Band news

Many thanks to the members of the Dublin Bluegrass Collective who came together on Saturday (9 Sept.) to welcome Ed and Trish Bowes of Virginia and their daughter Beth to Ireland (see the BIB for 28 Aug.) in a jam session that surpassed their expectations - and special thanks to T.J. Screene (co-organiser of Bluegrass Camp Ireland) and his wife Breedge for hosting the evening.

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The Cat's Meow of Mohill, Co. Leitrim, took part in a tribute to the music of John Prine last Thursday (7 Sept.) at Connolly's of Leap, Co. Cork, and had a great time among 'such a wealth of talent and a fabulous bunch of people'.

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At the other end of the country last night (Sun. 10th), the Cool Hand String Band of Omagh, Co. Tyrone, had their first gig in the Tipsy Bird of Ann St., Belfast.

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Dublin's Greasy Coat Stringband (Derek Copley and Aisling Keogh) present five tunes and songs in a quarter-hour of fine old-time music (and one Irish jig) on Liam Kennedy's 'Acoustic Kitchen' YouTube channel. Bill Whelan, the doyen of clawhammer banjo in Ireland, can also be seen in the Kitchen, showing and playing his banjos - including the magnificent 14-inch-pot 'Joel Sweeney' banjo made from a bodhran, with a neck by Pete Stanley.

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Greenshine were heard last Friday (8 Sept.) on David Dee Moore's Acoustic Yard Radio Show, which airs every Friday at 6.30 p.m. on www.bluesandrootsradio.com.

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The Henry Girls are currently on tour in Austria and will be in Germany next month and Bilbao, Spain, in late November. Around those dates, they'll be playing at the Theatre Royal, Waterford city, on 23 Sept. and the Ballymaloe Grainstore, Co. Cork, on 24 Sept., and then at the Achill Harp Festival in Co. Mayo on 29 Oct., the Allingham Arts Festival in Co. Donegal on 11 Nov., and the Ark in Dublin during December.

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Rackhouse Pilfer have refurbished their website and will launch their new album Solar/Lunar on Friday 22 Sept. at Sixth on Teeling St., Sligo town. Doors open at 9.00 p.m., and tickets (€11) can be booked here. More on their Facebook.

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Woodbine offer a fascinating glimpse of band life offstage on their Facebook.