Recognise anyone?

John Lawless reports today on Bluegrass Today on the outcome of the 22nd Annual Chris Austin Songwriting Contest, the final judging of which took place last weekend at MerleFest in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Three awards were made in each of the categories Bluegrass, Gospel/ Inspirational, Country, and General; the judges this year were Charles R. Humphrey III, Darrell Scott, and Ireland's own Niall Toner.

The above photo (from Bluegrass Today, which also gives full results of the awards) shows award winners and judges, with Niall not too hard to identify - second from left in the front row, with Jim Lauderdale on his left (your right).

Gerry Fitzpatrick's Dublin gig news for May

Kathy Barwick and Pete Siegfried

From Gerry Fitzpatrick, organiser of the monthly Cabin Sessions series in Dundrum, south Dublin:

Hey, Y'all,

Just to let you know about a few special gigs for May:

1. Cabin Session guest Dave Hardy will be performing with his own Blue Clavon Orchestra in the National Concert Hall on Saturday 10 May. Dave is an amazing musician and singer, and to see him lead his orchestra in the NCH is a spectacle not to be missed.

2. Northern Californians Kathy Barwick & Pete Siegfried [see the BIB for 4 Feb. 2014] will bring you an evening of American folk music in the intimate surroundings of the Studio at the Mill Theatre, Dundrum, on Wed. 21 May. Seating is limited, so early booking advised. Special guests are Cabin Sessions trad guitar maestros - The Fret Pickers (Pat Killalea & Cathal Cusack).

3. My good buddy Kevin Montgomery will be playing in the Dublin Conservative Club (20 Camden Row - just down the side of Whelan's) on Friday 16 May. Kevin is a singer/ songwriter from Nashville with a strong musical pedigree. His dad Bob Montgomery was a colleague of Buddy Holly and co-wrote 'Heartbeat' with Buddy. Kevin's mum sang backing vocals on 'Suspicious minds' (Elvis Presley). For this trip to Ireland, Kevin is joined by Wexford musician Clive Barnes. Contemporary American country music doesn't get any better than this!

The Whole Hog - going strong

Congratulations to Bat Kinane & the Whole Hog Band (above), whose new album, Ordinary days, was released in late March and has now won the Debut Album of the Year award at this year's Leinster Entertainment Awards, held on 14 April in the Kilashee House Hotel, Naas, Co. Kildare.

Bat (on the left in the photo) sends word that a video is now ready for 'Remember yesterday', the first single from the album. For more details of the band and the recording, see the BIB for 29 January.

Workshop at Moniaive, Scotland, 21 June 2014: update

Thanks to C. Paul 'Dobroman' Lyttle of the Moniaive Michaelmas Bluegrass Festival (MMBF) in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, for this news (updated and finalised Sunday evening):

Moniaive Michaelmas Bluegrass Festival will be holding Bluegrass Workshop on 21 June 2014 in the Memorial Institute, Chapel Street, Moniaive. The workshop will commence at 11.00 a.m. and run through until 5.00 p.m. with a break for people to go and get some lunch in one of the hotels or the Green Tea Rooms.

Instruments to be taught are:

*double bass
*autoharp
*guitar (and singing)
*banjo
*fiddle
*dobro
*mandolin

The cost will be £10 per person.

Please feel free to ring me on 01848 200272 or send an e-mail reply if you wish to ask questions or book in for the workshop.

It is safe to assume we will meet in the Craigdarroch Hotel in the evening for a bluegrass session. The George Hotel will also welcome musicians.

Clarinbridge Banjo Gathering - this weekend

A reminder that the Clarinbridge Banjo Gathering begins tonight (25 April), with a concert at Jordan's by Charlie Harris and Des Mulkere and continues right through Sunday.

Saturday events begin at midday with a series of banjo workshops (tenor and 5-string, beginners to advanced), sessions in the local pubs, an exhibition of vintage banjos at Clarinbridge House, a conducted tour of the Clareen Banjos workshop at 3.30 p.m., and at 5.00 p.m. a talk on the development of the banjo. The evening concert includes 'Four decades of the banjo', and the renowned US group Floating Crowbar.

The Sunday programme culminates in a Grand Finale led by bluegrass banjo master Bill Forster (8.00 p.m.). All events (apart from workshops) are free. Musicians (all instruments) are welcome to participate in all events. The Information Centre in Clarinbridge House (opposite the church) is open on Saturday, 11.00 a.m.-5.00 p.m.

Electric Cave Production - ten years a-growing

Thanks to Uri Kohen, organiser of the Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival, for this news:

The Electric Cave Production, a leading production company in the west of Ireland and the team behind the world-famous Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival, will celebrate their 10th anniversary in business. Since the humble start of producing small tribute nights in Westport, the company is now staging gigs on a regular basis for artists from all over the world.

In the last ten years the company brought to Westport hundreds of artists from all over Ireland and different parts of the world such as the USA, UK, Australia, and Europe. The company was formed and run by Uri Kohen and made its name by staging high-quality production with great emphasis in looking after each performer to the highest level and providing top-quality music to the people of Westport and beyond.


The tenth anniversary celebration event will take place on Saturday 3 May in McGing's Pub, Westport, at 8.00 p.m. Music on the night will be provided by some of the artists most connected to the company, such as David Hope [left], A Band Called Wanda [above right], and Billy Clarke [below right] - more artists to be revealed on the night.

Admission is free and all are welcome. For more details, please contact Uri at 087 7570958 or by e-mail.

Thanks and long may we run!

Bill's instruments and sound gear - this time, with pictures

On 11 April the BIB published details of instruments and sound equipment being sold by Bill Whelan, doyen of old-time music in Ireland. Now, thanks to Alice Toner (without whom the BIB would not have begun) we can reproduce the photos supplied by Eamonn Quigley. Here again are the details of each item. Please note the prices given, as no offers will be accepted.

Nechville Midnight Phantom Heli-Mount banjo. Maker's specifications and list price can be seen here. Bill's instrument has a black head fitted, and no resonator (see detail shot, bottom right). €1,500.

Harley Benton BeatBass (fiddle-shape electric bass, resembling Paul McCartney's Höfner). Never used. €100.

Yamaha single-speaker 250-watt portable PA system, Stagepass 250m model. Six-channel mixer. Unused. €200.

T.Mix PM600 six-channel mixer amplifier block with digital effector. Unused. €120.

Contact Bill by mobile (086 2435231) or e-mail.

Summer 2014 at the Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre

Thanks to Joanne Ryan of the Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre, Naul, Co. Dublin, for sending news to Ray O'Brien and me of the Centre's new brochure with its programme of events from May to August 2014. Joanne draws attention to several items in the schedule that may be of interest to our readers. More photos are in the new brochure and on the Centre's website.

Fri. 9 May: The Henry Girls (Co. Donegal)
Fri. 16 May: Lowell Levinger (USA; photo, right)*
Fri. 13 June: The Old Dance School (UK)
Sat. 28 June: The Corn Potato String Band (USA)
Sat. 26 July: McGettigan, Ferguson & Ferguson (USA/IRL)
Sat. 2 Aug.: The Hot Seats (USA)
Thurs. 21 Aug.: Four Men and a Dog (IRL)

*BIB editor's note: Lowell 'Banana' Levinger was a featured guest performer at the European World of Bluegrass (EWOB) Festival in the Netherlands a couple of years ago.

Well Enough Alone: new member, EWOB, and the Kilkenny Shop

Thanks to Well Enough Alone for this news:

Well Enough Alone have added a new member to the band. We're delighted to have Patrick Simpson and his powerful high tenor voice and rock-solid rhythm guitar join us. The current lineup is [above, l-r] Patrick Simpson (guitar and vocals), Niall Hughes (double bass and vocals), Hugh Taggart (guitar and vocals), Luke Coffey (banjo and vocals), Martin McWhorter (mandolin).

We're also looking forward to the European World Of Bluegrass Festival at Voorthuizen in Holland, which we'll be playing at. We have a showcase slot on Saturday 31 May at 19:30. We're excited to be playing at EWOB and will be travelling over on Thursday 29 May to spend a few days picking at the festival before our show.

If anyone is looking to hear some bluegrass on Sundays in Dublin, we continue to play upstairs in the restaurant of the Kilkenny Shop on Nassau St. from 2.15 till 4.15 p.m. For bookings, call 087 1717850 or e-mail.

Wookalily's debut album gets a Kickstart

Thanks to Wookalily, the 'female-led Americana folk band' based in Portadown, for their latest e-newsletter. Their twelve-track debut album, bringing together past and present members of the band as well as guest vocalists, is being recorded at Millbank Studios in Lisburn, Co. Antrim, engineered by Michael Mormecha. The Wooks write:

Years of playing, writing, laughing, and performing all coming together to create an unique and eclectic album... It's a celebration of the life and times of Wookalily. It's been a great experience to make this music and we hope you all get to enjoy it as well.

The main hurdle left to overcome is funding to complete and launch the project; and Wookalily are adopting the increasing popular resort of Kickstarter to reach the required £3,000. You can help the project by pledging a contribution here.

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Wookalily also launched earlier this month their residency in the John Hewitt Bar, Belfast:

We have various opening acts on from 9.30 p.m. and we take to the stage from 10.00 p.m., finishing up around 11.30 p.m. It would lovely to see you there some Friday night. We have some more exciting gigs coming up throughout the year.

The full e-newsletter, with nice artwork and a link to Wookalily's gig calendar, can be seen here.

Tumbling Bones and Woodbine at Athy, 25 Apr. 2014

Tumbling Bones (above) from Portland, Maine, USA, are now in the third week of their third tour of Ireland, which ends a week from now - after which, they'll continue with shows in Germany and Britain. Their full Irish schedule appears at the head of their website; all dates are also on the BIB calendar.

Among their remaining dates over here, Tumbling Bones will be performing on Friday night (25 Apr.) in the GAA Centre, Dublin Rd, Athy, Co. Kildare. The Centre is the main concert venue for the annual Athy Bluegrass Festival, the oldest annual bluegrass event in Ireland, founded in 1991 and organised since 1998 by Tony O'Brien.

Tumbling Bones will be supported on Friday by Athy's own Woodbine, led by Tony. (This combination worked very well and enjoyably for all parties last year; the impact the Bones made then at Athy also led directly to their being booked for this year's 12th International Bühl Bluegrass Festival in Germany.) The show starts at 9.00 p.m., and admission is €10. Tony adds:

A great night assured & your support much appreciated.

Thanks to Ray O'Brien (no relation) of 'Bluegrass in Ireland'. For a treat - and a look into the future - use this link to Ray's Facebook page.

News from the Mother Country

Thanks to Blair Bainbridge (1) for the news that today is the release date for the new Smithsonian Folkways album Long time… Seldom Scene by the legendary Seldom Scene (see the BIB for 20 Mar.).

And (2) for this link to a further YouTube video of the Scene in the studio, recording the Hazel Dickens song 'My better years' - a well-shot video of one of the really great bands at work. This is on the Smithsonian Folkways YouTube channel, whose many videos include several on Pete Seeger (1919-2014). SF announces: 'We will soon be publishing a tribute page to Pete, without whom our organization would not be possible.'

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Many over here have fond memories of seeing, hearing, and perhaps meeting the Gibson Brothers and Joe Newberry at previous Appalachian & Bluegrass Music Festivals at the Ulster American Folk Park in Omagh, Co. Tyrone. Joe has been there as a member of the Red Clay Ramblers, and also of Big Medicine.

Today Bluegrass Today carries a feature on Joe's fine song 'Singing as we rise' (the inspiration for which came at a past Sore Fingers Week in England); the recording by the Gibson Brothers with Ricky Skaggs won the IBMA’s Gospel Recorded Performance of the Year award for 2012. As a bonus, there's a very enjoyable video of the Gibsons and their band delivering the song on stage, plus its complete lyrics.

Arklow Roots Music - change of programme

Brendan O'Regan, organiser of the Arklow Roots Music series at the Arklow Bay Hotel in Arklow, Co. Wicklow, announces with regret a change in the spring programme that was published on the BIB on 17 March: the concert with the singing duo Ennis from Canada, arranged for this Wednesday (23 April) has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.

Nonetheless, the scheduled concert with Beth Nielsen Chapman (photo above), the highly regarded singer/songwriter from Nashville, will take place on Thursday 1 May. Tickets (from Arklow Bay Hotel, 0402-32309) €25; pair of tickets in advance, €40.

Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards (USA) available for bookings in May 2015

Apologies to Laura Cortese (left) for not yet having an up-to-date photo of her - this is one the BIB used in 2009 when she was performing at the Baltimore Fiddle Fair for that year. Apart from her established solo career, she had then just come from playing bass for Uncle Earl. Loudon Temple of the UK Brookfield Knights agency now announces that Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards will be touring the UK and Ireland a year from now: from 12 to 24 May 2015.

Her latest album, Into the dark, won enthusiastic critical acclaim and a lot of airplay. The lineup for next year's tour will be the same as that for a recent US State Department cultural tour of the Far East: Laura (voice, fiddle, viola), Mariel Vandersteel (voice, fiddle, Hardanger fiddle), and Valerie Thompson (voice, cello). All the members have a wide range of musical experience; the trio can be seen in performance on YouTube here and here.

Event organisers and venue owners who can offer a booking in that period of May 2015 should contact Brookfield Knights and indicate which dates might be preferred.

Baltimore Fiddle Fair, 8-11 May 2014

Thanks to Declan McCarthy for details of this year's Fiddle Fair (8-11 May) in Baltimore, Co. Cork.

Among the top-class artists on the programme, those with special interest for BIB readers include Aly Bain, Cahalen Morrison & Eli West, Stephanie Coleman & Cleek Schrey, This Is How We Fly (with Nick Gareiss dancing), the New Rope String Band, and Brittany Haas, Paul Kowert, & Jordan Tice. (A unique feature this year will be the presence of John Sheahan, last surviving member of the Dubliners.) The Fair will also include many additional events - workshops, art exhibitions, and many great sessions in and around Baltimore.

Tickets are on sale now, but please note that season passes have been sold out for some time. For full details, including a view of this year's stunning new poster, visit the Fair's website.

John Lowell Band (USA) in Ireland, 13-19 May 2014

The John Lowell Band: (l-r) John Lowell, Julie Elkins, Tom Murphy
Thanks to John Nyhan for the news that the John Lowell Band, a four-piece contemporary bluegrass group based in Montana, will be playing eight dates in Ireland in the middle of next month after a tour of Germany that will include the 12th International Bühl Bluegrass Festival (2-3 May).

The band consists of John Lowell (guitar, vocals), Julie Elkins (banjo, vocals), Tom Murphy (mandolin, vocals), and Ben Somers (bass, vocals) - all seasoned and respected performers with years of touring and recording experience behind them. Their dates in Ireland will be:

Tues. May 13th: Rory Gallagher Music Library, Grand Parade, Cork, 11.30 a.m.; tel. 021 4924919
O'Neills bar, Main St., Buttevant, Co. Cork, 9.00 p.m.; tel. 087 8168692 (Bluegrass session; musicians welcome)

Wed. 14th: Mill Bar, Sixmilebridge, Co. Clare, 9.00 p.m.; tel. 086 8599615 / 086 8464509

Thurs. 15th: St John's Arts Centre, Listowel, Co. Kerry, 8.00 p.m.; tel. 068 22566

Fri. 16th: Tigh an Cheoil, Ballinagaul, Ring, Co. Waterford, 9.00 p.m.; tel. 087 0640542 / 087 9898560

Sat. 17th: Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely, Co. Wicklow, 8.30 p.m.; tel. 0402 38529

Sun. 18th: Roadside Tavern, Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare, 9.00 p.m.; tel. 087 8300069

Mon. 19th: Village Arts Centre, Kilworth, Co. Cork, 8.15 p.m.; tel. 087 7921771

For further information, 'phone 087 7921771.

A respected Bluegrass business

The BIB editor writes:

Every now and then I Google the words 'Bluegrass Ireland'. There's a paranoid element in this: I'm making sure that the World Wide Web has not forgotten about the Bluegrass Ireland Blog. The search was made this morning. There was the BIB, of course, it hadn't vanished in the night; there too were Ray O'Brien's 'Bluegrass in Ireland' Facebook page and Kevin Gill's original 'Bluegrass in Ireland' website.

But just a little further down the list of search results is the website for Bluegrass Horse Feeds, a milling and animal-feed company established by A. N. Irwin & Sons in 1847, based in Co. Tyrone, and respected in its field throughout these islands.

I'm certain that Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass, would have been interested; and that so would prominent horse-loving bluegrass musicians still with us, such as Ron Thomason of Dry Branch Fire Squad or Laurie Lewis. Moreover, the firm's merchandise includes a nifty baseball cap with a Bluegrass Horse Feeds logo for just £9.99.

Could there possibly be here a point of contact - even potential reciprocal benefits - for the bluegrass community and the animal-feeds industry? In putting this forward, I apologise to anyone, especially in Co. Tyrone, who has already made this connection for themselves; more especially if they've been walking round the annual Appalachian & Bluegrass Music Festival at Omagh with their Bluegrass Horse Feeds caps on, and I haven't noticed.

The first Royal Roots session: Navan, 1 May 2014 (update)

We can now welcome a new organisation in Co. Meath, Royal Roots, catering for musicians who want to play bluegrass, old-time country, and other Americana roots music.

The BIB thanks Eugene Donegan for the news that Royal Roots will be launching the very first in a series of weekly music sessions on Thursday 1 May in Beggy's bar, Bridge St., Navan. The sessions will be a mixture of bluegrass, old-time country, American folk, Cajun, and gospel. All musicians are welcome, and the session kicks off at 9.30 p.m. Royal Roots have produced an attractive poster, which can be seen on the Royal Roots Facebook page and also on Ray O'Brien's Bluegrass in Ireland page.

Taken together with the Ashbourne concert series set up by Sean McManus and friends at the start of this year, we're delighted to see bluegrass flourishing in Royal Meath.

Events at the Seamus Ennis Centre

Joost van Es of 4 Wheel Drive with the statue of Séamus Ennis outside the Centre (photo: Jan Michielsen)

The Séamus Ennis Cultural Centre, Naul, Co. Dublin, 'Ireland's biggest little venue' and a good friend to bluegrass and related music in the Dublin region, has just issued its latest schedule of events updated to 9 May 2014. Coming very soon: on Sunday 20 April the Centre holds a Record Fair, with

an even bigger collection of dealers selling everything from CDs, DVDs, rare CD box sets to vinyl LPs from the '50s to the present. Rock 'n' roll, metal, jazz, soul, indie, rock and country, blues, dance, folk, world music and hiphop/rap – it's all going to be here at our Record Fair to celebrate the weekend of World Record Store Day.

Maybe even some bluegrass or old-time music... And on Friday 9 May the Henry Girls from Donegal will be playing an evening concert at the Centre.

Cabin Sessions in Dundrum, Dublin, 24 Apr. 2014

Gerry Fitzpatrick announces the next show in the Cabin Sessions series, 'Acoustic Music at its Finest', at Uncle Tom's Cabin in south Dublin (not far from Dundrum Luas station in the city direction):

The lineup for the Cabin Sessions for Thursday 24 April is:

The Cabin Crew with Spats Davenport (guitar), Con Butler (bass), Gerry Fitzpatrick (dobro), Cathy McEvoy (fiddle), Christian Volkmann (harmonica). Special guests Michael McIver (classical guitar), Grace Tallon (contemporary), Dave Hardy (clarinet/sax). 9.30-11.30 p,m. adm. FREE!

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

George Shuffler

George Shuffler (11 April 1925-7 April 2014) was buried on Thursday in his hometown of Valdese, North Carolina. A full account by broadcaster Becky Johnson of the funeral - 'George Shuffler laid to rest', with many photos - was published on Friday on Bluegrass Today.

For those who are not yet familiar with his contributions to bluegrass music, a comprehensive outline by Richard Thompson was also published on Friday on Bluegrass Today, under the title 'George Shuffler: a career overview'. At the end of this feature is a link to where you can find tributes paid to him by such acclaimed musicians as Jack Lawrence, Tom Gray, and James Alan Shelton.

Instruments and sound equipment for sale

Thanks to Eamonn Quigley who passes on news from Bill Whelan, godfather of old-time music in this island: Bill has some instruments and sound equipment for sale. The BIB hopes to be able to reproduce photos before long; meanwhile, here are the details. Please note the prices given, as no offers will be accepted.

Nechville Midnight Phantom Heli-Mount banjo. The appearance and maker's specifications can be seen here. Bill's instrument has a black head fitted, and no resonator. €1,500.

Harley Benton BeatBass (fiddle-shape electric bass, resembling Paul McCartney's Höfner). Never used. €100.

Yamaha single-speaker 250-watt portable PA system, Stagepass 250m model. Six-channel mixer. Unused. €200.

T.Mix PM600 six-channel mixer amplifier block with digital effector. Unused. €120.

Contact Bill by mobile (086 2435231) or e-mail.

The Down and Out Bluegrass Band at Ashbourne, 3 May 2014

Thanks to Sean McManus of Ashbourne, Co. Meath, for the news that the Down and Out Bluegrass Band will be playing in Molly's Bar (across the road from the church), Frederick St., Ashbourne, on Saturday 3 May. The show starts at 9.00 p.m., and tickets are €7.

This is the third concert in a series set up by Sean and friends around Ashbourne to bring bluegrass music to the area - where performances have been few in the past, but where there is also (as previous concerts have shown) a lot of potential support.

A shorter way to 'Tipperary'

The BIB published news on Monday of last Sunday's special instalment of BBC TV's 'Antiques Roadshow', in which old-time singer and clawhammer-banjo player Alec Somerville (left), appeared with the Roadshow's Paul Atterbury to talk about the historic 5-string banjo which he has donated to the Canadian War Museum.

At that time, we could only refer those who wanted to see this part of the show to the full version on BBC's iPlayer - which is not available for viewers outside the UK. Thanks to the weekly FOAOTMAD news blog for reporting that Colm Daly has put a video of Alec's section of the show on to YouTube. It can also be seen on the FOAOTMAD blog.

Events in the next ten days

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

Thurs. 10th: Tumbling Bones (USA), Whelan’s, Dublin 2

Fri. 11th: The Whileaways (Noriana Kennedy, Nicola Joyce, Noelie McDonnell), Cúirt International Festival of Literature, Galway city, 1.00 p.m.
Tumbling Bones (USA), McGing’s, Westport, Co. Mayo, 9.30 p.m.
Tangled Roots (Eleanor Shanley, Frankie Lane, Paul Kelly, Brendan Begley, and Mike Hanrahan), Dublin Conservative Club, 20 Camden Row, Dublin 2, 9.00 p.m., €17 (€15 reserved in advance)
The Whileaways, (Noriana Kennedy, Nicola Joyce, Noelie McDonnell), Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre, Naul, Co. Dublin, 8.00 p.m., €13

Fri. 11th-Sun. 13th: Bluegrass Weekend, Kilcolgan, Co. Galway: Southern Welfare at Rafterys Rest

Sat. 12th: Tumbling Bones (USA), Aras Eanna, Inis Oirr, Aran Islands, 8.30 p.m.

Sun. 13th: Tumbling Bones (USA), Mannion’s, Balla, Co. Mayo, 9.00 p.m.

Mon. 14th-Fri. 18th: Sore Fingers Summer School, Kingham Hill School, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England

Tues. 15th: The Broken Circle Breakdown (film), Droichead Arts Centre, Stockwell St., Drogheda, Co. Louth, 8.00 p.m.
Tumbling Bones (USA), Sea Rod Inn, Doohoma, Co. Mayo, 9.00 p.m.

Wed. 16th: Tumbling Bones (USA), Aras Inis Gluaire Community Centre, Belmullet, Co. Mayo (afternoon performance)

Thurs. 17th: The Broken Circle Breakdown (film), Tech Amergin Community Arts and Education Centre, Waterville, Co. Kerry, 8.00 p.m.
Tumbling Bones (USA), Balor Arts Centre, Ballybofey, Co. Donegal, 8.30 p.m.

Southern Welfare in residence at Kilcolgan, 11-13 Apr. 2014

Ray O'Brien announces on Bluegrass in Ireland:

Thanks to Peter Larkin from Galway who sends a reminder to all bluegrass fans in the west that Southern Welfare (Waterford) will be returning this weekend (11-13 April) to Rafterys Rest, Kilcolgan, Co. Galway, for a whole weekend packed with non-stop finger-picking bluegrass. Peter writes:

'Friday night: We will be having a bluegrass picking session in the bar and Peter sends the invitation out to all bluegrass pickers in the area that all are welcome to attend and jam with the Waterford boys.

'Saturday night: Southern Welfare take to the stage for what is set to be another fun-filled night of hard-driving bluegrass music (it has been nearly two years since these guys last visited Galway and we are all very excited to have them back).

'Sunday morning: Southern Welfare will join the Rafterys Rest bluegrass house band for some Sunday morning gospel music.

'We are looking forward to having this band back on the scene; they have been missed over the past number of years at festivals up and down the country', adds Peter. For more information on the weekend you can contact Peter Larkin on 087-9953555.

BIB editor's note: When the Weekend was announced back in late February, Southern Welfare's Tony Wall (banjo, guitar, vocals) was quoted as saying: 'This is possibly one of the best places to play bluegrass in Ireland, with so many people really interested in the music.' Taken together with the Banjo Gathering two weeks later just up the road at Clarinbridge, this part of Co. Galway will be pretty lively...

Tour news - and Ireland at MerleFest 2014

Thanks to Paul Lee of the Musiclee.ie agency for his latest list of shows, beginning with tomorrow night (10 Apr.), when Tumbling Bones, from Portland, Maine, will bring their mix of traditional bluegrass, old-time, country blues, and expert buck-dancing to Whelan's in Dublin; 8.30 start, €15 (€13 reserved in advance).

On this tour (their third in Ireland) Tumbling Bones will have their new album, Loving a fool. The BIB calendar shows all dates for the tour; it lasts till the end of the month, when they go to Germany for the 12th International Bühl Bluegrass Festival (2-3 May), followed by dates in Britain (8-20 May).

Tangled Roots, the 'Folk the Recession' group including Frankie Lane and Paul Kelly, will be playing just up the lane from Whelan's at the Dublin Conservative Club the following night (11 Apr.). Other artists on Paul's list with a special appeal for BIB readers include the highly acclaimed Cahalen Morrison and Eli West (USA), who will be playing at Whelan's on Thursday 8 May as part of a too-brief tour in Ireland - see the BIB calendar for the rest of their schedule.

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Following the news that appeared on the BIB on 10 Feb. and 9 Mar., the Brookfield Knights agency reports that the period for which Zoe Muth & the Lost High Rollers (USA) will be available for bookings in Ireland later this year will be from Tues. 4 Nov. to Sun. 9 Nov..

They will have with them Zoe's third album, World of strangers. 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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This year at MerleFest, the world's most prestigious acoustic Americana music festival, Ireland will be very actively represented by Niall Toner and I Draw Slow.

On Friday 25 April I Draw Slow will be performing on the Watson (11.45 a.m.-12.30 p.m.), Creekside (1.15-2.00 p.m.), and Dance (7.00-8.15 p.m.) stages. The same afternoon (2.00-3.30 p.m.), on the Austin Stage in Alumni Hall, Niall will be taking part in judging the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest finals, together with contest chairman Jim Lauderdale and fellow judges Darrell Scott and Charles Humphrey III.

On Saturday 26 April the Niall Toner Band plays at Creekside (10.45-11.30 a.m.) and the Cabin stage (1.45-2.15 p.m.), and I Draw Slow at the Americana (1.30-2.15 p.m.). Later that afternoon (3.45-4.45 p.m.), at the Mayes Pit-Cohn Auditorium, Niall and band, together with Dave and Louise Holden from I Draw Slow, will be part of a workshop entitled 'Irish roots music yesterday and today'.

On Sunday 27 April the Niall Toner Band will be at the Autograph MF Mall (9.00-10.00 a.m.) and the Americana (11.45 a.m.-12.30 p.m.) and Traditional (1.45-2.30 p.m.) stages, the latter with a 'Celtic connections' theme.

Thanks also to Pinecastle Records (the US label that both Niall and I Draw Slow are with) and Kim Fowler of Two Dog Media for the news that I Draw Slow's latest album, White Wave Chapel, will be released in the US on 8 July. For more details, including some of the many nice things that have been printed about their previous album, Redhills, see the Two Dog Media e-newsletter.

Complete lineup for Athy 2014 announced

The NEBB (l-r): Grahame Turner, Terry Hymers, Greg Smith (hidden), Paul Brewer, Marc Noel-Johnson
Thanks to Tony O'Brien for the news that the complete lineup for the 24th Athy Bluegrass Festival (11-13 July 2014) is on the Festival's website, with band details, photos, and web links:

The New Essex Bluegrass Band (GB)
Ferguson & Ferguson (USA)
Nelson, Crosby, & Crosby (USA)
The Down and Out Bluegrass Band
Della Belle
Woodbine (host band)

A schedule for the three main concerts (Friday and Saturday, 9.00 p.m.; Sunday 1.00 p.m.) also gives ticket prices. Additional programme items are to be confirmed. The New Essex (NEBB), Britain's premier traditional hard-core single-mike bluegrass band, twenty years together and with many overseas appearances to their credit, will top the bill at all three concerts. More about them appeared on the BIB on 29 Nov. 2013.

If you haven't looked at the Athy Bluegrass Festival website since last year's event, it has been completely refurbished - and so has Woodbine's.

Links with the past: update

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

Congratulations to old-time singer and clawhammer-banjo player Alec Somerville, now resident in Donegal, for his part in last night's special instalment of BBC TV's 'Antiques Roadshow', filmed with the Roadshow's Paul Atterbury in front of the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing at the Somme.

Alec had brought the English-made 5-string banjo which he has since donated to the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa - 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 signatures of twenty-eight members of the Canadian armed forces in France.

Alec rounded off his appearance by playing 'It's a long, long way to Tipperary' - on one of his own banjos, as the 'Paris banjo' is not in playing order. Later in the programme Linda Roland, a Canadian now living in Germany, appeared in a remarkable sequel. Alec writes:

Her great-uncle, Gunner Raymond Roland, signed the banjo and added the date 'Paris August 24th 1917'. He died in 1933 from the effects of having been gassed. I found her through the Platts family (another signator) and contacted her and she came to the filming at the Somme. She has since been to stay with us in Donegal. Raymond Roland and James Platts enlisted at Toronto January 9th, 1915, together - they were neighbours in the Niagara Peninsula fruit-farming area.

This was episode 16 of the thirty-sixth series of 'Antiques Roadshow', and the first in a sub-series of episodes dedicated to the first world war. It can be seen here for the next six days on BBC iPlayer (not available outside the UK, unfortunately), and will be re-broadcast on Wednesday 16 April at 9.20 a.m. on BBC Two. Alec's story is also expected to be featured in Banjo NewsLetter.

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Meanwhile, in the last week two links with the first generation of bluegrass music have been lost: a week ago (31 Mar. 2014) Gladys Lee Stacy Flatt, widow of Lester Flatt (d. 1979), died at the age of 98 in Sparta, TN, Lester's home town. A few days later (3 April) Arthur Smith died at the age of 93 in Charlotte, NC; entertainer and media personality as well as musician, he composed and recorded the enormously influential 'Guitar boogie' and (with the late Don Reno) 'Feudin' banjos', now widely known as 'Dueling banjos'. John Lawless's reports can be read on Bluegrass Today via the links shown above.

Update: John Lawless publishes the sad news that George Shuffler of Valdese, NC - singer, influential guitarist, and bassist with classic bands including the Stanley Brothers and Don Reno & Bill Harrell - died earlier today, just short of 89. He was inducted into the IBMA Hall of Fame in 2011. A recent recording in his honour, 'The boy from Valdese', is available as a free download.

Dates wanted for the Hot Seats (USA), 1, 3 Aug. 2014

Loudon Temple of the Brookfield Knights agency in Britain writes:

... We have one of the best bands on the circuit, the Hot Seats from Virginia, arriving in Ireland at end of July/start of August, and they have two dates to fill - Friday 1 August and Sunday 3 August.

The Friday event would have to be within reasonable striking distance of point of arrival by ferry (Larne), and the Sunday event would have to be close enough to be reached within a two-hour max drive from Bangor as they are playing at the Bluegrass Picnic in the Park event there that afternoon.

I'd appreciate any steer you might be able to provide, or if you'd let the circuit know that this could be a great opportunity for someone.

We do so accordingly, right now. For more on the Hot Seats, see their website and the BIB for 2 Feb. this year. Contact the Brookfield Knights agency by e-mail.

The West's awake!

Thanks to Pete Lamb (above) in Kinvara, Co. Galway, for a link to his new website - still under development, but with lots of good things in it - and the news that in addition to his solo and duo work, his band Gone to Grass will be playing at the Crane Bar, Galway city's premier acoustic venue, on Friday 16 May.

Gone to Grass in its present configuration comprises Pete (guitar, vocals, songwriting), Tom Portman (dobro, vocals), and Paul Johnson (double bass), plus the formidable Bill Forster (5-string banjo, vocals), also of the Banjaxed Bluegrass Band. The Gone to Grass website says:

As well as finely crafted original material, the set list includes diverse numbers from the broader pop and rock genres, reinvented and delivered in a bluegrass style alongside regular country-blues, instrumental breakdowns and bluegrass classics, for a lively and uptempo show that's always dynamic, inventive, unpredictable... and fun!

... and we're convinced. For evidence, subscribe to Pete's mailing list and get a free download of Gone to Grass playing the Michael Jackson hit 'The way you make me feel' (all rights to the Michael Jackson estate).

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As an example of the other good things on Pete's website, note the link for the Clarinbridge Banjo Gathering in Clarinbridge, Co. Galway, the home of Tom Cussen's celebrated Clareen Banjos.

This event will take place this month, on the weekend 25-27 April, and will include sessions, workshops, concerts, an exhibition of rare and unusual banjos, a seminar on the development of the banjo in Ireland, and more. Bill Forster will be giving bluegrass banjo workshops for beginning, intermediate, and advanced players on Saturday, and leading the grand finale on Sunday. Full details are on the Gathering's website.

'Spring is the mischief in me'

That's the title that Vincent Cross, Ireland's bluegrass representative in New York, gives to his April e-newsletter, and he opens with some references to great literature on the subject of spring. To celebrate the season, he includes a free download of the song 'Walking on the outside' from his 2013 album A town called normal.

Vincent (who earlier this year bought a 1955 Martin O-18 guitar) also includes an interesting link to the blog Tools of the trade: songwriters and their guitars, where the latest feature is on Bob Wright of Staten Island, whom many here may remember for his visits to early Dunmore East festivals.

Dates are also given for Vincent's tour in California later this month. The image of him (top right) is by photographer Rachel Eliza Griffiths.

News galore

Derek Lockhart of Dangem Bluegrass announces in this e-newsletter to all pickers:

We have had a request to play some bluegrass this Saturday 5th April 11.00 a.m.–2.00 p.m. in the Castle Gardens, Lisburn (just across from our bluegrass sessions that take place last Saturday each month). See this link.

I would be grateful if you let me know if you could attend and help us out. Please e-mail me or text 07521 464125. Thank you kindly.

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Tumbling Bones (USA) start their three-week tour a few days earlier than previously announced, with a 9.00 p.m. show in Tigh Neachtain, Galway, this coming Sunday (6 Apr.). All other dates are as previously announced on the BIB; Anne Marie Walsh has supplied times for the individual gigs, which have been added to the BIB calendar. Please note that booking is necessary for the show at the Red Room, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, on 22 Apr.

The band are releasing their new album, Loving a fool, tomorrow (4 Apr.); two videos of numbers from the album can be seen on Ray O'Brien's 'Bluegrass in Ireland' Facebook page.

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Easter 2014 marks a thousand years since the battle of Clontarf, and the Dublin Bluegrass Collective are taking part in the celebrations on Sunday 20 Apr. More details on the Collective's Facebook page and on Ray's.

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Della Mae (USA), who won the IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year award in 2013 and had their second album, This world oft can be (left), nominated for a Grammy award this year, are available for bookings in Ireland in October/November 2014. Again, more details on Ray's Facebook page.

And thanks to Ray for forwarding links to his posts on all these news items.

Spells Spring Bluegrass Weekend at Ballaghadereen, 4-6 Apr. 2014

Well Enough Alone: (l-r) Martin McWhorter, Niall Hughes, Hugh Taggart, Luke Coffey
Thanks to Tom Lyons of Balla, Co. Mayo, for the news that the three successive days of bluegrass music at this year's Spells Spring Bluegrass Weekend will begin tomorrow night at Spells Bar, opposite the church in Pound St., Ballaghadereen, Co. Roscommon. The schedule and lineup is:

Fri. 4th: Well Enough Alone (Dublin), 9.00 p.m.

Sat. 5th: Acoustic bluegrass session, 6.00 p.m.
Down and out Bluegrass Band (Belfast), 9.00 p.m.

Sun. 6th: Acoustic bluegrass session, 5.00 p.m.
Rackhouse Pilfer (Sligo), 7.00 p.m.

Sounds like a recipe for a very enjoyable weekend!

Prairie Dawgs at Vantastival, 2-4 May 2014

The Dublin-based Prairie Dawgs will be among the featured acts at Vantastival, the family-friendly festival which will take place over the May bank holiday weekend (2-4 May 2014) at Bellurgan Park, Co. Louth.

The Dawgs now have a full establishment strength of seven (Conor Farrell, Eileen Twomey, Mark Calvert, Eoin Galavan, Martin Clancy, Eimear Lynch, and George Guilfoyle). Visit and Like them on Facebook.

Two more banjo topics

A BIB reader in the Dublin area is disposing of a sizeable number of banjo magazines, including all issues of the monthly Banjo NewsLetter (BNL) from August 2010 to February 2014 inclusive, and all seven issues of the American Banjo Fraternity's twice-yearly magazine 5 Stringer from summer 2010 to fall 2013. The 5 Stringer is dedicated to 'classic' 5-string banjo; BNL covers all aspects of the 5-string and its players and makers, with its main emphasis on bluegrass and old-time music.

These magazines are offered free of charge to any club, group, or individual - preferably enthusiastic students of the banjo - that would be prepared to collect them in south Dublin. Call the BIB editor at 01-2984110 for further information.

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Thanks to Ray O'Brien and Adele Ingram for forwarding this message from Stephanie at the Andersonstown Traditional & Contemporary Music School in west Belfast:

Hi guys, we are in need of a G-banjo [5-string] tutor for our new term which is starting next week. We've got a group of pupils who want to be taught bluegrass. Do you know anyone that could help us out? If so, could you ask them to call us on 02890 434 894 or drop us an e-mail.

Bluegrass banjo classes have been held in the Belfast area and east Ulster for some time now, so we hope the ATCMS gets a good response.

Banjo topics

The BIB editor writes:

Thanks to clawhammer banjo maestro Ken Perlman (left), who was on tour in Ireland a year ago, for his spring 2014 newsletter. Much of the news can also be read (in abbreviated form) on the front page of his website. One update: the New York premiere of Harold Schiffman's three-movement concerto for clawhammer banjo and orchestra, written with Ken in mind as the soloist, was successfully held on 16 February. Ken comments: 'The open-back banjo held its own as a non-amplified solo instrument in a classical ensemble, without doubt!'

Another update: a few days later Ken taught clawhammer banjo at the Folk Alliance's first instructional music camp. His longtime collaborator, master fiddler and fiddle scholar Alan Jabbour (with whom Ken has been touring this year), taught fiddle. The BIB has already mentioned their joint CD Southern summits as a supreme collection of fiddle-and-banjo duets, and this YouTube video of them playing 'Waynesboro' is currently my regular self-administered 'cheer up' treatment.

A further update: Ken's eulogy on the late Pete Seeger, and a two-part interview he had had with Pete in 2000, can be read here.

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Two major US annual banjo events - the Five String Fest and Jack Hatfield's Smoky Mountain Banjo Academy - found they were both scheduled for the first weekend in May this year. They joined forces, to the satisfaction of all concerned, and the joint event will be held in Lawndale, North Carolina.

Nechville Musical Products are sponsoring it by donating four of their banjos as prizes: a Custom Special Hellbilly Phantom, a Saturn, an Atlas 12" open-back, and a Classic Flextone, with a combined value of over $14,000. It's worth looking all of these up on the Nechville website as examples of highly imaginative design and faultless execution applied to every part of the banjo. Nechville banjos are emphatically not Mastertone clones.

Saturday 5 April at Naul

Joost van Es of 4 Wheel Drive with the statue of Séamus Ennis outside the Centre (photo: Jan Michielsen)

The Séamus Ennis Cultural Centre, Naul, Co. Dublin, 'Ireland's biggest little venue' and a good friend to bluegrass and related music in the Dublin region, has just issued its latest schedule of events updated to 16 April 2014.

Unfortunately it doesn't include a show by 4 Wheel Drive (when will we have those guys over here again?); and the coming weekend is already full for Dublin fans, with Janet Holmes, Colin Henry, and Dick Farrelly playing in central Dublin on Friday night and Booterstown on Saturday, and Tish Hinojosa and Anny Celsi (USA) in Whelan's on Sunday.

However, for anyone within easy reach of Naul - Heidi Talbot with John McCusker and Ian Carr will be there on Saturday night; tickets are €16.00. Nowhere near bluegrass or old-time music, but a remarkable singer who has people such as Jerry Douglas offering to play on her recordings. An eight-minute documentary video about her Angels without wings album is on the Centre's website.