Well Enough Alone in Dingle, Co. Kerry, 4-5 Nov. 2011

Thanks to Hugh Taggart, lead singer and guitarist of Well Enough Alone, for the news that the band are scheduled to play McCarthy's bar, Goat St., Dingle, Co. Kerry, on Friday 4 November, starting at 9.00 p.m. They will also be hosting a session in Flaherty's pub, Bridge St., Dingle, on the following evening, Saturday 5 November.

Hugh also promises that a good band photo of Well Enough Alone in their present lineup will be taken during the weekend.

A monthly bluegrass slow jam in Dublin: starts 18 Nov. 2011

Very good news for anyone in Dublin who wants experience in playing the bluegrass instruments along with others comes from Paddy Kiernan (left), whose 'Introduction to 5-string banjo' class at Walton's has been fully booked since it began early this month. Paddy reports:

I'm happy to announce that a monthly bluegrass slow jam is starting in Walton's School of Music [69 South Great George's St., Dublin 2] on Friday 18 November. All the information can be found here.

Myself and/or Cathy McEvoy [fiddle] will be facilitating the session, and we're both looking forward to meeting and playing with aspiring bluegrass musicians! If anyone wants any further information about the session, they can contact me by e-mail.

'Transatlantic Sessions' in Dublin, 7 Feb. 2012

Thanks to Darryl Downey for the text of this press release:

Celtic Connections presents 'Transatlantic Sessions', the Convention Centre, Dublin, Tuesday 7 February 2012; doors 6.30 p.m.; show 8.00 p.m. Tickets €40.20/€42.20 (including booking fee) from Ticketmaster outlets; telephone 0818 719377

Celtic Connections presents 'Transatlantic Sessions' featuring Aly Bain and Jerry Douglas with special guests Raul Malo, Eddi Reader, Declan O’Rourke, Danny Thompson, Tim O’Brien, Karen Matheson, Michael McGoldrick, John McCusker, John Doyle, Darrell Scott, Ruth Moody, Donald Shaw, James MacKintosh, and Bruce Molsky. This prestigious folk music event will take place at Dublin’s Convention Centre on Tuesday 7 February, with tickets priced at €40.20/€42.20 (including booking fee) available from usual Ticketmaster outlets.

After winning the 2010 Good Tradition title at the Radio 2 Folk Awards and embarking on their first-ever UK tour, the Transatlantic Sessions settle in Ireland, for one night only, where the stage of the Convention Centre will be magically transformed into the back porch of every folk aficionado's dreams! As with the concerts' companion BBC TV series, which also features Shetland fiddle icon Aly Bain and dobro deity Jerry Douglas as joint musical directors, the secret of the Transatlantic Sessions' success is the dynamic between the longtime stalwarts of the lineup and the new, or occasional, contributors - the (oft hilarious) balance of relaxed familiarity with the revelatory potential of fresh encounters. The historic kinship of Old and New World traditions, which both programmes and performances set out to explore, continues to bear new 21st-century fruit, making the common ground mapped during these concerts one of today's richest musical territories.

For further media information on Transatlantic Sessions, e-mail.

Give me the banjo: update

Thanks to Derek Lockhart of Dangem Quality Instruments in Craigavon, Co. Armagh, for the following information. Dangem is among the 'Kickstarters' for the Banjo Project - that is, the company helped to provide financial support for the decisive early stages of the Project, which is documenting, and producing a documentary film about, the banjo. The film, now entitled Give me the banjo, is to be broadcast by PBS in the USA on Friday 4 November. The Project's update bulletin says:

Check your PBS station for exact time, but in most markets it will be 9.00 p.m. (or 8.00 p.m. Central). This is the program that your support helped to make possible. Kickstarter backers are acknowledged in the underwriting credits before and after the program. Look for additional content coming soon - including segments on the 4-string banjo and Ralph Stanley - online at PBS Arts.

A brief 'taster' of the film can be seen here on Vimeo, consisting of a compilation of some of the participants and musical performances in 'Give me the banjo', with the tune 'Sally Ann' played by Stevie Barr (banjo) and Wayne Henderson (guitar) as background music, and narration by Steve Martin.

Update 28 Oct.: US photographer Darwin K. Davidson, who specialises in photos of bluegrass musicians, has produced a 2012 calendar entitled Women of banjo - full details are here.

Special Bill Monroe edition of Prairie Home Companion

Thanks to Roger Ryan of the Country Music Association of Ireland for forwarding two bluegrass news items: first, the renowned radio programme 'A Prairie Home Companion' with its founder, Garrison Keillor, will commemorate Bill Monroe with a special two-hour live performance on Saturday 5 Nov. 2011 at Murray State University's CFSB Center in Murray, KY. Former Blue Grass Boys taking part will include Roland White, mandolin; Blake Williams and Bob Black, banjo; Bobby Hicks, fiddle; Tom Ewing and Peter Rowan, guitar; and Mark Hembree, bass. Joining them will be Stuart Duncan and Kathy Chiavola. Full details are here.

Roger also sends this link to newsletter #314 (Oct. 2011) of County Sales of Floyd, VA, who for decades now have been the world's premier suppliers of recordings, books, and DVDs of bluegrass and old-time music. One of Ireland's living legends, record collector Rodney McElrea of Omagh, Co. Tyrone, gave an important impetus to the founding of County Sales. The eight-page newsletter lists and reviews many of the latest releases, with special attention to CDs issued to commemorate the Monroe centennial year.

Bluegrass music, so it is!

Dangem Quality Instruments of Craigavon, Co. Armagh, send a reminder that there's a week of bluegrass events coming up in east Ulster - on the morning of Saturday 29 October the monthly Dangem Bluegrass Get-Together at Lisburn, Co. Antrim (full details on the Dangem website); on the evening of Tuesday 1 November the monthly Belfast Bluegrass session at the Errigle Inn, Belfast; and on Thursday 3 November the Bluegrass and Roots Music Night at the Spectrum Centre, Belfast. Read the whole release here.

More NT Nashville photos

Thanks again to Niall Toner for more photos taken at the IBMA World of Bluegrass 2011, showing Niall with...

... Jim Lauderdale, well over six feet tall;

... Jesse McReynolds [spot the differences from the similar photo already published on the BIB; no prizes]; and

... Bobby Osborne (left) and his son Bobby Jr (right).

Niall Toner and a record-holding Blue Grass Boy

Thanks to Niall Toner (above left, with patriotic bow tie), who writes:

While I was taking part in the Historic Jonesborough Bluegrass Concert on Saturday night last in the visitors' centre in Jonesborough, TN, I came across a banjo player in the audience who had fond recollections of his 1981-91 sojourn as a member of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, and who kindly stepped in for the attached photo. I have been working on a Bill Monroe documentary here in the US, and I'm only sorry that my [RTÉ] recording team had gone home to Ireland before I met Blake Williams, who has a pile of Monroe stories...

Blake Williams played for longer with Bill Monroe than any other banjo player - and that's only one part of his long professional career. He now plays in the Expedition Show.

The OXO Boys in Kilcar, Co. Donegal, 28 Oct. 2011

Thanks to Seán Ó Beirne of Kilcar, who writes:

We would be delighted if you could give a mention to the concert with the OXO Boys taking place this Friday night (28 October) in Áislann Chill Chartha, Kilcar, Co. Donegal. The concert starts at 8.30 p.m., doors open 8.00 p.m. Admission €10, children €5.

BIB editor's note: Áislann Chill Chartha is a very pleasant, well equipped, and well organised local arts and leisure centre; the intimate auditorium has fine sound and lighting. Woodbine played there earlier in October and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

The photo above shows the present configuration of the OXO Boys: Dermot Diamond (fiddle), Bill Whelan (banjo), Ben Keogh (guitar). You can see and hear this lineup (plus Liam Kennedy on harmonica) in action in the Cobblestone, Dublin, in a clip from TG4 on YouTube.

Southern Welfare - Alive & Kicking

A message from one of the most active bluegrass bands in Ireland:

Southern Welfare will be performing this Sunday coming (30 Oct.) in the Parish Bar, Mary St., Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, as part of the Alive & Kicking Festival which runs in the town from 28 to 30 Oct. with three days of great live music and craic in the bars of the town (trad music may be applicable in some venues). The show starts at 11.00 p.m.

Hope to see some familiar faces, as this is our last bluegrass gig of the year*. For those of you who cannot make it - Happy Christmas and New Year, and we will see you all again in the summer of 2012, with the help of God. This is Southern Welfare signing off...

* The band's session every Wednesday at the Grattan Bar in Waterford is also suspended, but their Tuesday session at Kitty Kiernan's in Barrack St., Waterford, remains on the calendar.

The Tin Box Company: going great guns

Welcome news from the Tin Box Company (l-r): Martin Kavanagh (mandolin), Stephen Weir (dobro, guitar), Derek Duff (banjo), Karl Deeter (guitar), Simon Farrell (bass):

The Tin Box Company would like to remind one and all that their popular Thursday night 'Bluegrass and Beyond' gig continues in Delany's Knocklyon Inn, Templeogue, Dublin. The lads have been busy arranging lots of new material from diverse sources including Bill Monroe through to Dylan and even Guns N Roses. All played with great gusto and drive.

In between their regular gigs they also have found time for stage appearances at the Olympia, Wexford Opera House, the Pavilion in Dun Laoghaire, and Derry's Millennium Theatre, as part of the very successful 'Last Waltz Tribute' show.

A warm welcome is extended to all their friends and followers and an invitation to drop in for a great night's pickin' and singing. Any enquiries to Martin on 087 2504505.

More photos and video footage are on the TBC's Facebook page.

Mountain bluebird: banjo CD from Canada

Banjo-picker Terry Kruger of Calgary, Canada, sends news of his new instrumental album Mountain bluebird. Terry began playing bluegrass banjo back when trying to make sense of what one could hear on records was practically the only way of learning. Similar to the great Tony Ellis, Terry has a personal style that combines bluegrass picking with old-time tunings, and eight of the sixteen tunes on the album are his original compositions.

The CD was engineered and produced by Dirk Powell, who also plays on the album along with Kevin Wimmer of the Red Stick Ramblers. Read more about the genesis of the album and the individual tunes here; you can hear audio samples on CD Baby.

Finale at Jerusalem Ridge

Thanks again to Enda Donnelly of Fair City Grass, for more on the historic Monroe centennial celebrations at Rosine, KY, last month:

Received attached pics from the Henderson family of Fredericksburg, VA (their 15-year-old son plays banjo with the Kody Norris band). This family are also a bluegrass gospel group. Enjoyed several hours of wonderful picking with Matthew & his family. He plays a Stelling Red Fox custom-made archtop banjo.

Pic. 1: This is me and Matthew enjoying a pick in the sunshine on the Ridge.


Pic. 2: Grand Finale on the main stage of the JR festival. This photo includes 'yours truly' [centre], Geraldine (Irish dancing) to my right; to my left, Joe Isaacs and Campbell Mercer (TV producer/festival organiser). I should mention that this festival is recorded and broadcast on RFD-TV (USA).

Bluegrass and Roots Music Night at the Spectrum Centre, Belfast, 3 Nov. 2011

Thanks to Jacqui Roberts for a reminder of the Bluegrass and Roots Music Night organised by Julie Andrews, to be held on Thursday 3 November at the Spectrum Centre, Belfast. It is intended that this will open the way to lessons and jam sessions in bluegrass music.

Full details are on the flyer images; click for an enlarged view. The Bluegrass and Roots Music Night, billed as 'an evening of bluegrass music and culture', runs from 7.00 to 10.00 p.m. on 3 Nov., and includes sets by the Broken Strings Band and Down and Out Bluegrass Band; a short talk by Billy Kennedy, author of an acclaimed series of books on the Scots-Irish in North America; and 'Flaming Sticks' (Natalie Chambers).

If you are interested in learning a bluegrass instrument or getting involved with the Spectrum Centre in bluegrass/ Scots-Irish/ Ulster Scots music, please contact 028 9050 4555 or e-mail.

Update 24 Oct.: Dangem Quality Instruments, from whom we first heard the news of the Bluegrass and Roots Music Night, add:

* Tell your Friends
* Tell your Family
* Tell people you don’t even know
* A great night of Bluegrass Entertainment
* Get your tickets now!
* Why not treat someone
* To a great night of music
* To a great night of culture
* With a few laughs to boot!

Lonesome Highway

Another link in the right-hand column of the BIB explained: yesterday we added a link to Lonesome Highway, which exists both as a website and as a free e-magazine (left: the cover of the latest issue). Lonesome Highway is Ireland's 'music portal for hard core country, folk, bluegrass, roots & Americana' and carries news, reviews, interviews, and much more.

The full team is Steve Rapid, Sandy Harsch, Ronnie Norton, James Cooper, and Amy Kelly; their ample credentials are given here.

Béla Fleck & the original Flecktones at the NCH, Dublin, 17 Jan. 2012

Thanks to Mike Gilchrist of Fickle3 Promotions for the news that he has booked Béla Fleck & the Flecktones (USA), in their original lineup, to perform at the National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, on Tuesday 17 January 2012. Tickets went on sale yesterday, and can be booked online.

The band's original astounding creativity has been further developed and enriched by the individual members' separate projects in recent years - and, apart from any other consideration, it should be good to see and hear Béla Fleck's phenomenal command of the 5-string banjo, whatever he chooses to play out of the world of music that he can play. A month ago (22-24 September) he presented the world premiere of his concerto for banjo and orchestra with the Nashville Symphony (details here).

Read the full press release from Entertainment Architects here.

Hayseed Dixie headline Helloween Hoedown

The BIB already published on 9 September a schedule for the Irish part of Hayseed Dixie's epic multi-month tour of Europe, and the dates have been on the BIB calendar since then. The first date in Ireland is next Tuesday, in Limerick.

However, we wanted to share with BIB readers the above photo, which is from the latest e-bulletin from the Open House Festival team in Belfast. This gives details for their appearance on Sat. 29 Oct. as headline act of the Open House Hellowe'en Hoedown - 'a Spooktacular night of music and mischief: live music from Appalachian rockgrass hellraisers HAYSEED DIXIE and Glaswegian indie folksters ADMIRAL FALLOW, + prizes for the most terrorific costumes'. The show is at the Spring & Airbrake, 17 Ormeau Avenue, Belfast BT2 8HG. Doors 7.30 p.m. Tickets £16.50, available online.

For good measure, here below is a shot of the band in action at this year's Picnic Festival in Namur, Belgium.

I Draw Slow at new Dublin club, Sat. 22 Oct. 2011

Thanks to Dave Holden of I Draw Slow for the news that the band will be playing the first ever show at the Island Bridge Roots & Trad Club in Dublin this Saturday (22 October).

The Club's venue is at the Commercial Rowing Club, Long Meadows, Islandbridge, Dublin 8; and I Draw Slow's own Facebook page says that 'pints are unusually cheap'.

Belfast Bluegrass session, Tues. 1 Nov. 2011

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

The next Belfast Bluegrass session takes place on Tuesday 1 November at the Errigle Inn, Ormeau Road, Belfast, starting about 8.30 p.m. As ever the session is free and anyone who wants to play or listen to some bluegrass will be made very welcome.

More details are available on the Belfast Bluegrass Facebook page or by e-mail.

Stolen instruments alert

The European Bluegrass Blog today reports the theft of two high-quality instruments in the south of France last Sunday (16 Oct.).

One of them is a custom-made F-style mandolin by Jonathan Mann of Tennessee; its distinctive flamed back is shown above. The other is a Loar LH-700-VS guitar, similar to the original Gibson archtop guitars. Both of them belong to Swiss picker Klaus Wittich, who also lost personal items of value when a thief broke into his car.

Any news of these instruments can be sent to Martina Ruhmann by e-mail.

Niall Toner tour in USA: rounding off

The latest e-bulletin 'Mountain Music Moments Fall 2011' from Mountain Music Entertainment includes a section on Niall Toner, with an image (left) of the cover of the US edition of his single 'William Smith Monroe'.

Niall's current tour in the US is scheduled to end with two Tennessee shows, tomorrow and Saturday (21, 22 Oct.) The bulletin also mentions his appearance at the White Horse in Black Mountain, NC (see the BIB for 9 Oct.), a venue with 'a nationwide reputation for featuring the best of bluegrass, blues, singer-songwriter and string band music'. Read the bulletin here.

Gillian Welch at Belfast, 18 Nov. 2011

The Open House Festival team, who presented Gillian Welch’s debut Belfast performance with the Dave Rawlings Machine at last year's festival, are excited to see her back to play an Aiken Promotions show in the Waterfront on 18 November. Tickets are £27.50 and are available online. The Open House e-bulletin has a nice picture in which both Gillian Welch and a 5-string banjo appear.

Open House Festival
Oh Yeah Centre
15-21 Gordon St.
Belfast
Northern Ireland BT1 2LG

Janet Holmes and Colin Henry at Newtownards, 21 Oct. 2011

Colin Henry reports:

Janet and I will be doing a gig for the Acoustic Club this Friday (21 October) at the Ivy Bar, Castle St., Newtownards, Co. Down. Doors open at 8.30 p.m. Just the two of us doing a mixture of original songs and instrumentals with some nice cover tunes and songs, all with just guitar and dobro. Should be a good night.

The fine photo above was taken by Richie Tyndall at De Barra's, Clonakilty, Co. Cork, in July 2011. More can be seen on Colin's Facebook page.

Musiclee concert listing link

A brief note to draw attention to a link we recently added to the BIB's right-hand column: it leads to the regularly updated list of shows put on by Paul Lee's Musiclee.ie agency. A wide range of musical genres is represented - on the current list, for instance, the range is from classical guitar to progressive country via the 'Folk the Recession' touring package.

The current list also includes the bluegrass show by the Toy Hearts (GB) at the Mercantile Hotel, Dame St., Dublin, on Sunday 6 Nov. at 5.00 p.m. (note the time). The Toy Hearts are one of the most hard-working and professionally focused bluegrass bands on this side of the Atlantic. Thanks to Paul Lee (who recently put on the amazing David Holt (USA) in the Odessa Club) for finding them a Dublin venue; their show at the Mercantile comes at the end of a five-day tour in Ireland, masterminded by Mick Dunne, for which all the dates are on the BIB calendar.

In one word - WOW

... says Uri Kohen, reporting from Westport, Co. Mayo:

I'm quite aware that I often get over-excited about good music, but last Saturday (15.10.2011), I have seen one of the best gigs in a long time. When David McLynn from No Ego Promotions asked me to book gigs for some of his acts, the sound of James O'Connor & Audrey Trainor was standing head and shoulders above the rest.

James O'Connor, singer/songwriter from Laois, is a super-talented guy with a unique approach to music in general and the music industry in particular. When he met Audrey Trainor he must have felt like he won the Lotto. Audrey is a classically trained fiddle player; her amazing control of the instrument adds a dimension to folk music which is not something we are used to. From the sound check I knew it was going to be a great gig, and when Audrey called her fiddle a 'violin', I was convinced it was going to be a very special night.

The two didn't disappoint the crowd in Geraghty's pub, switching between covers to superbly written original songs. James presented the songs in a fantastic way, backed by the very special touch of Audrey. I wish we had more of these acts around; go to see them, you wont be disappointed.

Next Saturday in Geraghty's: A Band Called Wanda (one of my favourite acts on the island).

From Homespun: DADGAD tuning for American music

Guitarists who play both American and Celtic music should be interested in a new release from Homespun, the leading producers of instructional videos for the bluegrass instruments (and others). Al Petteway presents Appalachian fingerstyle guitar in DADGAD tuning, with songs and tunes familiar in the old-time and bluegrass repertoires.

Full details are here. Check out also the Homespun Instant Access delivery system, introduced last month, which among other features enables the user to slow down the video without affecting the pitch of the audio.

Niall Toner - hot ticket in Tennessee

Many thanks to Niall Toner for this report from the heart of the US scene:

I'm back in Nashville for the Americana Music Association Conference and Festival, and I just spent the last two night as MC at the Station Inn for the Americana showcases: Marshall Chapman, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, The Wronglers, Rich and Mollie O'Brien, Peter Rowan Band, etc....

I am in the recording studio today, Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday, recording new songs with Keith Sewell, Holly Tashian, and Sean Pody. Thursday next I'm off to east Tennessee and North Carolina again to perform at the Choo Choo Cafe in Erwin, TN, on Friday evening at 6.30 p.m., and on Saturday I'm playing at the Historic Jonesborough Bluegrass Festival, in Jonesborough, TN, with Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out, etc.

Also, the Owensboro Museum contingent turned up at the Station Inn on Wednesday night. They have been very supportive, and are working on a plan to have me perform at the Museum on my next trip. It's been a very busy month, but very productive, very successful, and very satisfying.

Photos from Tony Friel

Thanks to Tony Friel, a pillar of the bluegrass community in Ulster, for photos from festivals in Ireland over the last two months. The one above catches a moment from one of the long, intense jams in the marquee at the 1st Mohill Bluegrass Festival in mid August at Mohill, Co. Leitrim; members of Southern Welfare and the Down and Out Bluegrass Band are conspicuous. Also visible are John Gleeson of Carlow (seated, with dobro); and on the extreme right and nearest to the camera, Xavi Castanys (mandolin) of Barcelona.

Below: Tony (on the right) with the legendary Peter Rowan in the foyer of the Longford Arms Hotel in Longford town at last month's Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival; the right-hand background gives a glimpse of the many goodies brought over by the Eagle Music Shop, Britain's leading supplier of banjos, guitars, mandolins, ukuleles, and ancillary materials.

Not bluegrass, but...

Not bluegrass - but since some of the gigs are part of the Six String Sessions series, and they're arranged by Nigel Martyn, who has brought us so many visiting acoustic musicians in the past, we assume that fans of hot guitar will be glad to know that the two New York guitarists Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo will be playing the following short series of shows in Ireland in the next few days:

Sat. 15th Oct. (8.30 p.m.) McGrory's, Culdaff, Co. Donegal
Sun. 16th (3.00 p.m.) Black Box, Belfast
Sun. 16th (8.30 p.m.) The Helix, Dublin
Mon. 17th (8.30 p.m.) The Village Arts Centre, Kilworth, Co. Cork

More on The road to Roosky

Thanks to Tim Carter of the Carter Brothers (USA) for a reminder that Compass Records are launching their new album, The road to Roosky. If you didn't already get the album, or see and hear the Carters launch it at Longford in last month's Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival, read the press release.

As a bonus, read Tim's comments on air travel with an instrument, as recorded on Bluegrass Today. Note how one airline official (at least) has identified the banjo as a weapon; what's taking the others so long?

More from Rosine

Thanks again to Enda Donnelly of Fair City Grass, Dublin's senior bluegrass band, for more about the trip that he and his wife Geraldine made to the Jerusalem Ridge Bluegrass Celebration 2011 in Rosine, KY. The above photo of Enda at the entrance to the cemetery, which holds the Monroe family graves, shows the weather in Rosine on the morning of Sunday 2 October. Enda gives several examples of the hospitality (and musicianship) of the people he met at Rosine, and adds:

It was worth it all - so many nice, friendly, and helpful people there. We were unique, I suppose, being the only Irish people there, until later we discovered a lone Limerick man, Gavin Madden; and then Niall and Aidan from RTÉ on Sunday. We also met up with a lovely couple from the south of England, passionate about bluegrass, who are still touring. Anyone from a foreign country put their country of origin on a large map of USA at the site. I should mention, they loved the Irish accent and wanted to chat away for ages!

... We were going to do the Nashville tour sometime, but my heart said 'Rosine', especially this Centennial year.

Enda's earlier account of his trip can be read here.

Pre-loved banjo needs a good home

Tim Rogers reports from Westport, Co. Mayo, that his excellent bluegrass banjo (shown left) - a Deering Boston pot matched with a Gold Tone neck, and with top-quality Schaller tuners and hardware, set up for bluegrass playing by Matt Cooper of Dublin - is looking for a good home, and comes with a very good price-tag. Tim's message, though succinct, is worth quoting in full:

Hello banjo lovers (don't bother trying to deny it) - if anyone you know might be interested in this banjo I'd appreciate any help passing the word along.

thanks. That is all

Further details, including price, are here, together with how to contact Tim, who can also be e-mailed.

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

For those who already own a Gold Tone instrument or may be contemplating doing so: look at the latest Gold Tone news, including a 7+minute video on setup, and details of new products ranging from A-length banjos to tuners, stands, and pickups.

Woodbine shows, Oct.-Nov. 2011 - and Athy 2012

Thanks to Tony O'Brien for news of the coming weekend (Sat. 15-Sun. 16 Oct.), when Bob's Bar in Durrow, Co. Laois, will be holding a Mini-Bluegrass-Festival featuring Woodbine and their Waterford friends Southern Welfare. The event is being held in conjunction with Durrow High Nellie Bicycle Club, and the shows begin at 8.00 p.m. on Saturday, and run from 3.00 to 5.30 and 7.00 to 9.00 p.m. on Sunday.

After the Balla Bluegrass Festival at the end of October, the next show currently scheduled for Woodbine will be on Saturday 12 November in Pikers Lodge Hotel, Lough Gowna, Co. Cavan. Clem O'Brien (shown in the photo above when he was deputising for his sister Nicola at a show in Bob's early this year) will be augmenting the band for this gig.

Tony also reports that the 22nd Athy Bluegrass Festival will be held on 13-15 July 2012; details of the venue and the headline band will be announced in two weeks time.

I Draw Slow at the Venue, Ratoath, 15 Oct. 2011

Thanks to Neil Cummins for further news of shows at The Venue Theatre in Ratoath, Co. Meath. Neil reports that the September shows by Otis Gibbs and Daniel Martin Moore both went very well, and adds:

This Saturday (15 October) we've got the brilliant I Draw Slow playing. Tickets are €12 and doors open at 7.30 p.m.

All tickets can be purchased online. Future shows at the Venue include:

Sat. 12 Nov. The Webb Sisters. €20 (incl. fees)

Bluegrass music will always defeat the weather...

...writes Uri Kohen from Westport, Co. Mayo:

When Los Langeros (Cork-based punk band) visited Westport, the walls of Geraghty's pub were shaking. It was therefore a great surprise to me when Phil (lead singer with the band) asked me to host a gig for an American bluegrass band which he will tour with around Ireland.

I was more than happy to accept his offer, and in December last year the Oil Skins made their way from Cork to Westport. The west of Ireland was covered with snow at the time (their journey through snow is shown in this video) and after more than seven hours, the lads made it to Westport. Although I was about to call the gig off, it turned out to be a fine folk and bluegrass session.

I have become a big fan of their music; and needless to say, I was very excited when they told me they are heading back to Ireland this week. Last night the rain in Westport, which could only be described as 'biblical', didn't stop the lads from once again defeating the elements and playing a great gig in Geraghty's.

It must be said that it was a very small crowd, but the music was the real winner. Drew (singer, banjo) started his way in punk-rock music but fell in love with the sound of the banjo; he cut his teeth in bluegrass music playing alongside Smith (singer, guitar, fiddle) playing roots, bluegrass, and old-time fiddle tunes. Last night, joined by Phil (right) who plays an instrument which I saw for the first time, they showcased their superb take on bluegrass and old-time music, full of inspiration from their musical pasts.

They spent the day in Westport and returned to Geraghty's for one more session. They are now at the end of their Irish tour, but keep an eye for their next visit.

BIB editor's note: Three further dates in Ireland this week are shown on the Oil Skins' ReverbNation site.

Southern Tenant Folk Union in Ireland, 4-11 Nov. 2011

The Southern Tenant Folk Union (GB) return to Ireland early next month for the following series of shows:

Fri. 4th Nov.: The Playhouse, Derry city, Co. Londonderry
Sat. 5th: Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray, Co. Wicklow
Sun. 6th: The Spirit Store, Dundalk, Co. Louth
Tues. 8th: The Red Room, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone
Wed. 9th: Island Arts Centre, Lagan Valley Island, Lisburn, Co. Antrim
Thurs. 10th: Wexford Arts Centre, Wexford, Co. Wexford
Fri. 11th: Tinahely Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely, Co. Wicklow

More details of venues, etc., are on the band's tour schedule. Any updates will appear as soon as the BIB receives them.

Patriots call it a 'day' after 31 years

L-r: Dan Rogers, Dan Mitchell, Willie McDonald, Ken Seaman, Glenn Zankey

Jimmy Carter was president when the Bluegrass Patriots took the stage at the Colorado State University Student Center for their first gig in October of 1980. Almost thirty-one years later, they will play their final show at Avogadro's Number in Fort Collins, CO, on 21 October 2011.

Four of the original band members are still with the band: Glenn Zankey, Dan Rogers, Willie McDonald, and Ken Seaman. Following the death of Rick Bradstreet in 2002, several musicians have taken Rick's spot in the band including Dan Mitchell, Ernie Martinez, Bobby Vickery, and Jean Ballhorn.

The Bluegrass Patriots travelled far and wide over the course of three-plus decades including five tours of Ireland and the British Isles, two tours of Denmark/Sweden, and several appearances in Alaska and Canada. They played most of the major bluegrass festivals in the US, and private parties for Former President Gerald Ford, Senator John Glenn, and Governor Richard Lamm. The band served as goodwill ambassadors for bluegrass music everywhere they played, making countless friends over the years wherever they appeared.

The 'Bluegrass Patriots' name will be retired, only to be used if the group does an occasional 'reunion' appearance. The Patriots have over a half-dozen recordings to their credit and some of them can still be ordered at the band's website. The band would like to express their sincere thanks to their many fans, friends, promoters, fellow musicians, and family members for their support over the years.

BIB editor's note: The above release has just been received from the Patriots and is also on their home page. The band's many friends in Ireland will receive it with regret, but also with great gratitude; we have known them for more than half their career, as they first came to Ireland for the very first Guinness International Bluegrass Festival at Dunmore East, Co. Waterford, in 1995, and any members of the band who come back here in any capacity can be sure of a welcome. The photo album from their 2006 tour in Ireland and Britain can be seen here.

Bluegrass and Roots Music Night at the Spectrum Centre, Belfast, 3 Nov. 2011

Thanks to Derek Lockhart of Dangem Quality Instruments in Craigavon, Co. Armagh, for this news:

We are working this November in the Spectrum Centre on the Shankhill Road in Belfast. This is a taster to try to get an interest in other types of music on the Shankhill; while music is a part of life on the Shankhill, it tends to be mostly centred on the marching-band front.

The Spectrum Centre, under the guidance of Julie Andrews, is endeavouring to open up the interest in arts in the area - encouraging visitors from all areas of the city and surrounding country who may not have otherwise visited and enjoyed the arts on the Shankhill.

After this taster session we intend to start lessons and jam sessions in the Spectrum Centre to encourage a new outlook and give new avenues for people old and young with a taste for music.

Full details are on the flyer images; click for an enlarged view. The Bluegrass and Roots Music Night on 3 Nov., billed as 'an evening of bluegrass music and culture', runs from 7.00 to 10.00 p.m. and includes sets by the Broken Strings Band and Down and Out Bluegrass Band; a short talk by Billy Kennedy, author of an acclaimed series of books on the Scots-Irish in North America; and 'Flaming Sticks' (Natalie Chambers).

If you are interested in learning a bluegrass instrument or getting involved with the Spectrum Centre in bluegrass/ Scots-Irish/ Ulster Scots music, please contact 028 9050 4555 or e-mail.

Sacred Harp weekend in Belfast, 14-16 Oct. 2011

Thanks to Robert Wills for the news that Sacred Harp/ shape-note singing workshops will be held in Belfast this coming weekend, from Friday evening (14 Oct.) to Sunday 16 Oct. at Rosemary Hall, All Souls Church, 22 Elmwood Avenue - between the Lisburn Road and University Road, very near Queen's University.

The workshops will be conducted by Aldo Thomas Ceresa. Full details are given on the poster; click on the image for an enlarged view.

Sacred Harp singing is the deepest root of bluegrass harmony, and any devotee of bluegrass singing should benefit from these workshops. Thanks in particular to the Belfast and District Set Dancing and Traditional Music Society ('Belfast Trad'), sponsors of the weekend.

The Niall Toner Band - North Carolina edition

Many thanks to Niall Toner, who reports from the Southern mountains, where he is touring after IBMA's World of Bluegrass:

Here's a photo of my American band performing at the White Horse in Black Mountain, NC, on Friday night last. L-r: Joe Trimbach (fiddle, vocals, from Asheville, NC), Scott Woody (5-string banjo, from NC), me, Rob Parkes (bass, from Philadelphia), and Steve Johnson (guitar, from Asheville). The folks here in Appalachia love my music, and I'd have to say it makes it all seem worthwhile.

Jerusalem Ridge Bluegrass Celebration 2011

Enda Donnelly, Rhonda Vincent, and Geraldine Donnelly outside the Monroe homeplace

Enda Donnelly sends this report of an epic pilgrimage to the birthplace of the Father of Bluegrass Music; we publish it with much gratitude (and immense envy):

As they say in Kentucky - 'hi, y'all?' Well Geraldine & I finally made it to the Holy Grail of bluegrass music, after many years of promising to do so. The Jerusalem Ridge Bluegrass Celebration Sept. 2011, in our opinion, has been the most memorable festival of them all.

It was a six-day event with over fifty bands playing only traditional bluegrass music. A beautiful setting in the Kentucky woodlands set the scene for perfect viewing/listening, under the blue Kentucky sky. Some of the headline bands appearing were Rhonda Vincent & the Rage, Ralph Stanley, Larry Sparks, Frank Ray & Cedar Hill, the Cumberland Highlanders with Wayne Lewis (Blue Grass Boy), Melvin Goins, David Parmley & Continental Divide, Dan Paisley, Junior Sisk, Karl Shiflett, etc. Glorious sunshine - mid 80s every day - but cool at night.

Bill Monroe's graveside service on Sunday morning was truly a remarkable experience, set in the tranquillity of Rosine cemetery. The gospel music rang out for one hour and the service concluded with a rendition of 'My last days on earth', played unaccompanied on mandolin. However, the 'icing on the cake' was an invitation to take part on stage with some of the above musicians in the Grand Finale.

While at the 'Ridge' we met many interesting people, including relatives of Bill Monroe. We talked with Jill Riley (above), a grand-stepdaughter of Speed Monroe. Jill told us she was the little girl referred to in the song 'The little girl and the dreadful snake'... she survived, unlike the lyrics say, as the snake was not venomous. We also met a lady volunteer who told us she had Uncle Pen's second fiddle, complete with snake rattles (the other fiddle can be seen at the Bluegrass Museum).

We also included a visit to the Bluegrass Museum in Owensboro, which was most inspiring, and during the festival we met up with Niall Toner and RTÉ Radio 1 producer Aidan Butler, who came up from Nashville for the event. Niall also gave a rendition of his song at the Monroe graveside.

It was a long and arduous trip,but someone has to do it!

Ricky Skaggs in Belfast, 29 Feb. 2012

Tickets will go on sale tomorrow (10 October 2011) for the International Festival of Country Music to be held at Wembley Arena in north-west London, England, on Sunday 26 February 2012 - the first of four Festival shows in western Europe in the course of a week. The big news for bluegrass enthusiasts is that the lineup will include Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder.

The International Festival of Country Music ran for twenty-three years (1969-91) at Wembley, presenting major figures in country music and bluegrass to the British public. It was founded by Mervyn Conn, who is now relaunching the Festival at Wembley in response to demand, and is also presenting the stellar lineup, headed by international country superstar Reba McEntire, in Northern Ireland, Switzerland, and Germany.

The full schedule is:
Sun. 26 Feb. 2012 Wembley Arena, Wembley, London, England
Wed. 29 Feb. Odyssey Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Fri. 2 Mar. Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland
Sun. 4 Mar. SAP Arena, Mannheim, Germany

Further details, including media contact data and the full lineup for Wembley, can be seen here.