be shown on the Public Broadcasting Service in America, and Michael will welcome offers to show it on other stations. Contact him via e-mail or at

#10 - 11060 Barnston View Road
Pitt Meadows, B.C. Canada V3Y 2X2
604-465-1472

Christmas greetings from Gary Ferguson

Many thanks to singer/songwriter Gary Ferguson (US), who sends holiday wishes and looks forward to seeing everyone in July 2011 during his seventh consecutive annual tour of Ireland, again with Janet Holmes and Colin Henry of Belfast as Ferguson, Holmes, & Henry (photo). Gary adds that some great shows are lined up, and more details will follow in the new year.

Christmas greetings

The Bluegrass Ireland Blog wishes a happy and peaceful Christmas and a joyful and prosperous New Year to all its readers, to all lovers of bluegrass and kindred musics, and to all people of goodwill everywhere.

In 2011 (and for the foreseeable future) keep looking at the original Bluegrass Blog, the European Bluegrass Blog, and all the other great sources of news on our music!

Our Christmas solution: come to the Dublin Bluegrass Christmas Party, 28 Dec. 2010

The other-worldly picture (above) which we displayed yesterday is of course of the many-dimensioned Bluestack Mountain Boys, who are among the featured acts at the free Bluegrass Christmas party on 28 December in Sweeney's Mongrel (formerly Le Cirk) at 32 Dame Street, Dublin 2. Bluestack mandolinist Aran Sheehan explained on 5 December:

Well Enough Alone, Jacques Titley, the Bluestacks, and some very special surprise guests will be playing an extravaganza of bluegrass music from 9.00 p.m. till close in a cosy and extremely friendly environment right in the centre of Dublin. Format for the night is that we will showcase a set from each of the three billed bluegrassers, then have a collective jam around the table with omni-directional mics piped throughout the bar for that authentic homely intimate feeling. We would like to invite all our friends and fellow bluegrass enthusiasts to join us for some fun, frolics and G runs...

An unbeatable way to beat any post-Christmas blues! Thanks to everyone scheduled to take part for this great idea - even more keenly needed now than when first announced three weeks ago. See you at Sweeney's!

Merry Christmas from Bending the Strings

BTS (l-r): Vinny Baker, Moyra Fraser, Martin Cooney

Bending the Strings would like to take this opportunity to wish all their friends and supporters a very happy Christmas and a big 'thank you' to everyone who gave us such tremendous support in 2010 - and also a big 'thank you' to Richard Hawkins for the great work and support for bluegrass music in general throughout 2010. A very happy Christmas to you all, and we look forward to seeing you all in 2011.

Our Christmas puzzle

Why (apart from the pure aesthetic pleasure, which admittedly is substantial) are we showing the above picture?

The answer will be given on the BIB tomorrow (Christmas Eve). A clue can be found in the BIB post that appeared on 5 December 2010.

No bluegrass at Bob's on 23 December

Woodbine report with regret that their show tomorrow night, Thursday 23 December, at Bob's Bar, Durrow, Co. Laois (one of their favourite venues), has been cancelled owing to the adverse weather conditions. They will be playing again in public at the earliest opportunity.

Update 6 Jan. 2011: Woodbine's next outing will be on the last day of Colfer's Americana and Bluegrass Weekend - that is, on the last Sunday in January 2011.

Anyone for Nashville in June?

Thanks to Roger Ryan of the Country Music Association of Ireland for this news, and for inviting Irish bluegrass entertainers to become involved:

The Global Artists Show is a showcase of artists from around the world and is usually staged at The Stage, on Broadway in Nashville. Each artist gets an opportunity to sing two or three songs, and the event is always attended by media and record people from various countries.

Over the years people like Justin McGurk, John McNicholl, Colm Kirwan, the Murphys, etc., have represented Ireland there. If the response is good enough I would like to put on an Irish show at some venue in Nashville also at that time. This is Fan Fair week [9-12 June 2011] so the town will be packed with country music fans.

If you're interested, contact Roger by e-mail.

Christmas presents and news from the IBMM

If you're stuck for a bluegrass Christmas present, the International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, KY, is bound to have a solution for your problem. Links to the Museum's catalogue of accessories, books, CDs, and apparel are in the latest IBMM e-newsletter, along with news of two of the Museum's main events for the coming year: the River Of Music Party (ROMP) Festival (23-5 June 2011) and the Bill Monroe Centennial Celebration (12-14 September 2011).

Christmas greetings from Rural TV

We know a lot of BIB readers also watch Rural TV (there's a link to its website on the BIB), so we're glad to pass on holiday greetings from the whole Rural TV family. You can see the message here, where there is also a link to Rural TV's interactive Christmas card for you. Make sure you use it more than once!

Media matters

Some recent news for bands who like to keep up with the latest means of communication, beginning with good news for anyone wanting radio airplay, especially in the US:

New Cuts of Bluegrass is a service designed to deliver the latest releases from the bluegrass world to radio stations, DJs and programmers. Each month, New Cuts of Bluegrass will compile song releases from major labels, independent labels as well as independent artists on one CD. These compilations will be mailed to over 400 radio stations including traditional, internet and satellite broadcasters. New Cuts of Bluegrass’s comprehensive distribution ensures an efficient way to get new music into the hands of Bluegrass Radio. Contact New Cuts of Bluegrass today to be included in next month's issue!

Contact New Cuts of Bluegrass by e-mail or 'phone (+1 615-294-6536).

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The young US band Nu-Blu proudly announce their new free 'smart phone' APP, now available on iPhone and coming soon for Android. This is the first APP by a bluegrass band and offers fans direct interaction and access to the group, plus live feeds from the original Bluegrass Blog, WorldWideBluegrass.com, Napster, Last FM, and Nu-Blu News. The APP is sponsored by D'Addario Strings and includes a special endorsement video that can also be viewed at the band's youtube page. See all the details here.

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Fans of the Toy Hearts (UK) can read and/or download their December 2010 newsletter here, with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from the video shoot for the recently released single 'Femme fatale', the title track of their latest album!

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Brian McNeal, host of Prescription Bluegrass Radio, announces the creation of a brand new radio program called 'Front Page Bluegrass', a syndicated weekly news digest of events and happenings in the world of bluegrass music. According to Brian, 'There are plenty of ways for folks to find out what's happening on the internet with blogs and e-mail alerts, but it was hard to find something specifically tailored for bluegrass radio broadcasts.'

'Front Page Bluegrass' is a 90-second audio feed containing current bluegrass topics such as CD release information, awards, bluegrass milestones and more, and is available free to any terrestrial or internet radio station. The feed will be available each Monday morning on the Prescription Bluegrass Blog.

'This is really a service for those bluegrass radio listeners who don't keep up with things like the Internet and its blogs', McNeal said, noting that the average age of the bluegrass fan is almost parallel to the baby-boomer generation. McNeal, a veteran broadcaster of more than 30 years, said the program has been in the testing phase for the month of December, and will launch officially on Monday 3 January 2011.

Bluegrass and country music radio broadcasters interested in carrying 'Front Page Bluegrass' should contact McNeal (e-mail) for specifics to subscribe and download the feed, but no contract agreements are necessary.

Christmas greetings from Woodbine

Woodbine have had another very successful and enjoyable year and would like to wish everyone a very happy Christmas and a bright new year.

Thanks for all the support from festival organisers and the many friends we have made over the past few years. We play our last gig of '10 in Bob's Bar, Durrow, Co. Laois, on Thursday night, 23 December.

Ending the year on a high

Uri Kohen, organiser of the annual Westport Folk & Bluegrass Festival, reports from Westport, Co. Mayo:

2010 was the most fruitful year (in terms of gigs produced) for the Electric Cave Production. The weekend saw the last two gigs of the year, and the artists and fans alike beat the snow and made it to Geraghty's pub for a few hours of musical heaven. The Oilskins from Portland, OR, travelled seven-and-a-half hours from Cork to Westport in a snow blizzard and warmed the atmosphere in the pub with an Americana acoustic session - or, in their own words, 'four lads busking in the pub's corner'. We are looking forward to see them again in a full amplified gig.

On Saturday it was the turn of Seamie O'Dowd (above) from Sligo to fight the snow and travel to Westport. Seamie is considered by some to be one of Ireland's finest musicians, with amazing control of guitar, fiddle, and harmonica. One of the highlights of the night was when a local folk singer, Tony Reidy, joined Seamie on stage (below).

Seamie produced the last two albums by Tony, one of which was voted Mojo's Folk Album of the Month in April 2007 (see review here).

Uri and his team would like to take this opportunity to thank all the artists that made the journey to Westport over the last year, and we hope to see you all in Westport in 2011 as well. 2011 will start with a bang with a Johnny Cash tribute show on 8.1.2011 - more details next week. Merry Xmas and a happy new year!

BIB editor's note: When this post was first published, '2010' appeared as '2011', and '2011' as '2012'. This error is greatly regretted.

The Queen (of bluegrass) to visit Ireland?

Upper Management Music reports that Rhonda Vincent & the Rage (above), who have already received the most awards (over 75 to date) of any band in bluegrass history and are nominated for eight more at the coming SPBGMA convention, will be making a European tour in July 2011. They're confirmed to play in France and Switzerland, and additional performances are being negotiated for at least five other countries, including Ireland. Well, we can dream...

Holiday Hootenanny: the Molly Hicks Full Band in Galway TONIGHT!

Tom Hanway reports:

The Molly Hicks full five-piece ensemble returns to Galway and the Crane on Saturday night, 9.30 p.m. upstairs, with lovely guests and the flamboyant seasonal shrub. Please join us for a warm cozy night of hokum and holiday toasts, with new originals, wintry tunes, and your old favourites. Warm and safe wishes to all our friends over the holidays.

Above: core Molly Hicks members Ruth Dillon and Bernie O'Mahony

Country matters: the editor regrets...

We regret not having given the courtesy of a direct reply to the correspondent who wanted to contact Merle Haggard (left); and having done so on a snap judgment that this was not a serious request to a bluegrass news medium. However, not only has Merle Haggard recently recorded a bluegrass album; more importantly, his own music and his long-term love for and support of the older forms of country music are admired by many bluegrass enthusiasts, so his links with bluegrass can be seen as substantial.

Nonetheless, with regret, we can't help - except by suggesting that Roger Ryan of the Country Music Association of Ireland (e-mail) is far better equipped to handle any query about country music performers. For bluegrass and old-time music people, we'll be glad to help if possible; but we are very unlikely to have any better contact details for such artists than those already given on their own websites.

The Tranjo - now available from Dangem

Thanks to Derek Lockhart of Dangem Quality Instruments of Craigavon, Co. Armagh, for the news that he recently obtained a Tranjo travel banjo for a customer, and was so impressed that Tranjos are now part of Dangem's stock.

The BIB mentioned some of the Tranjo company's other products back in October 2008. Tranjo have, with admirable ingenuity, realised the basic concept of a light, robust, full-scale-length banjo that is not only very compact for travel but can be easily stripped down and reassembled if necessary. Dangem are selling the Gold Tone version of the Tranjo 6.0 model. More details, with full specifications, options, and facilities for online purchase, can be seen here.

Thanks to Derek also for the image on the right, showing how Santa (whose working year reaches a climax very soon) fortifies himself for the seasonal demands and relaxes afterwards.

More goodies from Tricopolis

The BIB in the past has carried news from Tricopolis Records in California, who often have attractive offers on their wide range of bluegrass stock - not to mention their links with California bluegrass festivals and bands. Tricopolis's December 2010 news includes some very nice prices on two models of Deering banjos and one of Nechville's; CDs by major bluegrass artists at prices ranging from $4.00 to $10.00; news of concerts and festivals; and much more. Read the newsletter and explore the Tricopolis website.

Canadian folk-roots duo in Ireland, 22-4 Jan. 2011

Thanks to GPromo PR for the news that Canadian folk-roots duo Madison Violet (left) will be touring in Britain and Ireland next month. Madison Violet (also on MySpace) consists of Brenley MacEachern and Lisa MacIsaac. Their well received album No fool for trying uses double bass, lap steel, banjo, and fiddle, and displays their own duet singing. The Irish dates in their tour schedule are:

Sat. 22 Jan. The Black Box, Belfast (as part of Out To Lunch Arts Festival): 3.00 p.m.. 028 9024 6609; £5
Sun. 23 Jan. The Bronté Centre, Rathfriland, Co. Down. 028 40623322; £12, 8.30 p.m.
Mon. 24 Jan. Upstairs at Whelan's, Dublin 2. +353 1 478 0776; €12.50, 8.00 p.m.

3rd Bruff Bluegrass Festival: dates fixed for 2011

Thanks to the organising committee of the Bruff Bluegrass Festival in Bruff, Co. Limerick, for this good news:

The dates are set for Bruff Bluegrass Festival 2011. At our recent meeting of Bruff Bluegrass Society it was decided to finalise our dates for the 3rd Bruff Bluegrass Festival for Friday Sept. 30th, Sat. Oct. 1st, and Sun. 2nd 2011.

We look forward to welcoming all our bluegrass friends back to Bruff to join us for what we hope will be our most successful yet.

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS TO ALL OUR BLUEGRASS SUPPORTERS AND A PICKING GREAT 2011!

The photo above shows a moment from the packed finale of the 2010 festival, with Southern Welfare and Woodbine on stage in Clancy's. Contact the festival committee by e-mail.

The bluegrass train is full steam ahead

... reports Uri Kohen from Westport, Co. Mayo. Uri continues:

Readers of this blog might know me as 'Johnny come lately' to the all-bluegrass scene, but when the bluegrass train stopped in Westport in 2007, I was the first to climb aboard.

One of the best things that happened to me since is that I joined a wonderful family and met extremely talented musicians. Last year alone I promoted more than thirty gigs, alongside the Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival that will celebrate its fifth birthday in June 2011.

Last Saturday (11.12.2010) the Little Ass Birds, Dublin-based old-time band [above], returned to Westport for the first time since March. Like the last time, the boys played a highly energetic style of bluegrass, driven by the amazing fiddle sound and backed by a strong bass and two acoustic guitars. The mandolin and the banjo made appearance as well and created a wholesome, beautiful sound. I have to say that it was a great pleasure to host the lads in Westport, and I know that they enjoyed their weekend in the west.

This Friday we will host the American folk band from Portland, Oregon, Lloyd Phillips & the Oilskins, as part of their Irish tour, and then on Saturday we will clear the stage to Seamie O'Dowd, folk and blues musician from Sligo.

The programme for 2011 is already shaping up, with a few great surprises. See you in Westport!

'Vital mental medicine' - on radio

Thanks to Denis Hayes for the welcome news that through this link you can listen to a half-hour BBC radio documentary, by musician Tim van Eyken, on the banjo that accompanied the Shackleton Antarctic expedition of 1914-16. The banjo, which was owned and played by Leonard Hussey (left; 1891-1964), the meteorologist taking part in the expedition, is now preserved in the National Maritime Museum at Falmouth, Cornwall.

Plenty of banjo music of the period can be heard during the programme. As the original instrument is now too frail to be played, a banjo from the collection of English banjo authority and bluegrass pioneer Pete Stanley was used.

Launch party for new Mohill Bluegrass Festival, 8 Jan. 2011

Thanks to Tommy Kelleher for further proof, if proof were needed, that the West is now well and truly awake to bluegrass:

The launch of the new Mohill Bluegrass Festival will take place on Saturday 8 January at Clarke's Hotel, Mohill, Co. Leitrim. We have a wonderful night of bluegrass music in store for everyone with Bending the Strings [above]. For further information you can contact me on e-mail OR Tommy Kelleher on Facebook.

I Draw Slow at the Sugar Club, Dublin, 19 Dec. 2010

Dave Holden of I Draw Slow reports:

Hey there people,

I Draw Slow and special guests are playing this Sunday the 19th in the Sugar Club on Leeson St. Doors at 8.30 p.m.; admission €12. Hope to see you there!

See the band doing their original 'Swans' on YouTube, where other performance videos can be seen, as well as on their website.

Belfast's new jam session off to a flying start

Thanks to Richard Leeman, organiser of Belfast's new monthly bluegrass jam session at the Errigle Inn (see the BIB for 12 Nov.), who writes:

I just wanted to get in touch to let you know how the session at the Errigle went on Tuesday. I'm glad to say that despite the freezing weather we got a good crowd and had a great night. Guitars, banjos, mandolins, fiddles, bass, harmonica, and a bodhrán were all present! As you know that was the first ever session at the Errigle, so I'm hoping that word of mouth spreads and we can build on it over the next few months (and hopefully years).

The next session is Tuesday 4 January, again upstairs at the Errigle Inn, Ormeau Road, Belfast. Everyone is assured of a warm welcome. If anyone needs any further details they can contact me by e-mail or on the Facebook page. I've attached a couple of photos, but I'm a terrible photographer!

Thanks again for posting about the session on your blog, it definitely helped to get the word out.

Southern Tenant Folk Union - 15 Feb. 2011 is free

Thanks to Pat McGarvey of Southern Tenant Folk Union (UK), whose last tour in Ireland included an appearance at the 2010 Omagh festival. Pat sends word that as a result of a schedule change the band

are looking for a good gig to do for Wednesday 15 February as part of our upcoming Irish tour... We'd much prefer to be doing a gig somewhere than not. Could be a house concert, theatre, or bar - anywhere good music appreciated.

Contact Pat by e-mail or the band through their website.

Delmark Goldfarb in Ireland, May 2011

As a veteran of the jug band revival of the 1960s, the BIB editor welcomes this news from Delmark Goldfarb (USA) (shown left with Bill Monroe at the Club 47 in Boston some years ago), who will be visiting Ireland for the first time in May 2011. He is well known to such figures as the legendary Jim Rooney (long resident in Ireland and closely connected with the Lee Valley String Band), and his performances and recordings have had excellent reviews. He writes:

I play all-original Americana, solo or with a small combo, and have crossed the US many times. Recorded in Memphis, my CD Up to my neck features my cohort John Sebastian (of the Lovin' Spoonful) on harmonica; on percussion is Cody Dickinson of the N. Mississippi All-Stars. I'm also featured on a compilation CD from Appleseed Records, Give us your poor, with artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Bonnie Raitt.

I have a role in the recent jug band documentary Chasin' Gus' ghost, credited at the film's website between Maria Muldaur and David Grisman. My tunes have been played on folk and blues as well as jazz programs worldwide and could be a flexible addition to one of your programs. As a soloist, I could fill in just about anywhere as a featured act or opener.

Contact Delmark by e-mail and see also his website, MySpace, and CD Baby page.

The Banjo Project: funds needed

Thanks to Derek Lockhart of Dangem Quality Instruments, who writes:

Something worthy of our support - The Banjo Project. If you're not familiar with The Banjo Project, it's a very exciting documentary that has been in the works for a few years now. From the project's website:

The Banjo Project is a cross-media cultural odyssey: a major television documentary, a live stage/multi-media performance, and a website that chronicle the journey of America’s quintessential instrument — the banjo — from its African roots to the 21st century. It’s a collaboration between Emmy-winning writer-producer Marc Fields and banjo virtuoso Tony Trischka (the Project’s music director), one of the most acclaimed acoustic musicians of his generation...

Narrated by Steve Martin, The Banjo Project television documentary brings together contemporary players in all styles — Earl Scruggs, Pete Seeger, Bela Fleck, Taj Mahal, Don Vappie, Cynthia Sayer, Ralph Stanley, among many others — with folklorists, historians, instrument makers. and passionate amateurs to tell the story of America’s instrument in all its richness and diversity.

Marc was contacting me with a request - he and Tony Trischka are trying to raise the funding needed to complete the editing of the documentary. They've launched a pledge campaign on Kickstarter, an online crowdsource funding platform.

The success of this kind of campaign is totally dependent on social networking and spreading the word. So tell your friends, and pledge some money on Kickstarter! The cool thing about pledging money is you'll only actually have to pay if the $25,000 goal is met. Plus, you can get little rewards (like a pre-release DVD) for helping to support the project. I just pledged $250 - what can you do to help spread the banjo love?

The trailer for The Banjo Project can be seen on Vimeo.

Dangem Quality Instruments
Tel. +44 (0)7521 464125

Bluegrass at Shannon Airport begins 10 Dec. 2010

Photo by Fiaz Farrelly

Niall Toner reports:

Next Friday (10 December) sees the opening show of a new series of live music gigs at Shannon Airport. Hopefully, this will mark the beginning of a new live music era at the airport. Most of the US-based musicians and bands that we admire, and that have visited these shores over the years, have come through this very facility; and next Friday the NTB [above] will perform in the Arrivals/Departures area, just after the last flight departs at 9.30 p.m. Admission is free, but it's recommended that attendees should apply for tickets in advance. These are available at the airport front desk, but no-one will be turned away on the night!

Saturday night (11 Dec.), weather permitting, NTB will be at the Mary B Folk Club on Lower Main St. in Arklow, Co. Wicklow. Showtime there will be at 9.30 p.m., and this time there is a cover charge of €10, but it's for a very good cause.

Bad weather? What bad weather?

Uri Kohen of Electric Cave Production reports from Co. Mayo:

Although many gigs fell victims to the bad weather around the country in the last two weeks, the gigs in Geraghty's pub in Westport are still in full swing. On Saturday 27.11, Jeff & Vida [above and below], who were touring Ireland at the time, drove through five hours of snow to make it to Westport. The much-loved Nashville-based couple played to a full house their superb bluegrass show.


It was their tenth visit to Ireland and second appearance in Westport. It was great to see that around 100 people overcame the snow in return for a great performance of bluegrass.

This Saturday (11.12) it will be the turn of Dublin-based band Little Ass Birds [below] to make the trip across the Shannon to Westport. They last played Geraghty's in March and we are looking forward to their much anticipated return to the town. The gig will start around 10.00 p.m. and admission is free.


Two more great gigs in the following weekend which I will report about next week. See you in Westport!

Michael J. Miles in Ireland, May 2011?

When Michael J. Miles (USA) visited family in Ireland in 2002, the Bluegrass Ireland newsletter urged readers to take any opportunity to see or hear him:

Pete Seeger... has himself probably been responsible for more people taking up the banjo than anyone else in the last hundred years, so it says something that he received Michael Miles’s first CD, Counterpoint, with: ‘... the most beautiful recording I’ve heard... enough to make me want to learn the banjo all over again’.

Clawhammer right-hand technique on the 5-string banjo is essentially the same as used on the banjo's ancestors and present-day relatives in west Africa. Michael Miles uses this style to play not just American traditional music but everything from Bach to blues to Latin-American with complete musical success; and if he had been around in the 1850s, maybe no one would have seen any need to use up-picking on the banjo at all.

In May 2011 Michael will be on a concert and workshop tour in the Lebanon and in the London area. The schedule will leave him free during the last week or so in May, and he would welcome chances to play in Britain or Ireland during that time. If you have, or know of, an opportunity for this outstanding banjo-player to perform, contact Michael by e-mail.

Dublin's Bluegrass Christmas Party, 28 Dec. 2010

More good advice on beating the cold with bluegrass, thanks to Aran Sheehan of the Bluestack Mountain Boys, who sends this invitation:

After all that snow we have really started to get the Christmas vibe!!! We are gonna throw a free Bluegrass Christmas party on 28 December in Sweeney's Bar on Dame Street, Dublin. Well Enough Alone, Jacques Titley, the Bluestacks, and some very special surprise guests will be playing an extravaganza of bluegrass music from 9.00 p.m. till close in a cosy and extremely friendly environment right in the centre of Dublin...

Format for the night is that we will showcase a set from each of the three billed bluegrassers, then have a collective jam around the table with omni-directional mics piped throughout the bar for that authentic homely intimate feeling. We would like to invite all our friends and fellow bluegrass enthusiasts to join us for some fun, frolics and G runs...

'Roots Freeway' Martin guitar competition - and NTB news

Niall Toner writes:

Due to the weather conditions and the fact that NTB were booked for a couple of gigs, I had pre-recorded the 'Roots Freeway' shows that will be broadcast tonight and on next Saturday, 11 December. I would like to remind listeners that on this new series of 'Roots Freeway', which will run until the end of February 2011, we will be giving away a Martin acoustic guitar [left] as a prize in a competition.

This competition will be based on a similar structure as with our Gibson guitar and Clareen banjo give-aways, and a certain degree of knowledge and understanding of acoustic guitar music, musicians, and instruments will be required, so no harm to get stuck into a little research in the meantime! Details of the questions and conditions will be announced on the Christmas Roots Freeway on 18 December 2010, and the contest will begin in earnest in January 2011. Details will also appear in the January edition of the RTE Guide, and on the RTE Radio One website. I am most grateful to Gerry Crowe of Perfect Pitch Music in Exchequer St., Dublin, and the Martin Guitar Company for their sponsorship.

'Roots Freeway' always includes some bluegrass, as well as information about live gigs by touring and domestic acts, with information so often gleaned from your blog. I should also add that the Irish content of the show is being actively increased, hopefully to around 45% of the total playlist, and this of course includes singer-songwriters, string bands, blues players, etc, etc.

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

In connection with NTB, it's worth reminding folks that we have made some additions and improvements to our website; so even if you have visited us previously, please feel free to come and take another look. Among the new features is a blog, which I am doing my best with! It's a 'learning curve', as they say. Another feature is the iTunes button in the top right-hand corner of our page, which gives folks a chance to purchase single NTB tracks for 99 cent each. This page also displays all of our CD releases - There's a better way, Mood swing, and NTB 3, as well as our two American CDs, From Ireland to the Ozarks and Celtic country. For clarification, the two American CDs are released as virtual albums only, by Big Fish Media in Los Angeles, and contain material drawn from our previous CD releases.

The new NTB CD will be released in 2011 to coincide with the centenary of Bill Monroe.

How to beat the cold

Our recipe: look at the original Bluegrass Blog today for its report on the four-and-a-half-hour concert held in Chicago on 23 October to mark thirty-five years of the Special Consensus.

In addition to the band's current lineup (who will be in Ireland six weeks from now), the show included many former members who have taken part in tours here: Marty Marrone, Darren Wilcox, and Colby Maddox from the very first Special C. visit in 1995, and Josh Williams, Justin Carbone, Ashby Frank, Tim Dishman, Jamie Clifton, Andrea Roberts, Chris Walz, Tres Nugent, and Ron Spears. Many of these can be seen in the video footage of the finale, shown on the BB post, and also visible on YouTube, where other numbers from the show can be seen.

NTB show at Athy - POSTPONED

With regret, Niall Toner sends this message:

They held out until the last possible moment, but had to surrender to the poor weather conditions in the end! Athy Arts Centre have cancelled the NTB gig scheduled for tomorrow night, Saturday. The gig will be postponed until February 2011.

This is the first, and hopefully the last, gig, that NTB have ever cancelled in almost ten years of performing together. Gives a whole new resonance to 'Footprints In The Snow', what? Apologies to anybody who was planning to attend, and we will make up for this in 2011.

As of now, our two shows for next week [10 and 11 December] are very much on! That's Shannon Airport on Friday next, and the Mary B in Arklow on Saturday night.

Niall Toner Music
Teach Burren
Coolasnaughta
Myshall
Co. Carlow
Roots Freeway

ABMA Calendar 2011

Above - the front cover of the Athy Bluegrass Music Association (ABMA) bluegrass calendar for 2011, which appropriately carries photos of the two men who have borne the main responsibility for the Athy festival in its twenty-one years: Martin Cooney (1991-7) and Tony O'Brien (1998-2011).

Inside there are twenty-seven more photos in full colour of musicians from Ireland, the USA, and the Continent of Europe who have been associated over the years with the oldest bluegrass festival in this island - ranging from the members of Woodworm, Athy's first bluegrass band (antedating the festival itself) to bands who made their Athy debut this year. As well as being a unique document of the Athy festival up to the present, the calendar lists eight bluegrass festivals in Ireland with their 2011 dates, which are highlighted in their respective months.

Copies of the calendar are available at €10 each, with the proceeds going to support the 21st Athy festival (7-10 July 2011). To purchase a copy, contact the festival organiser, Tony O'Brien, by phone/text (085 1656685) or e-mail. We're glad to hear from Tony that they have been well received and are selling fast, so make sure of your copy!

The NTB plays at the Mary B., 11 Dec. 2010

Thanks to Brendan O'Regan in Arklow, Co. Wicklow, for news of the continuing series of regular shows by national and international performers of roots, folk, country, bluegrass, and more, which he is presenting at the Mary B. bar in Lower Main St., Arklow.

The next show at the Mary B. will be by the Niall Toner Band, with support from Rosie Byrne, on Saturday 11 December. The show begins at 9.00 p.m; admission €10.

Forthcoming events at the Mary B. can be seen on Brendan's Mary B. Sessions website, where videos from earlier shows at the Mary B. can be seen on YouTube. Tickets for all events are available at the off-licence next door; ring 0402-23963.

Two welcome new links

Thanks to Brian McNeal of Prescription Bluegrass Radio in Kingman, AZ, who writes:

Hi Richard,

We also have a blog on blogspot and have just added your blog on the list of other bluegrass blogs of note on our blog roll. You can check it out here. We'd appreciate it if you could reciprocate on your blog if you are so inclined. Many thanks and best of luck.

Happy to oblige, Brian. A link to the Prescription Bluegrass Blog is now added to the list of links in our right-hand column.

Also added recently is a link to Bluegrass Matters, which presents headlines and short tasters of news items already published in other internet sources (including the BIB) with links to the full original texts, without adding editorial content.

For other broadcasters: Brian's e-mail includes the end note: 'Get Prescription Bluegrass delivered to your Radio Station - Contact Audio Tracks Broadcasting Services today!'

UPDATE FOR BLUEGRASS DJs: Brian adds:

I recently started a new group on LinkedIn.com just for bluegrass disc jockeys because there wasn't any other association specifically for us that I could find. The group is: The Association of Bluegrass Disc Jockeys. If you have any friends or readers of your blog who may be bluegrass disc jockeys - either full or part time... we'd welcome them into the group and thank you for any help you can provide. We already have Ronnie Norton from Ireland but I'm sure there are more.

Leroy Drumm - and Carter Stanley

The original Bluegrass Blog reported yesterday the recent death of Leroy Drumm of Tennessee, at the age of 74. The funeral directors record that he was 'a Navy veteran and a retired welder'. As the BB makes clear, he was also a deservedly highly regarded bluegrass songwriter, especially in collaboration with Pete Goble. Their songs include many well known to Irish audiences and performers in particular: for instance 'Big spike hammer', 'I'm only a phone call away', 'She's walking through my memory', and 'Colleen Malone' (IBMA's Song of the Year for 1991).

The BB also commemorates today the death of Carter Stanley on 1 December 1966, with a video of a Stanley Brothers performance in Germany nine months earlier, and a link to this appreciation written four years ago by Richard F Thompson.

3rd European Bluegrass Summit, 18-20 February 2011

Angelika Torrie, chairperson of the European Bluegrass Music Association, sends this invitation:

Dear European Bluegrass Friends,

Once again, after the success and positive feedback from the two previous years' European Bluegrass Summit in Bühl, Germany, the European Bluegrass Music Association is happy to confirm that arrangements to hold the 3rd European Bluegrass Summit on the weekend of 18-20 February 2011 have been finalised.

This event is fully supported by IBMA as a major and effective tool to bring the scene together more closely and to find ways to fulfil the goals set at the previous meetings. The convention will be attended by an official representative of IBMA, Dwight Worden, who has been elected by his peers for a second term as the Associations representative on the IBMA Board of Directors last summer.

The 3rd European Bluegrass Summit will be generously hosted again by the city of Bühl offering the entire meeting facilities and infrastructure for free. This year, the Saturday night concert will be bigger, with three bands playing to celebrate EBMA's 10th anniversary. As in previous years, attendees are invited from all quarters in Europe; the costs and arrangements for travel, subsistence and accommodation are the entire responsibility of the participants. The summit will be limited to 50 delegates and early booking is advised.

Please help us spread the word to people you think should attend this summit by:

* Circulating this proposal to others who you know to be interested and involved in European Bluegrass.
* Completing the online registration form on the EBMA website or replying to this e-mail, indicating your name, your willingness to attend, and who you represent (i.e. association, band, business, or individual etc.). Please send your responses before 14 December 2010 to admin@ebma.org.

If you or your company/organisation are able to sponsor part of this convention, we would be very grateful if you'd contact us. Any financial support is welcome. There are many opportunities for you to advertise before, during, and after the event in return!

More details of the Summit can be seen on the EBMA website here.