Red Herring (NL) to play at Moniaive 2015 - and a bluegrass history

Thanks to Loes van Schaijk in Rotterdam (NL) for the news that she and her band Red Herring (seen left, with Loes on bass) have been invited to perform at this year's Moniaive Michaelmas Bluegrass Festival in Scotland (25-7 Sept. 2015). One band from the USA, two from Scotland, and one from England are also booked, and more are to be announced - see the MMBF website. Loes writes:

We're very excited about it, and we're looking for excuses to hang around there as long as we can. So I'm asking all the people I know who have a network in England and Scotland if they have ideas for nice places to play, gigs and jam sessions and such, either in the great Glasgow area (if we would come by plane), or on the road from Newcastle upon Tyne to Moniaive (if we would come by boat), or even on the road from Dover via Manchester/ Sheffield to Moniaive (if we would come by boat and pay a visit to our mandolin player's family on the way).

Any advice about gigs, jams, events, venues, or other contacts can be sent to Loes by e-mail. Red Herring is also on Facebook and has its own YouTube channel.

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Loes is also author of the text of High lonesome below sea level: faces and stories of bluegrass music in the Netherlands, with photographs by Marieke Odekerken, which is scheduled to appear on 14 May 2015 (in time for this year's EWOB Festival). The book also has a Facebook page.

Bluegrassers in Ireland are well aware of some of the great bluegrass being played in the Netherlands, and fans of (for instance) 4 Wheel Drive and the Blue Grass Boogiemen will see some familiar faces in the photos. Every country in Europe should have a book like this about its own bluegrass scene, and the authors deserve every credit for such a project. Only 1,000 copies will be printed, and you can order a copy in advance, or donate towards the costs of its production, through the book's website.