New series of 'Santer' on BBC2 TV

Thanks (as so often in the past) to Sharon Loughrin, who sends the news that a second series of the Ulster Scots series 'Santer' on BBC2 (NI) TV has begun, and viewers can expect to see the Broken Strings band.

Presented by Anne Morrison-Smythe and Mark Wilson, the programme goes out at 7.00 p.m. on Wednesdays. More details are on the BBC2 website. For viewers south of the Border who can receive BBC2 live, we advise catching the show on its first airing, as it does not seem to be available online in (for instance) the Dublin area.

IBMA awards: the Irish connections

Photo: Alane Anno

Thanks to Judy McDonough (there's a possible Irish link straight away) of JEMMedia for a press release on the International Bluegrass Music Awards, which were presented yesterday in Nashville, TN.

Award recipients who have performed in Ireland include the Steep Canyon Rangers (seen above with Steve Martin, with whom they shared the Entertainer of the Year award), Del McCoury (Hall of Fame inductee), the Gibson Brothers (who won both the Vocal Group and the Album of the Year awards), Dale Ann Bradley (Female Vocalist), Michael Cleveland (Instrumental Recorded Performance and Fiddle Player of the Year), Bryan Sutton, Marshall Wilborn, Adam Steffey, and Rob Ickes (Guitar, Bass, Mandolin, and Dobro Player of the Year respectively), Doyle Lawson and J.D. Crowe (who shared with Paul Williams the awards for Gospel Recorded Performance and Recorded Event of the Year), and Greg Cahill and Roland White (Distinguished Achievement Awards).

Coverage of the event can be seen on Bluegrass Today, where you can also find a couple of nice photos of Martino Coppo of Red Wine - including one taken on Wednesday of Martino with our own Niall Toner and with Jimmy Sunnebrandt of Sweden's G2 Bluegrass Band. A full list of award recipients is on the IBMA website.

Belfast Bluegrass session, Tues. 4 Oct. 2011

Richard Leeman (left), of Belfast Bluegrass and the Down and Out Bluegrass Band, reports:

The next Belfast Bluegrass session takes place on Tuesday 4 October upstairs in the Errigle Inn, Ormeau Road, Belfast, starting at 8.30 p.m. Everyone is welcome, whether they want to sing or play, or just to listen.

Admission is free as always, and you can get more details on the Belfast Bluegrass Facebook page or by e-mailing.

Many other photos taken at previous sessions in the Errigle can be seen on the Belfast Bluegrass Facebook page. See Geordie MacAdam playing his fretted fiddle!

Old memories from Del McCoury

Many fine CDs are appearing in 2011 to mark the centenary of the birth of the Father of Bluegrass. One of them happens to be made by a former Blue Grass Boys lead singer, who has his own award-winning band behind him, knows Bill Monroe's vocal style so well that he will provide the singing voice for the forthcoming Monroe biopic, and is also the newest member of the Bluegrass Hall of Fame.

The Del McCoury Band's Old memories: the songs of Bill Monroe was released digitally on Tuesday, and will be released on vinyl on 25 October. The sixteen-track album opens and closes like a Monroe stage show, with 'Watermelon on the vine' and 'Y’all come'. On the band's website, you can listen to the whole album, buy the digital release now for $8.99, or order the vinyl album and get the digital now, for a total of $19.99. You can also see a brief video feature on the making of the album.

A bluegrass banjo teacher in Kerry or Limerick?

Martina Daly sends this appeal from Listowel, Co. Kerry:

I wonder if you might be able to help a damsel in distress (that's me!). My dad gave me his banjo several months ago and I decided that I'd like to learn to play - bluegrass and old-time/folk in particular. As I'm based in Kerry, it was difficult to find anybody who would teach me these styles. Or even teach me any kind of banjo that wasn't four-string... I love bluegrass; it's the happiest sound that a banjo can make, I think.

Anyway, I found a teacher eventually, but after three months of lessons I'm still not learning any bluegrass. I know that I'm not going to be playing 'Foggy Mountain Breakdown' any time soon... but there ARE simple bluegrass tunes that I could be learning which would incorporate the same elements as the more traditional pieces I'm learning at the moment. I saw the Water Tower Bucket Boys in Kilworth recently and almost cried at the thought that I may never be able to play that kind of music.

Would you know of any bluegrass banjo players in Kerry/Limerick that might consider teaching a neophyte like myself? I really don't expect miracles - I would just like to start (well, almost start) as I mean to go on.

Any banjo teacher in the south-west would need a heart of stone to ignore such an appeal. If you're a teacher yourself, or know of one, and can help Martina, please contact her by e-mail.

IBMA WOB on RTÉ

Our man in Nashville, Niall Toner, reports from the International Bluegrass Music Association's World of Bluegrass Week (26 Sept.-2 Oct.):

I am interviewing Béla Fleck this morning. We have two Nashville 'specials' going out on RTÉ Radio 1 on Sunday night next and the following Sunday in the 'In concert' series. We are also going to Jerusalem Ridge on Friday next for more punishment...

Farewell, the Bluestack Mountain Boys

For its size of population, Ireland has a respectable number of bands playing bluegrass and old-time music - but not so many that the loss of one of our younger bands isn't a source of regret. Patrick Simpson of the Bluestack Mountain Boys sends this news:

The Bluestack Mountain Boys, formed in the early part of 2010, will no longer be performing together as a bluegrass band. Due to sound, lack of venues, material, technical, and personal issues, we are no longer available for any gigs or festivals. We are however, available as individuals for jams, session work, and bluegrass music parties.

We apologise to our fans, friends, and fellow bluegrass enthusiasts, and wish to thank you, and all those who encouraged us, that helped make 'Rock n' Soul Bluegrass' happen along the way. Happy pickin' to you and we hope to see you all again real soon!

The photo above, taken at the Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare, shows (l-r) Patrick (guitar), Will Comerford (bass), Aran Sheehan (mandolin), and Conor Daly (5-string banjo). We look forward to seeing all of them on the scene for many more years.

Update 28 Sept. - Patrick suggests: 'I think your headline should have read "A nice clean break for once!"'

The Mother of Bluegrass Blogs is born again

Vigilant readers will have noticed that the panel of headlines from the award-winning original Bluegrass Blog disappeared from the right-hand column of the BIB in the last few days. The reason is that the transformation of the Bluegrass Blog into Bluegrass Today, originally planned for three weeks ago (see here) and deferred for last-minute technical improvements, took place during the period of the Longford festival. For anyone who wishes to be kept informed of what is on the BT website: we advise that you subscribe to it, so as to receive regular e-mail updates on new posts.

We thought that improvement on the original BB might be hard to achieve, but the new site has achieved it in no uncertain terms. The BIB sends, with gratitude and admiration, its best wishes to John Lawless of the BB/BT, to Brance Gillihan, his original co-founder of the BB, to the new crew, and to the Mother of Bluegrass Blogs in its new incarnation.

Furnace Mountain tour, May-June 2012?

Thanks again to Loudon Temple of the Brookfield Knights (UK) agency, who announces that Furnace Mountain from Virginia, USA, will be available for touring in these islands from late May to mid June 2012.

Furnace Mountain are a folk group whose members individually play mountain music and bluegrass, and who bring some of the older music (and dance) into their show. Their last tour in Britain, including the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow early this year, attracted lavish praise from the media, and correspondingly big audiences. A ten-minute video from one of their Glasgow sets can be seen here.

They are expected to have a new album to promote during the proposed tour, with corresponding exposure from print media and radio. Promoters and event organisers are asked to let Brookfield Knights know what dates may be available in that period to make it possible to put a fitting tour together for the band.

Brookfield Knights
Tel. 01505 706346
Mob. 07831 878013
E-mail

A magical time at the Crock of Gold

Thanks to John Bermingham, co-host with his wife Monika of the acclaimed venue Croc an Oir (above), who reports on the very successful show given there by the Niall Toner Band on 8 September. As evidence that the band also enjoyed the occasion, John quotes a message from Niall:

Thanks to you both so much for your wonderful hospitality last night at Croc an Oir. It was a magical experience, and Clem and Dick and Moira and I are all agreed that from every perspective, it was just top class. Thank you both, and all your crew, for everything. If only all our gigs were like this... this is what makes the whole thing worthwhile, and it totally restores my faith in human nature.

Contact John Bermingham
Croc an Oir
Ballycullen
Mullinahone
Co Tipperary
Tel. +353 52 9153117

3rd Bluegrass in Balla, 28-31 Oct. 2011

Thanks to Michael Baynes for a reminder that the 3rd Balla Bluegrass Festival will be held just over a month from now, with five bands playing on the four days of the October bank holiday weekend: 28-31 October 2011. The full lineup for this year's event is:

Fri. 28th: The Molly Hicks (Galway)
Sat. 29th: Bending the Strings (Mullingar)
Sun. 30th: The Mud Dog Boys (Castlebar), 3.00 p.m.
Sun. 30th: Woodbine (Athy), 8.00 p.m.
Mon. 31st: Colonel Bullshot Rides Again (Westport)

As usual the main venue will be Mannion's in Balla, where on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (for the real Southern flavour) biscuits, gravy, and grits will be served at 11.00 a.m., followed by open jam sessions. Food will be served from Friday evening till Monday evening, and there will be a raffle over the course of the weekend for a fiddle.

If anyone is interested in supporting the weekend or would like to find out about how to play over the weekend, please contact Tom Lyons, Prison Road, Balla, Co. Mayo; 'phone 087 229 6018; e-mail.

Old Flattop autumn season

Thanks to Nigel Martyn for the latest newsletter from his Old Flattop agency, announcing the very impressive programme of artists due to play in Ireland for the autumn season. The full range can be seen on the website here.

Musicians performing in the immediate or very near future include Steve Kaufman, Tom Paxton, and Peggy Seeger (left), not to mention the schedule of Six String Sessions, already mentioned on the BIB.

Wiretappers in Ireland now: instruments wanted for temporary use

L-r: David Smith, Larry Chung, Jake Weber, Mark Snyder

The Wiretappers from Seattle, WA, are now in Ireland: some of us will have seen a threesome from the band already over the past week at events including the 10th Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival in Longford town, and the full band will be playing next weekend at the 3rd Bruff Bluegrass Festival in Bruff, Co. Limerick (30 Sept.-2 Oct.).

Multi-instrumentalist Larry Chung flew into Ireland today to join the rest of the band. Larry reports:

I do have a fiddle with me, but am looking for a [acoustic] guitar or [5-string] banjo or mandolin that I could use while I'm there. Any leads or suggestions would be most appreciated - nothing fancy, either.

We hope that as several bluegrass bands will be in Bruff for the festival, it might be possible for a spare instrument to be found and brought to Bruff for Larry to use there. If you can help out, please contact Larry by e-mail or by phone (Larry's US mobile is 415.370.6191; Jake's Irish mobile is 085 272 8363).

La Roche Bluegrass Festival 2011

Thanks to Jan Michielsen for this link to the latest movie from Cheap Aldi Camera Productions, showing some of the experiences of 4 Wheel Drive at the La Roche Bluegrass Festival, held in La Roche-sur-Foron, Haute Savoie, France, at the beginning of August this year.

Jan's impressionistic work of art conveys a good deal of the feeling of this impressive festival, set in a delectable location. The past experiences of the editor and his wife are indicated in the copiously illustrated posts published on the BIB on 16 August 2009.

Béla Fleck banjo concerto premiere tonight

Thanks to Mike Gilchrist for the news that Béla Fleck will perform his new concerto for 5-string banjo and orchestra on three successive nights, beginning tonight, at Nashville, with the Nashville Symphony orchestra. This event can be watched live (though at the time of writing we're not sure if that applies to viewers this side of the Atlantic).

More on the event can be seen here. And you can read a recent interview with Béla Fleck about the concerto in the original Bluegrass Blog.

Hanway & Murray sing for the elderly in Longford

On Saturday 24 September, as part of Positive Ageing Week in support of the elderly in Ireland, Hanway & Murray will play to the residents of Laurel Lodge Nursing Home, Longford, 2.30-4.00 p.m.

Laurel Lodge’s recreational therapist Anne Buckley enlisted Tom [left] and Kieran [below right] for this volunteer community service, as part of Age Action Ireland and ESB Electric Ireland Positive Ageing Week, which takes place from Friday 23 September to Saturday 1 October 2011. This happily coincides with the 10th Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival in the town.

Tom is no stranger to the Banjo Festival, playing it the first two years and meeting his lovely wife Denise, a Longford native. Tom and Denise are still happily married, living in Longford and celebrating their tenth year since meeting at the festival. Earlier this year on Irish national radio (here on podcast), Tom spoke reverently about and plugged the Longford Banjo Festival and its hard-working promoters and team, on RTÉ Radio 1, CountryWide (28 May 2011) with Damien O’Reilly.

Hanway & Murray’s musical programme will include bluegrass, bluegrass gospel, Irish traditional, and American country songs, also songs by special request – something for everybody. Tom will also play bluegrass and Irish tunes on the original Stelling SwallowTail Deluxe, featuring tunes from his Complete book of Irish & Celtic 5-string banjo (Mel Bay 95759 BCD).

In 2011 Tom Hanway (5-string banjo/vocals) and Kieran Murray (guitar/vocals) performed for the first time together at 'Bluegrass on the Walls' (Derry) as part of the Maiden City Festival, following up at the Guinness Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival (Waterford).

Hanway & Murray are woodshedding, working on their first recording of original music, and will be having the craic and playing around Longford town all weekend long. Find their schedule here.

Tom and Kieran are delighted in giving service to the wonderful Longford community and wish to express their deep thanks to proprietors Ann and Eugene Watters, who offer this about Laurel Lodge Nursing Home: a full and active lifestyle is encouraged with freedom for residents to control their own daily routine wherever possible. Residents are encouraged to continue their own hobbies and pastimes and participate in activity programmes, which are planned to fit various social and cultural traditions, and the Home endeavours to take an active part in local events.

Tom and Denise Hanway at Mandolin Brothers, New York

Blueflint in Ireland, 19-23 Oct. 2011 - with new album

L-r: Deborah Arnott, Clare Neilson, Roddy Neilson, Hugh Kelly

Scottish band Blueflint, who have made an impact at the Dunmore East and Omagh festivals since 2008, are launching their new album Maudy tree on 10 October and will be touring throughout these islands in autumn 2011 to promote it. The five dates scheduled for Ireland take in three of the four historic provinces and include a launch in the Cobblestone, Dublin, on 22 October.

Blueflint's debut album High bright morning (2009) won critical acclaim and national radio play, and their atmospheric and evocative live shows are based on the vocal and instrumental interaction of Deborah Arnott (finger-picked banjo) and Clare Neilson (clawhammer banjo), who formed as a duo in 2005. Their songs 'swoop easily from the dark underbelly of folk to buoyant Americana-tinged ballads'.

The new album Maudy tree, was recorded as a five-piece band (with drums) to recreate the energy and emotion of Blueflint's live performances. It is available from Amazon.com, iTunes, all good record stores, and the band's website, and is distributed by Proper Music Distribution on the Johnny Rock Records label (JOROCK014).

The autumn 2011 tour in Ireland is as follows:

Wed. 19th Oct.: Strule Arts Centre, Omagh, Co. Tyrone BT78 1BL. Doors: 7.30 p.m., 8 p.m. start. Tickets: £12. Bookings: 028 8224 7831

Thurs. 20th Oct.: St John’s Theatre Arts Centre, Listowel, Co. Kerry. Doors: 7.30 p.m., 8 p.m. start. Tickets: €15/€12. Bookings: 00353 068 22566

Fri. 21st Oct.: Mullingar Arts, Lower Mount St., Mullingar, Co. Westmeath. Doors: 7.00 p.m., 7.30 p.m. start. Tickets: €10. Bookings: 044 93 477777

Sat. 22nd Oct.: The Cobblestone, King St. North, Dublin 7 (album launch). Doors: 9 p.m., 9.30 p.m. start. Tickets: €12.50. Bookings: 01 8721799

Sun. 23rd Oct.: Balor Arts Centre, Main St, Ballybofey, Co. Donegal. Doors: 8 p.m., 8.30 p.m. start. Tickets: €15. Bookings: 074 91 31840

Niall Toner showcase at IBMA's World of Bluegrass

Thanks to Roger Ryan of the Country Music Association of Ireland for forwarding the news that Mountain Music Entertainment will hold its showcases at IBMA's World of Bluegrass on Wednesday 28 Sept. in Suite 1814 at the Renaissance Hotel, Nashville, TN. Events begin at 5.30 p.m. with an album launch for Junior Sisk & Rambler's Choice, and later in the evening the MME artists performing will include our own Niall Toner. See the complete MME press release here.

Mikey & the Scallywags at Westport, 17 Sept.

Uri Kohen reports from Westport, Co. Mayo:

I have been promoting gigs in Westport since 2004, but it has been a while since I was so excited about a line of shows such as the current one I am promoting. Last week I told the readers of the blog all about the upcoming gigs in Geraghty's, Westport, and last Saturday (17.9.2011) we had the first one.

Mikey and the Scallywags came to Westport to perform their unique and very energetic style of folk music. Even at the sound check it was very clear that the lads are very talented musicians and we are up for a treat.

The show is based on original material with homage to some classics that gets the crowd going. The strong rhythm section alongside the lively and driven sound of the fiddle and the banjo are superb backing for the guitar playing and singing of Mikey. The band created a wholesome sound but expressed the individuality of every member and instrument.

It was a full house and the crowd demanded to have them back again. Maybe not bluegrass in the true sense of the word, but the music is influenced by the right vibes. Go and see Mikey and the Scallywags - you won't be disappointed. Next week David Hope; see you in Westport.

Good news from 4 Wheel Drive

The many Irish friends and fans of 4 Wheel Drive (NL/D/B) will be glad to hear that they won the #1 Acoustic Band of the Year title in the 2011 awards by the Dutch Country Music Association. This is the ninth time that they have won this award.

4WD fiddler Joost van Es was #2 Instrumentalist of the Year; and the Blue Grass Boogiemen (who have been away from Ireland for far too long) took the #2 place in the Acoustic Band of the Year award.

4 Wheel Drive wish it to be known that in addition to their long-established MySpace, they now have a brand new website. They are also on Facebook.

Bluegrass blazes a trail to Bruff, 30 Sept.-2 Oct. 2011

The organising committee of the Bruff Bluegrass Festival at Bruff, Co. Limerick, announce that the 3rd Festival will kick off on Friday 30 Sept., with an augmented lineup: the Wiretappers (above) from Seattle, USA, and the Down and Out Bluegrass Band from Co. Down will be joining the Festival's returning friends from Southern Welfare, Bending the Strings, and the Bluestack Mountain Boys. The committee add: 'Another great weekend of picking, and hope to see lots of our bluegrass friends back in Bruff for 2011.'

Old-time on video

Thanks again to Sharon Loughrin for this link to a YouTube video of the US old-time band Old Sledge. They begin a two-week tour of Britain this coming Friday; full details are on the European Bluegrass Blog.

The video, shot in March this year, shows the band playing 'Danville girl'. There's an added attraction for Irish audiences in that Ben Townsend of the Fox Hunt is playing banjo. The Fox Hunt have made two tours in Ireland recently, and Sharon informs us that Ben will be returning to Ireland for two weeks after the end of the Old Sledge tour. More details (if any) when we have them.

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

Thanks to Nancy Cardwell of the IBMA for this YouTube link to the fifteen-minute video 'Close kin: a reunion of bluegrass and old-time music', a project by Mountain Roads Recordings that brings prominent musicians from both genres together.

This kind of meeting is becoming frequent between musicians from the camps of bluegrass and Irish music; perhaps it's the fact that bluegrass and old-time are such near neighbours that makes this particular meeting more unusual. But as is pointed out in the video, at the Old Time Fiddlers Convention in Galax, VA, bluegrass and old-time bands used to enter the same contests, and the 'Galax style' is a mixture of both elements. The album Close kin is due for release on 23 September.

Wilma Lee Cooper, 1921-2011

The Bluegrass Blog announces the sad news of the death of Wilma Lee Cooper (90) of West Virginia, another of the generation of rural American musicians who were playing professionally before the emergence of bluegrass, and came to be a valued part of it. As with Wade Mainer, obituaries of her are appearing widely - for instance, on the Great American Country website.

Wilma, whose maiden name was Leary, married fiddler Dale T. 'Stoney' Cooper in 1939, and they performed together, with their Clinch Mountain Clan band, till his death in 1977. They were early admirers of the new style of Bill Monroe & the Blue Grass Boys, and Neil Rosenberg's Bluegrass: a history states that Stoney told Bill Monroe how they had enjoyed his song 'Wicked path of sin' and had recorded it themselves. Monroe's reply shows his attitude at that time to being imitated, however respectfully, and perhaps also reflects his lifelong emphasis on being original: 'Don't it seem to you a little when you sing other people's songs, after a while you sort of get yourself patterned like them?'

Wilma Lee Cooper was for decades in the forefront of women bluegrass performers, and the strength of her vocal style and of the material that she and Stoney performed, make her example well worth following.

'Down from the Mountain' at Ards Guitar Festival

Thanks to Sharon Loughrin for the news that the 15th Ards Guitar Festival at Newtownards, Co. Down, will feature a 'Down from the Mountain' concert at the Ivy Bar, one of the festival's main venues, as one of its closing events.

The festival, which runs from Thursday 29 September to Sunday 2 October, presents concerts and workshops in many genres of guitar and guitar-related music, with Steve Kaufman (USA) heading the bluegrass element. The 'Down from the Mountain' concert, on Sunday afternoon, is scheduled as

a foot stomping and atmospheric musical recreation of the concert film. Down from the Mountain originally featured live performances by country and traditional music artists who participated in the Grammy-winning soundtrack recording for the Joel and Ethan Coen film, O brother, where art thou?

The cream of local talent will take on the soundtrack classics including 'Down to the river to pray', 'Indian war whoop' & 'Po' Lazarus', to name a few. Artists include Conor Scullion, Emerald Armada, Magee, Mark Braidner Sons of Caliber, Janet Holmes & Colin Henry, Farriers, Finbar, the White Mansions, & Wookalily.

Gillian Welch & David Rawlings in Ireland, 17-18 Nov. 2011

Tickets are on sale for fifteen shows in Europe in October and November 2011, scheduled for Gillian Welch & David Rawlings. The tour, beginning on 30 October in Norway, includes Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Britain, and Ireland. The two Irish dates are:

Thurs. 17 Nov. Grand Canal Theatre, Dublin, 8.30 p.m.
Fri. 18 Nov. Waterfront Hall, Belfast, 8.30 p.m.

A full list is on the European Bluegrass Blog. More details and links for buying tickets are on Gillian Welch's tour schedule. Thanks to UKBluegrass.com for bringing the tour to our notice.

Woody Pines in Britain and Ireland, Apr.-May 2012

Loudon Temple, of the Brookfield Knights agency in the UK, reports that work is now in progress on assembling a tour in these islands next spring for the Woody Pines band from Asheville, North Carolina. As promoters and venues are already booking them, any who would be interested in presenting the band are requested to get in touch and indicate their preferred dates, so that the logistics of the tour can be coordinated.

The band will have a new album released in the UK in the new year, the agency will make full-colour posters and flyers available, and national, regional, and local media will be targeted in advance to stimulate maximum interest.

Due to the level of interest already expressed, the band will be in Scotland from 1 May to 13 May. They will be available for bookings in Ireland in the last week of April, and are already booked for Clonmel for 26 April. Promoters and venues should contact Loudon at the Brookfield Knights website, by 'phone (+44 (0)1505 706346; mob. 07831 878013), or e-mail.

Woody Pines have attracted a lot of favourable comment, and Maverick magazine describes them as 'an intoxicating blend of rural and urban string-band, country blues, ragtime, and jug-band music'. They can be seen on YouTube.

Camping at the Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival!

With the Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival in Longford town due to begin a week from today, Chris Keenan sends this important news:

Camping has just been secured at the Rugby Club, for a limited number of campers/vans during the festival weekend. Just a five-minute walk from town centre.

For just €25 flat fee, for the weekend. The use of Rugby Club facilities is included... toilet, washroom, shower. Also, the bar will remain open for late-night drinking, etc.

For registration, you must call first to the Festival Office in Market Square to book your space. Further info: 'phone 087.281.7825.

Pick in North Wales this weekend, 16-18 Sept.

Over the years many Irish enthusiasts have crossed over to North Wales for the growing number of bluegrass events there, so we thank UKBluegrass.com for drawing attention to the Conwy Mountain Bluegrass Picking Weekend, which begins tomorrow and lasts for three days. The organiser is Tom Degney (left), whom many of us may have met at the Omagh festival earlier this month. Full details can be found here.

Warming up the Westport winter

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

During the months of July and August, Geraghty's bar in Westport was hosting mainly international acts with a good mixture of folk and bluegrass from the UK and the US. September and October will offer a great lineup of some of the best folk acts currently working in the Irish music scene.

This Saturday coming (17 Sept. 2011) is the first of our winter programme and we will host a great Galway band - Mikey and the Scallywags (above), a five-piece band who played Europe and some of the major venues around Ireland, providing energetic and uplifting folk music.

On Saturday 24 Sept. 2011 we will welcome once again David Hope and Tommy Lyons (above). David was the first singer to perform in the 'Unfinished music series' in Geraghty's and since then he became the most celebrated artist to perform in the pub. His excellent performances won him a place on the main stage of the 4th Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival, and this week he won a place in Ireland's newest folk festival - the Spirit of Folk festival.


October will open with an exciting show by Hickory Wind (above), bluegrass band from Westmeath who play original bluegrass alongside classic and contemporary music in bluegrass style. The Oil Skins (right) from the US will drop by at Geraghty's on Monday 10 Oct. 2011 as part of their Irish tour and will stay around Westport for a few more days, by which they will join local musicians for sessions and busking.

On Saturday 15 Oct. 2011 a fantastic Irish duo (left) will make its way to the west to honor us with their great music: singer/songwriter James O'Connor from Laois joins forces with classically trained fiddle player Audrey Trainor from Louth to create a unique and exciting sound.

The current programme will finish on 22 Oct. 2011 with one of Ireland most exciting bands - the Young Folk (below), the five-piece band from Dublin, playing superb folk music with a good mix of original and covers, supporting the release of their new EP.

The Electric Cave Production are looking forward for all these acts to come to Westport, and already working on booking more gigs for the rest of the year and beyond.

Wade Mainer, 1907-2011

We learn with deep regret, from our friend Pieter Groenveld in the Netherlands, of the death on 12 September of Wade Mainer of North Carolina, at the age of 104. He belongs to the generation of American rural musicians who took up playing and recording 'hillbilly' music professionally in the 1920s and 1930s, forming a transition between traditional old-time music and bluegrass. As a banjo-player, he made a personal, unassisted innovation by developing a thumb-and-index-finger-picking style. In 1937 he married Julia 'Hillbilly Lily' Brown, herself a pioneer woman singer-musician, and they performed together into later life. An account of his career, with discography, is on Wikipedia, and a UNC-TV programme on him can be viewed here.

More details, together with a clip from a video interview by David Holt (who performed in Ireland a few days ago), are on the Prescription Bluegrass Blog; his death is being widely reported on the internet, and further coverage is expected on the original Bluegrass Blog. A well illustrated biography, Banjo on the mountain: Wade Mainer's first hundred years, by bluegrass scholar Dick Spottswood, was published last year by the University of Mississippi Press and is also available from County Sales and other mail-order suppliers.

Photos from Wade Mainer's career, and of his original 1933 Gibson RB Granada banjo, can be seen here.

Church news

The BIB editor reports:

A number of the United New Primitive Original Reformed (Old Allegiance) Monrovian Brethren met privately in Dublin last night to honour the centenary of the birth of the Father of Bluegrass. As an elder of the local congregation, I'm glad to report that the occasion was appropriately marked. Thanks to Brother Aran Sheehan for his hospitality, and for making the meeting possible.

Update: Thanks also to Brother Patrick Simpson for the original artwork above, based on a silkscreen artist proof he created in 2001.

Bill Monroe: celebrating the centenary

Photo: Mandolin Cafe

William Smith Monroe, father of bluegrass music, was born a hundred years ago today at the family home on Pigeon Ridge, near Rosine, KY, at 10.30 a.m., eighth child of J.B. 'Buck' Monroe and Malissa Vandiver Monroe. His Monroe ancestors had been in Kentucky for more than a hundred years previously, and in Virginia for nearly a hundred and fifty years before that.

The above facts come from articles by Tom Ewing and Bob Carlin - just some of the contents of the current issue of Bluegrass Unlimited, xlvi, no. 3 (Sept. 2011), which is devoted to celebrating the centennial. The issue includes articles on aspects of his family history, career, and musical legacy, with a moving account by Jens Kruger of his meetings with Bill Monroe - beginning in 1982, when as a 19-year-old from Switzerland he found himself playing banjo on stage with the Blue Grass Boys at Bean Blossom, the first bluegrass festival he had ever attended.

More photos, from the collection of Lilly Pavlak (CZ/CH), can be seen on the European Bluegrass Blog. The staggering programme of celebratory events arranged by the International Bluegrass Music Museum began yesterday and will continue through tomorrow.

Dublin venue wanted for the Toy Hearts, 6 [not 5] Nov. 2011: update

Thanks to Mick Dunne, formerly of the Skillet Lickers band of Drogheda, and Paul Lee of the Musiclee.ie agency, for the welcome news that the Toy Hearts (GB) will be touring in Ireland in early November 2011. Dates at present on the schedule are:

Wed. 2nd: The Crane Bar, Galway city, 8.00 p.m.
Thurs. 3rd: Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre, Naul, Co. Dublin, 8.00 p.m.
Fri. 4th: Boyles, Slane, Co. Meath, 8.00 p.m.
Sat. 5th: Balor Arts Centre, Ballybofey, Co. Donegal
Sun 6th: Dublin, TBC

The Toy Hearts are keen to play a Dublin city venue while over here. Paul has been trying hard to find one not already booked for the only suitable date, 6 November, and will be glad to hear from anyone who can offer a venue. He writes: 'Any ideas welcome. Even a house party at this stage could fit the bill. Check them out here.' Contact Paul by e-mail.

The photo above (from Aran Sheehan) shows the Toy Hearts playing at the Dunmore East festival in 2007. They have also played at the Omagh festival, at IBMA's World of Bluegrass and elsewhere in the USA, at the major European festivals at Voorthuizen (NL), La Roche (F), and Bühl (D), and innumerable other festivals and venues in Britain and Europe. Sophia Johnson (far right, above) has also been featured in Flatpicking Guitar Magazine.

Woodbine shows, Sept.-Oct. 2011

A formal Woodbine in 'shirtsleeve order' at the 2nd Westport Folk & Bluegrass Festival (2008)

Tony O'Brien, leader of Woodbine, reports:

Here's details of September/October shows.

Sept. 17th Roundwood House, Mountrath, private function (wedding)
Oct. 7th Aislann Centre, Kilcar, Co. Donegal; Donegal Bay & Bluestack Festival
Oct. 15th-16th Bob's Bar, Durrow, Co. Laois, with Southern Welfare (mini-festival in conjunction with Durrow High Nellie Bicycle Club)
Oct. 30th Balla Bluegrass Festival, Mannion's, Balla, Co. Mayo

The wedding booking comes as a result of our 2010 appearance at Stradbally Steam Rally, and the Donegal Bay & Bluestack Festival booking as a result of our Ardara appearances.

Back to school at the ArtistWorks Academy of Bluegrass - and a special offer

The ArtistWorks Academy of Bluegrass is already well established as the newest way to learn online from an all-star group of teachers: Tony Trischka (banjo), Bryan Sutton (guitar), Missy Raines (bass), Mike Marshall (mandolin), and Darol Anger (fiddle). Its Video Exchange Technology allows students from all over the world to learn directly from these masters. In its 'Back to school' offer, the Academy gives the opportunity to join now for as little as $20 a month.

Sign up on the Academy website; and feast your eyes and ears on the Academy teaching staff on stage as a band, playing a powerful 'Shenandoah breakdown', and talking about the Academy.

Water Tower Bucket Boys at the Red/Green Room, 7 Sept.

Thanks to Sharon Loughrin, chatelaine of the Red Room, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, who writes:

I'm sending you a few photos from our Water Tower Bucket Boys concert which I hope you'll enjoy. We had our best night yet, numbers-wise - 52 people (not counting ourselves and the band) - and as you can see [above] we had to move out to the Green Room; I'm beginning to think a change of paint colour may be necessary...

We really appreciate all of the visitors who support the concerts, but we were especially pleased to welcome Tommy and Joyce, Mohill festival organisers (and of course Lilly, Tommy's lovely dog!) I had given Kenny from the band a Mohill T-shirt while we did some laundry, and when Tommy arrived he was wearing a Bucket Boys T-shirt, so it was the perfect photo opportunity!

The boys performed a lot of material from their new EP Where the crow don't fly, and we've had great feedback from the audience, many of whom were returning after the previous house concert the band played here back in March. I've also attached a pic [below] of Katie playing 'Old Joe Clarke' with the boys after the gig, a tune she learnt at the Omagh Festival Kids Camp.


Sharon adds that there are many nice photos from last weekend's Appalachian & Bluegrass Music Festival on the Ulster American Folk Park Facebook Page - and you don't need to be on Facebook yourself in order to view them.

Chris Thile to play solo in Dublin and Cork, 14-15 Sept. 2011

Thanks to our friends at UKBluegrass.com for the news that as a result of illness in his family, guitarist Michael Daves will be unable to join Chris Thile (left) for the tour in these islands to support their new duet album Sleep with one eye open.

Though the duo will not make the tour, Chris Thile will be playing the dates solo. The two shows in Ireland are on 14 Sept. at Whelan's, Dublin, and 15 Sept. at the Triskel Arts Centre, Cork.

Winter Music Weekend extends to Bunratty Folk Park for 2012

Thanks to Brendan Walsh and his team for news of the 13th Shannonside Winter Music Weekend, to be presented by the Sixmilebridge Folk Club in Co. Clare three months from now.

The Weekend has been for many years the essential New Year livener-up for acoustic music fans, with high-calibre guest artists (e.g. Special Consensus (USA) in 2011) heading eclectic programmes of music, dance, and poetry. The 2012 Weekend will comprise a total of seventy events in fifteen venues in and around Sixmilebridge, including the fine setting of the Bunratty Folk Park.

Bluegrass- and old-time-related bands scheduled to play at the 2012 Weekend include I Draw Slow and Red Cloud Bluegrass, featuring outstanding banjo-player Bill Forster. Full details are on the Weekend's website.

Hayseed Dixie in Ireland, 25-29 Oct. 2011

The 'Appalachian Rockgrass hellraisers' Hayseed Dixie have been touring in Europe since April this year (when their ninth full-length studio album, Sjt Munchs Drikkeklubb Band, was released) and have still the best part of two months to go, near the end of which they will play five shows in Ireland.

While the tour is taking in most of the countries of western and northern Europe, a majority of the dates are in Britain or Scandinavia - reflecting the fact that the new album is entirely in Norwegian, including three original songs. Their website claims that 'this is the first time any American band has recorded an album in the Norwegian language. It's historic!' The dates in Ireland, all in late October, are:

Tues. 25th: Dolan's Warehouse, Limerick city
Wed. 26th: Cyprus Avenue, Cork city
Thurs. 27th: Button Factory, Dublin city
Fri. 28th: The Model, Sligo Live Festival
Sat. 29th: Spring & Airbrake, Open House Festival Hellow'een Hoedown, Belfast

Full tour details can be found on Hayseed Dixie's Appearances page.

Cedar Hill begin climbing the BU charts

We mentioned on 16 June this year that Cedar Hill (USA), who made many friends and fans here last September with several appearances (centred on the Omagh festival), had released their latest CD, I've got a thing about doors, on Blue Circle Records; and that a fun video of the title track, made by Rebekah Long, can be seen on YouTube.

We're glad to report that the title track has begun its climb up the charts in Bluegrass Unlimited magazine, entering at #29. In the latest e-newsletter from Good Home Grown Music, Miss Dixie Hall reports Frank Ray's reaction: 'Praise be, that news is as good as a bowl of Fox Hollow Banana Puddin''.

Kathy Barwick - in Dublin workshop and on record

L-r: Gerry Crowe, Kathy Barwick, Cathal Cusack

Kathy Barwick (resident in Sacramento, CA) plays bluegrass, Irish music, folk, and blues on dobro, guitar, bass, banjo, and mandolin, on all of which she is also an instructor and session musician. She was taught guitar by Steve Pottier. In June this year Dublin pickers had the opportunity of attending a workshop given by her, organised by guitarist Cathal Cusack and hosted by Gerry Crowe at his Perfect Pitch music shop at 35 Exchequer St., Dublin 2. Thanks to Cathal for these photos showing Kathy with him and Gerry (above) and with all the workshop attenders (below).


Thanks also to Cathal for drawing our attention to Kathy's rewarding CD, In my life. It opens with her guitar version of Earl Scruggs's 'Nashville blues'; and though it's not a bluegrass album, the musicians taking part come mainly from the West Coast bluegrass community. Some of them (Roland White, Mary Gibbons) have already played in Ireland; others we hope to see and hear some time soon, such as John Reischman. A Fretboard Journal video about Reischman and his Lloyd Loar Gibson mandolin can be seen here.

The album's many delights include warm, tasteful versions of Irish tunes and a splendid and too-seldom-heard Maybelle Carter song, 'My native home', in two-part harmony. It can be bought directly from the Kathy Barwick website.

Tupelo launch Dirty money at Whelan's, 8 Sept. 2011

Thanks to Kevin Duffy, fiddler for Dublin folk/roots/rock band Tupelo, for the news that the band are launching their new album Dirty money in Whelan's, Wexford St., Dublin, tomorrow night (Thursday 8 Sept.). They are offering a pair of tickets to be won through this BIB special competition.

The first person to send in by e-mail the correct reply to the following question will be added to the guest list for the album launch:

When Bill Monroe and his brother Charlie stopped performing together as the Monroe Brothers, who was the first musician Bill hired to accompany him in his new career?

The winner will be notified by e-mail. Kevin adds that Tupelo's performance at Croke Park (see the BIB for 30 Aug.) was unforgettable and really enjoyable.

Bluegrass banjo for beginners in Hillsborough, Co. Down: 3 Oct.-21 Nov. 2011

Thanks to Howard Walker, the fine banjo-player of the Down and Out Bluegrass Band, for the news that he is about to open classes on bluegrass banjo for beginners. Howard's poster (left) lets you know straightforwardly what to expect:

This class will cover all the basic Scruggs style 5-string banjo exercises, rolls and techniques required to get you started playing your first bluegrass tunes/songs.

The eight-week course will run from Monday 3 October to 21 November, with each class running from 7.30 to 8.30 p.m. The course fee is £100. The venue is Hillsborough Village Centre, Ballynahinch St., Hillsborough, Co. Down. A location map is on the Centre's website.

Howard can be contacted for further details (or to enrol) on 077 8895 7958 between 5.00 and 7.00 p.m. from Monday to Friday.

Dailey & Vincent in Dublin - on YouTube

Dailey & Vincent conclusively demonstrated at Omagh over the past weekend why they and their band are arguably the hottest act in bluegrass right now. And not only on stage: at the McAuley Lecture on Sunday, conducted by Prof. Jack Bernhardt, they explained in detail how carefully and thoroughly, over years as sidemen in top-ranking bands, they had planned and prepared for launching their joint career.

So: thanks to Sharon Loughrin for this link, which she received via Facebook from Darrin Vincent, to a video that D&V posted on their YouTube channel yesterday, showing the band arriving in Dublin, visiting St Patrick's cathedral (above), and singing a trio verse of 'Amazing grace' there. Well worth seeing and hearing.

Sharon and Arnie present the Water Tower Bucket Boys (USA) at their Red Room in Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, tomorrow night (Wed. 7 Sept.).