Alec Somerville: at Omagh and Moniaive

Thanks to Alec Somerville for these photos, taken during his solo set at the Pennsylvania Dutch Barn during the Bluegrass Festival at Omagh two weeks ago. (Alec also sent two of the Three Rock Mountain String Ensemble on the open mic stage on Sunday 2 Sept., which modesty restrains us from publishing.)

Alec's past includes several years as banjo-player for the Brothers-in-Law, a Canadian group whose topical, satirical, and often controversial songs sold hundreds of thousands of records in the late 1960s, made five albums, and are still selling today on three reissue CDs and getting air- and TV play in Canada.

Some of this material can be heard on Alec's own YouTube channel, which also includes videos of his clawhammer banjo playing. Alec remarks:

Incidentally, some of the YouTube clips are on 1880s banjos - a 'nameless' and a Buckbee, both with nylon strings, lovely to play.

Alec will be giving a clawhammer banjo workshop at noon two weeks from now (Sat. 29 Sept.) as part of the Moniaive Michaelmas Bluegrass Festival in Scotland. On the festival website you can see a video of him playing and singing 'Battleship of Maine'.