News in brief

A mixed bag of news from outside Ireland:

The FOAOTMAD news blog has a lot of interesting news this week, ranging from the lineup for next weekend's North Wales Bluegrass Festival (including 4 Wheel Drive, Kidnap Alice, and many, many more) to a chance to save the Asian vulture AND win an English-made gourd banjo at the same time. See and hear the banjo via this link.

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ArtistWorks Academy of Bluegrass, the premier bluegrass online instruction medium, sends this link to a recording of 'Banjo Live', Tuesday's live online workshop with Tony Trischka and special guest Bill Evans - an hour of impromptu performances, techniques, and tips for banjo players from the two masters.

ArtistWorks also offers full membership in Tony's Online School at a 20% discount for three months' unlimited access with a full 30-day money-back guarantee, but this offer will close on 30 June 2013.

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Today (28 June) the legendary Seldom Scene perform at the 2013 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, giving a preview of their upcoming Smithsonian Folkways album Longtime… Seldom Scene. Current band members join with former members John Starling and Tom Gray in a fine rendition of 'Through the bottom of the glass' in Ben Eldridge’s living room, which is accessible here and on Bluegrass Today. More info about the band and today's show is here.

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Good news from Compass Records, a great label for Celtic music as well as for many leading bluegrass performers: CDs released this year are available at a 20% discount. Read the full details here. Homespun also continue to offer bargains from their unrivalled catalogue of instructional videos, DVDs, and downloads.

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C. Paul Lyttle sends a link to the revised programme for this September's Moniaive Michaelmas Bluegrass Festival in Scotland, which has always had a strong Irish presence. Owing to the much regretted death of Chris Twomey of the Lee Valley String Band earlier this year, the place of the LVSB in the programme will be taken by east Ulster's Broken String Band. Paul says: 'We look forward to welcoming them back to Moniaive, where they were such a big hit at our first festival in 2009.'

The Doctor is retiring

The BIB doesn't as a rule carry news of events outside Ireland, but this concerns bluegrass people all over the world. Dr Ralph Stanley, the epitome of hard-core mountain music in bluegrass style, is to retire -  which he is certainly entitled to consider, after a professional career comprising twenty years (1946-66) with his brother Carter and a further forty-seven since then.

The retirement will not take immediate effect, as it will be marked by a farewell tour under the title 'Man of Constant Sorrow tour: the Dr’s farewell', which will begin this coming October and continue to the end of 2014. In the course of the tour, Dr Ralph will make over eighty appearances backed by the Clinch Mountain Boys and supported by other bluegrass and country artists.

Read the full story (as it stands at present) in this press release from Morris Public Relations.

Tom Corbett joins the Sullivan Brothers at Athy 2013

With just over two weeks to go before the event itself, the Athy Bluegrass Festival Facebook page announces that Tom Corbett (USA), singer/songwriter and guitar/mandolin wizard, will be playing at the 23rd Athy Bluegrass Festival (12-14 July 2013) as guest of the Sullivan Brothers. Together with the presence of the legendary fiddler George Kaye, this looks like being quite a festival...

Tom's appearances at Athy come just past the mid point of his imminent three-week tour in Ireland, beginning at Galway on 1 July and continuing till 22 July. More details if and when we get them.

Summer and the feeling of playing the banjo is easy

Dangem Bluegrass of Craigavon, Co. Armagh, announce:

Join us at one of the following before we break for summer:

Beginners only - 5-string
The Spectrum Centre, 331 Shankill Rd, Belfast, Co. Antrim BT13 3AA
028 9050 4555
Friday 28 June 2013, 7.00-9.00 p.m. (this is for beginners only)

Or

The next Dangem get-together (jam session and banjo playing)
Lagan Valley Island, Island Civic Centre, Lisburn, Co. Antrim BT27 4RL
028 9250 9292
Saturday 29 June 2013, 9.30/10.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon
Bring along your banjos, guitars, mandolins, fiddles, dobros, and bass or just come along and enjoy!

Itinerary
10.00-10.30: Warm up
10.30-11.00-ish: Break out time
Rest of players jam time
11.00 to 12.00 noon: All back together
Look forward to seeing as many of you who can attend.

Also
The Belfast Bluegrass Sessions, Tuesday 2 July 2013: 8.30 p.m. to who knows.
The Errigle Inn, 312-320 Ormeau Rd, Belfast, Co. Antrim BT7 2GE
028 9064 1410
E-mail

The original Dangem e-newsletter, with impressive art-work, can be seen here.

Acoustic music shows in Dundrum, Dublin, 27 June, 16 July 2013

Latest news of the Cabin Sessions, 'Acoustic Music at its Finest', at Uncle Tom's Cabin (not far from Dundrum Luas station in the city direction); Gerry Fitzpatrick announces:

Next Session is Thursday 27 June! The Cabin Sessions House Band with Con Butler (bass), Gerry Fitzpatrick (dobro), Spats Davenport (guitar), and featuring Cathy McEvoy (fiddle) and Christian Volkmann (harmonica).

Special guests: Tom Horan (country/folk), Red Clay Halo (Americana), and Clarence & the Winters (acoustic-a-go-go!). 9.30-11.30 p.m. Admission FREE.

Also - just to let you know about a very special gig in Dundrum:
Ferguson & Barwick Tuesday 16 July at the Studio in the Mill Theatre.
Unique opportunity to hear Northern Californian multi-instrumentalist Kathy Barwick team up with Maryland songwriter Gary Ferguson to bring you an evening of American folk music in the intimate surroundings of the Maureen O'Hara Studio.

Limited seating capacity, so you need to book in advance at Milltheatre.ie!

If you or someone you know would like to perform at the Cabin Sessions, let me know [e-mail]. We are particularly interested in featuring local musicians and singers.

News digest #23

Events in the next eight days (taken from the BIB calendar; please check also the 'Weekly sessions' section of the calendar); dates added since this post was first published are shown in red

Sat. 22nd: Hillfolk Noir (USA), the Sunflower, Union St., Belfast

Sun. 23rd: The Rock Bottom Boys (Ian Carmichael, banjo; Paul O'Driscoll, double bass; Frank Hall, fiddle; John Faulkner, guitar; Johnny Gleeson, dobro), Raftery's Rest, Kilcolgan, Co. Galway, from c.12.00 noon
Hillfolk Noir (USA), The Red Room, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, 8.30 p.m., £10; bookings/ more info, call Sharon at 07747120659

Thurs. 27th: Alec Somerville (clawhammer banjo), Baw-bee Folk and Blues Club, Dumfries, Scotland, 8.00-10.30 p.m.
The Cabin Sessions, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Dundrum, Dublin: Con Butler (bass), Gerry Fitzpatrick (dobro), Cathy McEvoy (fiddle), Spats Davenport (guitar), Christian Volkman (harmonica); special guests: Tom Horan (country/folk), Red Clay Halo (Americana), and Clarence & the Winters (acoustic-a-go-go!); 9.30-11.30 p.m.; adm. free

Fri. 28th: Alec Somerville (clawhammer banjo), the Lounge, King's Arms, Dalbeattie, Scotland, 8.00 p.m.
Banjo lessons (beginners only), Spectrum Centre, 331 Shankill Rd, Belfast, Co. Antrim BT13 3AA, 028 9050 4555, 7.00-9.00 p.m.

Sat. 29th: Dangem Bluegrass Get-Together, jam session, and banjo lessons, Lagan Valley Island Arts Centre, Lisburn BT27 4RL, 028 9250 9292, 9.30 a.m.-12.00 noon
Two Time Polka, Briar Rose Bar, Douglas Rd, Cork. Kickoff 9.30 p.m. Adm. free. Tel. 021 4291686
Down and Out Bluegrass Band, Mini Music Festival, the Plough, Hillsborough, Co. Down, 3.00-6.00 p.m.

Other news

Marty Stuart (mandolin) and Merle Haggard (guitar)

RFD-TV announces that country music superstar Merle Haggard is the guest on this year's season finale of the Marty Stuart Show, which will be broadcast on Sat. 29 June at 8.00 p.m. (Eastern). A re-broadcast of the entire 2013 season of the Show will begin on 13 July on Rural Media Group's other cable and satellite network, FamilyNet. This year's lineup of special guests included Old Crow Medicine Show and the Del McCoury Band. A special one-hour Labor Day edition of the Marty Stuart Show will also air on RFD-TV at 8.00 p.m. (Eastern) on Saturday 31 August.

The Show ('Marty Stuart's honky-tonk utopia, where country music both pops and twangs') features Stuart (who began his professional career as teenage mandolinist for Lester Flatt & the Nashville Grass), his band the Fabulous Superlatives, and his wife, Country Music Hall of Fame member Connie Smith. The announcer is DJ Hall of Fame inductee and WSM presenter Eddie Stubbs, who was fiddler for the Johnson Mountain Boys and has an encyclopedic knowledge of country music.

BIB editor's note: For a treat - a Johnson Mountain Boys YouTube playlist.

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The UK Brookfield Knights agency announces that the Revelers (USA), a new Cajun supergroup, will be available for bookings in these islands next March. Kirsty Fitzsimons of the Ubangi Stomp Club and Dublin City FM consider their debut album 'gorgeous – full of joy from start to finish'. The Revelers comprise founder members of the Red Stick Ramblers and Pine Leaf Boys. Brookfield Knights report that the response of promoters to the news has been such that the tour period may be extended from the original two weeks (14-30 Mar. 2014) to three.

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Roni Stoneman, First Lady of Banjo, and her husband Tom Connor left Ireland on Thursday after a historic three-week trip in which Roni visited all four provinces, made many new friends and fans, and played select performances in locations including Dublin, Westport, and (finally) Ireland's premier house-concert venue, the Red Room, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone. This photo from the Red Room's Facebook page shows (l-r) John Denby (mandolin), the BIB editor (banjo), Roni (banjo and vocal), two behatted fiddlers of whom the one on the right is Geordie McAdam, and Hugh Taggart (guitar). We'd be glad to know the name of the other fiddler.

Not visible is Omagh resident Rodney McElrea, world-class country-music record collector and historian, who gave a magisterial introduction to the show. Rodney pointed out that Roni's family has a unique performing and recording history, beginning before that of the Carter Family and still in progress. He also made Roni a present of two CDs, one of them made by a man she met at San Francisco airport in 1976, who - unknown to her at the time - was a leading Australian record collector. A great and memorable occasion to round off the trip. The BIB wishes Roni and Tom 'Au revoir'.

National Music Day TODAY

Thanks to Grainne Glenny for the news that over 1,800 musicians are scheduled to take place in 275 free live music events throughout today as part of this year's National Music Day, the fourth to be held in Ireland. More details are on the National Music Day website, Facebook, and Twitter.

The BIB hopes that some bluegrass and old-time pickers will be out there somewhere...

News digest #22

The Open House Festival opens today in Belfast, with tickets for some shows already sold out. The Festival team's latest e-newsletter shows how things stand at present.

The updated schedule of events up to 1 July at the Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre in Naul, Co. Dublin, can be seen here.

The many people who enjoyed the tour earlier this year by Ken Perlman, godfather of melodic clawhammer banjo, should read Ken's report on his experiences: 'Doolin' banjos: the banjo comes of age in Ireland' on the Banjo News Letter website. Pat Kelleher of Cork is duly credited for his part in the tour.

Thanks to Liam Foley for the news that ALIVEOMUSIC presents legendary American singer/songwriter Tom Russell at the Lodge, Mallow, on Saturday 13 July. Not bluegrass, but if you like western swing (as many bluegrassers do) Russell's Tex-Mex music should appeal. Tickets (€20) can be booked on 0857213163.

The UK Brookfield Knights agency announces that the Abramson Singers, led by Canadian Leah Abramson, are planning a tour in these islands in 13-30 March 2014. The group consists of Leah, her close friend Rayna Gellert (formerly of acclaimed all-girl stringband Uncle Earl), and Patrick Metzger, bassist with Petunia & the Vipers. PR for the tour will include copies of Rayna's brand new album for review and radio attention, as well as Leah's. Brookfield Knights invite inquiries from venue operators and promoters who would be interested in booking the trio.

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Thanks to Bryan Klausing for an update on the news posted on the BIB on 13 June of the forthcoming ‘WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour’ concert-cum-broadcast event at the Dublin Convention Centre on 18 July. Submissions are still being accepted by artists who want to appear on this broadcast, and they are encouraged to e-mail radio@woodsongs.com for more information.

As part of the musical event, any musicians, songwriters, and bands who can play acoustic of any genre - bluegrass, classical, traditional and more - are invited to perform along the sidewalks and in the lobby of the Convention Centre on the night of the WoodSongs broadcast. Musicians taking part can keep their tips and get free tickets to attend the broadcast tapings that night. Those interested should send an email submission to radio@woodsongs.com.

The first show at the Convention Centre starts at 8.00 p.m.; the audience must be seated by 7.45. Tickets for the double broadcast event are only €10 (one ticket includes both shows, same night) and will be available at the door the night of the show or in advance at ticketmaster.ie.

George Kaye at Athy and elsewhere in Ireland, July 2013

George Kaye has been nominated for an EBMA European Bluegrass Pioneer award for his work in Ireland in the late 1960s and '70s, first with the Mitchell County Ramblers and later with the Smoky Mountain Ramblers and a succession of prominent showbands. At a time when the fiddle was uncommon in the folk revival and becoming obsolescent in Irish popular music, George made a powerful and influential impact as an outstanding fiddler, fuelled by his admiration for the pyrotechnic, envelope-pushing playing of Scotty Stoneman. (He is also expert on all the other bluegrass instruments, and a fine singer.)

Last year George, who is now resident in north Germany, returned to Ireland for a tour with the reunited Smoky Mountain Ramblers. We're pleased to announce that he will be in Ireland again next month, visiting family in Dublin and friends elsewhere in Ireland, AND will be taking part in the Athy Bluegrass Festival (12-14 July) in Co. Kildare, sitting in as special guest with the host band Woodbine, and very likely with others as well. The Athy festival this year looks like being a fiddle-friendly environment...

Prison Love in Sweeney's, Dublin 2, 15 June 2013

Mark O'Mahony of Prison Love reports:

Howdy Friends,

Next stop for good times with Prison Love is this Saturday (15 June) at Midnight in Sweeney’s Bar. It’s a great atmosphere and stays open til you can’t take no more…

No cover charge and plenty of good people on both sides of the bar…

Show starts at Midnight. Sweeney’s, Dame St, Dublin 2 – map to it here.

Bluegrass transported to the Auld Sod

Thanks to Bryan Klausing of the ‘WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour’ for this important message and press release:

Greetings from Lexington, KY!

Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour will be coming to Dublin on 18 July to tape a double broadcast exploring the Irish Roots of Bluegrass. Full press release is below. Artists on the broadcast include Mary Black, Paul Brady, We Banjo 3, and Niall Toner Band. More will be added.

We are looking for some additional artists for the broadcast. Suggestions are welcome. They must be from Ireland. Specifically, we are looking for an amazing kid (6 to 15) from Ireland that can pick like Bela, Sam, Chris, Sierra Hull, etc... If you know of any kids like that, please e-mail me their contact info. A YouTube clip would be most helpful.

Please contact me for additional info. All the best,

Bryan Klausing
(859) 255-5700
woodsongs.com
E-mail

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Popular American Radio and TV Broadcast Comes to Dublin, Ireland: Michael Johnathon’s WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour

American folksinger Michael Johnathon’s live-audience celebration of grassroots music, the ‘WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour’ comes to the National Convention Centre in Dublin on Thursday July 18 for a special event double-broadcast to honor the Irish connection to Bluegrass, Americana, and Appalachian music. The broadcast event is part of The Gathering - a year-long series of events initiated by the Irish people to draw its sons and daughters back to the Emerald Isle in celebration of its unique culture.

The first broadcast will feature the connection between Irish traditional music and American bluegrass, featuring Niall Toner and We Banjo 3.

The second broadcast will celebrate the legacy of Ireland’s rich musical heritage and feature Irish music legend Mary Black, Paul Brady, and more.

'Music is such a wonderful, beautiful expression between generations and cultures', says Michael Johnathon from his log cabin home in Kentucky. 'So much of America’s music, especially Kentucky bluegrass, shares its roots in Ireland. Originally, Bill Monroe was playing Irish fiddle tunes on his mandolin. Eventually, that became bluegrass music and it has become a very popular, global art-form.'

Artist submissions
Any interested artists, songwriters, bluegrass bands, and acoustic musicians who can be in Dublin on 18 July can submit their work for consideration on the WoodSongs broadcast. Only artists and/or their management/PR/Record labels can submit to the broadcast. Send an e-mail to: radio@woodsongs.com with a brief bio and description, include websites and links.

Tickets available at ticketmaster.ie.

About WoodSongs
Folksinger Michael Johnathon started the all-volunteer ‘WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour’ eleven years ago as a way to celebrate grassroots music on a global level. The program airs on 509 radio stations around the world including Dublin City FM in Ireland, the American Forces Radio Network (173 nations and every military base and US Naval ship at sea), public television coast-to-coast in USA and online. Artists as diverse as Billy Bragg, Imelda May, Mike Scott and the Waterboys, Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, Brandi Carlisle, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band have been on the show. The show’s website is www.WoodSongs.com.

The WoodSongs broadcast in Dublin is underwritten by Alltech, a global biotechnology company founded by Irish businessman Dr Pearse Lyons. Information about Alltech can be found online. For more information, hi-res pics, interview scheduling, and review CDs, please contact Loretta Sawyer by e-mail.

News digest #21: further updates

Events in the next ten days (taken from the BIB calendar; please check also the 'Weekly sessions' section of the calendar)

Wed. 12th: Tumbling Bones (USA), Old Oak Pub, 113 Oliver Plunkett St., Cork city; starts 10.30 p.m., adm. free

Thurs. 13th: Lands End, Mullarkey's, Clifden, Co. Galway

Fri. 14th: Bluegrass Slow Jam, Walton's New School of Music, George's St., Dublin 2, 6.30-8.00 p.m.
Lands End, Monroes, Galway city
Red Hat Acoustic Music Club, Harbour Hotel, Naas, Co. Kildare; musicians and listeners welcome

Fri. 14th-Sun. 16th: 7th Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival, Westport, Co. Mayo: Blue Grass Boogiemen (NL), Tumbling Bones (USA), Roni Stoneman (USA), Kidnap Alice (GB), Wildflowers, Tim Rogers, Rocky Top String Band, Molly Hicks, Woodbine, Eilidh Patterson, Tin Box Company, Jukebox Gypsy

Sat. 15th: Lands End, Crowley's Music Store, Cork city (5.00 p.m.); Charlies Bar, Cork city (10.00 p.m.)
Prison Love, Sweeney's, Dame St., Dublin 2, midnight

Sun. 16th: Tumbling Bones (USA), Mannion's, Main St., Balla, Co. Mayo
Woodbine, Bob's Bar, Durrow, Co. Laois
Lands End, Ballydehob Maritime and Folk Festival, Co. Cork

Mon. 17th: Roni Stoneman (USA), The Red Room, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, 8.30 p.m., £10; bookings/more info, call Sharon at 07747120659

Wed. 19th-Sun. 23rd: 15th Open House Festival, Belfast: Morgan O'Kane Band, Hillfolk Noir, Belfast American Folk & Roots Club, American sessions, much more

Thurs. 20th: Hillfolk Noir (USA), McCann's, Omagh, Co. Tyrone

Fri. 21st: Love:livemusic - National Music Day

Other news

Niall Toner had a very successful launch of his new book The nuts and bolts of songwriting on Saturday 8 June at the Borris Festival of Writing and Ideas (part of the 2013 Carlow Arts Festival). A full account is on Niall's own blog, and can also be seen on Ray O'Brien's Bluegrass in Ireland Facebook.

The Brookfield Knights agency in Britain is setting up tours for several US bands for February and March 2014, and would like to hear from Irish promoters and venue owners who would be interested (or have already expressed interest) in putting on Petunia & the Vipers in the period 1-9 March 2014. Elephant Revival and the Stray Birds will be touring in these islands during February; exact dates will soon be available.

Thanks to Adele Ingram of Wookalily (also on Facebook), whose debut album (now being recorded at Millbank Studios in Lisburn) will include their popular murder ballad 'Don't speak of the devil'; Adele sends this link to the track, recorded live round one microphone. Wookalily will feature in the next issue of Bluegrass Europe magazine, which will have 'Women in bluegrass' as its main theme.

Thanks to our Midland correspondent for drawing attention to the Hands of Music website, which he considers 'is totally non-discriminatory, asexual, and reflects greatly on the sacredness and profound observations expressed by the artist on other parts of the human anatomy. In particular, the detail on hands and fingers is mind-boggling.' The BIB editor has one of the Hands of Music range of T-shirts, and will bring it to the Athy festival next month.

The updated schedule of events up to 23 June at the Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre in Naul, Co. Dublin, can be seen here.

Ireland's long-time favourite US band, the Special Consensus, have now officially announced Dan Eubanks as their new bass player. Dan has been playing with them since David Thomas left the band after Special C's tour in Ireland earlier this year. More details are on Bluegrass Today. 

Thanks to old-time clawhammer-banjo-player and singer Alec Somerville for the news that he will be playing two dates in Scotland later this month: on Thursday 27 June at the Baw-bee Folk and Blues Club, Dumfries, 8.00-10.30 p.m.; and on Friday 28 June in the Lounge, the King's Arms, Dalbeattie, 8.00 p.m.

Lands End: shows in Galway and Cork, 13-16 June 2013

Thanks to Ray O'Brien of Bluegrass in Ireland Facebook and Richie Foley, mandolinist with Lands End, for reminders of a four-show mini-tour by the band in Galway and Cork, beginning tomorrow night. The dates are shown on the poster image above, on the BIB calendar, and on the news digest posted earlier this week. Lands End (also on Facebook are beginning their second year on the circuit, and were touring in Britain last month.

When this news first appeared on the BIB on 24 April, Richie also included this link to a YouTube video of the band in performance. The photo below shows them at the big Didmarton bluegrass festival in Britain last year.

UKBluegrass.com - the way ahead

BIB readers will have noticed that for some weeks headlines from ukbluegrass have not been appearing on the blog. The UKB operating team have just announced the start of a new era for the site:

ukbluegrass is changing.

After almost seven years we can no longer run the site the way we have in the past. However, we are very aware that ukbluegrass has proven to be a valuable resource over the years, so rather than abandoning the site completely, we are changing it to keep the best features. The changes will include:

- a redesign of the site
- removing the regular news stories and updates
- changing the listings to major events only: we will continue to list all festivals, picking weekends and similar events. Tours and other small scale one-off gigs will no longer be listed. You are more than welcome to post news of such gigs in the forum.
- a greater emphasis on occasional, bigger updates such as major announcements, interviews, reviews, videos etc.

You can view the site through ukbluegrass.com or ukbluegrass.co.uk, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook if you’re into social networks. Thanks for your support this far and hopefully we’ll see you at a festival soon.

The first post to appear on the new UKB is an interview with the Punch Brothers (USA).

A classic night at the Cabin Sessions

Thanks to Kevin Cray and Catherine Simpson for these photos, taken at the Cabin Sessions in Uncle Tom's Cabin, Dundrum, Dublin, on 30 May.

Extra special guest one-of-a-kind Roni Stoneman takes one of her in-your-face banjo breaks, backed by the BIB editor (banjo), Gerry Fitzpatrick (guitar), and Con Butler (bass)

Huegrass (Catherine Simpson on mandolin)

The finale, led by Kevin 'Spats' Davenport

Thanks also to Gerry Fitzpatrick for (among many other things) this link to his original tune 'Roni's visit to Dublin', composed in honour of the weekend 30 May-2 June. Recorded by Gerry on dobro (and accessible also on the Cabin Sessions Facebook page), it works well on all the bluegrass instruments.

Cairncastle Ulster Scots Festival: Bluegrass Evening 25 July 2013

Thanks to Adrian Rolston of the Cairncastle Ulster Scots Folk Festival at Cairncastle, Co. Antrim, who reports:

This year we are holding the Bluegrass Evening on Thursday 25 July, from 7.30 p.m., with Broken Strings [above], the Down and Out Bluegrass Band, and the Watery Hill Boys.

Catering will be provided on site in a marquee from 5.00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m. each evening. The meal will cost £8.55 for a three-course meal. To book, contact Mark (07770767976).

Attractive festival hotel rates of £25.00 for B&B are available - phone Bobby on 07774401935 for more information. Camping, Caravan, and Caravanette available.

Adrian also sent press releases with photos and bio information on the bands taking part, but as they are well known to BIB readers and have websites we have not shown this material here, except for the photo of Broken Strings - who, although they are although the senior and premier Ulster band, are not on the Web. 

More information is on the Festival website; also e-mail, phone Bobby on 07774401935, or contact a Northern Ireland tourist information centre for a festival leaflet.

Ferguson and Barwick in Dundrum, Dublin, 16 July 2013

 

Thanks to Gerry Fitzpatrick, director of the Cabin Sessions held every month in Dundrum, Dublin 14, for this news of a special event:

Kathy Barwick is a household name in folk and bluegrass music circles in northern California. An acclaimed master of guitar, banjo, mandolin, bass, and dobro (!), she currently performs with the Mountain Laurel Bluegrass Band and the Mike Justis Band. For this tour she teams up with singer/songwriter Gary Ferguson, who hails from Baltimore, USA.

Gary is the epitome of the American folk musician, blending a repertoire of self-penned material (including the classic 'Last day at Gettysburg') with his own distinctive interpretations of well-known and some not-so-well-known songs from a variety of genres.

Look forward to an evening of American folk music at its best, reminiscent of the New York folk clubs of the early '60s and performed in the intimate surroundings of the Maureen O'Hara Studio.

Ferguson & Barwick
The Mill Theatre Studio 16 July 2013
Doors 7.30, concert 8.00 p.m.
Tickets €12; book online

This concert is the last in the tour, which is Gary's ninth consecutive tour of Ireland. Full dates for the tour can be seen on the BIB calendar and on a post of 28 May 2013.

Coming attractions at the Red Room, 17 and 23 June 2013

Thanks to Sharon Loughrin for news of the next two events at the Red Room, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, Ireland's premier house concert venue for bluegrass, old-time, and Americana music. (NB: Sharon is understandably gratified to learn that Tumbling Bones (USA), who are coming into the last week of a month-long tour of Ireland, recently named the Red Room in a magazine article as their favourite venue.)

Roni Stoneman (USA), the First Lady of Banjo and a remarkable performer and person, will be playing at the Red Room on Monday 17 June, accompanied by Hugh Taggart (guitar) and John Denby (mandolin). This combination performed with great success at the Purty Loft in Dun Laoghaire on 2 June and will be playing at Westport on 15 June. The Red Room show is also (at present) Roni's last scheduled public performance in Ireland on this trip, so don't miss it.

Six days later, on Sunday 23 June, Hillfolk Noir (USA) will be playing at the Red Room, also as the last show in their current tour of Ireland. Both shows are at 8.30 p.m., admission £10; for bookings and/or more info, call Sharon at 077 47120659.

Stoneman Family inducted into Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame

While the First Lady of Banjo, Roni Stoneman, is in this country, news has reached us of a further recognition of the legendary Virginia family of old-time, bluegrass, and country music to which she belongs.

Richard Thompson published on Thursday on Bluegrass Today a report on this year's inductions into the Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame. The Stoneman Family are inducted in the category of Pioneer Artists. As well as her parents Ernest V. 'Pop' Stoneman, his wife Hattie Frost Stoneman, and their circle of relatives and friends who recorded in the 1920s and '30s and were instrumental in bringing about the Bristol Sessions of 1927 (the 'Big Bang' of country music), this should also comprise Roni and her brothers and sisters who performed as an innovative band, initially under the guidance of their father, up till the 1980s.

Among others inducted is Pete Kuykendall, editor of the mother of bluegrass magazines, Bluegrass Unlimited. Read Richard's full report here.

National Music Day: 21 June 2013

News of National Music Day first appeared on the BIB on 24 Feb. 2012, where the background and international context of the event are described. Yesterday (Friday 7 June) the Republic's minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht presided over a musical preview in Merrion Square, Dublin, of what to expect on Friday 21 June 2013.

Over 200 events are at present registered as part of National Music Day, and many more are expected. Performances by solo and ensemble musicians in all genres and of all ages and performance levels, amateur or professional, can take place in any location, and the number of potential listeners is unlimited. Dublin City Council's Dublin Street Music Programme will be a day-long busking event, and the City of Culture status of Derry/Londonderry will be marked by similar happenings. We hope bluegrass and old-time music will be represented somewhere in this wealth of activity. For further details, see the www.lovelivemusic.ie website.

News digest #20: update

Events in the next eight days (taken from the BIB calendar; please check also the 'Weekly sessions' section of the calendar); dates added since this post was first published are shown in red

Tues. 4th: Belfast Bluegrass session, Errigle Inn, 312-320, Ormeau Rd, Belfast, Co. Antrim BT7 2GE, 028 9064 1410; 8.30 p.m. onward

Wed. 5th: Tumbling Bones (USA), Whelan's Upstairs, Wexford St., Dublin 2; doors 8.00 p.m., Greasy Coat Stringband as support act; €15/13

Thurs. 6th: The Bluegrass Micks, the Boathouse (opposite the Marine Hotel, Scotch Quay), Waterford city, 10.00 p.m.; adm. free

Fri. 7th: Woodbine, GAA Centre, Dublin Rd, Athy, Co. Kildare (supporting Tumbling Bones (USA)); doors 8.00 p.m., starts 9.00 p.m.; €10 door charge 
Two Time Polka, Blue Haven, Pearse St., Kinsale, Co. Cork. Kickoff 10.15 p.m. Adm. free. Tel. 021 4772209

Sat. 8th: Niall Toner launches new book, The nuts and bolts of songwriting, at Borris House, Co. Carlow; 4.30 p.m., €10 (part of Borris House Festival of Writing and Ideas)

Tues. 11th: Tumbling Bones (USA), McCarthy’s, Goat St., Dingle, Co. Kerry; starts 9.30 p.m., €10 pay at door or reserve at 066-9151205

Wed. 12th: Tumbling Bones (USA), Old Oak Pub, 113 Oliver Plunkett St., Cork city; starts 10.30 p.m., adm. free

Other news

The updated schedule of events up to 15 June at the Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre in Naul, Co. Dublin, can be read here.

Thanks to Louis O'Dwyer in Tullamore, Co. Offaly, for the news that a session in memory of Chris Twomey was held at the Brewery Tap on Monday night (3 June).

Louis also sends a link to the bluegrass-related art of Richard L. Matteson Jr, and this associated correspondence.

 Roni Stoneman and her husband Tom continue their friendly visit to Ireland with four days in Cork (3-6 June), including a performance at the Midleton Folk Club, McDaid's, Midleton, Co. Cork. The visit takes them through all four historic provinces; they will subsequently be in Mullinahone, Co. Tipperary, and Kilkenny, before heading west to Galway in preparation for Roni's appearance at the 7th Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival, Westport, Co. Mayo (14-16 June), and rounding off the trip in the north of Ireland, with an appearance at the Titanic Centre in Belfast. Dates will be given on the BIB ASAP. The BIB editor writes:

I have followed this music for over fifty years, and I have never come so close to the heart of it as in the last four days of listening to Roni.

Roni presses on - and how!

As heralded on the BIB earlier this week, the First Lady of Banjo, Roni Stoneman of the legendary Stoneman family, is now in Ireland (30 May-20 June), making a friendly visit that includes select performances, notably at the 7th Westport Folk & Bluegrass Festival (14-16 June) in Co. Mayo. At the Cabin Sessions in Dundrum, Dublin, on 30 May, she made a brief appearance as a very special guest, and wowed the audience.

Her first full show on stage (thanks to Paul Lee and his Musiclee.ie agency) is on Sunday 2 June at the Purty Loft in Old Dunleary, between Monkstown and Dun Laoghaire, near where the west pier meets the mainland. There Roni will be accompanied by Hugh Taggart (guitar) and John Denby (mandolin), two of the hottest young pickers on the bluegrass scene here, and by Con Butler (bass). Doors open at 8.00 p.m., and the two-hour show starts at 8.30. Tickets are €13.00/€10.00, and can be booked online, where more details are available.

This is a unique opportunity to see and hear a unique artist, entertainer, and person. Roni is not just the first woman bluegrass banjo player to have recorded; not just a musician who has been playing since she was big enough to pick up an instrument; not just a member of a historically important musical family. She has lived the life that produced old-time, bluegrass, and country music. No two ways about it; this is a historic occasion for bluegrass music in Dublin.