Newberry and Verch in one package

A couple of days ago the BIB mentioned Joe Newberry (USA), and our post of 2 Feb. gave the dates of eight shows that the April Verch Band (CAN) will soon be playing here (10-17 May) as part of a European tour. Both have performed at different past Omagh festivals; April and her band have also toured more widely in this island.

Joe is from the Ozarks and April from the Ottawa Valley. Both make exciting and moving music from the areas where old-time, regional traditions, and bluegrass overlap. They have liked each other's music for years but never played together till last August, and the results were so positive that in November they recorded a twelve-track album, Going home, due for release on 12 May on Slab Town Records. The album can be downloaded, streamed, heard, and bought on DropBox, SoundCloud, and StoryAmp.

The press release quotes Joe Newberry: 'The music that we make inspires us and we wanted to capture some of that feeling that we were sharing on stage in the studio.' On a first hearing, the BIB wants to see as well as hear this combination as soon as possible.