Oldtown Rounders at the Electric Picnic, 31 Aug. 2014

Thanks to Ray O'Brien for passing on the news from Seán Óg McKiernan that the Oldtown Rounders (above) from Galway will be playing at 9.30 p.m. on Sunday 31 Aug. at Jimmie Lee's Juke Joint in this year's Electric Picnic at Stradbally, Co. Laois. See Ray's 'Bluegrass in Ireland' Facebook page.

The Rounders play traditional and contemporary bluegrass inspired by the likes of Tony Rice, Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, Bill Monroe, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Bryan Sutton, etc., and have a residency at An Púcán on Forster St. in central Galway city, where they are playing every Friday during the summer from 7.00 to 9.00 p.m.

New features and news of Omagh 2014: update

Cup O' Joe from Armagh; see below for the link to their new website

Thanks to Richard Hurst at the Ulster American Folk Park at Omagh, Co. Tyrone, for more news and details of this coming weekend's 23rd Appalachian and Bluegrass Music Festival.

Everyone interested in the history of bluegrass music will be glad to know that Omagh's national treasure, the world-class country music record collector and historian Rodney McElrea, will be giving the McAuley Lecture on Saturday 30 Aug. (1.00-2.00 p.m.) in the Mellon Centre for Migration Studies. This year’s subject is 'Women in bluegrass', and the lecture is guaranteed to be worth hearing whether you have Murphy Henry's book on the subject or not.

The Friday night ‘Party in the Park‘ experiment is aimed at introducing a new audience to the world of bluegrass and old-time music. Gaining further major exposure for the Festival and the artists, April Verch will feature on RTÉ's John Murray Show on Thursday morning next (28 August), followed by Love Canon on the Sean O’Rourke Show a little later on the same day.

The Open Mic Stage will be running this year in the Pennsylvania Barn, and only on Saturday; it is fully booked at present. Richard writes:

I am sure you know about Cup O’ Joe travelling to IBMA in October to perform on the Youth Stage? [See the BIB post immediately before this.] Happy to think we had a part in getting them there. They will perform on Open Mic on Saturday and contribute to church service in Omagh Methodist church on Sunday morning.

Update 27 Aug.: You can see some of these details and make bookings online via the Park's latest e-newsletter.

Phill Morley, British bluegrass pioneer

Thanks to the Prescription Bluegrass Blog for making the BIB aware of this morning's news from the British Bluegrass Music Association (BBMA) of the death of Phill Morley (photo as on the PBB), founder member of the BBMA, and founder in the 1970s of the British Bluegrass & Old Time Music Newsletter, the forerunner of today’s British Bluegrass News. The full text of the BBMA announcement can be read here. Please note the words 'In BBN No 70 [...] we hope to publish an appreciation of Phill’s many contributions to the British bluegrass scene.'

The BIB hopes that the work of chronicling the pioneers of bluegrass - and not only in Britain - will be stimulated as a result. This is not just a matter of who wins an EBMA European Bluegrass Pioneer award; it's a duty that falls on the bluegrass 'community' in each country, whatever use may be made of the information. Dave Morriss's 'British Bluegrass Veterans' Facebook page is an invaluable source, especially for its photo archive, and we're glad to see that Dave has begun a written history of traditional bluegrass in the UK. The time for action is now, when the people who can put names and dates to those photos are still around.

Update 9 Sept.: See also this article on Phill Morley by Richard Thompson on Bluegrass Today.

New season opens at Naul with Whitetop Mountain Band, 5 Sept. 2014

Thanks to the Séamus Ennis Arts Centre in Naul, Co. Dublin, a good friend to bluegrass and related music in the Dublin region, for their latest e-newsletter, giving details of coming events at the Centre up to 13 September. All shows begin at 8.30 p.m. Following on from the BIB post of 13 August, the Centre announces that its new autumn/ winter brochure is now available and can be downloaded here.

The most immediate news for BIB readers is that the new concert season opens on 5 Sept. with the Whitetop Mountain Band from Virginia. See this link, together with earlier BIB posts, for more about the band; and see the post of 13 Aug. and the BIB calendar for the other dates they'll be playing in Ireland.

Pilgrim St at the Electric Picnic, 29 Aug. 2014

Thanks to Eugene Donegan for the latest news of Pilgrim St (above) from Navan, Co. Meath, who made their debut as a band just three weeks ago (see the BIB for 5 July), and are clearly already going places. Their new website is up and running; and at 5.00 p.m. this coming Friday (29 August) the band will be playing the Salty Dog stage at the 2015 Electric Picnic at Stradbally, Co. Laois. Eugene adds:

If there is any bluegrass or old-time country fans, we would love to see them.

The band lineup is Peadar Farrelly (guitar, vocals), Richie Farrelly (guitar, vocals), Eugene Donegan (banjo, vocals), Cathal McQuaid (fiddle), Eoin McDonnell (mandolin), Mack Lynch (dobro), and Francis McGinn (bass), and their repertoire includes songs from Bill Monroe, Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs & Lester Flatt, and Hank Williams.

A guide to IBMA's World of Bluegrass 2014

On another version of this image, the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) says 'You're invited'. Everyone taking up the invitation to this year's IBMA World of Bluegrass (30 Sept.-4 Oct.) can now make use of not just the online brochure mentioned in the image (and accessible here), but also a further illustrated guide to making the best use of one's time, and having the best time, at WOB.

In 2013 the IBMA held WOB, its annual business conference, trade show, and festival, in Raleigh (North Carolina) for the first time, and it seems to have been acknowledged on all sides as a great success for the IBMA and the city alike.

The BIB has recently mentioned Ted Lehmann's 'Bluegrass, books, and brainstorms' blog; and this morning Ted published a new post, 'How to negotiate IBMA World of Bluegrass 2014 - preview & guide'. This is packed with information, good advice, a street plan, and many photos taken at last year's event. As Ted says, 'IBMA has made it much easier to PLAN your experience', and his 'preview and guide' is a further helping hand. Among the attractions: Cup O’ Joe from Armagh will be performing on the Youth Stage at Raleigh.

4 Wheel Drive - bringing a new album to Omagh

4 Wheel Drive with Jolanda Peters: (l-r) Jurgen Biller, Joost van Es, Jolanda, Alfred Bonk, Ulli Sieker, Jan Michielsen (photo: Jan Lenting)

Next weekend's 23rd Appalachian and Bluegrass Music Festival in the Ulster American Folk Park at Omagh, Co. Tyrone, has many treats in store for bluegrass fans in this island; and for many, it will be a particular treat to see again the multi-award-winning band 4 Wheel Drive, based in Utrecht (NL).

They have been making friends and fans here since the band's first Irish appearance at the 2001 Athy Bluegrass Festival, and there's a special reason to look forward to this year's visit. Thanks to Joost van Es, fiddler and vocalist of 4 Wheel Drive, for the news that their new CD, Traveling kind, will be available at Omagh on Saturday 30 August.

The CD's official release will be on Monday 1 September, when the band, featuring Jolanda Peters, will be back in the Netherlands, marking the event by launching the ‘Pearl Sessions’ (‘Parel Sessies’) - a new series of forty Monday-night live-music shows at De Parel van Zuilen, a beautiful riverside venue in Utrecht. To round off a very busy week (and substantiate the name of the new CD), they'll be in Switzerland on 6 September as headliners at the 16th Sunny Mountain Bluegrass Festival.

The ‘Pearl Sessions’ - organised by Joost, who also produced the new 4WD album - will feature many national and international artists in the bluegrass, traditional music, folk music, and singer/songwriter genres, such as the Blue Grass Boogiemen, Jussi Syren & the Groundbreakers, Pam MacBeth, Amy Speace & Cara Luft, David Munnelly, the Mystiqueros, the High & the Lonesome, Red Herring, Monroe, the Louvat Bros, and many, many more. Tickets for ‘Pearl Sessions’ shows are €15 / €12 / €10.

On 1 September at the inaugural ‘Pearl Session’, Joost will also be announcing the name of the main artist who will head the bill at the 3rd Gulpener Bluegrass Festival Utrecht on 14 May 2015. Tickets for the Festival - also to be held at De Parel van Zuilen - will be sold from 1 September onwards. Tickets may go quickly, as the main bluegrass artist will be appearing nowhere else in the Netherlands and Belgium. For bluegrass fans this means: keep an eye on the De Parel website, where online bookings can be made.

De Parel van Zuilen, Burg. Norbruislaan 17, 3555ED Utrecht, the Netherlands; phone +31-653-740054

Irish Steel Guitar Festival in Dublin, 18-19 Oct.

Thanks to Roger Ryan of the Country Music Association of Ireland for information on this year's Irish Steel Guitar Festival, which will take place on the weekend 18-19 October at the Green Isle Hotel, Newlands Cross, Dublin 22, and will feature Buck Reid (USA; photo) as the headliner, together with many other leading players from these islands and the Continent. Dobroists are included! More details, including directions and assistance for booking rooms at the Green Isle Hotel, can be found on the Irish Steel Guitar Association website.

Programme for 6th Balla Bluegrass Festival, 24-7 Oct. 2014

Thanks to Tom Lyons (second from right in this fine photo of the Rocky Top String Band at this year's Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival) for news of the 6th Balla Bluegrass Festival in Balla, Co. Mayo, coming two months from now, on the bank holiday weekend in late October. The venues are Mannions and the Olde Woods on Balla's main street.

Update 24 Oct.: While the Festival programme is still mainly the same as originally shown on this post, any changes up to the present are shown on the new Festival website and on the BIB post for 24 Oct.

Tom adds: 'As usual we will have a raffle over the weekend for a guitar.' More info from Chris Mannion (094 9365093) or Tom Lyons (087 2296018; 094 9365200; e-mail).

Photos from Mohill Festival

Ray O'Brien announces that eight photos taken by Des Butler at the Mohill Bluegrass Festival (8-10 Aug.), and showing participating bands on stage, in the bar, and in the 'jam marquee', can now be seen on Ray's Bluegrass in Ireland Facebook page. Plenty of positive comments about the weekend are also on the Festival's own Facebook page.

British Bluegrass News

The BIB editor reports:

The August 2014 issue of British Bluegrass News, the quarterly journal of the British Bluegrass Music Association, has just reached us, and as usual it's produced and edited to high standards and packed with good things - several of which have an Irish connection. The main features are interviews with Dolly Parton (with strong emphasis on the place of bluegrass in her life and work); British bluegrass pioneer Tom Travis (on the scene in England in the 1960s); and Bruce Molsky.

The Irish connections come in a feature on Dublin's Paddy Kiernan; a half-page letter from Christy Clements (also of Dublin) on the experience of Sore Fingers Week; and the latest article in an advisory series by master fiddler Ivor Ottley. This one is on playing in jams, with some essential tips on jam etiquette (e.g: 'above all, play less, look and listen more'). Ivor illustrates some points from his experiences in learning East Clare fiddle style some years ago.

Oh yes - and among the full-page colour ads for the Gower, Didmarton, and Moniaive festivals and the Shackleton banjo (a further Irish connection there), there's one for the Sons of Navarone, an award-winning Belgian band who've made a place for themselves on the circuit in Britain and would go down well over here too. And their banjo-player was born in Dublin...

More from Brookfield Knights

Another in the endless line of critically acclaimed new acoustic string bands that the States are producing and Brookfield Knights are bringing over: Betty and the Boy from Eugene, Oregon, are due to be in these islands for the whole of September 2015. Betty and the Boy (website and Facebook) consist of Josh Harvey (mandolin, banjo, harmonica, vocals), Bettreena Jaeger (guitar, vocals), Jon Conlon (upright bass), Michelle Whitlock (violin), and Nanci McDonald (cello).

They identify themselves as 'folk/minimalist/acoustic'; others use such words as 'folk/classical' and 'baroque pop'. There's no discernible link to bluegrass or old-time here, but many videos of them are on YouTube and two audio samples are on the Brookfield Knights web page for event organisers and venue owners who are looking for this kind of band.

Ricky Skaggs in 'Masters of Tradition' festival, Bantry, 20 Aug. 2014

Thanks to Des Butler for the news that fourteen-time Grammy winner Ricky Skaggs is taking part in the Masters of Tradition festival held this week in Bantry, west Co. Cork. The festival extends from Wednesday 20 August to Sunday 24 August, and Ricky will be joined by fiddler Martin Hayes and guitarist Dennis Cahill at the opening concert at 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday in the Maritime Hotel. Tickets were €45; we say 'were', because the concert is now shown as sold out. As Des remarks, it seems a pity that this is the only show by Ricky Skaggs in Ireland on this trip.

Also on the Bantry programme is Virginia fiddler and flatfoot dancer Cleek Schrey, who is listed as appearing on the Wednesday concert with the Brock McGuire Band, and also on Friday 22nd with Iarla O Lionaird and Ivan Goff.

Open for bookings in Ireland, 3-8 Aug. 2015

Following on from the BIB post of 8 August, Loudon Temple of the UK's Brookfield Knights agency reports that Lindsay Lou & the Flatbellies (USA) are already booked for four UK festivals in 2015.

The confirmed dates for their tour in these islands next summer include one in Belfast on Sunday 9 August 2015, and Loudon would like to be able to put together a full week of dates for them in Ireland, beginning on the previous Monday, 3 August. Promoters and event organisers should contact the agency by e-mail.

Programme for Dunmore East

Thanks to Mick Daly for issuing (and Ray O'Brien for forwarding) the places, times, and other details of all shows at the coming weekend's 20th Guinness International Bluegrass Festival at Dunmore East, Co. Waterford - a powerful lineup headed by the Boxcar Preachers (USA) on a return visit to Dunmore East, supported by plenty of talent from this island. The brochure, in pdf format, can also be downloaded here.

Old-time music at the Glenside, 20 Aug. 2014

The 'Three Rock Mountain String Ensemble' on the open mic stage at Omagh, Sat. 1 Sept. 2012 (photo: Des Butler)

The BIB editor announces:

For anyone who's been to the weekly Old Time Music Dublin session at the Thomas House next Monday and still needs a hair of the dog 48 hours later - Cathal Cusack (guitar), Tim Hawkins (fiddle), and Richard Hawkins (banjo) will be playing upstairs at the Glenside, Landscape Road, Churchtown, Dublin 14, on Wednesday 20 August from about 8.30 to 10.30 p.m. We plan to do likewise on the third Wednesday of every month.

NB: (1) This is not a performance or gig (the photo above shows one of our rare public appearances). We've always enjoyed playing this music informally in private. Thanks to the Glenside, we can now play it (equally informally) where others who like old-time music can hear it if they wish.

(2) This is not an open jam. We'll be working through the titles on the following lists, usually by playing e.g. all the D tunes, then all the G tunes, etc.; not all will get played in any one evening! Pickers who know any of the tunes may like to try fitting in on them. From time to time tunes may be added to the lists - or dropped.

D tunes
Angeline the baker
Duck River
Ducks on the millpond
Liberty
Over the waterfall
Polly put the kettle on
Soldier’s joy
Swannanoa waltz
Western country/ Old Susanannah

G tunes
Citigo
Cotton-eyed Joe (Rayna Gellert version)
Flat Woods
Fly around my pretty little miss
Indian nation
Lazy John
Sail away ladies
Squirrel Hunters
Tombigbee waltz
Turkey in the straw

A tunes
Bill Cheatham
Billy Wilson
Buffalo gals
McLeod's reel
My own house (waltz)
Rabbit, where's your mammy (2 pt)
Sandy boys
Pretty little gal (Illinois tune)
Sugar in the gourd
Wolves a-howling

'A modal' tunes
Betsy Likens
Cold frosty morning
Kitchen girl
Santa Anna's retreat
Shady Grove

EBMA to receive IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award

On 13 August the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) announced the names of nominees for this year's Bluegrass Music Awards, and also the names of those who will receive Distinguished Achievement Awards. The five names in the latter list include Bill Keith, Deering Banjos - and the European Bluegrass Music Association.

The BIB congratulates the EBMA on this honour. IBMA Distinguished Achievement Awards are made for 'significant contributions to bluegrass music' and to those who have 'proven to be forerunners in their particular field of endeavor, and/or fostered bluegrass music's image with developments that will broaden the music's recognition and accessibility'.

The full list, with citations, can be seen here. The awards will be presented at a Special Awards luncheon at IBMA's World of Bluegrass in Raleigh, NC, on Thursday 2 October (the main IBMA awards show comes later that day). Present to receive the EBMA's award will be several of its board members - Angelika Torrie (CH), Rienk Janssen (NL), Christopher Howard-Williams (F), Chris Keenan (IRL), and Martino Coppo (I).

Two very minor points about the IBMA's press release: the EBMA was founded in 2001, not 1995 (the date of its predecessor, the European Bluegrass Network); and the citation for Bill Keith may not quite do justice to the man second only to Earl Scruggs as most influential 5-string banjo player of the late twentieth century. We also hope that it may be possible for Paolo Dettwiler (CH) - chairman of the EBMA 2001-8, and for years also the International representative on the IBMA board - to be at the award presentation, as without him there would probably be no EBMA.

NTB on RTÉ - and on stage in Carlow, 6 Sept. 2014

The NTB in Reception at the RTÉ Radio Centre, Donnybrook, Dublin 4: (l-r) Johnny Gleeson, Richie Foley, Niall Toner, Dick Gladney

Thanks to Niall Toner, who sends this news:

I am delighted to announce that RTÉ will be recording the Niall Toner Band gig at the Milford Room in the Seven Oaks Hotel in Carlow on Saturday 6 September, for broadcast as part of the 'In concert' series on Sunday nights on RTÉ Radio 1. Tickets are available in advance from Reception at the Seven Oaks Hotel.

We were guests yesterday on the Sean O'Rourke show on Radio 1 with Killan Shanley, and the reaction has been very good. We sang 'Bling' and played 'Burren backstep'.

Also, this week sees the release of 'Million dollar bill' [see the BIB for 10 July] to all radio and TV stations as the first single from Onwards and upwards. Anyone wishing to assist can now request the song from their local radio station. (Yes, they all have it!)

Prison Love at the festivals, 16-30 Aug. 2014

Mark 'Marko' O'Mahony sends this news:

Howdy Folks,

Prison Love’s run of summer festivals continues this weekend from East Coast to West, capped off with the Electric Picnic at the end of the month… Catch us if you can!

Jack of Diamonds Rhythm & Roots Festival
Three days of free music this weekend with a great lineup of the country’s finest roots bands. See their facebook page for the lineup….
Date: Saturday 16 Aug.
Time: Prison Love start at midnight (five bands on from 9.00 p.m. to 3.00 a.m.)
Venue: The Button Factory, Dublin 1
Cost: Free

Fleadh Cheoil 2014
Delighted to get our first invite to the Fleadh Cheoil – the madness has been going all week in Sligo and we’ll be there to finish it off on Sunday….
Date: Sunday 17 Aug.
Time: 9.00 p.m.
Venue: The Velvet Room, Garden Stage, Sligo town
Cost: Free

Electric Picnic
The Big One, folks – catch us on Friday at the Salty Dog Stage, and Saturday for breakfast at the Trailer Park…
Date: Friday 29 Aug., 9.15 p.m. The Salty Dog
Saturday 30 Aug., 1.00 p.m. The Trailer Park (with the Larkfield Four)

Be good!

Marko, Prison Love

Down and Out Bluegrass Band to make their Dunmore debut

Following on from the BIB post of 16 July, thanks again to Karen Cheever of B2B Communications for the news that one of the finest - and busiest - bands on the Irish bluegrass scene, the Down and Out Bluegrass Band (above), will this year make their first appearance at Ireland’s largest free bluegrass festival - the 20th Guinness International Bluegrass Festival (21-24 Aug.) at Dunmore East, Co. Waterford, where they will be playing at a total of six venues during the event. Festival organiser Mick Daly considers it a coup to secure the band for the twentieth year of bluegrass in Dunmore East:

The Down and Out Bluegrass band is a great group of talented musicians and have built up a massive following in Ireland and the UK. Their music is perfectly suited to the Dunmore East bluegrass festival, as their sound is heavily influenced by classic artists such as Bill Monroe and the Stanley Brothers.

They have been touring extensively this year, and the committee was delighted that they will be making their inaugural appearance during our twentieth year. With members hailing from Counties Armagh, Antrim, Down, and Dublin, the band plays traditional bluegrass straight out of the foothills of Tennessee and North Carolina, so visitors to Dunmore East are in for a real musical treat.

Richard Leeman, vocalist and guitar player with the Down and Outs, adds:

We’ve had a really busy schedule over the last few months, but we really wanted to play in Dunmore East. The festival draws a fantastic crowd of bluegrass and country music lovers, and it has endured so well. It’s particularly significant that we are making our debut in its twentieth year. We’ve only heard great things about the festival and are looking forward to a warm Waterford welcome.

The Festival kicks off on Thursday 21 August at the Azzurro Restaurant and heralds the start of three days of bands, playing almost fifty gigs in the village's pubs, restaurants, and hotels. The full 2014 lineup appears on the poster image below. There will also be family entertainment on offer including face painting, a bouncy castle, and food stalls in the village. More information about all free events at the 20th Guinness International Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival in Co. Waterford can be found here.

Whitetop Mountain Band open their tour at Naul, 5 Sept. 2014

Thanks to Joanne Ryan of the Seamus Ennis Arts Centre in Naul, Co. Dublin, for the news that the Centre will release its new Autumn/Winter schedule shortly. The first show in the new season will be by the Whitetop Mountain Band on Friday 5 Sept. 2014. Tickets will be available to buy shortly online or by 'phone (01 802 0898).

Full details of the band can be seen on the Centre's event page and more links are on the BIB post for 27 July, where we also gave the three other dates in Ireland with which the band are opening their tour in these islands - the full list can be seen on the poster image (above). All four dates in this island are also on the BIB calendar.

The Whitetop Mountain Band preserve the musical traditions of their region of Virginia; the band originated in the 1940s with Albert Hash, a highly influential fiddler and instrument maker. One change from the lineup we announced in July: for the current tour, the band will be joined by multi-instrumentalist Chris Testerman in place of Thornton Spencer (fiddle).

Alert: stolen Gibson Mastertone banjo

From the midlands of England, Ron Stevens, organiser of the Heart of England Bluegrass Venue in Kenilworth, forwards this appeal from Terry Foster:

Just wondered if you could please keep an eye out for my 1972 Gibson Mastertone five-string banjo, stolen in Leicestershire on the 8th August. White curly maple, wreath inlay, Keith tuners. I would really appreciate it if you could please pass this on to anyone you might think could help, and post to any other sites you might think useful. Sorry about the photo but it's the best I can do.

Any sightings: please contact Market Harborough police station, crime number LA/02514/14-7v.

BIB readers whose memories go back to the 1970s will recall Terry as a member of George Kaye and the Real Country (George Kaye, fiddle; Thaddeus Kaye, guitar; Terry Foster, banjo; Bernie Fallon, bass), who brought the bluegrass sound to the Irish dancehall circuit of that time.

Dublin Bluegrass Collective in Dame District, 17 Aug. 2014

Congratulations to the Dublin Bluegrass Collective: first, on having this splendid photo by Caroline Pim at the head of their Facebook page; and secondly, on their part in the Jack of Diamonds event this coming weekend in Dublin. As the poster image below shows, they will be on the Out Door Stage in the Dame District at 7.00 p.m. on Sunday 17 August.

Thanks to Patrick Simpson and Ray O'Brien for correction to the heading photo credit.

Bangor Culture Day, 23 Aug. 2014

Thanks to the Open House Festival team in Belfast for their latest e-newsletter on Bangor Culture Day, which will be held in Bangor, Co. Down, on Saturday 23 August. Events - including 'an open air tea dance, a record fair, a craft bazaar and creative emporium, iPhone photography workshops, a street market, open-air yoga and tai chi classes, a Reggae Sun Splash Sound System on the pier, flash dances, a campervan jam and dozens of other artistic delights' - start officially at 2.00 p.m. The team emphasise:

This is a last call for creatives to perform and get involved. Artists, musicians, crafters, bands, buskers, poets, writers, choirs, dancers, actors, drama groups, record collectors, DJs – Bangor needs you. We also want ukulele players of any standard for a ukulele happening! If you want to get involved, please e-mail by Wednesday 13 August

... or make contact via Facebook.

Monroe Mandolin Camp, 4-7 Sept. 2014: update

Thanks to Mike Compton (left), master mandolinist and leading interpreter of the music of the Father of Bluegrass, for further news of this year's Monroe Mandolin Camp, which will be held at Camp Marymount (photo below), just west of Nashville, TN, on 4-7 Sept. 2014. (The BIB carried a brief advance note on the Camp in June.)

Full details of the Camp, and much more, are on its website and Facebook. As an example of the instruction on offer, the newsletter includes a video demonstration by Mike of a Bill Monroe tune, 'Old Lonesome Waltz', using just two fingers of the left hand. This can also be seen on YouTube, where it is one of the videos on Mike's own YouTube channel.

In memory: Vinny Baker

Thanks to Danny Slevin of the organising team for the gala concert commemorating the irreplaceable Vinny Baker. The concert was held on Tuesday 24 June in the Greville Arms Hotel, Pearse St., Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, began at 7.45 p.m., and went on well after midnight with a full and distinguished lineup, and a packed  and enthusiastic audience.

Danny reports that the evening raised £3,712 for St Camillus Nursing Centre at Killucan, Co. Westmeath. The handing-over of the cheque to Fr Monks took place early last month (see photo below from the concert's Facebook page).

A two-disc DVD of the whole show is now available for £5 plus postage. Contact Danny by e-mail.

Dunmore East 2014: brochure now downloadable

Thanks to Ray O'Brien and his Bluegrass in Ireland Facebook page for passing on these images from Mick Daly, organiser of the 20th Guinness International Bluegrass Festival (21-4 Aug. 2014) at Dunmore East, Co. Waterford. The full festival brochure, with more images, can be downloaded here or viewed on Ray's latest post.

Carter Family Fold Kickstarter campaign: deadline 26 Aug. 2014

Another worthy Kickstarter campaign: film-maker Ken White is seeking to raise $45,000 to produce a TV special celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the Carter Family Fold, the rural non-profit music venue in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, created by Janette Carter and her brother and sister to honour the historic musical heritage of the Carter Family. Ken says:

The Carter Family Fold is a national treasure that preserves the deep historical significance of the Carter Family and their monumental impact on multiple music genres still heard in the songs we enjoy today. Even with regular packed houses, running a non-profit and meeting the bills is a constant challenge. This television special will bring awareness to the venue to help ensure the Carter Fold sees another forty years and beyond.

The campaign began on Monday 28 July 2014, with the deadline at Tuesday 26 August. For campaign details or to contribute to the project, visit its web page. Kickstarter’s projects range from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology. Since its launch in 2009, 6.3 million people have pledged $1 billion, funding 62,000 creative projects on Kickstarter.

BIB editor's note: A further reason for visiting the web page - it includes a YouTube video on the history of the Carter Family Fold. This is part of a playlist of twenty-one videos on old-time and bluegrass people and places in south-west Virginia, among whom are award-winning banjoist Sammy Shelor, fiddler Buddy Pendleton, and ballad singer Elizabeth LaPrelle (see the BIB for 7 Dec. 2012).

Lindsay Lou & the Flatbellys (USA): update for summer 2015

Following the news on the BIB post of 28 July, Loudon Temple of the UK's Brookfield Knights agency sends more about the projected tour in these islands in July-August 2015 for Lindsay Lou & the Flatbellys (above) from Michigan, USA. Loudon writes:

Since we last e-mailed the circuit about this proposed tour, we now have three summer festivals confirmed for Lindsay Lou & the Flatbellys. They will open the tour as one of the main headline acts at the big HebCeltFest event, play add-on dates in Scotland, England, and Wales, then travel to Ireland where we hope to have them on tour for a full week - 4th to 9th August.

We already have one or two venues keen to take the band but need to have a decent run in order to make the trip to Ireland worthwhile. So, we would be very grateful if you would let us know if you wanna grab them while they are available.

More about the band can be seen on our earlier post and the links there, especially their page of the BK website. This coming winter they will be part of the 6th Bluegrass Jamboree!, Rainer Zellner's 'touring bluegrass festival' package, which will play throughout Germany for three weeks in Nov.-Dec. 2014.

Last of the breed needs help

Thanks again to Ray O'Brien and congratulations for scooping us on a story we've been meaning to put on the BIB for months now, since items began appearing on Bluegrass Today earlier this year.

Rebel recording artist Dave Evans is the epitome of traditional bluegrass soul, with a unique personal intensity as singer, songwriter, banjoist, and bandleader. There's a good deal of him on YouYube, and we recommend the videos to anyone who needs a tonic. Last of the breed is a documentary film on his similarly unique life, in the final stages of being made by filmmaker Matthew J. Pellowski.

On the Bluegrass Today posts, you can see fascinating trailers that reveal, from the words of fellow bluegrassers, why a film about Dave Evans needs to be made. It has been made to appropriately high standards but on the proverbial shoestring; and to meet remaining costs and make release possible before the end of this year, $20,000 needs to be pledged in the next few days on Kickstarter. Part of this sum will go directly to Dave Evans. Read more details and watch one of the trailers on Ray's own post. Further info is also here.

Mohill Bluegrass Festival - this coming weekend

Thanks to Ray O'Brien for passing on news from festival organiser Tommy Kelleher at Mohill, Co. Leitrim, who announces:

Don't forget the Mohill Bluegrass Festival starts on the weekend of 8-10 August.

It starts on Friday 8 August in Planxty Maguire's, Hill St., with the Down & Out Bluegrass Band playing from 10.00 p.m. Admission is free to this event.

There'll be music all day Saturday 9 August and Sunday 10 August in the marquee erected outside Planxty's (admission is free on both days), with a wonderful concert on Saturday night in Planxty's itself, where we'll have the Cool Hand Dukes from Carrick, Count Me In, Wookalily, and the Down & Out Bluegrass Band on stage - admission only €5.

There will be great family entertainment in and around the town over the whole weekend, finishing off with the Cool Hand Dukes playing in O'Brien's Tavern, Glebe St., from 6.00 to 8.00 p.m. and The Cat's Meow, another local band, playing from 9.30 till late.

Face painting and story telling in the Gipsy Caravan on Sunday.

Please give this festival your support. You'll love the music and the happiness that it can bring.

More info is on the Festival's Facebook page.

Dangem and the 23rd Omagh Appalachian and Bluegrass Music Festival

Thanks to Ray O'Brien for passing on news from Derek Lockhart of Dangem about this month's 23rd Appalachian and Bluegrass Music Festival (29-31 Aug. 2014) in the Ulster American Folk Park at Omagh, Co. Tyrone.

The Dangem e-newsletter has more up-to-date detail than appeared on the BIB on 11 June, including the opportunity to win a Deering Goodtime banjo at the Dangem stand in the Folk Park. Announce-ments about the Festival also appear on the Park's Facebook page.

Sore Fingers news - and Bruce Molsky in Ireland, 4-12 Oct. 2014

FOAOTMAD News sends news that Bruce Molsky (left) will definitely be teaching old-time fiddle at next Easter's Sore Fingers Week (6-10 Apr. 2015) in England. Other tutors include Tony Trischka (bluegrass banjo), Mike Compton (mandolin), Missy Raines (bass), Sally Van Meter (dobro), and John Lowell (guitar) - John toured in Ireland with his band earlier this year.

The Sore Fingers site also gives details of the coming October weekend (24-26 Oct. 2014), where tutors will include Russ Barenberg (guitar) and Mike Marshall (mandolin). Anyone wishing to enrol in any Sore Fingers events should do so as soon as possible.

Earlier in October, Bruce Molsky (also on Facebook) will be in Ireland as a member of Andy Irvine's Mozaik. The tour dates shown on his website are:

Sat. 4th Oct.: Cork Folk Festival, the Pavilion, Carey's Lane, Cork city; 00353 021 4215150
Sun. 5th: Vicar Street, 58-59 Thomas St., Dublin 8; 01 77 55 800
Tues. 7th: Duncairn Cultural Arts Centre, Antrim Rd, Belfast
Wed. 8th: Strule Arts Centre, Omagh, Co. Tyrone, 44 (0) 28 8224 7831
Thurs. 9th: Balor Theatre, Ballybofey, Co. Donegal; (00353) 74 9131840
Fri. 10th: Dolan's Warehouse, 3 Dock Rd, Limerick city; (061) 314 483, EXT 1
Sat. 11th: Roisin Dubh, Dominic St., Galway city; 353 91 586540
Sun. 12th: Hawk's Well Theatre, Temple St., Sligo town; 071 9161518

Later in the year, Bruce Molsky will return to these islands for a solo tour of the UK (7-21 Nov. 2014).