Corn Potato String Band - bringing a new CD to Ireland

The Corn Potato String Band: (l-r) Aaron Jonah Lewis, Lindsay McCaw, Ben Belcher

Thanks to Aaron Jonah Lewis for the news that the Corn Potato String Band (USA), who will be performing in Ireland from 13 to 28 June inclusive in the course of a tour of Europe, are releasing today their new CD. It is now available at all the major digital distributors, and is available in physical or digital form from Cd Baby.

Aaron formed the CPSB last summer for a tour of India, sponsored by the US embassy there. All its members have impressive musical CVs and have won awards as solo performers or in previous bands. On the album Aaron plays fiddle, banjo, guitar, and baritone fiddle; Lindsay McCaw plays fiddle, guitar, banjo, Hawaiian steel guitar, and baritone fiddle; Ben Belcher plays banjo and guitar, and also did the art work. The fourteen tracks (including twin fiddling, double banjo tunes, Mexican string-band music, traditional old-time music, a bluegrass-style fiddle-and-banjo duet, and two original pieces) were recorded in January this year, live with no overdubs.

As well as being great entertainment, this album is a valuable reminder of the sheer wealth of source material for old-time music, coupled with high standards of musicianship - banjo-players who are still wrestling with Bill Keith's setting of 'Nola' should hear it here as a twin banjo piece.

The CPSB begin their tour in Ireland on 13 June at the 8th Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival in Co. Mayo, where Aaron will give a fiddle master-class and the band will be on the main concert (Sat. 14th). The full schedule is on their website and also on the BIB calendar.

A treat

The latest e-newsletter from Laurie Lewis includes the news that she and Kathy Kallick will soon be releasing a new CD - an eighteen-song collection from the repertoires of Vern Williams and Ray Park, the Arkansas-born fathers of hard-core traditional bluegrass in California. Go to Laurie's newsletter for a link to a page of biographical information on Vern and Ray.

Do not miss this YouTube video, nicely filmed at an open-air festival performance in 2009, with Laurie (fiddle), Kathy (guitar), Tom Rozum (mandolin), Dan Booth (bass), and Patrick Sauber (banjo), playing the Ray Park song 'How many times'. A very nice video of a very interactive band on stage; among its many delights is the glorious tone of the banjo. If you want more of the same, Sauber also plays a choice break on the Bill Monroe song 'In despair'.

Last Dangem get-together before the summer break, 31 May 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, 31 May 2014. This will be the last get-together before the summer break.

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.

Woodbine at Rathdowney, Co. Laois, 31 May 2014

Thanks to Tony O'Brien for the news that this coming Saturday (31 May) Woodbine will be performing at Tuohy's Bar, Pound St., Rathdowney, Co. Laois (very near the Rathdowney branch of SuperValu), from 9.00 p.m. Tuohy's is a very agreeable, intimate venue, hospitable to live music, and the band's last visit there was a memorable night. Come early to make sure of a seat!

Detached notes

Anyone who enjoyed the sets by North Carolina artists Lynda Dawson (guitar) and Pattie Hopkins (fiddle) at last year's Appalachian and Bluegrass Music Festival at Omagh, Co. Tyrone, will be glad to hear that they have now released a thirteen-track CD, Traditional duets.

The material on the album ranges from Bill Monroe compositions ('Dark as the night, blue as the day', 'Cheyenne', 'Sittin' alone in the moonlight') to older songs and tunes ('Bonaparte's retreat', 'Red rocking chair', 'Train on the island') and more. It can be bought from their website and from Cd Baby, where you can hear samples and buy individual tracks as downloads.

Their career as a duo began in 2012 when other members of Kickin' Grass were unable to appear on a showcase at IBMA's World of Bluegrass; Lynda and Pattie filled the gap together and found that it worked for more than just an emergency. More details are on this Laughing Penguin press release.

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Traditional duets is one of the growing number of projects successfully funded by a Kickstarter campaign. As reported earlier on the BIB, our own Wookalily is also using Kickstarter to fund their new album; and they still need £700 to reach their target by 1 June, less than a week away.

Read the full details on their latest e-newsletter, where there is also a link to a recording of their recent appearance on the Gerry Kelly Show on Radio Ulster.

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The BIB editor writes:

It had to come, especially after my recent remark on the BIB about We Banjo Three playing old-time tunes on tenor banjo. Yesterday Bluegrass Today published a series of photos from DelFest 2014 taken by Todd Powers. The very first in the set shows master mandolinist Ronnie McCoury playing - yes, a tenor banjo. It's too early yet to say what this will mean for bluegrass music; but at least it tends to support my long-held conviction that the tenor is not a banjo at all: it's a loud member of the mandolin family.

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Good deals now available: Compass Records, with their unique catalogue of both Celtic and bluegrass music, are offering 25% off over a hundred titles. More details are in this e-newsletter. And this weekend Homespun, the Mother of Instructional Recordings, are offering 20% off all downloads - the sale ends at midnight tomorrow, 27 May.

The Moron Brothers - the genuine article

We're glad to hear from Scott 'Bama' Moore, friend and publicist for the Moron Brothers of central Kentucky, who would be happy to play in Ireland. Promoters, event organisers, and others who can offer bookings for them can e-mail Scott, who sends this bio information:

Lardo (Mike Carr) and Burley (Mike Hammond), the Moron Brothers, are certified originals. They were 'branded' before there were brands. These comedians/ musicians/ goodwill ambassadors are part of the landscape from which they sprang. Lardo lives on the Kentucky River; Burley, in the nearby town of Nicholasville, Kentucky. Their spirits have been formed through life on the river, where Lardo maintains a genuine shantyboat; and in small towns filled with friendly, nurturing neighbors.

These 'brothers' are talented, accomplished, and respected bluegrass musicians, singing their own songs and those of their ancestors and keeping history as alive as yesterday. They write 60 per cent of their own funny and imaginative material. Their music takes them to 60-90 events and bluegrass festivals each year, including their own, where they pick and sing for delighted fans.

Lardo and Burley have classic comedic timing and two distinctive performing styles. Lardo is much more outgoing and verbal. He sucks the air out of a room before filling it with humor and song. Burley is non-verbal - and some of our most powerful communication doesn't need words. ('Burley ain't dead, he just don’t talk much.') The two are drawn together by friendship, companionship, and a natural rapport; like all the great performing teams, they draw on each other’s strengths to become more than the sum of their parts.

Scott adds:

Here is what we are hoping our friends in Ireland will do:

- Join our Facebook page;
- help us get on bluegrass radio in Ireland! We don't know who to contact about it.

Many videos of the Brothers are on YouTube; Scott sends the following selection of links, which fully back up what he says about their abilities:

'The Moron Brothers' [showing the 'shantyboat']

'Electric fence' (song)

'Uncle Ben' (song and jokes)

'Meet the Moron Brothers' (clip from one of the Brothers' DVDs)

A 'teaser' from their DVD 'Almost alive'

'Poison ivy' (song)

'Hoss Walker' (song; cut from their brand new DVD)

Open House Festival, Belfast, 18-26 June 2014

The Open House Festival team send a reminder that the 16th Open House Festival will be held in Belfast from 18 to 26 June inclusive. In this year's lineup several events are likely to be of special interest to BIB readers, including performances by Cup o' Joe at the Farmers' Folk Club (19 June), the Corn Potato String Band at the Sunflower Bar (20 June), the Whileaways at the Green Room (21 June), Hillbilly Hell featuring Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band at the Empire Music Hall (21 June), and a shape-note singing session with Belfast Sacred Harp (22 June).

If you like to hear American old-time tunes played on tenor banjo, We Banjo Three are likely to include some in their show at the Black Box on 21 June. The Open House Festival is also on Facebook.

Cabin Sessions in Dundrum, Dublin, 29 May 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):

Our next session is Thursday 29 May with the Cabin Crew [Spats Davenport (gtr), Con Butler (bs), Gerry Fitzpatrick (dob), Christian Volkmann (hca)]. Special guests Richard Hawkins/ Tim Hawkins/ Cathal Cusack (American trad); Ballyhorsey Sandpit (Americana), HueGrass (Americana). 9.30-11.30 p,m., adm. FREE. Hope to see you there!

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.

In memory - Vinny Baker

Thanks again to Danny Slevin of Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, for further news on the tribute concert on 24 June in memory of Vinny Baker, who died in July last year, shortly after the 2013 Athy Bluegrass Festival, in which he took part.

For the earlier announcement on the concert, see the BIB for 28 March 2014. The venue for the concert will now be the Greville Arms Hotel in Pearse St., central Mullingar. Tickets are €10; doors open at 7.00 p.m. for a 7.45 start to the show. Full details of the lineup, with over twenty acts or performers taking part (including Bending the Strings), are on the poster image (above left); Danny reports:

Vinny's son Gary has it up on Facebook and it is getting a lot of attention. Tickets are going on sale from now and are available from the hotel and other usual outlets in Mullingar. They are also available by contacting me at my e-mail address.

A fine appreciation of Vinny can be read on the Westmeath Examiner website.

Westport 2014 well and truly launched

Thanks to the organising team at Westport, Co. Mayo, for this announcement:

Last Friday (16 May) the 8th Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival was officially launched.

On the night, Michael McLoughlin, the last serving chairperson of Westport town council, was on hand to start the proceedings. Darren Madden, manager of the Clew Bay Hotel, said a few words on behalf of the festival venues operators. Uri Kohen, festival producer, thanked the venues, artists, and music lovers for their long-standing support of the festival.

Music on the night was provided by the much loved Molly Hicks. A great crowd filled McGing's pub, which is one of the main festival partners and the home of the Electric Cave Production.

The festival website and Facebook page are now updated and Culturefox.ie (the official listing site of the national Arts Council) has a full breakdown of all the festival gigs. Uri and his team are looking forward to seeing all bluegrass fans in Westport on 13 June.



The images include the poster for the main concert (14 June), the festival's 2014 logo, and (bottom right) this year's beermat design.

Helping festivals to survive and thrive

The BIB editor writes:

A couple of e-newsletters of special interest to event organisers (and indeed to anyone concerned with the survival of bluegrass events) appeared in our e-mail inbox recently. One is the weekly editorial by Brian McNeal of the Prescription Bluegrass Blog, 'The festival experience - the good, bad, and the ugly! Reader survey results'. As well as Brian's own judgment, this shows viewpoints from all parties involved: promoters, bands, merchandisers, and audience.

Fitting in nicely with this is a quotation from the latest bulletin from James Reams & the Barnstormers:

A friend of mine recently commented that bluegrass festivals are like the stealth bombers of the music world. They sneak into town and out again before anybody knows they’ve been there. Most promoters just don’t have the budget or the time to cover all the bases. The next time a bluegrass festival is in your area, help get the word out. Pass out flyers and posters wherever you go (make ‘em and/or print ‘em off the website). Call your local radio stations and ask about the festival. If they don’t know about it, tell ‘em! Talk up the festival to waitresses, hairdressers, barbers, teachers, grocery store and hotel clerks, even send a letter to the editor of your local paper.

There's a great deal more of valuable material in the band's newsletter, including plenty of other topics besides this one.

In memory - Chris Twomey

Thanks to Mick 'Black Dog' Daly in Cork, longtime member of the Lee Valley String Band, and Niall Toner, founder member of the band, for the news that a concert and CD launch commemorating Chris Twomey (above) will be held next Friday, 23 May, near the anniversary of his death last year (see the BIB for 27 May 2013).

The concert will be held in the Spailpin Fanach, 27-9 South Main St., Cork city, starting at approximately 9.00 p.m. Admission is €15 - a bargain, for an evening that is scheduled to include the Lee Valley String Band, the Steam Packet Company, and Stokers Lodge (all historic bands in which Chris played a central part), plus Niall Toner, Johnny Moynihan, Johnny Butler, Jim O'Donnell, and possibly also Jim Rooney.

A commemorative CD has been compiled by Eoin O Riabhaigh and will be launched on the night, including solo performances by Chris as well as tracks recorded with the bands in which he played.

Bluegrass at Ballyhooly Arts Festival, 22-5 May 2014

Thanks to John Denby, mandolinist with the Down & Out Bluegrass Band (above), for news of this year's Ballyhooly Arts Festival in Co. Cork, which will be held at the end of next week - from Thursday 22 May to Sunday 25 May, with a winding-up music session on Monday night.

Ballyhooly is a delightful village with its own castle, looking down over the valley of the Blackwater river, which runs through Fermoy a few miles to the east on the N72. The festival comprises many varied attractions, and there's a strong music programme in which the Down & Outs are playing a major role from Friday night to Sunday night, including hymns on Sunday morning at Christ Church, Ballyhooly. Other artists in the bluegrass-and-related-music field include Gordon & Rose with P.J. Power on dobro and other instruments, not to mention the invaluable John Nyhan.

Banjo player special

The BIB editor reports:

Most of this consists of fairly special news about an extremely special banjo player, so let's ease into it gradually. First, thanks to Mountain Home Music, Crossroads Entertainment, and Bluegrass Today for drawing attention to this video of the Boxcars, augmented by J.D. Crowe, running through 'Blue Ridge cabin home' backstage at the recent Five String Fest in North Carolina.

Next: thanks to Brian McNeal of the Prescription Bluegrass Blog for news of a valuable and entertaining video source on the life and career of J.D. Crowe - not just a legendary banjo player in his own right but a bandleader who spearheaded important developments in bluegrass music and took a major part in the careers of such musicians as Ricky Skaggs, Tony Rice, and Jerry Douglas. In Brian's words,

'A Kentucky treasure: the J.D. Crowe story' is a video series in multiple parts. As of this posting at least nine parts had been uploaded and apparently there are still more to come. It's a documentary produced by H. Russell Farmer and supported by the Kentucky Educational Television fund for Independent Production.

All nine parts published so far can be seen on Brian's blog, and also on YouTube.

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Returning to the Five String Fest, which was sponsored by Nechville Musical Products (with three fine banjos from the innovatory Nechville range going as prizes in the banjo contests) - Tom Nechville writes that the Fest

... was a grand time for all who came. The entertainment was top-notch and we made many new friends. [...] The newest model from Nechville was introduced at Five String Fest and the new FLEX-TONE is being offered now for a special introductory price. 100% of the proceeds are going to support the Festival. Contact me for more details, and act fast. All Nechvilles carry a lifetime warranty. Price is only $2000 plus shipping cost from Pennsylvania.

Of special interest to pickers in Europe, Tom adds:

In honor of the thirteenth year of the Al Ras festival in Mollet del Vàlles, Barcelona, Spain, Nechville Musical Products is building a Custom Walnut Classic valued over $6,000 and offering it to a lucky player simply for donating $4000 to the Al Ras festival.* The Al Ras Classic is designed for pure depth and rich powerful tone. The perfectly sawn black walnut neck-wood is capped with an exotic striped Macassar ebony fingerboard and shaped with a compound radius and wide long-lasting frets. The Diamond Wing pearl and abalone inlay is adorned with a custom Al Ras name plate. Gotoh tuners with black knobs compliment the black and white binding and Eclipse Black Heli-Mount frame. The resonator is a spectacular burl walnut for stunning beauty. The tone even surpasses its looks. [...] This priceless masterpiece is obtainable as soon as the instrument is complete and your payment is received by the Al Ras festival committee.

For more information, contact Tom by e-mail.

A bunch of Banana, 15-18 May 2014

Thanks both to Joanne Ryan of the Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre at Naul, Co. Dublin, and to Paul Lee of Musiclee.ie for reminders of the brief tour of Ireland by Lowell 'Banana' Levinger (USA; photo, right), beginning tonight. The full dates in the tour are:

Thurs. 15th: Colfer’s, Carrig-on-Bannow, Co. Wexford
Fri. 16th: Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre, Naul, Co. Dublin, 8.30 p.m.
Sat. 17th: Highway Inn, Crusheen (near Ennis), Co. Clare, with special guest Ron Kavana; €12
Sun. 18th: DC Music Club (Dublin Conservative Club premises), 20 Camden Row, Dublin 2 (Musiclee.ie show)

'Banana' has an impressive CV in several genres of Americana music, including a part in two albums by the premier California traditional bluegrass band High Country, and playing with such artists as David Grisman and Ry Cooder. More details, including performance videos (one of them a fine version of 'The cuckoo', with clawhammer banjo), are on the Clare Gigs website. He was a featured guest performer at the European World of Bluegrass (EWOB) Festival in the Netherlands a couple of years ago.

Assorted goodies

Niall Toner's journal of his experiences at this year's MerleFest appeared in this article (left) in the Sunday Times of 11 May. You may need to use the zoom on your browser to read it; Niall thinks the piece is also available online.

The article covers Niall's experiences as traveller, bandleader (with Kelvin Busher (bass) from Wexford, Richie Foley (mandolin) from Youghal, and Dan Mahoney (dobro) from the USA), judge at the 22nd Annual Chris Austin Songwriting Contest, performer, and speaker in a workshop on the links between Irish and American music.

Niall adds at the end of the article that he and 'Roots Freeway' will be returning to the air on 7 June, and that he is preparing for the recording of his next album in Nashville later this year.

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Thanks to Gary Gene Ferguson (USA) for news of two special additional shows in his forthcoming tour with Gary Alan Ferguson (USA) in Ireland this July.

The new dates are Sat. 26 July, at the Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre, Naul, Co. Dublin, with Charlie McGettigan (with whom Gary G. has often performed on earlier tours in Ireland); and Sun. 27 July, in a Ferguson, Holmes, and Henry Reunion at the Phil Murphy Weekend in Colfer's, Carrig-on-Bannow, Co. Wexford. The dates have been added to the BIB calendar and to the post that we published last Friday.

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Thanks to Paul Lee of Musiclee.ie for a reminder of the show by Kevin Montgomery and Clive Barnes at the DC Music Club, 20 Camden Row, Dublin 2 (very near Whelan's), this coming Friday (16 May). This show was first mentioned on the BIB on 28 April.

Gordie MacKeeman & his Rhythm Boys in Omagh, July 2014

Thanks to Ray O'Brien for the news that the award-winning old-time band Gordie MacKeeman & his Rhythm Boys from Prince Edward Island, Canada, will open a July tour in these islands at Omagh, Co. Tyrone, making their first appearance at the Weigh Inn Bar and taking up residence at the Ulster American Folk Park during the Fourth of July weekend.

These are the only appearances in Ireland scheduled on their online calendar before they travel to Britain for the rest of the month. A limited number of tickets (£6) for the Weigh Inn show are available at the bar or online. More details - including a great photograph - are on Ray's Facebook page.

News from friends in Europe

0039 Bluegrass Made In Italy: (l-r) Maria Grazia Branca (double bass), Luca Bartolini (guitar), Gianni Stefanini (mandolin), Marco Ferretti (banjo, guitar), Paolo Ercoli (resonator guitar)

Thanks to Luca Bartolini for the latest news of the fine band 0039 Bluegrass Made In Italy, who are currently playing an important role in presenting bluegrass music to the public in their home territory of northern Italy and beyond.

The Felix van Groeningen film The Broken Circle Breakdown, which has been widely screened in Ireland this spring after breaking arts cinema attendance records on the Continent, is being shown elsewhere in Europe under the title Alabama Monroe. Luca, who was guitarist and singer with Red Wine on their first trips to Ireland, reports:

We will be the opening act for some various Italian premieres for the movie. The movie is out in these days in Italy for the first time, and the Italian distributors ask us to introduce the movie with a set of about forty minutes and some explanations about bluegrass before the showing of the film that is a kind of new thing for the Italian way to go to the cinema! So they (the distributors) ask us to be a kind of Bluegrass Ambassador in Italy and this makes all the band really proud!

0039 began their mission on 8 May, and tonight (12 May) is the first break they've had before a further round of travel and appearances. The band is composed of former members of Red Wine (Luca and Maria Grazia Branca), one present member of Red Wine (Marco Ferretti), and two founder members (Gianni Stefanini and Paolo Ercoli) of Bononia Grass. They began a new life together as 0039 a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, 0039 (also on Facebook) has not yet been to Ireland - but we can hope...

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More good news comes (via the European Bluegrass Blog) from Joost van Es, fiddler and singer with 4 Wheel Drive (NL/D/BE). Joost, who has organised a bluegrass festival in his home city of Utrecht for 29 May, says:

I am so proud to show you the poster [right] of my first 'Gulpener Bluegrass Festival Utrecht'. Ticket sales are working well, and yesterday (10 May) we toured the canals in Utrecht city with three boats with bands, with great banners on the sides and flyers handed out to the people on the streets downtown. Great way to start a campaign.

Gone to Grass at the Crane, Galway, 16 May 2014

Thanks to Pete Lamb (above) for a reminder that his band Gone to Grass will be playing at the Crane Bar, Galway city's premier acoustic venue, on this coming Friday (16 May).

Gone to Grass comprises Pete (guitar, vocals, songwriting), Tom Portman (dobro, vocals), Paul Johnson (double bass), and the formidable Bill Forster (5-string banjo, vocals), who is also a member 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!

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).

Encounters in Germany

The John Lowell Band: (l-r) John Lowell, Julie Elkins, Tom Murphy
The BIB editor reports:

Just over a week ago Carol and I were in south-west Germany, enjoying the 12th International Bühl Bluegrass Festival (2-3 May). Among the many delights of being there was seeing Tumbling Bones (USA), after a three-week tour in Ireland, play an hour-and-a-half on the main concert stage and receive a standing ovation and several encores from a packed audience. They have since resumed touring in Britain, with this big and well deserved feather in their caps.

Playing fiddle with Tumbling Bones at Bühl, as he was doing throughout their tour in Ireland, was Aaron Jonah Lewis, who will be back here with his own old-time outfit, the Corn Potato String Band, for a tour beginning at the 8th Westport Folk & Bluegrass Festival and continuing through the latter half of June. More on them later; meanwhile, the dates are on the BIB calendar.

Also very well received on the main concert programme at Bühl were the John Lowell Band (USA), a contemporary bluegrass group based in Montana, whose tour of eight dates in Ireland begins this coming Tuesday. The band will consist 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. They combine stellar picking, tight and powerful harmonies, and fine songwriting with an exceptional sense of group dynamics and balance. Their dates in Ireland are:

Tues. 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.

Fish & Bird available for bookings in Jan. 2015

Loudon Temple of the UK's Brookfield Knights agency announces that the Canadian roots music band Fish & Bird will be making their debut tour of these islands in January 2015.

The band have built up a big following at home, where they have played all the major outdoor festivals, and will very soon release their fourth album, with promo copies going out three weeks from now for print review and airplay. Features about them are lined up to appear in several music publications.

Fish & Bird have been often nominated in several different categories in the Western Canadian Music Awards. Their last album won much critical acclaim on its release, and their showcases at the Folk Alliance International event in Kansas City in February 2014 were packed. The proposed dates for their tour in Britain and Ireland are 9-23 January 2015. Loudon adds:

Although they feature mostly original material in the set, there are some choice covers too. Please let us know if you would like to provide a slot in your programme.

The YouTube video on the link is an example of their applying string-band instrumentation to a wide range of music.

Recommended viewing: update

Thanks to our Midland Correspondent, who draws our attention to and recommends this film: Another day, another time: celebrating the music of 'Inside Llewyn Davis'.

The original film Inside Llewyn Davis (from the team of the Coen Brothers and T-Bone Burnett, who gave us O brother, where art thou?) is set in the New York folk scene of the early 1960s; a plot outline can be found here. From the BIB editor's hazy memories of the time, things could indeed get that complicated, even for people not in New York...

Another day, another time was shot at a concert featuring the Avett Brothers, Joan Baez, the Dave Rawlings Machine, Rhiannon Giddens of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Lake Street Dive, Colin Meloy, the Milk Carton Kids, Marcus Mumford, the Punch Brothers, Patti Smith, Willie Watson, Gillian Welch, Jack White, and Oscar Isaac. The music played consists of songs from the film and other music of the same vintage.

Update: our Midland Correspondent passes on the news from his Dublin-based son that Another day, another time is soon to be screened at the Light House Cinema in Market Square, Smithfield, Dublin 7. Inside Llewyn Davis was screened at six venues in Ireland last month, according to the Access Cinema website.

Ferguson & Ferguson (USA) in Ireland, 12-25 July 2014: update

Thanks to Gary Gene Ferguson (seated, in the photo above) for the new, full, and revised schedule for his tenth consecutive annual tour in Ireland, in which his musical partner will be multi-instrumentalist Gary Alan Ferguson (standing). For more on the duo of Ferguson & Ferguson, see the BIB post of 11 Nov. 2013. More tour details, including contact data for individual venues, are on Gary's online calendar.

Update 13 May: please note the two new dates (26, 27 July), added since this post was first published.

Sat. 12th: 24th Athy Bluegrass Festival, GAA Club, Dublin Rd, Athy, Co. Kildare
Sun. 13th: 24th Athy Bluegrass Festival, GAA Club, Dublin Rd, Athy, Co. Kildare
Mon. 14th: Mick Murphy's, Ballymore Eustace, Co. Kildare (Ballymore Acoustic Gigs), 9.00 p.m., €12
Tues. 15th: Crocanoir, Ballycullen, Mullinahone, Co. Tipperary, 8.00 p.m.
Wed. 16th: De Barra's Folk Club, 55 Pearse St., Clonakilty, Co. Cork, 9.00 p.m., €5
Thurs. 17th: St John's Theatre, Listowel, Co. Kerry, 9.00 p.m.
Fri. 18th: Rockies Club, Church Rd, Blackrock, Cork, 9.30 p.m.
Sat. 19th: Tech Amergin Art Centre, Waterville, Co. Kerry, 9.00 p.m.
Mon. 21st: Kenny's, Main St., Lahinch, Co. Clare, 9.30 p.m.
Tues. 22nd: Matt Molloy's, Bridge St., Westport, Co. Mayo, 9.00 p.m.
Wed. 23rd: The Red Room, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, 8.00 p.m.
Thurs. 24th: Sunflower Club, Belfast, 9.00 p.m.
Fri. 25th: Flowerfield Arts Centre, Portstewart, Co. Londonderry, 9.00 p.m.
Sat. 26th: With Charlie McGettigan, Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre, Naul, Co. Dublin, 8.30 p.m.
Sun. 27th: Ferguson, Holmes, & Henry Reunion, Phil Murphy Weekend, Colfer's, Carrig-on-Bannow, Co. Wexford

Donna Hughes to release two albums in 2014

On behalf of everyone in Ireland who's a fan of Donna Hughes (above), thanks to Penni McDaniel of the Hope River Entertainment agency in the USA, who writes:

Since Donna Hughes has numerous fans in your area, we were hoping you might add this story? Appreciate the consideration.

The story - 'Donna Hughes announces two new albums releasing in 2014 & launch of Indigogo campaign' - is also on the Hope River website. Fans can assist the project through Indigogo.

The multi-talented Donna Hughes is a successful singer/songwriter whose songs have been recorded by Alison Krauss, the Seldom Scene, and many others, and who has had previous albums produced by such bluegrass giants as Tony Rice and J.D. Crowe. Of the two albums of original material coming this year, the specifically bluegrass album From the heart has as guest musicians Tim Stafford (lead guitar), Scott Vestal (banjo), Rob Ickes (dobro), Jenee Fleenor (fiddle), Cory Piatt (mandolin), Zak McLamb (bass), Lucas White (rhythm guitar), and special guest Andy Kearns as 'Auctioneer'.

May newsletter from Vincent Cross

Thanks to Vincent Cross (left; photo by Todd Zimmer) in New York for his May newsletter, including 'thanks to all who hosted, supported, conversed and retorted' on his Californian tour. A video from the tour can be seen on the newsletter. There is much interest in the house concerts concept, and Vincent can be contacted about this by e-mail.

Vincent continues his interesting 'Tools of the trade' blog, exploring the relationship between songwriters and the instruments with which they compose, with an interview with David Rovics of Portland, Oregon.

He will also be taking part in a 'Eurograss in New York City' night on 12 July, featuring the fine Swiss band Mala & Fyrmoon, and Vincent with a full band (Larry Cook, bass; Billy Failing, 5-string banjo; Shane Kerwin, drums) playing music from his last album, A town called Normal. The show will be at the Jalopy Theater, 315 Columbia St, Brooklyn, NY 11231.

Band wanted for Belfast, 14 June 2014

Thanks to Ray O'Brien of 'Bluegrass in Ireland' for passing on this message from Derek Lockhart of Dangem Bluegrass, who writes:

I am involved with a group who raise funds for the Cash for Kids charity (Number 1122062).

I was wondering if any one has a band or group, no matter what genre, and could spare a few hours on Saturday 14 June on the Boucher Road in Belfast. This will be during the day, so if you have a gig at night you will be away in time.

If you could help us out to raise some funds for what is a great charity, please contact me: e-mail or 'phone (Derek 07521464125).

Westport launch party, 16 May 2014

Thanks to Uri Kohen, organiser of the Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival, for this announcement of the Festival launch party, to be held in McGing's, Westport, Co. Mayo, at 9.00 p.m. on 16 May, with music by the deservedly perennial Festival favourites the Molly Hicks, featuring Ruth Dillon (vocals, guitar, mandolin) and Bernie O’Mahony (vocals, banjolele). Uri's release states:

As well as producing quite possibly the finest blend of bluegrass, folk and country music in Ireland today, the Molly Hicks possess a trump card in the beautiful voices of lead singers Ruth and Bernie, described by Siobhan Long of the Irish Times as 'a thing of great beauty … their voices communing with the seamlessness of Emmylou Harris and Alison Krauss’.

This tight vocal and instrumental group has toured across Ireland, Britain, and USA, and are noted for their uncanny delivery of traditional and contemporary bluegrass songs. The Molly Hicks are a harmony tour de force, with everyone taking turns singing lead and harmony, doing call and response.

In addition to their wide repertoire of traditional songs and fiddle tunes, Ruth continues to write original songs for the band in a true bluegrass style. Sometimes tending towards intimate and traditional, while other times very tempo-driven and quite funky, the Molly Hicks always deliver illuminating and spontaneous live shows, and they never fail to leave their audience engaged and wanting more.

Cahalen Morrison, Eli West, and star support in Dublin TONIGHT!

Thanks again to Paul Lee of Musiclee.ie for the news that the acclaimed neo-old-time duo Cahalen Morrison and Eli West will be playing in the DC Music Club [Dublin Conservative Club building], 20 Camden Row, Dublin 2, tonight (Thursday 8 May).

Not only that, but as a bonus resulting from the programming at this coming weekend's Baltimore Fiddle Fair in Co. Cork, they will be supported by their acclaimed compatriots Brittany Haas (fiddle), Jordan Tice (guitar), and Paul Kowert (bass), who can be seen on YouTube here. Comment on Morrison & West includes the following remarks:

'Beautiful rootsy Americana' – Time Out
'Music that the world needs!' - Tim O'Brien
'Quite extraordinary' - Bob Harris, BBC Radio 2
'Really, really terrific' – Mike Harding, BBC Radio 2
'Thrilling' - The List
'A major new talent' – Maverick magazine
'Outstanding' – fRoots magazine
'Brilliant' - Frank Hennessy, BBC Radio Wales
'This is all true' - Paul Lee

Paul adds: 'What a night is in store', and all the evidence points that way. Book via the Musiclee.ie website or 'phone 087-6825306.