Visiting string bands - courtesy of Brookfield Knights: UPDATE

Thanks to Loudun Temple of the Brookfield Knights agency in the UK for the news that the Chicago-based string band Elephant Revival is the latest addition to the Brookfield Knights artists roster, bringing the present total to twenty-eight acts. A look at the roster will reveal a lot of names already familiar from appearances in Ireland - most recently, Cahalen Morrison and Eli West.

US string bands on the BK roster who are already scheduled to tour in Ireland this year include Woody Pines (24-29 May) from Asheville, North Carolina, Hillfolk Noir (20-23 June) from Boise, Idaho, and the Locust Honey String Band (23-27 Oct.) from Swannanoa, North Carolina. The Stray Birds from Pennsylvania are due to tour these islands at the end of January and early February 2014. We also learn that De Temps Antan, a French-Canadian trio playing Quebec traditional music, are scheduled for Britain and Ireland twice next year: 21-28 January and 5-18 July 2014. A video of them in performance is here.

Having listened to audio samples on their BK page, the editor would be glad to see and hear a visit from Pharis and Jason Romero from British Columbia. This, of course, has nothing to do with their being also makers of custom banjos.