Dolly and Blue smoke in Ireland, 10-12 June 2014

Thanks to Brian McNeal of the Prescription Bluegrass Blog (USA) for this news: the iconic Dolly Parton's new album, Blue smoke on Dolly Records, is to be released in the USA by Sony Masterworks on 13 May 2014, and later in other countries. It is already out in Australia and New Zealand.

The release will be followed by a tour including five weeks in Europe, where the first show will be in Liverpool on 8 June. Ms Parton will then cross to Ireland for the following three shows:

Tues. 10th June: Odyssey Arena, Belfast
Wed. 11th: The O2, Dublin
Thurs. 12th: Live at the Marquee, Cork

These will be followed by twelve shows in Britain, two in Germany, and one each in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. Full details of the schedule, together with venue website links and online booking facilities, can be seen here.

Ms Parton - once described by old-time music scholar Tony Russell as 'the old-time music enthusiast's favourite country singer' - has already recorded a bluegrass album, and Blue smoke comprises music from several genres, including old-time and bluegrass. Tracks can be heard on the 'Music' page of her website.

Remembering Vinny

Thanks to Danny Slevin of Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, for this news:

On Tuesday 24 June, friends and followers of the late Vinny Baker will gather in the Park Hotel, Mullingar, to pay tribute to Vinny and his life in music. Fellow musicians from his varied career will take part in a gala concert. It is intended to have people from all aspects of his musical journey take part on the night. This will include his showband days, his rock bands, his country bands, and of course, his beloved bluegrass bands.

The organising committee were thrilled to learn through Richard Hawkins that fiddle-playing legend George Kaye intends to be part of the occasion. Vinny played with George many years ago, and it was fortuitous that they got to play together shortly before Vinny's passing, bridging a gap of almost forty years.

It is only when you sit down to plan a tribute to Vinny that you appreciate the vast scale of his achievements. Just prior to his passing, he was playing with country band Tennessee Breakdown, Karen and the Dolans, My Brother Joe with Ben Dolan, and Bending the Strings bluegrass band, and he was actively rehearsing with another country band. Add to all of this his work in his recording studio, guitar lessons, and of course his songwriting, and you will begin to understand his absolute passion for music - he loved every minute of it.

Even though the planning is only at an early stage, the list of artists wanting to take part is growing by the day. The lineup will be announced in the near future. All proceeds from the night will be donated to the St Camillus Patient Care and Comfort Centre in Killucan, Co. Westmeath, where Vinny often gave performances for the residents.

Watch this space for further news.

News digest #37: update

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

Fri. 28th: The Revelers (USA; Cajun), The Sky and the Ground, Wexford town

Sat. 29th: Dangem Bluegrass monthly Bluegrass Get-Together, Lisburn Island Arts Centre, Co. Antrim, 10.00 a.m. to noon
The Revelers (USA; Cajun), the Red Room, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone

Sun. 30th: The Revelers (USA; Cajun), Whelans, Dublin 2

APRIL

Wed. 2nd: Rackhouse Pilfer, Crane Lane Theatre, Cork city

Thurs. 3rd: The Broken Circle Breakdown (film), Cork Cine Club, St John's Central College, Cork city, 8.00 p.m.
Rackhouse Pilfer, White Horse, Ballincollig, Co. Cork

Fri. 4th: The Broken Circle Breakdown (film), Newcastle West Film Club, the Desmond Complex, Newcastle West, Co. Limerick, 8.00 p.m.
Janet Holmes with Colin Henry and Dick Farrelly, Dublin Conservative Club, 20 Camden Row, Dublin 2, 8.30 p.m., €15 (€13)
Rackhouse Pilfer, Eddie Murphy's, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny

Sat. 5th: Janet Holmes with Colin Henry and Dick Farrelly, Punch Bowl, Booterstown, Co. Dublin
Rackhouse Pilfer, the Empire, Belfast

Sun. 6th: Alec Somerville and the 'Canadian soldiers banjo' on BBCTV 'Antiques Roadshow'
Tish Hinojosa and Anny Celsi (USA), Whelan's Upstairs, Wexford St., Dublin 2, 8.30 start; €14 (€12)

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Thanks to Paul Lee of Musiclee.ie for his latest listings, which give more detail on the shows above by the Revelers, Janet Holmes with Colin Henry and Dick Farrelly, and Tish Hinojosa and Anny Celsi, as well as more artists in the near future.

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C. Paul 'Dobroman' Lyttle and the organising committee of the Moniaive Michaelmas Bluegrass Festival (MMBF) in Scotland announce that tickets are now on sale for this year's event (26-8 Sept.). Tickets can, for preference, be bought through this page on the website. Non-online purchases can be made by e-mail. In September (subject to availability) it will be possible to buy tickets for single events. Tickets can only be reserved if bought in advance; early booking is advised, as a few would-be attenders had to be turned away last year.

The MMBF website header (above) shows the Broken Strings on stage; this year, as it happens, is one of the rare times the Festival has not had at least one band from Ireland on the bill.

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The latest e-newsletter from Gold Tone makes two announcements concerning Béla Fleck: (1) the 'Missing Link' banjo, tuned a fifth below a normal 5-string, has been developed in conjunction with him and is due for issue this summer; (2) he has had a Gold Tone Zero Glide nut fitted to his banjo and considers it an improvement. Read more here.

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Donna Ulisse (USA) is one of the artists taking part in the 'Country's Family Reunion - Simply Bluegrass' series, which as well as being shown on RFD-TV is available on a five-DVD set. Performers include Ricky Skaggs, the Whites, Rhonda Vincent, Del McCoury, Doyle Lawson, the Gibson Brothers, Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle, Bobby Osborne, Mac Wiseman, Dailey & Vincent, and many more. More details on Donna's e-newsletter.

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Update 29 Mar.: Thanks to Roger Ryan of the Country Music Association of Ireland for the April 2014 issue of his 'Country Cuts' newsletter, which can be read here.

Corn Potato String Band in Ireland, 13-28 June 2014

The Corn Potato String Band: (l-r) Aaron Jonah Lewis, Lindsay McCaw, Ben Belcher
Thanks again to the FOAOTMAD weekly news blog for more good news for old-time-music enthusiasts in the coming months. The Corn Potato String Band (USA) will be in Ireland for two weeks from mid June, as part of a tour in Europe beginning on 23 May and ending with two festivals in Sweden at the beginning of July.

All members of the band are multi-instrumentalists with distinguished careers on the old-time scene. More details, together with full dates in Europe and tracks of their music, are on their website. Their schedule in Ireland, as it stands at present, is:

Fri. 13th-Sat. 14th: Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival, Westport, Co. Mayo
Sun. 15th: The Glens Centre, Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim
Tues. 17th: The Red Room, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone
Wed. 18th: Myles K. McCann’s, Omagh, Co. Tyrone
Thurs. 19th: The Strule Arts Centre, Townhall Square, Omagh, Co. Tyrone
Fri. 20th: Open House Festival, Belfast
Sat. 21st: J.J. Harlow’s, Market Square, Roscommon town, Co. Roscommon
Sun. 22nd: Roadside Tavern, Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare
Fri. 27th: The Source Arts Centre, Cathedral St., Thurles, Co. Tipperary
Sat. 28th: The Séamus Ennis Cultural Centre, Naul, Co. Dublin

Cahalen Morrison and Eli West in Ireland, 6-9 May 2014

Thanks to the FOAOTMAD weekly news blog for the news that the celebrated old-time duo Cahalen Morrison and Eli West will be (all too briefly) in Ireland this spring as part of a tour in these islands lasting from 30 Apr. to 17 May. Their four dates in Ireland are:

Tues. 6th: The Red Room, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone
Wed. 7th: Balor Arts Centre, Balleybofey, Co. Donegal
Thurs. 8th: Whelan’s, Dublin 2
Fri. 9th: Baltimore Fiddle Fair, Baltimore, Co. Cork

They have a new CD, I'll swing my hammer with both my hands. Tracks from it, YouTube videos, and more of their music can be heard on their website.

Detached notes

Thanks to Ray O'Brien for forwarding this news from Roger Ryan of the Country Music Association of Ireland: Rattlesnake Annie (USA), longtime ambassador of American roots music to the rest of the world, will be on tour in Ireland in the first half of July, beginning on Thursday 3 July.

Roger announces for event organisers that the following dates are still available: all from Tuesday 8 July to Tuesday 15 July. A YouTube video of Annie in Japan with Masamitsu Oshima can be seen here. Anyone interested in presenting this unique performer should contact Roger by e-mail or mobile 'phone (087-2944821). More details, including a full bio (and Annie's is a remarkable life), are on Ray's 'Bluegrass in Ireland' Facebook page.

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The schedule of coming events at the Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre in Naul, Co. Dublin, updated to 13 April, can be seen here. It includes the show on Friday 11 April by the Whileaways (see the BIB for 12 Mar.).

Sarah Jarosz in Ireland, 16-19 July 2014

Thanks to longtime promoter of acoustic music Tom Stapleton for the news that multi-talented singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and 2014 double Grammy nominee Sarah Jarosz (USA) will be playing four dates in Ireland this coming July, supporting her latest release, Build me up from bones. One of the shows is already sold out. The dates are:

Wed. 16th: The Set Theatre, Kilkenny city; 056 7721728 or Rollercoaster 056 7763669
Thurs. 17th: Whelan's, Dublin 2; 1890200078
Fri. 18th: Coughlan's Live, Cork (sold out)
Sat. 19th: Campbell's Tavern, Cloughanover, Headford, Co. Galway; 093 35454

She will then go on to a series of ten shows in Scotland, Wales, and England, culminating in the prestigious Cambridge Folk Festival (2-3 Aug.). Sample videos of her performing can be seen on YouTube here, here, here, and here.

The Broken Circle Breakdown in Cork, 3 Apr. 2014

Veerle Baetens (Elise) and Johan Heldenbergh (Didier)

Thanks to Ray O'Brien for passing on news from his 'Bluegrass in Ireland' Facebook page of the splendid Belgian bluegrass film drama The Broken Circle Breakdown, directed by Felix van Groeningen, which has been breaking cinema attendance records and boosting opportunities for bluegrass bands on the Continent since its release in 2012, and which opened in the US last autumn.

As reported on the BIB on 28 Jan., the film has been showing in Ireland since 30 Jan. and will be screened till 7 May. All dates of showings are on the BIB calendar. Ray forwards the announcement by Cork Cine Club, which presents The Broken Circle Breakdown as the final film in its tenth season on Thursday 3 April at 8.00 p.m. in St John's Central College, Sawmill St., Cork city:

This rich, raw, heartache of a film was a 2014 Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film.

Elise and Didier fall in love at first sight. She has her own tattoo shop and he plays the banjo in a bluegrass band. They bond over their shared enthusiasm for American music and culture, and dive headfirst into a sweeping romance that plays out on and off stage. But when an unexpected tragedy hits their new family, everything they know and love is tested.

An intensely moving portrait of a relationship from beginning to end, propelled by a soundtrack of foot-stomping bluegrass, The Broken Circle Breakdown is a romantic melodrama of the highest order [...] a masterful, exuberant film which encompasses all of human emotion.

All completely true, and Cork Cine Club membership is included in the ticket price of €8.50/€7. Trailers and reviews can be found on the Cine Club's website, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

The Revelers at the Red Room - and elsewhere

Thanks to Sharon Loughrin of the Red Room at Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, for news of the Revelers Cajun 'supergroup' (above) from Lafayette, Louisiana. The Revelers were formed by a conjunction of the founding members of the Red Stick Ramblers and the Pine Leaf Boys. Last year Kirsty Fitzsimons of the Ubangi Stomp Club and Dublin City FM considered their debut album 'gorgeous – full of joy from start to finish'. Sharon writes:

They arrive into Ireland tomorrow night [Mon. 24 Mar.] and are availing of 'the Red Room welcome hug' experience before they play their first Irish gig in Ballybofey on Tuesday night. After that it's the Glens Centre in Manorhamilton on Wednesday; Clonmel on Thursday; The Sky and the Ground (Wexford) on Friday, up to us on Saturday night for the Red Room concert, and finishing in Whelans, Dublin, next Sunday night.

Pre-loved banjos at Dangem

More good news from Dangem Bluegrass, who announce that their stock of used banjos includes two first-class instruments: a Stelling Red Fox (above left) in excellent condition for £1,900 or nearest offer, and a black Deering Crossfire electric (above right) 'as new' for £1,600 or nearest offer.

More details of the instruments are on the latest Dangem e-newsletter; see also the full makers' specifications for the Red Fox and the Crossfire. A comparison of prices shows that the Dangem instruments are real bargains.

Dangem Bluegrass Get-Together, Sat. 29 Mar. 2014

Thanks to Dangem Bluegrass for their latest e-newsletter, announcing that anyone who enjoys bluegrass music is welcome to the monthly Dangem Bluegrass jam session and banjo lessons, which will be held next from 10.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon this coming Saturday, 29 Mar. 2014.

Arrangements as per usual: the venue is the Lagan Valley Island Civic Centre in Lisburn, Co. Antrim, BT27 4RL (028 9250 9292), and the schedule is

10.00-10.30 Warmup
10.30-11.00(ish) Break out time for beginners
Rest of players jam time
11.00(ish) to 12.00(ish) All back together

Derek Lockhart of Dangem says:

Bring along your banjos, guitars, mandolins, fiddles, dobros, and bass, or just come along and enjoy us make music. Look forward to seeing as many of you who can attend.

For more info, contact Derek by e-mail. Read the full version here.

Tumbling Bones: tour news and new CD

Tumbling Bones, from Portland, Maine, began last night (Friday 21 Mar.) a tour in the north-eastern US to warm them up for their six-week tour in Ireland, Germany, and Britain which begins on 10 April. It will be their third time in Ireland.

Tumbling Bones, 'a group of young men inspired by old music', consists of Kyle Morgan (vocals, guitars, upright bass, piano, organ), Jake Hoffman (vocals, upright bass, banjo), and Pete Winne (vocals, guitars, banjo, harmonica, buck-dancing).

At present, they're feeling particularly inspired, and proud of their first full-length album, Loving a fool, which was released on Tuesday 18 Mar. for digital download from their Bandcamp site. It will be released in Europe on 31 Mar. (thus available on the tour) and in the US on 3 June.

The schedule for their tour in Ireland (10-29 Apr.) remains as published on the BIB on 5 Mar. 2014, with one addition: during the weekend 19-21 Apr., while resident at the Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh, Co. Tyrone, they will also be playing at Myles K. McCann's bar in John St., Omagh, from 10.30 p.m. on the Saturday night (19 Apr.) All dates are on the BIB calendar.

More details are on the band's latest e-newsletter.

Long time... Seldom Scene on Smithsonian Folkways: update

Thanks to Smithsonian Folkways for news of the new album Long time… Seldom Scene by the legendary Seldom Scene. Their first album on the label, and their first studio album since the Grammy-nominated Scenechronized (2006), it features special guests Tom Gray, John Starling, Emmylou Harris, Chris Eldridge, and Rickie Simpkins.

This audio link includes 'Through the bottom of the glass', which made no. 2 in Bluegrass Today's list of classic bluegrass drinking songs, and 'Wait a minute' (featuring John Starling), very popular with bluegrass bands in Britain.

You can also see videos of the Scene playing 'Through the bottom of the glass' and 'Big train from Memphis'. The way Dudley Connell and Lou Reid lean their voices against each other is good to watch. An official Smithsonian Folkways press release on the album is here.

Update 20 Mar.: Thanks to Blair Bainbridge of Smithsonian Folkways for this link to a fine video of the present-day Scene in the studio, recording 'Wait a minute', together with reminiscences by founder members about the band's original recording (for the 1973 album Old train) and comments by Chris Eldridge of the Punch Brothers.

The Handsome Boatmen record debut album

Thanks to Alan Carmody of the Handsome Boatmen, based in Navan, Co. Meath, for the news that the band have just finished recording their debut album. The BIB mentioned the Lost Brothers a few days ago; the Boatmen's Breaking Tunes site likens their sound to that of the Lost Brothers.

The original Boatmen (shown in the photo), Dorian Bordalo from Mozambique and Alan, started writing songs last year and have performed across Ireland. They spent the summer of 2013 gigging in San Francisco, and since then have added drummer Aimee Mallon, singer Joy Booth, and guitarist Cormac O'Keefe.

Their influences (apart from Alan Lomax recordings) are listed as Bo Diddley, Bob Dylan, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Johnny Cash, Kurt Vile, Leonard Cohen, and My Morning Jacket. Breaking Tunes calls them a bluegrass band; it is fair to say that what this means is that a banjo is used, and that some of their songs could be played and sung in bluegrass style. Their Facebook page says:

The Handsome Boatmen offer a revisionist take on roots Americana that is both fresh, eerily familiar, and ultimately timeless.

Visit the band's Breaking Tunes site (where you can hear four tracks of their music) and judge for yourself.

A window into Appalachia

Rayna Gellert (photo: Jon Estes)

The BIB editor writes:

Many in Ireland will remember Rayna Gellert's visit in 2006 as fiddler of the ground-breaking all-girl neo-old-time string band Uncle Earl; and her solo CD Ways of the world has been for years my favourite old-time album. Rayna's latest e-newsletter announces that the band will be reuniting at the Rockygrass Festival in Colorado this coming July.

Rayna is currently on tour in Britain till 30 March; the dates are on her calendar. Fiddlers who want to learn from her and are out of easy reach can do so by Skype.

Among the things Rayna lists under the heading 'Current inspiration' is what she rightly calls 'a truly stunning interactive online documentary about McDowell County, West Virginia', called simply Hollow. The film begins with the stark statement that one in three counties in the US is dying through losing population. McDowell, where the population is now less than a quarter of its peak in the 1950s, is an example. Its story is told through the stories of many inhabitants, and their vitality and creativity is remarkable, not to mention the views one gets of this part of Appalachia. And there's some fine hard-driving bluegrass, and flatfoot dancing. Strongly recommended. Read the newsletter in full here.

Gig news

Thanks to Ray O'Brien for passing on news from the Blood Red Mountain Band, who played in the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin on Saturday 15 March at 2.45 p.m., in Arthur's Bar on the fifth floor.

This news was on Ray's 'Bluegrass in Ireland' Facebook page on Friday, but as the BIB editor was off the job for most of Friday and Saturday, it was not on the BIB. There is still (just) time to catch the Blood Red Mountain Band, who are playing two more sets today (17 March) in the Guinness Storehouse: at 2.00 p.m. in the Arrol Suite and and 3.45 p.m. in Arthur's Bar.

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Thanks to David Hope at Kenny's Bar, Lahinch, Co. Clare, for news of the entertainment programme there this coming spring, which includes such acts as the Lost Brothers on 10 April. Read the April programme here; there is more on the Kenny's Facebook page.

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And thanks to Brendan O'Regan, organiser of the Arklow Roots Music series at the Arklow Bay Hotel in Arklow, Co. Wicklow, for this news of Brendan's spring programme, plus photos:

Wed. 23 Apr. Ennis [left] from Canada, singing sisters with gorgeous harmonies, €15; pair of tickets in advance €25.

Thurs. 1 May Beth Nielsen Chapman [right], highly regarded singer-songwriter from Nashville, €25; pair of tickets in advance €40.

Tickets from Arklow Bay Hotel 0402-32309.

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Finally, thanks to Gerry Fitzpatrick for the news that the next in the Cabin Sessions series will be held at Uncle Tom's Cabin, Dundrum, Dublin 14, on Thursday 27 March. In residence are the Cabin Crew [Spats Davenport (gtr), Con Butler (bs), Gerry Fitzpatrick (dob), Cathy McEvoy (f), Christian Volkmann (hca)] with special guests Sue Callaghan (contemporary folk), Alan Begley (Americana), Mongoose (contemporary folk). The show runs from 9.30 to 11.30 p.m., and admission is free.

Gerry adds that other events that might interest Cabin Sessions followers are on the first April weekend: the monthly open session at Uncle Tom's on Friday 4 Apr., and the two shows by Janet Holmes and Colin Henry with Dick Farelly announced by Paul Lee a week ago (see the BIB for 10 Mar.): at the Dublin Conservative Club, 20 Camden Row, Dublin 2, also on Friday, and upstairs at the Old Punchbowl, Booterstown, Co. Dublin, the following evening, Saturday 5 Apr.

Two more hasty notes

Thanks to Sean McManus for a reminder that, following up on the very successful concert night on 16 Jan. (see the BIB here), bluegrass and traditional country music returns to Ashbourne, Co. Meath, on St Patrick's Eve - Sunday 16 March.

The venue is Molly's in Frederick St., and the lineup consists of two-thirds of the January programme: Woodbine from Athy, Co. Kildare, and Della Belle from Dundalk, with P.J. Power as special guest on dobro. More details are on the poster image (click to enlarge).

Seamus also reports that on the night Ashbourne's own Seamus Driver will perform a tribute to Jim Reeves, who died fifty years ago this year.

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Thanks yet again to Ray O'Brien who passes on news that Rackhouse Pilfer are launching their second album, of all original songs, this weekend in Sligo with two concerts in the Model Arts Centre this Saturday and Sunday, and will launch it in Whelan's, Dublin, a week today (Friday 21st) and in Monroe's, Galway, the following night, followed by a six-week tour throughout Ireland. Again, more details, including very nice photos and poster images, on Ray's Facebook. The dates will appear on the BIB calendar as soon as possible.

A few hasty notes

Thanks to Ray O'Brien for two items just published on his Bluegrass in Ireland Facebook page:

(1) Roger Ryan of the Country Music Association of Ireland reports that leading Nashville songwriter Max T. Barnes and upcoming country singer Craig Curtis (more details and links on Ray's Facebook) will be in Cork early next week, making the following appearances:

Tues. 18th: Cork City Library, Grand Parade, Cork, 1.00 p.m.
Interview on County Sound with Sean Donlon, 8.30 p.m.
Pickin' Party, Rockies Club, Blackrock, Cork, 10.00 p.m.

Wed. 19th: Concert, Cork Opera House, 8.00 p.m.

(2) Aran Sheehan reports that the Boxcar Preachers from Texas, who made a big impact at previous Dunmore East bluegrass festivals, will be back at Dunmore East this August and are looking for other gigs in Ireland around that time. Again, for more details see Ray's Facebook.

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To correspondents earlier this year who wanted contact details for the Didmarton Bluegrass Festival in England, which at the time I couldn't supply: the festival, under new management, will be on 29-31 August this year, and can be contacted through the website.

A flyer for Didmarton, giving ticket prices, has been issued with the latest number of British Bluegrass News, the official BBMA magazine, which is a really excellent quarterly journal and a good model for any bluegrass association that produces a magazine.

The Special C. talk about their new album

As mentioned on the BIB on St Valentine's Day, the next Compass Records album by the Special Consensus (USA) is a tribute to the late John Denver, in which the band are joined by friends from the top ranks of bluegrass music.

On this coming St Patrick's weekend, the Special C. begin touring in support of the album, which is scheduled for release on 25 Mar. Bluegrass Today carries a new feature on the making of the album by John Lawless, including a video with plenty of music and all the band members talking about what it has meant to them.

The Special C. have toured regularly in Ireland since 1995 (most recently in January 2013), so their many friends and fans over here should enjoy the feature. The video can also be seen on YouTube.

Mohill Bluegrass Festival holds St Patrick's Day raffle

Thanks to Ray O'Brien for forwarding this news from Tommy Kelleher, organiser of the Mohill Bluegrass Festival in Co. Leitrim:

This St Patrick's day the Mohill Bluegrass Festival are holding a raffle for one night's B&B with dinner for two at Lough Rynn Castle (kindly donated by Lough Rynn Castle).

Tickets €3. Draw will take place at O'Brian's Bar with music by our very own Bees Knees playing plenty of bluegrass.

Bass player wanted by White Mansions

Paul Reid, banjo-player and lead vocalist of the White Mansions band in Belfast, sends word that they urgently need a double-bass player for gigs and recording commitments.

If you are interested in joining the band, please send a message to them via their Facebook page, leaving your name and mobile number. White Mansions can be heard on their ReverbNation site.

Sacred Harp in Belfast, 16 Mar. 2014

Thanks to the Open House Festival team in Belfast for the news that on Sunday 16 March the Belfast Sacred Harp group holds a singing session at Newtownbreda (St John’s) Presbyterian Church Hall, 374-8 Ormeau Road, Belfast, from 7.30 to 9.30 p.m. Admission free (suggested donation £1).

The Open House e-newsletter (which has some pleasing graphics) adds the following introduction to Sacred Harp:

Sacred Harp (or shape note) singing is a powerful traditional a cappella form of four-part harmony singing from America, which is going through a revival after its recent prominence in the soundtrack of the film Cold Mountain. This class is secular and no singing or choral experience is needed. Loan copies of the Sacred Harp book will be available. All welcome.

See what Sacred Harp singing is all about at the following links:

'I'm going home'
'Awake my soul' film trailer

The Open House Festival mailing address is:

Open House Festival
Oh Yeah Centre
15-21 Gordon St.
Belfast BT1 2LG

The Whileaways at Naul, 11 Apr. 2014

Thanks again to Joanne Ryan of the Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre in Naul, Co. Dublin - this time for the news that the Whileaways (Noriana Kennedy, Nicola Joyce, Noelie McDonnell) will be playing there at 8.00 p.m. on Friday 11 April. BIB readers will know Noriana in particular from the neo-old-time group Mad Uncle Harry.

The three members of the Whileaways met on the Galway city folk scene and made their first big impact as a trio at the 2012 Port Fairy Folk Festival in Australia. Their debut album got four stars from the Irish Times reviewer and was 'Album of the Week' on RTE Radio 1.

Friday 11 April is a busy day for them: at lunch they will be playing at the Cúirt International Festival of Literature in Galway. More detail, a performance video, and online booking facilities are on the Centre's website. Tickets are €13. The Whileaways write:

We are delighted to be playing the loveliest of arts centres, right up the north of Dublin. Invite your friends!

Events in the next week

Taken from the BIB calendar (please check also the 'Weekly sessions' section of the calendar)

Wed. 12th: The Broken Circle Breakdown (film), Abbey Centre, Tirconaill St., Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal, 8.00 p.m.

Thurs. 13th: Wookalily, Love Coffee, Lurgan, Co. Armagh

Fri. 14th: Red Hat Acoustic Music Club, Harbour View Hotel, Naas, Co. Kildare; musicians and listeners welcome

Sun. 16th: Niall Toner with Richie Foley (mandolin), Kelvin Busher (bass), and Johnny Gleeson (dobro), Stag's Head, Dame Lane, Dublin 2, 4.00-6.00 p.m., adm. €8
Belfast Sacred Harp singing session, Newtownbreda (St John’s) Presbyterian Church Hall, 374-8 Ormeau Road, Belfast, 7.30-9.30 p.m., adm. free (suggested donation £1)
Woodbine and Della Belle, Molly's Bar, Frederick St., Ashbourne, Co. Meath, 9.00 p.m., adm. €7

Mon. 17th: The Broken Circle Breakdown (film), Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray, Co. Wicklow, 8.00 p.m.
Mohill Bluegrass Festival present a raffle (for one night's B&B with dinner for two at Lough Rynn Castle); tickets €3, draw in O'Brian's Bar, Mohill, Co. Leitrim; music by Bees Knees

Tues. 18th: The Broken Circle Breakdown (film), Kilkenny Film Club, Set Theatre, Kilkenny city, 8.00 p.m.

Wed. 19th: The Broken Circle Breakdown (film), Dunamaise Arts Centre, Church St., Portlaoise, Co. Laois, 8.00 p.m.

NB: in the following week, beginning on Mon. 24th, the outstanding gospel group The Isaacs (USA) are performing three shows in Northern Ireland; details on the BIB calendar. Showings of the Broken Circle Breakdown will continue to the beginning of May.

Concerts at a new listening venue in Dublin, 4 Apr., 11 Apr. 2014

Colin Henry & Janet Holmes (photo: Richie Tindall)

Thanks to Paul Lee of Musiclee.ie for this news of two concerts in the Dublin Conservative Club, 20 Camden Row, Dublin 2 ('opposite end of lane to Whelans'), on Friday 4 April and Friday 11 April. Paul writes:

Please have a look and try to make one of them as we are hoping to use this lovely venue on a regular basis. It realy is a nice room for comfortable listening concerts. No bouncers or nightclubs and no noise from other rooms etc.

Also hoping to develop a regular gig in the Punch Bowl. Another lovely intimate room above the pub and right beside Booterstown Dart station. If you know anyone out that direction, please pass this on.

You can reserve tickets at €13 and €15, so please do so and help us get these few shows off to a good start.

The details are:

Fri. 4 Apr.: Dublin Conservative Club, 8.30 p.m. (+ Sat. 5 April, the Punch Bowl, Booterstown)
€15 (€13)

Janet Holmes with Colin Henry and Dick Farrelly
First concert in this lovely room. Come out and support it, and hopefully it will be the first of many.

'Janet’s soft,easy careworn Americana style washes your troubles away. Her voice is like brandy by a fireside after a day of hill-walking in the rain. Too many people’s publicity material promises this kind of thing but, trust me, an evening in Janet’s company and the world never seems so bad.

'She has performed with the likes of Nanci Griffith, Mick Hanly, Andy Irvine, and Charlie McGettigan. Recorded with Duffy Power, Martin Hayes, Henry McCullough, and Gary Ferguson, etc., and released three albums at her own pace over the past ten years. Joined by Colin on dobro and Dick on guitars.'
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Fri. 11 Apr.: Dublin Conservative Club, 9.00 p.m.
€17 (€15 reserved in advance)

Tangled Roots (Eleanor Shanley, Frankie Lane, Paul Kelly, Brendan Begley, and Mike Hanrahan)

The recession is now officially over. 'Folk the Recession' is calling it a day so it must be over!

During the three years since its launch Folk the Recession has toured nationally and internationally with various combinations of Eleanor Shanley, Frankie Lane, Paul Kelly, Seamus Begley, John Spillane, Tommy Sands, Brendan Begley, Mick Hanly, and Mike Hanrahan.

The most recent lineup have bonded to such an extent that they have decided to bid farewell to the recession but continue together under a new name. Henceforth they will be known as Tangled Roots. The name sits perfectly as this lineup continue to mesh together an eclectic mix of roots, folk, and traditional music from around the world.
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Check out Paul's other upcoming concerts here. The Punch Bowl at Booterstown has been the venue for regular Wednesday folk and Americana sessions led by the McGrane Family for several years.

Touring news

Following the news that appeared on the BIB on 10 Feb., the Brookfield Knights agency repeats that Zoe Muth & the Lost High Rollers (USA) are available for bookings in Ireland for the peril 3-12 Nov. 2014. The period 21 Oct.-2 Nov. is already filled with dates in Britain, and the tour can be extended to 12 Nov. if there is enough demand from Ireland.

Promoters and event organisers who are interested should contact Brookfield Knights. The band's live shows can be sampled in this clip from 2012.

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Well, it looks like a bluegrass band on tour to us, though we recognise none of the faces... Anyway, thanks to Angela Warren, media relations officer of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI), for this press release on a joint funding initiative by ACNI and the Arts Council/ An Chomhairle Ealaíon, which has made grants totalling €285,000 to ten organisations, to encourage touring on both sides of the border. Moving on Music Ltd, based in Belfast, is one of the beneficiaries. More details are in the press release.

Niall Toner warms up for MerleFest at Dublin, 16 Mar. 2014

Thanks to Niall Toner for the poster image and more information on the show he will be playing on Sunday 16 March, backed by Richie Foley (mandolin), Kelvin Busher (bass), and Johnny Gleeson (dobro), at the Stag's Head, Dame Court, Dublin 2 (where the Sackville String Band played weekly shows in 1976).

Please note that the show will run from 4.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m.; and Niall & Co. will be performing the songs and tunes from his album Onwards and upwards, on the US label Pinecastle Records. The album will be available for purchase at the show. Tickets (€8.00) can be pre-booked through Barry Hartigan by e-mail.

On 26 April Niall will be in North Carolina, playing four sets at this year's MerleFest, the world's most prestigious 'tradition-plus' Americana festival.

Vincent Cross: March Madness newsletter

Thanks to Vincent Cross in the USA for his March Madness newsletter, in which he records his first visit to this year's Folk Alliance International in Kansas City. The photo shows Vincent finding it 'a very filling experience', but doing his best to take everything in. He records: 'We had a great turnout from Wales, Canada, and Australia, but too few from Ireland.'

Highlights of the event included the keynote speech by Graham Nash; hearing Jim Kweskin playing with Dom Flemons; and sitting in with Roy Book Binder. Vincent also recommends checking out a pile of other artists named in his newsletter. This Sunday (9 March) Kasey Rausch will be reviewing this year's event and the new discoveries at it on www.kkfi.org, with live guests including Betse Ellis of the Wilders.

You can see more photos, including Vincent's 'new' 1955 Martin 0-18 from Retrofret, in the newsletter, together with the dates for his tour in California in April, and more.

Rob Heron & the Tea Pad Orchestra in Ireland, 7-14 Mar. 2014

Not bluegrass, but Rob Heron & the Tea Pad Orchestra, 'the UK's finest purveyors of Western Swing, Ragtime & Hokum Blues', begin a tour of Ireland today. They're highly regarded, notably by US artist Pokey LaFarge, whom they have supported on tours, and the BIB mentioned them a month ago. Apart from anything else, they're an example of the revival of the archtop guitar.

You can hear them on SoundCloud, their website, and on YouTube - for instance, here and here. They are also on Facebook. More to the point, you can hear and see them at seven locations in Ireland, beginning tonight:

Fri. 7th Mar.: The Bridge Tavern, Wicklow, Co. Wicklow
Sat. 8th: The Grand Social, Dublin city
Sun. 9th: Crane Lane Theatre, Cork city
Tues. 11th: The Weigh Inn, Omagh, Co. Tyrone
Wed. 12th: The Atlantic Bar, Portrush, Co. Londonderry
Thurs. 13th: The Spirit Store, Dundalk, Co. Louth
Fri. 14th: The Goat’s Toe, Bangor, Co. Down

Old-time workshop news

Ireland has a small but dedicated autoharpist community, so here's some news from the FOAOTMAD news blog:

Autoharps – Do you have an autoharp tucked away? Have you ever fancied playing one? Or do you need some expert tuition? UK Autoharps is running a full day of workshops at Tirlebrook Primary School, Tewkesbury GL20 8EW, on Saturday 22 March from 10.30 a.m.

Tutors include Mike Fenton and Heather Farrell-Roberts. Cost is £10 for half a day, £20 full day, including free autoharp loan if required. To book a place visit the UK Autoharps website or e-mail.

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Kate Lissauer reports on this year's old-time music workshop week (10-17 May) in her successful 'La Fuente de Musica' series in Andalusia, Spain:

The deadline for enrolment in this workshop holiday week is 12 March. I have not had enough enrolment to make the week happen, and I need to let teachers and workers know if it is on, as they have been holding the dates, waiting to make their plans. So, if you suddenly realise that you simply must come, let me know by then!

Contact Kate by e-mail.

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The current issue (vol. xiii, no. 8) of The Old-Time Herald magazine includes a fourteen-page list of old-time music festivals and workshops during 2014. Most of these, naturally, are in the USA; but at the end there are nine entries for Canada, two for Australia, five for England, one for Germany, and one for Ireland - the Concertina Cruinnin at Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare, which was held in mid February. We'd be glad to hear if there was an old-time presence there.

The 'Letters' section of the issue also contains a long letter by David Prat Duran on the old-time scene in and around Barcelona, and the Herald asks its readers:

Do you live and play old-time music outside the United States? Write and tell us about your old-time scene!

There's an opportunity for someone...

Tumbling Bones in Ireland, 10-29 Apr. 2014

Thanks to Joanne Ryan of the Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre at Naul, Co. Dublin, for the above photo of Tumbling Bones (USA), who will be playing at Naul on Saturday 26 April. This show is part of a six-week tour in Europe, with main-stage performances at the 12th International Bühl Bluegrass Festival (2-3 May) in south-west Germany, followed by dates in Britain (8-20 May). Before that, however, the band's dates in Ireland (their third or fourth tour over here) are as follows:

Thurs. 10th April: Whelan’s, Dublin 2
Fri. 11th: McGing’s, Westport, Co. Mayo
Sat. 12th: Aras Eanna, Inis Oirr, Aran Islands
Sun. 13th: Mannion’s, Balla, Co. Mayo
Tues. 15th: The Sea Rod Inn, Doohoma, Co. Mayo
Wed. 16th: Aras Inis Gluaire Community Centre, Belmullet, Co. Mayo (afternoon performance)
Thurs. 17th: Balor Arts Centre, Ballybofey, Co. Donegal
Sat. 19th: Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh, Co. Tyrone
Sun. 20th: Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh, Co. Tyrone
Mon. 21st: Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh, Co. Tyrone
Tues. 22nd: The Red Room, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone
Thurs. 24th: Wexford Arts Centre, Wexford town, Ireland
Fri. 25th: Athy GAA Club, Athy, Co. Kildare (with Woodbine)
Sat. 26th: Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre, Naul, Co. Dublin
Sun. 27th: The Roadside Tavern, Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare
Tues. 29th: The Crane Bar, Galway city, Co. Galway

More info on the band, plus online booking facilities for the Naul show, are on the Seamus Ennis Centre website.

Also on the bill at the Bühl Bluegrass Festival are the John Lowell Band (USA) (see the BIB for 6 Feb.), who will be touring in Ireland in May. More details as soon as we get them.

Lily Isaacs story to be published in May

On 6 Feb. the BIB carried the news that the Isaacs - in our words 'unquestionably one of the most outstanding gospel groups in bluegrass music' - will be performing three dates in Northern Ireland towards the end of this month, as the first part of a brief tour in Europe.

Yesterday John Lawless posted on Bluegrass Today the news that You don't cry out loud, the autobiography of Lily Isaacs, will be published in mid May 2014. As John's piece shows, hers is a remarkable story, beginning with her Jewish childhood in Poland. Read more on Bluegrass Today. Here again are the NI dates in the tour:

Mon. 24th: Killyhevlin Hotel, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, 7.00 p.m.
Tues. 25th: Craigavon Civic Centre, Craigavon, Co. Armagh, 7.00 p.m.
Wed. 26th: The Spires Centre, Belfast, 7.00 p.m.

Alec and banjo to appear on 'Antiques Roadshow', 6 Apr. 2014

Alec Somerville with the English-made banjo at the Canadian War Museum, 17 Dec. 2013 (photo: Ashley Fraser of the Ottawa Citizen)

On 6 January 2014 the BIB published news of old-time singer and clawhammer-banjo player Alec Somerville, now resident in Donegal, and the 5-string banjo that he had located in England and donated to the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

The Museum put the banjo on display on 27 January, the sole example in its collection of a musical instrument that belonged to a soldier. On the inside of the original skin head are the names of twenty-eight men who had clearly been members of the Canadian armed forces on the Western Front, at the time of some of the heaviest fighting of the first world war. Further research is in progress.

Alec and the banjo were also filmed for a special edition of BBC TV's 'Antiques Roadshow', which - we're delighted to report - will be shown a month from now, on Sunday 6 April. The story is also expected to be featured soon in Banjo NewsLetter.

Petunia & the Vipers in Ireland, 5-9 Mar. 2014 - and later this year

Just received - this news from Loudon Temple of the Brookfield Knights agency in the UK:

Hi, folks - we currently have top Canadian band Petunia & the Vipers on tour and they have been wowing audiences everywhere and playing to big crowds, following their triumphant debut here on the back of Celtic Connections festival last year.

The band will be returning in 2015 but in between times, we are bringing Petunia back with another stunningly talented musician - Nathan Godfrey - with whom he has toured extensively on the US/Canadian circuit for many years in duo format. Of course, fans of the band are well accustomed to seeing Petunia taking the solo spotlight - and always rising to the occasion in spectacular fashion.

Petunia has a solo album coming in May and it is bound to win him a huge amount of fresh media attention (print and radio). We plan the tour to cover the period from 27 November to 14 December and we are sure that all existing fans will want to come out to see the man unplugged and in a rootsier groove, with a playing companion who is a highly accomplished sidekick. Audiences can expect covers of Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzell, Jimmie Rodgers, Riley Puckett, and Jelly Roll Morton as well as a strong collections of originals, including many already known to fans of the band.

It's a 'hot!' show. Please let us know if you would like a slice of the action.

From looking up the band's website, we find that they are about to begin a tour in Ireland, starting tomorrow:

Wed. 5th: The Glens Centre, Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim, 8.00 p.m.
Thurs. 6th: Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, 8.00 p.m.
Fri. 7th: Empire Music Hall, Belfast, 8.00 p.m.
Sat. 8th: Market Place Theatre and Arts Centre, Armagh city, 8.00 p.m.
Sun. 9th: Ubangi Stomp Club, Dublin 2, 8.00 p.m.

We Dig Roots! - a major new resource

Thanks to Eamonn Doyle for this news, which should receive the attention of everybody involved with bluegrass and old-time music over here:

I am involved in a new start-up business called We Dig Roots!, which is primarily a booking agency for all types of roots music in Ireland, but our website and Facebook page also exist as information resources for the entire roots music scene in Ireland.

We want to feature news about events, venues, album releases, etc., on the website [...]. I am also trying to create a complete calendar of roots events in Ireland across the year.

Artists and bands already enrolled with We Dig Roots! include Niall Toner, the Down and Out Bluegrass Band, and Rackhouse Pilfer. As can be seen from these examples, a WDR page can be customised completely to the subject's own design in any combination of pictures, images, text, embedded YouTube videos, and links to other URLs including the artist's own website and/or Facebook, together with an e-mail contact channel.

As can also be seen, We Dig Roots! has a strong stable of bands, in many genres of roots music, eager to reach more audiences. Now for the serious business of building up venue networks to bring musicians and audiences together...

The BIB wishes We Dig Roots! every success in this enterprise.

Bluegrass & Country Social Night at Ashbourne, Co. Meath, 16 Mar. 2014

Thanks to Sean McManus for the news that, following up on the very successful concert night on 16 Jan. (see the BIB here), bluegrass and traditional country music will return to Ashbourne, Co. Meath, on St Patrick's Eve - Sunday 16 March.

The venue is Molly's in Frederick St., and the lineup consists of two-thirds of the January programme: Woodbine from Athy, Co. Kildare, and Della Belle from Dundalk, with P.J. Power as special guest on dobro. More details are on the poster image (click to enlarge).

Seamus also reports that on the night Ashbourne's own Seamus Driver will perform a tribute to Jim Reeves, who died fifty years ago this year.

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Thanks to Ray O'Brien for the news that on the same evening (16 Mar.) Niall Toner will be playing at the Stag's Head, Dame Lane, Dublin 2, with Richie Foley (mandolin), Kelvin Busher (bass), and Johnny Gleeson (dobro). The evening's material will include songs and tunes from Niall's latest album on Pinecastle.

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Update 3 Mar.: Ray also announces a competition in which two pairs of tickets for the Ashbourne show can be won. Full details are on Ray's 'Bluegrass in Ireland' Facebook.

Spring Fed Records - new additions

The BIB editor reports:

Thanks to Jack Brunson of Spring Fed Records for the latest news of the label's growing catalogue of classic old-time and bluegrass music.

Spring Fed Records, founded in 2002 as the in-house label of the Arts Center of Cannon County in central Tennessee, is a Grammy-winning, non-profit record label that focuses mainly on historical music from the American south-east, and particularly on folk and bluegrass. Previous major releases have included recordings by Uncle Dave Macon (left above) and Howdy Forrester (right).

Jack reports that he has just uploaded to the label's BandCamp site digital versions of ten old-timey records previously unavailable online, which are now available for free streaming or digital download for $9.99. Originally released on the Davis Unlimited label, they include such influential musicians as Sam McGee, Clayton McMichen, and Fiddlin’ Doc Roberts.

A personal note: I bought two of these albums on LP back in the 1970s - those by W.L. Gregory & Clyde Davenport and the Perry County Music Makers - on the strength of the high praise they'd received from Bluegrass Unlimited reviewers, and they were no disappointment.

You can also sample Spring Fed releases through their affordable 'Cream of the Crop' compilation series - each volume gives over twenty-five tracks for five dollars. See more details of Volume I and Volume II. Spring Fed can also be visited on Facebook.