More BANJO PLAYERS needed for Saturday morning at Omagh!

Derek Lockhart of DanGem Bluegrass of Craigavon, Co. Armagh, sends thanks to all who have already enrolled for the photo shoot at the Ulster American Folk Park at Omagh, Co. Tyrone, on Saturday 3 August at 10.00 a.m. (see the BIB for 26 July).

Derek announces, however, that more banjo players are still needed (and if possible, in check shirts and blue jeans or bib overalls) to make up at least fifteen pickers. And he reiterates:

If you could please, please help me out on this, I would be very grateful. Call and leave your name, if you can attend, on 07521 464125; or e-mail me with your name. Let’s get a great turnout for the people at the Ulster American Folk Park.

There must be more than fifteen banjo-pickers within range of the Folk Park who can manage to be there...

News digest #28: update

Events in the coming week

AUGUST 2013

Thurs. 1st-Sat. 31st: Open House Festival presents the 400 Festival at Bangor, Co. Down; events include Bluegrass Picnic (Sun. 4th; see below)

Sat. 3rd: Photo shoot at Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh, Co. Tyrone, 10.00 a.m.: at least 15 banjo players needed (details here)
Bluegrass on the Walls, Derry/Londonderry city: Knotty Pine String Band, Gypsy Rebel Rabble, Down and Out Bluegrass Band, Wookalily, White Mansions, Janet Holmes, 1.00-4.00 p.m.; old-time/bluegrass concert in Craft Village Square, Greasy Coat String Band, Down and Out Bluegrass Band, Well Enough Alone, 7.30-10.00 p.m. (part of Maiden City Festival)

Sat. 3rd-Mon. 5th: 4th Greystones Americana & Roots Weekend, the Beach House and other venues in Greystones, Co. Wicklow; lineup and other details, see website; contact Conor O'Donnell (e-mail)

Sun. 4th: Bluegrass Brunch, Craft Village Square, Derry/Londonderry city: Dog Ruff String Band, Higglers, One for the Road, Janet Holmes Band, Wookalily, Jim Corr, 1.00-6.00 p.m. (part of Maiden City Festival)
Bluegrass Picnic at Ward Park, Bangor, Co. Down: Oh My Darling (Canada), 3.00-5.00 p.m.; adm. free

Other news

Apologies to our friend, clawhammer-banjo maestro Michael Miles, for not passing on in time the news that last week (Tuesday 23 July) he was on the air for thirty minutes of live music and conversation with host Lilli Kuzma of the Folk Festival radio show on WDCB, 90.9fm, Chicago, streaming online. The show runs from 7.00-9.00 pm (CT) on Tuesdays, and Michael was on at 8.00 p.m. - 'playing banjo, singing like there is a tomorrow, fretless banjo, fingerstyle guitar, and stories of the road'. Anyone who heard Michael in Ireland last September or this April will be sorry to have missed this.

Admirers of the Down and Out Bluegrass Band heard recently with great regret that Howard Walker (banjo) had suffered a bad injury to his right wrist. Richard Leeman, the band's guitarist, reports that if everything goes well, Howard could be fit again in time for their scheduled appearance at the 22nd Appalachian and Bluegrass Music Festival in Omagh (31 Aug.-2 Sept.). Meanwhile, the Down and Outs are grateful to have Tony Curran standing in on banjo, pending Howard's full recovery.

Thanks to Ray O'Brien for forwarding good news from the Down and Outs:

We are very happy and proud to announce that our first album, Lowering the tone, is finally ready! It was recorded over a couple of days in Newtownabbey earlier this year and is a mix of our own material alongside some classic bluegrass. You'll be able to get it at any of our upcoming gigs, and we'll post details of where you can order it online shortly. We're excited for everyone to hear it and hope you enjoy it.

Dangem Bluegrass in Craigavon, Co. Armagh, announce special offers in used and ex-demonstration 5-string banjos, including a Deering Sierra and a Gibson RB-250, with shipping to your door. Full details, including photos, can be seen on the latest Dangem e-newsletter and on Ray O'Brien's 'Bluegrass in Ireland' Facebook page.

The schedule of events at the Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre, Naul, Co. Dublin, updated to 28 Sept. 2013, can be seen here. Of particular interest to BIB readers is the show by Session Americana on 27 Sept.

4th Annual Americana & Roots Music Festival, Greystones, 2-5 August

Thanks to Ray O'Brien for forwarding Conor O'Donnell's updated press release, first published on the BIB on 11 July:


Dust off your ostrich-skin cowboy boots and two-step on down to Greystones this August Bank Holiday weekend for the 4th Annual Americana & Roots Music Festival, happening 2-5 August. This year's festival spans the entire weekend and features an outstanding lineup of over thirty performing artists, with the music spread across three different stages. And best of all, admission is FREE, making this one-of-a-kind Co. Wicklow event a must-see for fans of American roots music and families looking for a budget-friendly destination to bring the kids.

The Americana & Roots Music Festival showcases some of Ireland and America's finest guitar pickers, banjo pluckers, and singer/songwriters, all served up with a heaping helping of roots rock 'n' roll to close out each night. This year's highlights include:

The Cujo Family, Gypsy Rebel Rabble, Greasy Coat String Band, Corner Boy, the Baskervilles, and Diego Tijuana & the Hot Chihuahuas.

Local 'hard-folk' outfit the Cujo Family are fresh out of the studio with their debut full-length LP Stories of ruin and are ready to put their blistering live show on display on the main stage, Saturday 3 August.

Gypsy Rebel Rabble are just back from their appearance at Ireland's Body and Soul Festival and promise to rattle the rafters with their homespun, driving sound. They take the main stage Sunday 4 August.

The Baskervilles' unique brand of vagabond folk-rock is sure to please as they return again this year to the main stage. The endlessly entertaining front-man Wilbur Baskerville regales his audience with tales of expensive women, cheap brandy, and the dire consequences of mixing the two: Sunday 4 August.

Also joining us will be folk legend Al O'Donnell; bluegrass from the Greasy Coat Stringband and Huegrass; from Portland, Oregon, the legendary Kory Quinn; and from Denver, Colorado, Ben Jordan. Lastly we will have the fantastic Big Muddy and New Peasants who hand out bucketfuls of country-rock goodness.

The Beach House at Greystones harbour is proud to host this event for the fourth consecutive year. The lovely seaside location makes for a festive, family-friendly park with American-style barbecue, music workshops, and a fun-zone for the kids with bouncy castles, games, and other activities. The Beach House offers a full restaurant and bar service and ample indoor and outdoor seating with great views of the performances. Dann's Bar next door hosts the intimate Acoustic stage and serves up the perfect beverage to accompany the live music. Admission is FREE and the fun lasts the entire weekend.

Pe & Pe in Dublin: update

The Czech fiddle-and-banjo duo Pe & Pe (Petra and Petr) are back in Dublin after a trip in which they played around Ireland in several places, including the very enjoyable 6th Ardara Bluegrass Festival in Co. Donegal last weekend.

Pe & Pe are due to return to the Czech Republic on Tuesday 30 July, and had been hoping to pick with other musicians in Dublin before they go home. Unfortunately, it now looks as if this won't be possible, and we look forward to their next visit. For banjo freaks: Petr's instrument is a converted 1928 Gibson TB-1 with a maple neck and an inlay pattern in the style of the top-tension Gibsons of the late 1930s.

The Watery Hill Boys – third European tour and new album

Thanks to Jim MacArdle (above, centre) for this news:

Drogheda’s Watery Hill Boys have been hard at work over the last few months, completing work only two weeks ago on their second album, and they head off on their European tour from 1 to 15 August. This is the Boys’ third year in a row to play in Europe, and they will perform at the prestigious French bluegrass festival in La Roche-sur-Foron, having been selected, along with nine other bands, to take part in the European Band of the Year Competition on the main stage on Sunday 4 August.

The following day, they head south to Catalonia to play five dates at venues including the famous Harlem Jazz Club in Barcelona and the Sunset Jazz Club in Girona. They will also be paying a return visit to the village squares of Rupiá and La Pera, in the region of l’Empordá, with a final concert night on the beach near Sant Pere Pescador.

The Boys have, over the last two years, built up a growing following across Europe and at festivals in Ireland. Recently, the Boys have appeared in the last few weeks at Athy Bluegrass Festival, at the Ardara Bluegrass Weekend, and at the Ulster Scots Folk Festival in Cairncastle on Thursday 25 July.

You can follow the Boys’ tour on their Facebook page.

The new album, scheduled for release in September 2013, is titled Somebody’s been usin’ that thing, taken from the old Callahan Brothers recording of 1936. The music falls firmly into the Old-Timey and Early Bluegrass idiom and builds on the Watery Hill Boys’ deserved reputation of excellent musicianship, harmony singing, and inventive arrangements of traditional material and some self-written material.

The Athy Bluegrass Festival programme recently described their music as follows: ‘Their music hails from and is inspired by bygone times. By rejuvenating the music of these prolific periods, the happy-go-lucky trio shine a light of objectivity on the current zeitgeist and the contrast between the experiences of our forefathers and our own.'

On their return in mid-August, the Boys will set about launching their album and seeing more of their friends across Ireland before heading to the Moniaive Michaelmas Bluegrass Festival near Dumfries in Scotland on 27 September.

Bluegrass and old-time in Derry, 3-4 August 2013

Thanks to Ray O'Brien for forwarding this poster image for the bluegrass and old-time section of this year's Maiden City Festival in Derry city. The band listings and times are now on the BIB calendar. For a closer view of the image, click on it.

Mohill festival dedicated to Vinny Baker's memory

Tommy Kelleher, chief organiser of the Bluegrass Festival in Mohill, Co. Leitrim, announces:

This year's Mohill Bluegrass Festival (9-11 August) is dedicated to the memory of Vinny Baker (with the consent of his family). Vinny was due to play with his band Hard Station at the festival. We're very pleased to announce that Hard Station are going ahead with their engagement, and very much looking forward to their visit.

Vinny was no stranger to Mohill - he launched the very first festival here back in 2011 with Bending the Strings. Vinny was a true gentleman, thoughtful and generous along with being an outstanding musician. He was always available to give his time and talent to us (free of charge) without question, offering guitar workshops and gigs. Last year Vinny and Joe Meehan turned up at our festival and did a free gig; our sincere thanks to both of them.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Vinny, and thanks for the great pleasure you brought to this world. Rest In Peace, Vinny.

Banjos and players wanted at Ulster American Folk Park, 3 Aug. 2013

Derek Lockhart of Dangem Bluegrass sends this appeal:

We would like your help to set up a photo shoot at approx. 10.00 a.m. on Saturday 3 August at the Ulster American Folk Park [Omagh, Co. Tyrone]. This will be used as part of the promotion for the upcoming 22nd Annual Bluegrass Festival (30 Aug.-1 Sept.).

We need at least 15 five-string banjo owners and their banjos. Ideally the Folk Park want to try and get a mix of men, women, young and not-so-young as well as boys and girls, all with their banjos in the photograph. To add to the photo shoot, if you could dress in checked shirts, denims, and even denim bib and braces, that would be cool.

If you could please, please help me out on this, I would be very grateful. Call and leave your name, if you can attend, on 07521 464125; or e-mail me with your name. Let’s get a great turnout for the people at the Ulster American Folk Park.

By the way, don't worry if you can't play very well; it is just a photo shoot!

Hard Station to debut at Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival, in memory of founder Vinny Baker

Hard Station, as founded: (l-r) Johnny Gleeson, Vinny Baker, Roy Brennan, Joe Meehan

Thanks to Karen Cheevers for this release:

Hard Station, the Midlands-based bluegrass and newgrass band, will make their Waterford debut at the 19th Guinness International Bluegrass Festival in Dunmore East (22-25 Aug. 2013). The decision to perform was a heartfelt one for band members Johnny Gleeson, Joe Meehan, and Roy Brennan, following the untimely death of founding member Vinny Baker who died last week.

An exceptionally talented musician, Vinny skillfully mastered many instruments and was involved in a number of renowned bluegrass bands including Tennessee Breakdown and Bending the Strings before founding Hard Station six months ago with a group of like-minded and talented musicians.

Johnny Gleeson, who played with Vinny for many years, said the decision to perform at the 19th Guinness International Bluegrass Festival was a difficult one, but one that Vinny would have wanted. 'He was so proud of how far Hard Station had come in the last six months. He loved the music we made and we know he would have been the first to say to us "the show must go on”. We are determined to honour his memory by continuing to make music. Performing on the stages at the Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival is probably one of the most fitting tributes we could give Vinny.'

Lovers of bluegrass and newgrass can look forward to a wide assortment of bluegrass fiddle tunes, newgrass, swing, jazz, gypsy jazz, and plenty of acoustic music with Johnny Gleeson (dobro, guitar, vocals), Joe Meehan (mandolin, guitar, vocals), and Roy Brennan (double bass, vocals).

Mick Daly, festival founder and organiser, is happy that a band of Hard Station’s calibre will be debuting at the Co. Waterford festival: 'I know it was a tough decision for the members of Hard Station to perform at the bluegrass festival, but we are privileged that Johnny, Joe, and Roy have decided to play in August and honour Vinny’s memory.

'Vinny was such a huge influence on the Irish bluegrass and newgrass landscape, and the whole community is shocked and saddened. His loss is felt deeply by musicians and music lovers alike who respected his astonishing talent, desire, and energy that went into making great music,' he added.

The 19th Guinness International Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival commences at 7.00 p.m. on Thursday 22 August at the Strand Hotel and features three days of dozens of bands, playing almost fifty gigs throughout the Co. Waterford coastal village. More information about the festival in Co. Waterford can be found here.

BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet in Dublin TONIGHT

Thanks to Paul Lee of Musiclee.ie for a reminder that the premier Cajun band BeauSoleil (USA) will be playing tonight in Whelan's, Wexford St., Dublin 2, starting at 8.30 p.m. Tickets are €20 (€18 if booked in advance on www.musiclee.ie). Paul's website adds:

For the past 37 years, BeauSoleil with Michael Doucet has been making some of the most potent and popular Cajun music on the planet. Born out of the rich Acadian ancestry of its members, and created and driven by bandleader Michael Doucet’s spellbinding fiddle playing and soulful vocals, BeauSoleil is notorious for bringing even the most staid audience to its feet.

BeauSoleil’s distinctive sound derives from the distilled spirits of New Orleans jazz, blues rock, folk, swamp pop, Zydeco, country and bluegrass, captivating listeners from the Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, to Carnegie Hall, then all the way across the pond to the Meltdown Festival in England.

The band played in Galway last night and will be going on to Liverpool after tonight's Dublin show; see the BIB for 8 July.

Open House Bangor 400 begins next week

The Open House Festival team in Belfast send a reminder that their Open House Bangor 400 Festival (1-31 Aug. 2013) will begin on Thursday next week; some of the ticketed shows are already sold out. Thirty thousand copies of a 100-page brochure for the festival are now available, and they can be found at all the participating festival venues, most public places, and many shops in Bangor, Groomsport, and Holywood, Co. Down.

The full programme includes a Bluegrass Picnic (4 Aug., 3.00-5.00 p.m.) with the Canadian all-woman band Oh My Darling (see photo above), their only show in Ireland during a seven-week tour of Europe; the Dog Ruff String Band playing at the Goat's Toe (10 Aug.); and Ragtime Jams by Dolbro [sic] Dan every Sunday in August. Read the team's bulletin here.

Vinny Baker

Bluegrass musicians, among many others throughout Ireland and abroad, were stunned at the weekend by news that Vinny Baker of Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, had died following a heart attack - just a week after many had seen him on stage with Bending the Strings at the Athy Bluegrass Festival, in full vigour and clearly delighted at playing again with his old friend, former bandmate, and mentor in bluegrass, George Kaye.

Ray O'Brien's Bluegrass in Ireland Facebook page has made the news widely known online to the Irish bluegrass community, including a link to the notice on rip.ie. Vinny's body will be reposing in St Camillus Nursing Centre chapel, Killucan, Co. Westmeath, this [Monday] evening from 4.00 p.m., followed by mass at 7.00 p.m. Funeral mass will be held in St Camillus's on Tuesday at 11.30 a.m., followed by cremation at 2.00 p.m. in Mount Jerome crematorium, Harold’s Cross, Dublin.

A report by the Westmeath Examiner can be read online here. Vinny's family request that the home remains private; and that in lieu of flowers, donations should be made to St Camillus Nursing Centre.

3rd Mohill Bluegrass Festival, 9-11 Aug. 2013

Tommy Kelleher, head of the Festival organising committee in Mohill, Co. Leitrim, announces:

We're kicking off the Mohill Bluegrass Festival on 9-11 August with some of the finest bluegrass bands in the country, including the Down & Out Bluegrass Band, Hard Station, Bees Nees, the Greasy Coat String Band, and many more. We've got lots of arts-and-crafts stalls, free Bar-BQ, Gipsy Caravan, and loads of other interesting stuff.

We have a concert on Saturday night with three bands on stage, admission €5. All other events are outdoors in the marquee and are free. We're inviting all musicians to come along and make it a day to remember.

News digest #27

Some of the highlights of last weekend at the 23rd Athy Bluegrass Festival can now be relived, thanks to John Dowling. John has added to his YouTube channel fourteen videos of performances by Way out West, the Sullivan Brothers, the Down and Out Bluegrass Band, and Woodbine, with guest artists including George Kaye, Tom Corbett, Dessie Crerand, and the young banjo-player Evan Lyons. Evan will be taking part in tonight's WoodSongs Radio Hour double concert event in Dublin.

Scores of photos taken at different events and venues during the 7th Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival last month can be seen on the Festival's Facebook page.

Thanks to Aran Sheehan and to 'Bluegrass in Ireland' for this news: there is a new venue for the weekly Dublin Circle Jam - the Mercantile Hotel, Dame St., Dublin 2, every Tuesday from 8.00 p.m., starting next week on 23 July.

Tony O'Brien reports with regret that family commitments have obliged Woodbine to withdraw from the 3rd Mohill Bluegrass Festival at Mohill, Co. Leitrim (9-11 Aug. 2013).

The lineup for the Harvest Music Festival at Greyabbey Estate, Greyabbey, Co. Down, on 31 Aug. will include the founders of 'rockgrass', Hayseed Dixie (USA). Adm. £20; tel. 028 9182 6846.

For devotees of the mandolin, especially as played in the style of the Father of Bluegrass: the International Bluegrass Music Museum at Owensboro, KY, announces the faculty members for its annual Monroe-Style Mandolin Camp (13-15 Sept. 2013). As well as five top mandolinists (at least four of whom have visited Ireland), camp members will also be able to meet leading mandolin builders.

In his summer 2013 newsletter, clawhammer banjo maestro Ken Perlman (USA) thanks John Nyhan and Pat Kelleher for his successful tour in Ireland this spring. Ken's new book on Prince Edward Island fiddling will be published next spring by Tennessee University Press. Also, a track by him is included in Classic banjo, a compilation album from Smithsonian Folkways, and his book on advanced fingerstyle guitar has been judged among the Fifty Greatest Guitar Books by Shawn Persinger.

Since the disastrous Nashville floods of 2010, no Gibson banjos have been produced. Will they ever be produced again? Read John Lawless's article on Bluegrass Today.

Events in the next ten days

Thurs. 18th: 'WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour' in Dublin: details here

Fri. 19th-Sun. 21st: 6th Ardara Bluegrass Festival, Ardara, Co. Donegal: Woodbine, Tennessee Hennessees, more TBA; contact Patsy McGill, 087 6900714

Fri. 19th-Sun. 21st: Guildtown Bluegrass Festival, Scotland: Red Wine (I), Home Made Jam, Goldrush, Rancho, Little Giants, Fireflies, Kentucky Cowtippers, Dapper McDans, Bernie & the Barnstormers

Sat. 20th: Down and Out Bluegrass Band, Mini Music Festival, Enler Delta Blues Club, Comber, Co. Down

Thurs. 25th: Cairncastle Ulster Scots Festival Bluegrass Day: lecture on bluegrass history (2.00-4.00 p.m.); concert with Broken Strings, Down and Out Bluegrass Band, Watery Hill Boys, from 7.30 p.m., overall admission £8.00

Fri. 26th-Sun. 28th: Knockanstockan Festival, Blessington Lakes, Co. Wicklow; scores of acts including Hugh Taggart & Friends

Sun. 28th: Scarecrow Festival, Durrow, Co. Laois: Woodbine, 3.00-5.00 p.m.

News digest #26: update

 

Thanks to Gerry Fitzpatrick, director of the Cabin Sessions held every month in Dundrum, Dublin 14, who sends

Just a reminder of a very special evening on Tuesday 16 July at the Studio in the Mill Theatre Studio, Dundrum, Dublin 14. Northern Californian multi-instrumentalist Kathy Barwick teams up with Maryland singer/songwriter Gary Ferguson to present an evening of American folk music in the intimate surroundings of the Maureen O'Hara Studio at the Mill.

Support will be preview of a few songs from Con Butler's forthcoming album and a couple of rollicking guitar duets from Cathal Cusack and Pat Killalea! Seats are still available - booking via the Mill Theatre, €12; doors 7.30, concert 8.00 p.m.

[This concert is the last in the current tour, which is Gary's ninth consecutive tour of Ireland.]

Thurs. 25th: The Cabin Sessions as usual with the Cabin Sessions house band featuring Cathy McEvoy (fiddle), Spats Davenport (guitar), and Christian Volkmann (harmonmica); special guests Billy Byrne & Brian Dowling (folk), Grace Tallon (contemporary), Lynda Lucas (Americana). 9.30-11.30 p.m., adm. FREE.

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Loudon Temple of the UK Brookfield Knights agency announces a change of tour period for the acclaimed Virginia band Furnace Mountain, since the last message about their proposed return to these islands next year. Due to offers they have had for mid October in USA, the UK/Ireland slot will start later in the month and run over into November.

The band will now be in England and Wales from 23 to 27 October, in Ireland from 28 October to 2 November, and in Scotland from 3 to 9 November. Promoters and event organisers are asked to let Brookfield Knights know if they would like to include Furnace Mountain in programming during the revised periods. BBC 2 footage from Celtic Connections can be seen on YouTube.

Brookfield Knights tel. +44 01505 706346; mob. +44 07831 878013

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Yesterday (14 July) the 23rd Athy Bluegrass Festival ended after a very successful and universally enjoyed weekend with glorious weather. Allowing for your editor's personal interest as a member of Woodbine, there was little doubt that the audiences gave very enthusiastic responses to the sets in which master fiddler George Kaye sat in with Bending the Strings on Friday night, with Woodbine (also augmented by champion Donegal fiddler Dessie Crerand) on Saturday, and again with Woodbine (augmented by Clem O'Brien (guitar) and Evan Lyons (banjo)) on Sunday.

To cap everything, festival director Tony O'Brien announced on Sunday the great news that the future of the festival for next year is now guaranteed, and the 24th Athy Bluegrass Festival will take place in 2014. More details will be given ASAP.

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The updated schedule of events up to Monday 12 August at the Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre in Naul, Co. Dublin, can be seen here.

5th Bruff Bluegrass Festival, 4-6 Oct. 2013

Festival window display in O'Connor's Pharmacy, Main St., Bruff - the background for the Festival blog

Thanks to Jack Clancy of the Bruff Bluegrass Festival organising committee, which has held successful festivals for the last four years in Bruff, Co. Limerick. Jack provides some exciting news about the fifth festival, to be held this year on 4-6 October.

Bands already confirmed as taking part are (in alphabetical order): Bending the Strings, the Down and Out Bluegrass Band, the Knotty Pine String Band, the Tennessee Hennessees, and Woodbine. Five more bands (yes, you read that correctly) are still to be confirmed; and if the possibilities now in view are realised, it will be a momentous weekend.

As well as musical extras that are being considered for the schedule, Bruff has always made a point of laying on some good country-style events, which this year will include the Horse-shoe Pitching Contest, the Donkey Derby, and the Morning Star Rose Competition (named for Bruff's river).

'The best Cajun band in the world' in Ireland, 24-5 July 2013

Thanks to Musiclee.ie for the news that Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet ('the best Cajun band in the world', according to Garrison Keillor) will be playing in Whelan's, Dublin, on Thursday 25 July, starting at 8.30 p.m. Tickets €20 (€18 if booked in advance). For more information, see the Musiclee.ie website.

The band will also be playing the previous night, Wed. 24 July, in Galway, as part of the Galway Arts Festival, but these are their only two shows in Ireland before proceeding to England for one show at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall and two at the Cambridge Folk Festival.

News digest #25

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, TN, issued on 27 June a press release announcing that as from 12 July 2013, Gibson RB-Granada Mastertone #9584-3, the personal instrument of Earl Scruggs, father of bluegrass banjo, will go on display for the first time.

#9584-3 will appear as part of the 'Precious jewels' display of historic instruments, which include the Martin D-28 used by Earl's longtime musical partner Lester Flatt, and the Gibson F-5 mandolin used by the onetime boss of Lester and Earl, Bill Monroe. Detailed descriptions and photos of this Granada are here and in Jim Mills' book Gibson Mastertone flathead banjos (2009).

Mills points out that this banjo has worked hard with just four successive owners, all professionals, since leaving the factory. Its first owner, Fisher Hendley, also lent it to Wade Mainer for use on radio broadcasts.

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Thanks to Petra of the Czech fiddle-and-banjo duo Pe & Pe (mentioned on the BIB on 11 Jan. 2013) for the news that they return to Ireland this month for a trip beginning and ending in Dublin, visiting the Hughes Pub and the Cobblestone for seisiún, and also taking in Killybegs, Ardara (for the 6th Bluegrass Festival), and Donegal town.

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The BIB mentioned on 2 July that the Canadian all-woman string band Oh My Darling will begin a seven-week tour of Europe on 18 July, including their one appearance in Ireland, on 4 Aug. in Bangor, Co. Down. The Brookfield Knights agency in the UK announces that Oh My Darling are scheduled to tour these islands for almost a month next year (5-28 Sept. 2014), and promoters are invited to indicate interest in booking them in that period. They are expected to have a new CD out before then.

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Finally, Leroy Troy (known and admired in Ireland for his appearances at many Johnny Keenan Banjo Festivals) can be seen and heard on Bluegrass Today playing a medley of patriotic American tunes in honour of 4 July. This video (also on YouTube) is an impressive display of Leroy's characteristic clawhammer style.

19th Guinness International Bluegrass Festival at Dunmore East, 22-25 Aug. 2013

The Dunmore organising committee: (l- r) Michael Power, Cliften Foyle, Mick Daly (committee chairman), Sharon Kelly, Adriano Cavaliere, Michael O’Keeffe, Tony Boland (photo: Garret Fitzgerald)

Thanks to Karen Cheevers of B2B Communications in Waterford city, Ireland, for this press release on the 19th Guinness International Bluegrass Festival at Dunmore East, Co. Waterford:

Fans of bluegrass, honky-tonk, blues, country, rhythm ‘n’ roots are in for a musical treat as the Guinness International Bluegrass Festival returns to the south-east this summer. Now in its nineteenth year, the festival takes place in Dunmore East, the picturesque Co. Waterford seaside village, from 22 August to 25 August, and the festival organisers are delighted to announce headline act Mary Jean Lewis and the Low Men.

Mary Jean Lewis grew up in a family of musical royalty. Her mother Linda Gail Lewis has recorded more than twenty albums, and her uncle, Jerry Lee Lewis, an early pioneer of rock and roll, shot to fame with 'Great balls of fire' in 1957. Mary Jean Lewis, an established singer/songwriter, hails from Louisiana, but now resides in Scotland. Drawing on a wide range of country, blues, and rock ‘n’ roll, her powerful voice and soulful lyrics are testament to her remarkable musical legacy.

According to Mick Daly, festival founder and organiser, this years’ festival promises something special for all music lovers. 'Mary Jean Lewis and the Low Men have left a lasting impression in any of the venues they have played. Their set is a roller-coaster of fast-paced rock ‘n roll, rockabilly, and pop, with a tempo-altering segue into country and bluegrass. Dunmore is going to love her.'

The festival will also feature the return of Land’s End, who debuted at the festival in 2012. The band, made up of members from Cork, Galway, Dublin, Munich, Liverpool, and Canada, perform music strongly embedded in the bluegrass tradition, but each member brings a distinctive sound of their own musical tradition to the musical arrangements of the band.

Dublin-based four-piece Well Enough Alone, who appeared in 2011, are back to deliver a mix of original bluegrass songs to classics to hot instrumentals. Tin Box Company, the Pilgrims, and the Down and Out Bluegrass Band are just some of the other names on the lineup for the country’s favourite bluegrass festival. More exciting names are to be confirmed over the coming weeks.

The local hostelries - the Strand Inn, the Ocean, the Haven Hotel, the Spinnaker, Powers Bar, and Azzurro - will play host to dozens of gigs throughout the weekend. Mick added: 'All of the gigs are free over the three-day festival, with the exception of Mary Jean Lewis and the Low Men. The lineup is top-quality and the three-day festival will see some wonderfully talented musicians performing throughout the village. There is also a wide-reaching appeal to the acts, playing an eclectic mix of bluegrass, country, swing, blues, rhythm and rock ‘n’ roll. So you don’t have to be a bluegrass fan to enjoy the festival, you just have to like good music.'

The 19th Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival kicks off at 7.00 p.m. on Thursday 22 August at the Strand Hotel and heralds the start of three days of dozens of bands, playing almost fifty gigs in the village's pubs, restaurants, and hotels.

The Dunmore organising committee: front row (l- r) Sharon Kelly, Cliften Foyle, Adriano Cavaliere, Tony Boland; back row (l-r) Mick Daly (committee chairman), Michael Power (photo: Garret Fitzgerald)

Quote of the year (or possibly century) + comment

[...] It gave me a very clear idea of how to hire anyone for any job. Just ask one question at the interview: 'Do you pick bluegrass?' [...] Anyone who has picked with a band for more than a year should qualify for most jobs, and anyone with five or more years of picking bluegrass should qualify for any job.

Brian McNeal, editor of the Prescription Bluegrass Blog, in his newsletter issued today. See Brian's comment on this post, below, for a link which shows the full reasons why playing in a band develops essential skills - and very convincing they are, too.

News digest #24

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

Thurs. 4th: Woodbine, Clancy's, Bruff, Co. Limerick

Thurs. 4th-Sun. 7th: 25th North Wales Bluegrass Festival, Conwy: Peter & Ellen Vigour (USA) with Ray Banks; 4 Wheel Drive (NL); Jeni Hankins & Billy Kemp (USA); Biggin Hillbillies; Brian Golbey; Britannia Band; Chris Moreton; Conwy Mountain Band; Down County Boys; Kidnap Alice; Five and Dimers; Hope Mountain Band; Longway; Monroe's Revenge; the Morris Boys; New Essex Bluegrass Band; Old Grey Dogs; Shake the Roots; and Appalachian dance team Raise the Dust

Sun. 7th: Ferguson & Barwick (USA), The Red Room, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone); e-mail; +44 7747 120659

Mon. 8th: Ferguson & Barwick (USA), Ballymore Acoustic Gigs, Mick Murphy's, Ballymore Eustace, Co. Kildare; e-mail; +353 86 327 0780

Wed. 10th: Ferguson & Barwick (USA), De Barra's Folk Club, Clonakilty, Co. Cork; e-mail; +353 23 883 3381

Thurs. 11th: Ferguson & Barwick (USA), Blackrock GAA Club, Cork city; e-mail; 087 2944821

Fri. 12th: Ferguson & Barwick (USA), St John’s Theatre, Listowel, Co. Kerry; e-mail; +353 68 22566

Fri. 12th-Sun. 14th: 23rd Athy Bluegrass Festival (Facebook), GAA Centre, Dublin Road, Athy, Co. Kildare: Woodbine, Bending the Strings, Down and Out Bluegrass Band, Watery Hill Boys, Way Out West, Clem O'Brien, Sullivan Brothers, and special guest artists George Kaye (fiddle) and Tom Corbett (USA; mandolin/guitar)

Other news

A feature on the imminent tour of Ireland by Gary Ferguson and Kathy Barwick (opening dates shown above; full schedule on the BIB calendar) can be seen on Bluegrass Today.

The updated schedule of events up to 2 August at the Séamus Ennis Cultural Centre, Naul, Co. Dublin, can be seen here.

The Open House Festival team in Belfast announce that 30,000 copies of a 100-page brochure for their Open House Bangor 400 Festival (1-31 Aug. 2013) are now available, and it can be found at all the participating festival venues, most public places, and many shops in Bangor, Groomsport, and Holywood, Co. Down. The full programme includes a Bluegrass Picnic (4 Aug., 3.00-5.00 p.m.) with the Canadian all-woman band Oh My Darling (see photo above), their only show in Ireland during a seven-week tour of Europe; the Dog Ruff String Band playing at the Goat's Toe (10 Aug.); and Ragtime Jams by Dolbro [sic] Dan every Sunday in August. Read the team's bulletin here.

The UK Brookfield Knights agency sends this link to another review of the Abramson Singers (CAN/USA) trio, who are due to tour these islands in the latter half of next March (see the BIB for 19 June). BK's Loudon Temple says: 'We still have a few dates to fill in the tour period that we flagged up. Please let us know if you would like to bag a slot for your 2014 programme.'

Thanks to bluegrass radio presenter Bob Mitchell (WKWC-FM, WFPK-FM, and Radio Bluegrass International) of Louisville, KY, for his new e-mail address.

With the closure of the Sin E bar on Ormond Quay, the Dublin Bluegrass Collective is looking for a new venue for its weekly sessions.

The Queen's birthday