Going places

For bands who reckon they are going places - or even just for people who are ready to travel to hear fine bluegrass in exceptional surroundings - three items of news have come up this week.

On Monday the European World of Bluegrass Festival announced on its Facebook that bands have been selected for this year's event (5-7 May) at Voorthuizen in the Netherlands, and they will by now have been informed. More news will follow shortly.

Applications are open for playing at this year's La Roche Bluegrass Festival (4-7 Aug.). At La Roche-sur-Foron on the edge of the French Alps, this is one of the biggest bluegrass events in Europe, supported by the municipality and with no admission charges. New developments are outlined in a very informative post on the European Bluegrass Blog. The BIB attended the 2009 festival and enjoyed it immensely, as indicated here. In 2011 the festival team prepared a seven-minute video 'brochure', which can be seen on their website, on the European Bluegrass Blog, and on YouTube.

Finally, the IBMA issues an announcement for new bands, or established bands with new material, who wish to play on the showcase programme at this year's World of Bluegrass (27 Sept.-1 Oct.) in Raleigh, NC. One illustration in the release shows the Railsplitters, who toured in Ireland last summer.