Doc Watson remembered - on National Public Radio

Thanks to Louis O'Dwyer of Tullamore, Co. Offaly, for forwarding to the BIB this link to a feature on the late Doc Watson, broadcast yesterday (30 May) on National Public Radio. In nearly eight minutes it reviews Doc's career and provides plenty of his singing, talking, and playing, together with contributions by David Holt. Doc's account of the night before the funeral of his son Merle in 1985 is worth hearing all by itself.

And thanks, especially, to Mary Margaret Craford in the USA for sending this link to Louis.

Memories of Doc Watson

Thanks to Niall Toner, by whose permission the BIB reproduces the above historic photo and the following text from Niall's own blog:

I was at Merlefest last April where I had the good fortune to hear and see Doc Watson playing his regular stint, and he played, as always, superbly, displaying all of his awesome talent, and there was no sign that he might be slowing up or contemplating retirement. I was back in RTE Radio One on Wednesday last, recording my first 'Roots Freeway' show for next Saturday evening, when I heard the news about Doc's passing. I was, like so many others, very saddened, and I wanted to rush to my computer and write a tribute, right away. However, I got distracted by other sad news, when I met Pat McGuire, and he told me that Irish blues legend Red Peters had also passed away recently. Both of these men, in their diverse genres, had a huge affect on me and my music. May they rest in peace.

In 1981, I was involved, with a couple of Doc fanatics, in putting Doc Watson and his band on at Liberty Hall. There's a whole 'other' story about the resulting background ramifications, but that will be told someday in another format. Doc and Merle and T. Michael Coleman accepted my invitation to dinner at our house in Knocklyon, and Doc spent the afternoon playing my battered old 1938 model Army and Navy Gibson guitar for the neighbours' kids, before tucking in to a feast of wild Irish salmon, prepared by Moira [Niall's wife] and Carol Hawkins. We felt at the time that it might show disrespect to a blind man to be taking photos, so the only memory of his visit to our house is in our own hearts, and the hearts of the folks who shared that precious evening with us. There is, however, one surviving shot, and I'm including it here. It was taken in the dressing room at Liberty Hall, and shows (l-r) Doc, me, Bill Whelan, and our MC on the night, Liam Nolan of RTE Radio. As you can see, we were a lot younger, thinner, and hairier, and totally stricken by Doc's awesome technique.

Doc Watson: RIP

Vinny Baker of Mullingar, guitarist with Bending the Strings, sends this message:

May I just say, through the Bluegrass Ireland Blog, that the death of Doc Watson is sadly one more of the great, great players of yesteryear gone to their eternal reward. Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed, and now Doc, gone, and their likes will NOT be seen again. Yes sure, there are giants of guitar playing following in their footsteps; people like Cody Kilby, Josh Williams, and Chris Eldridge are all fabulous bluegrass players, but they were all influenced in some way by Doc Watson, Chet, and Jerry.

Doc was my first introduction to bluegrass guitar, and after hearing him I was a fan for life. I loved Doc's approach to his array of styles, and his vocal style was unequalled. Thank God we still have Tony Rice as a link to the early days of bluegrass guitar. Unfortunately I had planned to visit the Doc Watson annual MerleFest in North Carolina, USA, next April, and now my big regret is that it is too late to see the great Doc live on stage. May you rest in peace, Doc, and I'm sure I speak for all guitarists when I say: You will be sadly missed. .

Doc Watson, 3 Mar. 1923-29 May 2012

Arthel Lane 'Doc' Watson died in hospital at Winston-Salem, in his home state of North Carolina, last night at the age of 89. Thanks to our colleagues on the European Bluegrass Blog for the sad news, and for links to obituary notices in other media.

Doc was steeped in the traditional and old-time music and song of North Carolina, and it was in this field that his recording career (see discography) was launched over fifty years ago, when his fine singing and playing on several instruments was revealed to folk music enthusiasts. His unique influence on the role of guitar in bluegrass music is comparable to that of Bill Monroe on mandolin and Earl Scruggs on banjo; and this is all the more remarkable as he was never a member of a bluegrass band.

Upcoming shows at Croc an Oir

L-r: Colin Henry, Janet Holmes, Monika Bermingham, and Ivan Muirhead on a previous visit

Thanks to John and Monika Bermingham of Croc an Oir, Mullinahone, Co. Tipperary, who send

... an update on the musical activities at Croc an Oir. On Saturday next (2 June) we welcome back Colin Henry, Janet Holmes, and Ivan Muirhead. This outstanding trio gave a great performance last year and were immediately pencilled in for a return trip to Tipp. Their songs and tunes were ideally suited to the intimacy of the Seomra Ceol at Croc an Oir.

An essential part of the Croc an Oir experience is the invitation extended to the entire audience to stay on for a post-concert selection of tea/coffee, cakes, and biscuits - followed by a sing-song around the fire in the two-hundred-year-old farmhouse.

Next up, on Saturday 23 June, it's the Niall Toner Band. Niall went down a storm last year, and his return trip is eagerly anticipated. Niall described Croc an Oir as 'a musical treasure'.

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

Music Roscrea: shows for June, July, August

Tom Stapleton, longtime promoter of acoustic music - including bluegrass - reports that details of the monthly shows at Kilkenny or in the Damer Court Hotel in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, can now be seen on the Music Roscrea Facebook page. As Tom says, 'No end to our attempts to stay relevant!'

The next three shows culminate with the Arlo Guthrie performance already mentioned on the BIB. Details of booking (in person or by 'phone) are on the Music Roscrea Facebook page.

Tom Stapleton
Mountheaton
Roscrea, Co. Tipperary
Mobile +353 (0)872238040; land line +353 (0)505 21647; Skype. tomstapleton

News of US friends

The e-mail and web have recently brought a number of reminders from the USA of American bands and musicians whose visits and performances in Ireland will be long remembered. Bluegrass Today carried last week an appreciation of Al Batten & the Bluegrass Reunion (above) from North Carolina, who have now been playing for forty years with only four personnel changes. Their two appearances at the Appalachian & Bluegrass Music Festival in Omagh, Co. Tyrone, are mentioned. About time for another one, perhaps? Read the whole feature here, and make sure to view at full size the fine recent photo of the band by Laura Tate Photography (not shown on the BIB).

Also last week, Bluegrass Today published some good news from 'Uncle' Phil Leadbetter, who was here in 1999 playing resonator guitar with J.D. Crowe & the New South. For the last two years he has had very serious problems with lymphoma, which earlier this year seemed irreversible. New treatment has produced dramatic improvements, and he can now plan on spending the rest of 2012 recuperating, and going back to playing out in 2013.

Finally, we received a few days ago from Bluegrass on the Tube a link to a video of the Bluegrass Patriots from Colorado, stars of the very first Dunmore East bluegrass festival in 1995. The video shows them in 2005, with the great Kenny Seaman on banjo, playing 'Put my little shoes away', with Glenn Zankey not only singing his usual great lead but earning applause for a swift string change on his guitar at the same time.

The 6th Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival is on its way

After a year long of preparation, last Friday night (25 May) Uri and his team officially launched the 6th Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival. The event took place in the newly found home of the Electric Cave Production - McGing's pub. On the night there were opening words by Uri Kohen (the festival producer) and the official part by Councillor Christy Hyland, cathaoirleach of Westport town council.

The full house later enjoyed a full show by Mayo's top bluegrass band: the Rocky Top String Band (aka the MacEvillys) [below]. The band is one of only two acts to play every festival since 2007; and this year, once again, they will play the opening show at the Clew Bay Hotel.

This year, as well as our very generous sponsors such as Mayo and Westport councils and Discover Ireland, we were given the stamp of approval and support from the national Arts Council, which gives us the belief that we are doing something right. Every year we are also being supported by local businesses and a growing number of venues that are taking part in the event.

So... we are looking forward to seeing all folk and bluegrass lovers in Westport in the last weekend of June (29-30 and 1 July). We will provide a rich, quality programme of shows and sessions in the beautiful town of Westport.

love:live music - twenty-six days to go

Thanks to Claire O'Grady of Insight Consultants for the latest news on the progress of love:live music, Ireland's contribution to the National Music Day movement. On 21 June hundreds of free musical events are due to take place throughout the country - you can find out what is scheduled in twenty-eight counties (and more to come?) or in live broadcasts on the love:live music website, which also has provision for registering to take part. We hope bluegrass music will be represented somewhere... Love:live music is also on Facebook.

Compass Records Americana sale

Compass Records announce their latest sale: to mark Memorial Day, which this year falls on 28 May, there is a reduction of 25% on all the Americana (including bluegrass) in the Compass catalogue. In addition, on orders of four or more CDs/DVDs, there is free shipping within the USA, and a 50% reduction on international shipping costs. Full details are here and on the Compass website. The sale lasts up to the end of Monday 28 May.

Homespun are also offering a Memorial Day sale (lasting a further day), with 20% off selected downloads from their catalogue of instructional material. Full details are here.

Peter Rowan in Ireland, 3-6 Sept. 2012

Peter Rowan (photo: Tim Benko)

Thanks to Al Evers of A Train Entertainment for the news that Peter Rowan will be playing four solo dates in Ireland early in September 2012, after two appearances in England including the Didmarton Bluegrass Festival. The shows here are as follows:

Mon. 3 Sept. Whelan's, Dublin 2
Tues. 4 Sept. Village Arts Centre, Kilworth, Co. Cork
Wed. 5 Sept. Leap Castle, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary
Thurs. 6 Sept. Crane Bar, Galway city

He will be returning to Europe two months later for more shows, in Italy with Red Wine (I) and in the Czech Republic with Druha Trava (CZ). More details are on the European Bluegrass Blog. A full bio of Peter Rowan can be downloaded from his website.

Commemorating Jimmie Rodgers

Photo from the official Jimmie Rodgers website

Jimmie Rodgers, 'Father of Country Music', and a great influence on bluegrass musicians of the first generation, died seventy-nine years ago today (26 May 1933). Among other commemorative events this month, a wreath will be laid on his grave at Oak Grove cemetery, Meridian, Mississippi.

Daniel Mullins is contributing a series of commemorative articles to Bluegrass Today, of which the latest is here. We recommend reading all of them, and playing the Jimmie Rodgers records in your collection - or indeed the Niall Toner composition 'Jimmie Rodgers' dream', the full story about which appeared on the BIB on 15 July 2009.

Doc Watson in hospital

Thanks to Prof. Jack Bernhardt of North Carolina - whose McAuley lectures have been a regular feature of the Appalachian & Bluegrass Music Festival at Omagh, Co. Tyrone - for this news:

Doc Watson is in the hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Earlier this week, he fell at home and lay unattended for several hours. He was taken to a local hospital in Wautaga County, where he was treated for, among other things, a sinus infection. The physicians detected other problems and he was transported to Baptist Hospital in W-S. He is being treated for possible kidney failure, and has been listed in critical condition. Please ask your blog readers to send positive thoughts his way. He celebrated his 89th birthday in March. A musical treasure, indeed.

Thanks also to Jack for this link to coverage in the Winston-Salem News Observer. Doc is described as in 'critical but improved' condition after colon surgery. No bones appear to have been broken in his fall. David Holt, who frequently performs with Doc and has himself played at Omagh, in Dublin, and elsewhere in Ireland, has been keeping the media informed on Doc's progress.

See also this item on Bluegrass Today.

Berea Bluegrass All Stars at the Red Room, 30 May 2012

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

The Berea Bluegrass All Stars [above] from Kentucky are performing here next Wednesday night (30 May) at 8.30. This is their only date in the North during their tour. As usual, all are welcome; call me on 07747120659 for more details.

The All Stars (see the BIB of 27 Feb. and 26 Mar. 2012 for more details) begin their tour tomorrow (26 May) at the Ballyhooly Arts Festival in Co. Cork. Sharon also sends a reminder (see the BIB for 8 May) that

... the Bluegrass Pickin' Parlour in the Black Box in Belfast have a free session this Sunday with Janet Holmes at 2.00 p.m., the Tennessee Hennessees at 3.00, and an open session from 4.00 to 6.00. Their Facebook page has a nice image to go with the news.

Old Flattop tours and shows from now to end 2012

(L-r) Chuck Nation (fiddle), Jim Pankey (banjo), Curtis Blackwell (guitar), Susan Nation (bass)

Thanks to Nigel Martyn for news of shows in Belfast and tours throughout this island that are being presented by his Old Flattop agency between now and the end of the year. The many notable artists on the schedule include Arlo Guthrie, Gretchen Peters, Mary Coughlan, and Frank Vignola & Vinny Raniolo.

Of greatest interest to BIB readers will be the Curtis Blackwell Bluegrass Band (USA; above), who will be touring from 13 to 24 June, opening with a show in Belfast. All their dates are on the BIB calendar; full details for other Old Flattop artists are on the OF website.

Nigel Martyn, 23 Lowwood Park, Belfast BT15 4BB
Tel. +44 (0)28 90 580 793; mobile +44 (0)7545 020938
Skype name: nigelmartyn

Martini Cowboy to headline 18th Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival

Press release

Headline stealer Jack Grace (USA) and his band make a welcome return to Europe’s largest free bluegrass festival, the 18th Guinness International Bluegrass Festival which takes place in Dunmore East, Co. Waterford, from 23 to 26 August. This will be the eighteenth year in which fans of bluegrass, country, rhythm, roots, new grass, and blues descend on the picturesque fishing village to enjoy free music events played throughout the village’s pubs and hotels.

Mick Daly, festival founder and organiser, was delighted that Jack Grace is to return to headline the August Festival. 'We are thrilled that Jack is back! He is undoubtedly a firm favourite at the Dunmore Festival.'

Jack’s style of music has been described by Time Out New York as 'gritty down-home country as it should be'. Having played with a host of music legends such as Doc Watson, Junior Brown, Norah Jones and Wayne Hancock, the legend Jerry Lee Lewis said of him: 'He’s like that Cash kid, but good!'

Mick Daly added: 'The Jack Grace Band brings a unique New York Urban style to bluegrass and is definitely not to be missed, particularly as it will be literally on our doorstep this summer.'

Another endorsement of the long-running festival is the continued support of Guinness. The company recently confirmed that it will continue to sponsor the festival in 2012. According to Mick Daly, 'Having such long standing and loyal supporters as Guinness is a huge vote of confidence in the Bluegrass Festival and what we have achieved so far.'

The full line up for the 18th Guinness International Dunmore East Festival will be announced in June. It is expected that local hostelries will play host to over fifty free gigs throughout the festival weekend with local, national, and international bands playing a variety of traditional and contemporary bluegrass music.

For more information about the 18th Guinness International Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival in Co. Waterford, visit its webpage.

Dangem: final Get-Together before summer break

Thanks to Derek Lockhart of Dangem Bluegrass in Craigavon, Co. Armagh, who sends word that the last monthly Dangem Bluegrass Get-Together of the current season will be on this coming Saturday, 26 May 2012, at 9.30-10.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon.

As usual, the venue is the Lagan Valley Island Civic Centre in Lisburn, Co. Antrim, BT27 4RL. Derek adds:

This is the last session; we will be taking a break for summer giving us some time off so we can all visit some of the fantastic bluegrass festivals. Howard [Walker] and Richard [Leeman] will not be with us as they have Down and Out commitments; so no beginner’s lesson this time round, but please come along and join in.

See everything on the Dangem e-newsletter. Derek is also on Facebook.

Tickets now on sale for 11th Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival

In its latest e-newsletter, the Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival announces a stellar lineup for the 11th annual event, to take place 20-23 September 2012 in its new home of Tullamore, Co. Offaly.

The weekend will consist of street & pub sessions & jams, nightly seated concerts, masterclass workshops (various instruments, styles & all levels), free outdoor concerts, local craft displays, a busking competition, and the late-night Festival Club. Top international artists appearing include:

Suzy Bogguss (USA), Paul Brady, Blue Highway (USA), Don Rigsby & Charlie Sizemore (USA), George Harper (USA), Mundy, Gerry 'Banjo' O'Connor, Beoga, Electric Ceili, We Banjo 3 (feat. Enda Scahill), Niall Toner, Chris Meehan & his Redneck Friends, the Barcelona Bluegrass Band (Spain), Bending the Strings, and Blackjack (Czech Republic).

Tickets and weekend passes are now on sale. Further details - including online booking and accommodation in the Tullamore area - are here and on the Festival website.
E-mail; 'phone +353 (0)87-281-7825.

EWOB 2012 awards

The Louvat Bros on stage at EWOB with their award (photo from the EWOB website)

The European Bluegrass Blog announces the following winners of awards at the 15th European World of Bluegrass (EWOB) Festival, held on 17-19 May 2012 in Voorthuizen, the Netherlands. The results show the continuing strength of the Czech bluegrass scene; Irish audiences will note the appearance of Sunny Side, well known here, in both main categories.

European Bluegrass Band 2012:
#1 Goodwill (CZ)
#2 East-West (CZ)
#3 (ties) Jaywalkers (GB), Rawhide (B), and Sunny Side (CZ)

 Audience Popularity Award 2012:
#1 G-Runs 'n Roses (CZ)
#2 Sunny Side (CZ)
#3 The Old Time Hayride (D/NL)

A new award was instituted this year - the Liz Meyer European Innovation of Bluegrass Music Award. This award, which rewards innovation in European bluegrass music, is given in memory of Liz Meyer (1952-2011), a driving spirit behind the EWOB Festival, who always encouraged promising and creative musicians throughout her career. The first presentation of the new award was to the Louvat Bros of Belgium.

Not bluegrass, but...

... the centenary of Woody Guthrie's birth falls on 14 July this year. To mark the occasion, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings will release the new box set Woody at 100: the Woody Guthrie centennial collection on 10 July. For a special pre-sale, including an instant album download and to hear a previously unreleased Woody song, visit this link.

Woody Guthrie's son Arlo Guthrie (above) will celebrate, through his own talents as a musician, writer, and entertainer, the immeasurable contributions of his father to American folk music. His 'Here comes the Kid' tour begins in Ireland at the end of August 2012. Thanks to Nigel Martyn whose Old Flattop agency sends this schedule for the Irish section of the tour.

Fri. 31st Aug.: Damer Court Hotel, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary
Sat. 1st Sept.: Colfer's, Carrig-on-Bannow, Co. Wexford
Sun. 2nd: Town Hall Theatre, Galway city
Wed. 5th: Kilworth Arts Centre, Kilworth, Co. Cork
Thurs. 6th: The Pavilion, Cork city
Fri. 7th: Dolan’s Warehouse, Limerick city
Sat. 8th: St James's Church, Dingle, Co. Kerry
Mon. 10th: The Market House, Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare
Thurs. 13th: Black Box, Belfast
Fri. 14th: Black Box, Belfast (tentative)
Sat. 15th: McGrory’s, Culdaff, Co. Donegal
Sun. 16th: Hawk's Well Theatre, Sligo town
Wed. 19th: The Button Factory, Dublin city

Nigel Martyn, 23 Lowwood Park, Belfast BT15 4BB
Tel. +44 (0)28 90 580 793; mobile +44 (0)7545 020938
Skype name : nigelmartyn

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

Otis Gibbs (USA), another singer/ songwriter who is also a political activist, toured Ireland in 2009 and got a standing ovation at the Open House Festival in Belfast. The Open House team, under the new strategy of a 'festival lineup all year long', is presenting him again in Belfast on 24 June 2012. He will then play four further dates in Ireland before the end of June, continuing his tour in Britain, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. Full details of the Belfast show, including online ticket booking facilities, are on the latest Open House e-newsletter. Details of the other shows can be seen on his tour schedule.

More tributes to Earl Scruggs

Earl Scruggs, Clem O'Brien, Josh Graves; Kentucky, 1997

Tim Carter, well known in Ireland for his appearances with his brother Danny and their Carter Brothers Band (USA), has composed a moving tribute to the late Father of Bluegrass Banjo with 'A waltz for Earl' - not just a beautiful composition in itself, but accompanied by a four-and-a-half-minute video compiled from evocative photos of Earl from childhood to his last years. You can hear it and see the video on Bluegrass Today.

Also on Bluegrass Today: details of a tribute album with twelve Scruggs classics played by a constellation of superb banjoists, due for release by Rounder on 5 June. As a foretaste, you can hear Ron Block's version of 'Foggy Mountain Special'.

Furnace Mountain in Ulster, 7-10 June 2012

Furnace Mountain: Morgan Morrison (bouzouki, guitar, vocals), Aimee Curl (bass, vocals), Dave Van Deventer (fiddle, vocals), Danny Knicely (mandolin)

On 26 Sept. 2011 the BIB carried advance notice that a tour was being planned for 2012 in these islands by the Virginia-based neo-old-time band Furnace Mountain (USA), who had received great critical acclaim from their 2011 appearance at the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow.

Thanks to Eilis Boland for forwarding details of the shows arranged in Ireland (for those in Scotland, England, and Wales, see the band's tour schedule). The dates - all in Ulster, and under the auspices of the Moving on Music agency, 'Promoting diverse music in Northern Ireland' - are as follows:

Thurs. 7th June: The Playhouse, Derry city; tickets £11/£8 (conc.) from 028 7126 8027 and the Playhouse; show 8.00 p.m.

Fri. 8th: Island Arts Centre, Lisburn, Co. Antrim; tickets £12/£10 (conc.) from 028 9250 9254 and the Centre; show 8.00 p.m.

Sat. 9th: Strule Arts Centre, Omagh, Co. Tyrone; tickets £12 from 028 8224 7831 and the Centre; show 8.30 p.m.

Sun. 10th: Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast; tickets £12/£8 (conc.) from CAC Box Office (028 9024 2338) or online from the Centre; doors 8.00 p.m.

More details are on the Moving on Music e-newsletter.

Durable publicity

Fiddlin' Tim Hawkins has returned from the Baltimore Fiddle Fair with a metal lapel-type button on the sling of his fiddle case, carrying the Fiddle Fair logo, as seen in this year's poster (left). We commend this idea to other festival organisers as a form of advertisement for their events that is both more durable and more versatile than instrument case stickers.

IBMA's World of Bluegrass moves to North Carolina for 2013-15

The central event of the bluegrass year, IBMA's World of Bluegrass, incorporating business conference, trade show, awards show, and Fan Fest, will be held for at least the next three years (2013-15) in Raleigh, North Carolina. By all accounts the facilities in Raleigh are excellent and the city highly supportive. A major point for those attending WOB is that costs should be much lower than in Nashville, TN, where the event has been held since 2005. Read the IBMA's announcement here.

North Carolina is of course a state of great importance in the history of bluegrass and old-time music. A commentator has suggested that the IBMA headquarters might also move to Raleigh, but there seems no logical need for this to happen for the sake of one week out of the year - during the eight years that WOB was held in Louisville, KY, the IBMA office stayed in its earlier location of Owensboro, KY, till the move to Tennessee. Nashville, as a music industry centre, is an obvious location for the IBMA HQ, and unless office costs become crucial it can be expected to remain there.

Douglas Flint Dillard, 6 Mar. 1937-16 May 2012

Thanks to Roger Ryan, who forwards from Mike Scott in Tennessee the sad news, on the VVN/Music website, that Douglas Flint 'Doug' Dillard died last night at the age of 75. He was highly influential both as a banjo-player and as a member of the Dillards, a band perhaps better attuned than any other at the time to the new audience for bluegrass that came from the folk music 'revival'. Older BIB readers may recall a performance by the Dillards in Dublin thirty or more years ago.

The picture, which heads Doug's own website, shows him with his characteristic smile and his Gibson Granada. He recalled that the first time he heard Earl Scruggs was on the car radio while he was driving: the effect was such that he drove into a ditch and had to be towed out. 'Scruggs pegs' were later installed on his banjo by Earl himself. More details are on VVN/Music, on his own bio page, and on Bluegrass Today.

Northern Belles at the Red Room, 19 May 2012

Janet Holmes and Colin Henry

Thanks to Sharon Loughrin of the Red Room in Cookstown, Co. Tyrone (Ireland's premier house concert venue for acoustic music), who sends

... just a quick one to let you know of our next house concert this Saturday night (19th). We are hosting the first concert by Northern Belles, a collaboration of Janet Holmes, Janet Dowd, and Oonagh Derby, who will be accompanied by Colin Henry, Ivan Muirhead, Mervyn Dowd, and Cormac O'Kane. It's a great lineup: each of the three girls has performed in her own right in the Red Room previously, and combined with such great musicians on banjo, dobro, guitar, piano, and cajón, it's sure to be a fantastic musical experience.

As always, all are welcome; contact me on 07747120659 for more details.

Launch event for love:livemusic today

As announced on the BIB on 24 Feb. 2012, love:live music, Ireland's contribution to the National Music Day movement, will be held on 21 June, with over 200 free musical events at present scheduled in locations throughout the country - an increase of some 25% on 2011. Opera, samba, percussion, and other genres will be featured as well as eighty events presented by Comhaltas Ceoltoirí Eireann.

A launch for the campaign is being held today (16 May) in Moore St., Dublin, with a speech by Jimmy Deenihan TD, minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, and musicians from the Royal Irish Academy of Music. Full details are on love:live music's website and Facebook pages.

I Draw Slow album for release on Pinecastle

Redhills, the second CD by I Draw Slow, will be reissued on 7 Aug. 2012 by the prominent US bluegrass label Pinecastle Records, as the first result of the band's joining the distinguished Pinecastle artist roster.

Customers who pre-order Redhills from the Pinecastle website will also receive a free digital copy, delivered on the release date, and will receive the single 'Goldmine' instantly after their purchase. Read the full details on the latest Pinecastle e-newsletter.

€100,000 worth of guitars stolen in Dublin 12

The crime.ie website reports that over €100,000 worth of guitars was stolen last night from Jimi’s Music Store in Ballymount Drive, Walkinstown, Dublin 12.

A complete list of the stolen instruments and gear is on the crime.ie web page, most of them with serial numbers. Almost all the items are Gibson, Fender, or Epiphone electrics, but the thieves may not be fussy about who they try to sell them to; so if you are offered any of the guitars on the list, please get in touch with your local Garda station or contact the confidential line on 1800 666111.

Curtis Blackwell Bluegrass Band on tour in Ireland, 13-24 June 2012

(L-r) Chuck Nation (fiddle), Jim Pankey (banjo), Curtis Blackwell (guitar), Susan Nation (bass)

Thanks to Nigel Martyn and his Old Flattop agency for the complete updated schedule of the tour next month by the Curtis Blackwell Bluegrass Band (USA; above), a solid traditional bluegrass band with impeccable credentials. Curtis followed Peter Rowan as guitar player with Bill Monroe & the Blue Grass Boys, and is a member of the Atlanta Country & Bluegrass Music Hall Of Fame. He has led a band since his late teens. In 2010 he was ranked as a Bluegrass Legend by the International Bluegrass Music Museum (IBMM). The Curtis Blackwell Bluegrass Band will be playing the following dates here:

Wed. 13th June: Black Box, Belfast, 028 90 244400
Thurs. 14th: Barry's, Grange, Co. Sligo, 071 917 3111
Fri. 15th: The Crane Bar, Galway city, 091 587419
Sat. 16th: Áras Éanna, Inis Óirr, Aran Islands, 099 75150
Sun. 17th: Colfer's Pub, Carrig on Bannow, Co. Wexford, 051 561159
Mon. 18th: Village Arts Centre, Kilworth, Co. Cork, 087 792 1771
Tues. 19th: (day off)
Wed. 20th: St John's Theatre, Listowel, Co. Kerry, 068 22566
Thurs. 21st: Mill Bar, Sixmilebridge, Co. Clare, 086 846 4509
Fri. 22nd: Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray, Co. Wicklow, 01 272 4030
Sat. 23rd: Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre, Naul, Co. Dublin, 01 802 0898
Sun. 24th: Roe Valley Arts Centre, Limavady, Co. Londonderry, 028 777 60650

A recent news item on the tour, by James Gabehart on Bluegrass Today, can be read here.

Bluegrass Slow Jam at Walton's, Dublin, 18 May 2012

Thanks to Paddy Kiernan (left) for a reminder that the next monthly Bluegrass Slow Jam will be held this Friday (18 May), from 6.30 to 8.00 p.m., at Walton's New School of Music on George's St., Dublin 2. All the information and repertoire can be found on the Jam's web page. Dates for the jam as scheduled at present are all on the BIB calendar.

Paddy's current ten-week 'Introduction to 5-string banjo' course in the School runs till 21 June. It will be followed by a five-week summer course (5 July-2 August). Full details for the course are here.

Paddy also sends a reminder that having appeared at the Baltimore Fiddle Fair over the past weekend, Tim O'Brien (USA) is playing tomorrow night in Dublin, and indeed has two other shows scheduled in Ireland this week. The full list on his tour schedule is:

Tues. 15th: Button Factory, Dublin 2
Wed. 16th: Kenny's Bar, Lahinch, Co. Clare
Thurs. 17th: Leap Castle, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary

Bass repair in east Leinster needed

Bassist Konrad Liddy (seen on the left in his 'Ex-Kon' Prison Love configuration; he is also bass player with I Draw Slow) finds that his hard-working upright bass has developed a crack that needs attention - ideally from a luthier in the west of Co. Wicklow or the east of Co. Kildare.

The BIB's contacts in that area have been unable so far to find someone for the job. If you are (or know of) someone who is qualified to do it, please contact Konrad by e-mail.

Prison Love with Johanna Divine, Odessa Club, Dublin; Fri. 18 May 2012

Thanks to Mark O'Mahony of Prison Love for this news:

Friends and Felons,

We are delighted to announce a double-header gig with Louisiana’s finest country and roots singer, Johanna Divine. Expect kickin' country tunes combining elements of swamp pop, Americana, and roots rock with a sultry Southern voice. You can't beat that!

'An instant Americana classic' (No Depression)
'Absolutely superb' ('Whispering' Bob Harris)
'Lovely and impressive' (Time Out, New York)

Prison Love will kick things off at 8.30 with Johanna taking over at 9.45. All welcome to stay for the DJ afterwards from 11.30.

Johanna Divine with Prison Love
Odessa Club, Dame Court, Dublin 2
Fri. 18 May
Doors 8.00 p.m. €10

Gonna be a great night...

BRMB support STFU in Newbridge, 12 May 2012

Thanks to Mark Flynn of the BRMB for this news:

The Blood Red Mountain Band are very proud to be supporting the Southern Tenant Folk Union (GB) in the Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge, Co. Kildare, tomorrow night, Saturday 12 May. Doors are at 8.00 p.m. and costs €15. See the Riverbank website for more details.

NB: among those details is the information that tickets are only €5 if bought today, 'Fiver Friday'; so contact the centre ASAP.

Everett Lilly in his own words

Everett Lilly of West Virginia (shown left, on mandolin, with his brother Bea, in a photo from the 1950s) died on Tuesday at the age of 87. Five years ago West Virginia author Betty Dotson-Lewis conducted a long interview with him, which has since been published in her book The sunny side of Appalachia: bluegrass from the grassroots (2008).

A fascinating account of the life, thoughts, and feelings of one of the true pioneers of bluegrass music, the interview can now be read on Bluegrass Today by the author's kind permission. We recommend, as just one instance, Everett Lilly's giving the explanation why bluegrass music has that name.

Blue Cedar Project in Kilkenny festival

Thanks to Gerry Tully and Emmett Vaughan of Blue Cedar Project in Co. Meath for news of the two shows - afternoon and evening - which they played during this year's Kilkenny Roots Festival:

Both were well received, although the night gig was beyond our expectations. Thanks to the organisers of the festival, and to all involved who came in to listen and take part. We had a great time!

Open House becomes a serial festival for 2012

Kieran Gilmore, director of the Open House Festival in Belfast, announces with regret that

... there will be no Open House shows on Custom House Square this year, nor a 2012 ChilliFest... there is increased competition for headliners from festivals and music promoters in Ireland and Europe. The bands we know you want are simply not available to us for a summer festival or the fees being sought are out of our reach and would make ticket prices out of your reach.

... Open House exists to bring you the very best in folk, traditional and Americana. So, if we can’t bring you the best bands when we want them, then we’ll bring them when we can. In short, a festival lineup all year long... We will be back with a strong lineup of Open House acts in June 2013.

Read the full release here. You can also keep in touch with Open House on Facebook.

NB: as a result of this change in Open House 2012, the Canadian band Viper Central has lost three dates from the tour arranged for them by Andy Peters of the Bronte Music Club in Co. Down. If you are likely to have, or know of, an opening for the band, please contact Andy by e-mail.

Onwards and Upwards!

Niall Toner reports:

I just got back from Nashville where I was recording my first album for Pinecastle Records, which is slated for a worldwide release in September 2012. We were working at a wonderful studio called Loud, on Music Row, and the results were very satisfying indeed. Post-production was at the Toolshed Studios in Mount Juliet, TN.

We cut nine new songs of mine, including a tribute to the late Earl Scruggs, called 'The pride and joy of Shelby', and an instrumental I composed called 'Burren backstep'. Other new titles include 'Million dollar bill', 'Judge and jury', and 'Bling', and the project was produced by Keith Sewell (Dixie Chicks, Lyle Lovett, Sam Bush, Ricky Skaggs). We also recut 'William Smith Monroe' and 'Tomorrow', which will be included.

Keith also played guitar, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, and piano; Ashby Frank played mandolin, Viktor Krauss played upright bass, and Rob Ickes played Dobro and Weissenborn guitar. I sang lead and played mandolin, and Wendy Buckner, Fiaz Farrelly, and Keith sang harmonies. The sessions were engineered by legendary Nashville whizz-kid (and old-time clawhammer player) Jake Burns. Thank you, guys, for all your talent.

Fiaz Farrelly came with me to document the entire experience, and also got to make his vocal debut on our 'Earl' song. Fiaz also took this photo at Loud Studios, which shows (l-r) Jake Burns, Keith Sewell, me, Rob Ickes, Ashby Frank, and Viktor Krauss. The provisional title for the album is Onwards and upwards, and the release will be during WOB 2012.

On a personal note, I want to thank all my friends and supporters here who have helped me to make this giant step forward for 'Irish bluegrass'. Most especially, I want to thank my wife, Moira, who has been a rock of support all the way. I also must thank my son Daradh for his work on my website, my son Niall for inspiration and advice on writing songs, Fiaz Farrelly for his photos, design, and general artistry, and my entire family for sticking with me, and putting up with me and my dreams. I want to pay tribute to Steve Johnson of Mountain Music Entertainment, who now represents me exclusively, for having the foresight and the courage to take me on, and for arranging the showcase at IBMA 2011 that got me signed to Pinecastle. And to Martino Coppo and Jimmy Sunnebrandt for being my band on that auspicious occasion. Last, but certainly not least, thanks to Ethan Burkhart, Matt Hood, and Lonnie Lassiter and the entire Pinecastle team for signing me to their record label on that night.

I would not have been able to get my songs and music this far if it were not for the amazing support and loyalty of the talented and brilliant Clem O'Brien and the equally talented and brilliant Dick Gladney. We have been playing together for the past ten years, and whatever the future brings, Clem and Dick and I remain a firm and united musical unit, with a solid philosophy of keeping our standards of originality as high as possible, and flying the flag for Original Irish Bluegrass, Roots and Traditional Country Music. Onwards and Upwards...

Athy and after: 4 Wheel Drive on tour in Ireland, 13-22 July 2012

Ireland's longest-established annual bluegrass event, the Athy Bluegrass Festival in Athy, Co. Kildare, will be holding its 22nd 'edition' (as they say on the Continent) this year. Due to the closure of the Carlton Abbey Hotel, the main concert venue will be the Athy GAA Centre, and festival organiser Tony O'Brien sends this important message:

As we are in a new venue for this year's Athy festival, can fans please pre-book, as we have a choice of two rooms at the Athy GAA Centre and we want to make sure in advance of seating, stage, and similar arrangements. Booking: phone/text +353 (0)85 1656685; e-mail.

The splendid 4 Wheel Drive (NL/D/B), always welcome in Ireland, will be headlining the festival, playing on all three nights. Their Athy appearances launch a ten-day tour in Ireland, and the full schedule is as follows:

Fri. 13th-Sun. 15th July: Athy Bluegrass Festival, Athy, Co. Kildare
Mon. 16th: Village Arts Centre, Kilworth, Co. Cork
Tues. 17th: St John's Arts Centre, Listowel, Co. Kerry
Wed. 18th: Pikers Lodge Hotel, Gowna, Co. Cavan
Thurs. 19th: House concert, Gowna, Co. Cavan
Fri. 20th-Sun. 22nd: Ardara Bluegrass Festival, Ardara, Co. Donegal

Niall Toner: bluegrass workshop and concert in Carlow Arts Festival, 10, 13 June 2012

Thanks to Hugo Jellett, director of the Carlow Arts Festival (8-17 June 2012), for news of two separate contributions to the Festival by Niall Toner.

On Sunday 10 June at 11.30 a.m., Niall will be giving a performing and participatory bluegrass workshop in the George Bernard Shaw Theatre in Carlow town. Anyone of any age is invited to attend with their own guitar, mandolin, banjo, or other stringed instrument (acoustic only); admission, at €10, is limited to thirty people. Three of Niall's promising protégés, Katie, Jack, and Cathal, will assist.

On Wednesday 13 June (8.30-10.30 p.m.) the Niall Toner Band will be giving a concert in a replica 1890 Wyoming timber barn, located inside the vast Main Gallery at the Visual centre, Carlow - the first band ever to play live in this location. Admission is €15.00.

Tickets for both events can be booked on +353 (0)59 9172400 or through the Carlow Arts Festival website.

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

Mountain Music Entertainment, which represents Niall in the USA, has also just issued an online press release on Niall, drawing attention to his unique achievements on AirPlay Direct and his forthcoming album on Pinecastle Records, and recommending voting for him in the Emerging Artist of the Year category in this year's IBMA awards. Read the whole release here.

Sacred Harp in Belfast

Thanks to Barton Creeth in Belfast for this announcement by the new Belfast Sacred Harp singing group, which also provides a good introduction to the Sacred Harp tradition. The link is to the group's Facebook page; a website is in preparation.

We are looking for singers to help us build a Shape Note/Sacred Harp community in Belfast. Sacred Harp is an American folk choral tradition with strong Ulster roots and has become a fixture of cultural life in both Dublin and Cork. It brings communities together to sing four-part hymns and anthems and is proudly inclusive and democratic — all voices and all abilities are welcome, always.

Belfast Sacred Harp was formed a year ago and has continued to grow and develop. Our first event was a three-day weekend of workshops and singing at All Souls near Queen’s. It was attended by more than fifty people from Ireland, the UK, and America. We currently sing at St Polycarp’s church up on the Lisburn Road, but plan to move into the Crescent Arts Centre at the end of the summer.

The tradition brings in a varied group of people who sing together in harmony. People of all faiths and no faith at all gather to sing some of the oldest surviving American hymnody. Punk rockers, folkies, Amish, Jewish, classically trained musicians, priests, and metal heads all raise their voices together. Because of its loud dynamics and fast rhythm, Sacred Harp composer Judy Hauff refers to the tradition as the 'heavy metal of the nineteenth century'.

The focus of Sacred Harp singing is community participation and not performance. There are no rehearsals and no separate seats for an audience. First-time singers and lifelong veterans sing next to each other to create a sound that some describe as raw, crude, or primal. During an all-day singing, participants share a meal together known as 'dinner on the grounds'. This potluck meal reflects the hospitality and togetherness that is at the heart of the tradition.

Our vision for Belfast Sacred Harp is to build an inclusive and supportive community of singers that will work together to make beautiful a cappella music, host singing conventions, participate in events across Ireland and the UK, and provide opportunities for people to learn how to sing and read music.

We hope you will join with us to give life to the Sacred Harp tradition here in Belfast!

Thanks to bluegrass musicians at MAAC American Car, Truck, & Bike Show

Nick Stratta of the Midland American Auto Club sends this message of thanks:

I'd like to put a thanks on the Bluegrass Ireland Blog for all the musicians who played at the Midland American Auto Club All-American Car Truck & Bike Show on Sunday 29 April.

Martin Cooney (5-string banjo), Gerry Madden (mandolin), Tony Holleran (guitar), Dominic Madden (mandolin), Louis O'Dwyer (autoharp), Joe Meehan (mandolin), Liam Wright (guitar), Howie Whelan (mandolin), Moyra Fraser (keys/bass), Johnny Gleeson (Dobro), and Barry Coffey (guitar) all played during the day in the Bluegrass Marquee and attracted a good crowd coming into and out of the marquee all day - so thank you very, very much to all. I hope it got them some good exposure and they had a good time.

Also thank you to Emmet Vaughan and Garry Tully of the Blue Cedar Project for playing on the Saturday night for us.

Thanks y'all!

Best regards,
Nick Stratta
MAAC PRO
046 943 7273 / 085 828 9922

Janet Holmes, Ten Hens at the Pickin' Parlour, 27 May 2012

Thanks to Adele Ingram of One-A-Chord Music Promotions for the news that the Bluegrass Pickin' Parlour will have singer/songwriter Janet Holmes and the Tennessee Hennessees as its special guests on Sunday 27 May in the Green Room at the Black Box, Belfast.

Following the Parlour's monthly programme, the open mic spot will open proceedings at 2.00 p.m. Janet's set will be followed by the Ten Hens at 3.00 p.m., and the evening will be rounded off by a jam from 4.00 to 6.00 p.m. Click on the poster image for a larger view.

The voice of the Foghorn is heard in the land

As BIB readers will be aware, the Foghorn Stringband from Portland, OR, are now touring in this island; this weekend they are down in Baltimore, Co. Cork, for the Fiddle Fair. You can also follow their experiences in print: they are contributing blog posts on their tour to the Prescription Bluegrass Blog back home. Read an instalment here.

Old-time in the Gables, Co. Tyrone, 8 May 2012

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

Skip Gorman and Ron Kane are playing in the Gables bar (halfway between Dungannon and Cookstown) tomorrow (Tues.) night at 8 o'clock. This has been organised by a local man as an impromptu gig to take advantage of the musicians happening to be in the area. He came to our Foghorn gig as a newcomer last week and we announced his news; Caleb Klauder was very impressed to hear about them coming and recommended the gig. I think quite a few of our Red Roomers are going to go to it.

Back early

The BIB editor reports:

Tuesday 8 May was to be the earliest day for resuming posting; but we have to thank Tony Curran for drawing attention to an error which recently appeared on the BIB, and which needs to be corrected at the earliest opportunity.

On 29 April we carelessly gave the dates of this year's Athy Bluegrass Festival as 11-13 July, when the real dates are in fact 13-15 July. As Tony pointed out, the error might have led someone to make a booking for accommodation that would do them very little good as far as enjoying the Festival is concerned. We hope this has not happened; we apologise to anyone who has to change arrangements because of our error; and we refer everyone, as Tony suggests, to the correct information on the Festival website.

Bluegrass vocals: the ultimate reference source

A few years ago preparations were made for what would have been an indispensable reference work: the Rounder book of bluegrass, with chapters on different subjects written by acknowledged experts. Fred Bartenstein (left) has made major contributions in all fields of bluegrass activity for over forty years, for which the IBMA gave him a Distinguished Achievement Award in 2006.

Fred wrote for the Rounder book (never published) a chapter on bluegrass vocals, which is now accessible on his website. It is such a useful, authoritative, and comprehensive guide to the subject that the BIB is now adding, with his permission, a permanent link to the chapter in our right-hand column.

Bluegrass in Sixmilebridge, May 2012-Jan. 2013

Thanks to Brendan Walsh, director of the Shannonside Winter Music Weekend (WMW) and moving spirit in the Sixmilebridge Folk Club in Co. Clare, for the news that the programme for the next WMW (17-20 Jan. 2013) is already published on the internet, and the rich and varied schedule contains plenty of good news for bluegrass enthusiasts.

Topping the bluegrass part of the bill will be the Special Consensus (USA), making another of their welcome visits to Ireland. (They will be here from 16 to 28 January; all the shows appear on the Special C. tour schedule, and details will be added to the BIB calendar as soon as possible.) Also appearing on the WMW are Lilly of the West from Bulgaria, with strong influences from the folk music of Eastern Europe mingled with their bluegrass, country, and swing repertoire; and our own Bending the Strings and Gypsy Rebel Rabble.

Fliers for the 2013 WMW are already available. Brendan also sends further info on the Club's programme for summer and autumn 2012, which includes the Ballyhooly Arts Festival (24-27 May) at which the Berea Bluegrass All Stars (USA) will be on the bill. The All Stars will also be playing for the Club at the Mill Bar, Sixmilebridge, on Tues. 5 June. Moreover, the Mill Bar will be hosting the Curtis Blackwell Bluegrass Band (USA) on Thurs. 21 June. Features on both these fine bands have already appeared on the BIB, and other tour dates for them are on the BIB calendar. We recommend keeping an eye on the WMW website for further developments.

Update: On the Curtis Blackwell tour, see this feature by James Gabehart on Bluegrass Today.