Stolen Golden Era banjo alert

After the mention in the last BIB post of the Mules & Men gig in Dublin tomorrow (Sunday), some less pleasant news from a member of the band. On Wednesday Luke Coffey reported on Facebook that his Deering Golden Era banjo has been stolen from a car park in Kingswood/ Baldonnell, Dublin 22. The banjo can be seen (left) being played by Lily Sheehan (guitar and lead vocals in Mules & Men).

Luke describes it as 'a very scruffy, scuffed Deering banjo with a goldish brass tension hoop'. The Golden Era is nonetheless a top-of-the-line professional-level banjo, with all the marks of a quality instrument. Note also the straight-line tailpiece, hearts-and-flowers inlay, and of course the 'Golden Era' block in the fingerboard.

Luke's selfless advice is 'grab it if it's a bargain'; but if you encounter this banjo or hear of it, contact Luke via his website or e-mail; and please spread this news.

Randy Pasley (USA) in Dublin for Sin É jam, 16 Oct. 2018

Many thanks to multi-instrumentalist Randy Pasley for the following news. Randy comes from Ashe County, the most north-westerly part of North Carolina, and is now based in Eagle River, Alaska, where he is a friend of Scott Norris. His background as an award-winning performer and as a recording artist, music teacher, and music store owner is outlined on the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area website. Randy writes:

I will be in Dublin Oct. 4-6 and again on Oct. 16. My wife and I are planning to come to the jam at Sin É on the 16th. I play Dobro, banjo, and guitar. I am not planning to bring an instrument over but would gladly participate if anyone has an extra instrument. Mainly I just want to meet new bluegrass friends.

Thanks also to John Denby, mandolinist of Mules & Men, for suggesting to Randy that he contact the BIB. Mules & Men will be playing in the Taphouse, Ranelagh, Dublin, from 4.00 to 6.00 p.m. on Sunday 30 Sept. as part of the Ranelagh Arts Festival.

Music at Naul in the next month

In its latest e-newsletter, the Séamus Ennis Arts Centre at Naul, Co. Dublin, draws attention to three acts coming in the next month, beginning tomorrow: folk/ trad guitar- and melodeon-player Tim Edey (Sat. 29 Sept.), US country singer/ songwriter Kimmie Rhodes (Sat. 13 Oct.), and folk/ Americana singer/ songwriter trio The Whileaways, consisting of Noriana Kennedy, Noelie McDonnell, and Nicola Joyce (Sat. 20 Oct.). Details, performance videos, ticket prices, and online booking facilities are available through the links shown above.

TWO IBMA awards for the Special C.

The Special Consensus: (l-r) Nick Dumas, Dan Eubanks,
Rick Faris, Greg Cahill

The BIB is delighted to announce that the Special Consensus (its favourite US visitors, who will be returning to Ireland early in the New Year) have received two of the 2018 IBMA Awards, both arising from their latest album Rivers and roads on the Compass Records label. Rivers and roads was Album of the Year, and the Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year award went to the track 'Squirrel hunters', a traditional fiddle tune arranged by the Special C. with Alison Brown, owner of Compass Records, who also played on the track and produced the album.

Full details of the 2018 IBMA Awards are on Bluegrass Today (Brooke Aldridge, headliner at Omagh four weeks ago, took the Female Vocalist of the Year award). The Special C.'s online schedule at present shows a tour in these islands lasting from Thursday 17 January to Monday 11 February 2019, with no further details as yet. Next month - from 17 Oct. to 28 Oct. - they will be touring in the Netherlands, Germany, Scandinavia, and Switzerland.

Midnight Skyracer at IBMA WOB

IBMA's World of Bluegrass is in full swing this week in Raleigh, NC, and is naturally receiving ample coverage in Bluegrass Today; the Awards Show takes place tonight.

Yesterday's BT post on the Wednesday lunchtime showcases consists of fine photos by Frank Baker of three young bands - including nine images of Midnight Skyracer (UK), with Tabitha Agnew of Cup O' Joe (Co. Armagh) on banjo. Midnight Skyracer performed at the recent Omagh bluegrass festival - see the report by Eilis Boland and photos by Ronnie Norton on Lonesome Highway.

6th Italian Bluegrass Meeting, Sat. 29 Sept. 2018

The 6th Italian Bluegrass Meeting, organised by Danilo Cartia, will take place in Cremona, Italy, on this coming Saturday (29 Sept.), under the auspices of the Acoustic Guitar Village organisation. The programme includes a concert, workshop, and jam session.

Danilo (also on Facebook) has been the moving spirit of bluegrass music in the Rome area for years; organises the long-running Rome Bluegrass Jam; leads his own band; and plays in other combinations with the aim of bringing bluegrass before a wider public.

Red Hat Acoustic Music Club: sixth birthday coming up

Apologies to Paul and Anne McEvoy, organisers of the Red Hat Acoustic Music Club, for omitting the news of the Club's September meeting. The Red Hat meets on the second Friday of every month at the Harbour Hotel, Naas, Co. Kildare. Music starts around 8.30 p.m.; a donation of €3.00 covers coffee/ tea and sandwiches at the interval.

Paul and Anne send a reminder that the Club's November meeting (9 Nov.) will mark its sixth birthday.

Two Time Polka: October gigs

Ray Barron of Two Time Polka announces:

Here are our October gigs.

Cork Folk Festival
Sat. 6th: Upstairs in the Oliver Plunkett Bar, Cork city, 10.00 p.m. Adm. free. Tel. 021 4222779.

Sat. 20th: The Blue Haven, Pearse St., Kinsale, Co. Cork, 10.00 p.m. Adm. free. Tel. 021 4772209.

Cork Jazz Festival
Fri. 26th: Hamlets Bar, the Blue Haven, Pearse St., Kinsale, Co. Cork, 6.00 p.m. Adm. free. Tel. 021 4772209.
Sat. 27th: The Blue Haven, Pearse St., Kinsale, Co. Cork, 4.00 p.m. Adm. free. Tel. 021 4772209.
Sat. 27th: The South County Bar, West Village, Douglas, Cork, 10.30 p.m. Adm. free. Tel. 021 4891574.
Sun. 28th: The Blue Haven, Pearse St., Kinsale, Co. Cork, 4.30 p.m. Adm. free. Tel. 021 4772209.
Sun. 28th: The Briar Rose Bar, Douglas Rd., Cork, 10.00 p.m. Adm. free. Tel. 021 4291686.
Mon. 29th: The Briar Rose Bar, Douglas Rd., Cork, 6.00 p.m. Adm. free. Tel. 021 4291686.

Regards,
Ray & TTP

Outlaw Country Show concerts, Oct.-Nov. 2018

In the summer and autumn of 2017 Barry Johnston (right) and his Outlaw Country Show gave a series of successful concerts in Ulster, presenting the music of Willie Nelson, Guy Clark, Steve Earle, John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker, and more. Barry now announces a new series of shows in the coming months:

Sat. 6th Oct.: Market Place Theatre, Armagh city, 8.00 p.m., £12.50
Thurs. 8th Nov.: Bangor Chamber of Commerce, Bangor, Co. Down (details TBA)
Fri. 9th: Courtyard Theatre, Antrim town (details TBA)

We Banjo 3's Haven nominated for Best Folk Album

In the last six weeks they appeared on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart for the first time and came #2 behind the Punch Brothers (see the BIB for 10 August), following that by swamping the CMT website with fans' requests for their video (31 Aug.).

Now We Banjo 3 in their latest e-newsletter solicit your votes for their new album Haven, which has been nominated for Best Folk Album in the RTE Folk Awards. Votes can be cast through this link. The cover design of Haven is at the bottom right of the image (above); for a better view, see the e-newsletter.

Lonesome Highway at Omagh 2018

The stages have been dismantled and the sound equipment packed away after another exciting music festival in the Ulster American Folk Park, outside Omagh in N. Ireland (31/08 - 02/09/18). Once again we were treated to a world class lineup of not just bluegrass acts but also old time, folk, and cajun bands from the US, Europe, and Ireland.

Lonesome Highway sent their two intrepid reporters along - myself and photographer/broadcaster Ronnie Norton as always, to report back on proceedings. We certainly were not disappointed.

This is Eilis Boland's introduction to the thoughtful, comprehensive, and warmly enthusiastic reports by herself and Ronnie Norton on the 27th annual Omagh bluegrass festival, which (together with collages of over thirty splendid photos taken by Ronnie) can be read on Lonesome Highway, Ireland's online 'music portal for hard core country, folk, bluegrass, roots, & Americana'. Whether you were at the festival or not, this is strongly recommended.

Midnight Run (USA) at Lissan House, 27 Sept. 2018

More on the fine band Midnight Run from east Tennessee, both of whose last two shows in Ireland will be in the vicinity of Cookstown, Co. Tyrone. Sharon Loughrin of the Red Room, where Midnight Run will be playing on Wednesday 26 Sept., reports:

The Red Room concert is pretty much fully booked, but there are still a few seats free for the Midnight Run concert at Lissan House, Drumgrass Rd, Cookstown, this Thursday night (27th) This will be the last chance to hear some excellent Tennessee bluegrass before the boys head over to Scotland. The show starts at 8.30 sharp, tickets are £15, bookable through Eventbrite, Lissan House on 028 867 63312, or payable at the door on the night. Refreshments during the interval or BYO.

Lissan House [photo above] is a fascinating old property dating back to the early 1600s. Several bluegrass concerts have been hosted in the music room, an unusual and atmospheric venue well worth a visit for the house alone. Proceeds go to the restoration fund for Lissan.

Full directions for getting to Lissan House, including postcode, are on its website.

European Bluegrass Festival Voorthuizen (NL): 30 May-1 June 2019

Feel like a bluegrass break on the Continent next spring? The place of the venerable European World of Bluegrass Festival (EWOB) - of which the twentieth and final edition was held last year at Voorthuizen in the central Netherlands - has been taken by the European Bluegrass Festival Voorthuizen, organised by Bluegrass Voorthuizen.

The first edition of the new festival was successfully held on 10-12 May this year, and next year's event will be on the three days from Thursday 30 May to Saturday 1 June 2019. Eighteen bands will be on the lineup. Bands wishing to perform can download an application form, to be completed and delivered by e-mail by 1 December 2018. Full details are on the festival's website.

Bravo Midnight Run!

Midnight Run from east Tennessee have just finished the third show in their current tour, which continues till Thursday next week (after which they travel to Scotland to top the bill at the 10th Moniaive Michaelmas Bluegrass Festival).

Tonight's show was at the Coastguard Cultural Centre, Love Lane, Tramore, Co. Waterford; and one satisfied audience member, Cathy Desmond, writes:

Bravo Midnight Run Thank you John Nyhan for introducing Midnight Run to Irish audiences. Great gig in Tramore tonight Good luck for the rest of the run.

Cathy's comment, together with the schedule for the whole tour, can be read here.

'Big train' single from Jeff Scroggins & Colorado

Audiences here will have vivid memories of Jeff Scroggins & Colorado (USA), whose most recent tour in Ireland was just two months ago. They can now be heard on the first single from their coming album Over the line, which is due for release in January 2019 on Tom Mindte's Patuxent Music label.

The single is 'Big train', recorded by Don Reno and Bill Harrell on their 1969 King LP All the way to Reno. Colorado's version can be heard on Bluegrass Today, where John Lawless writes: 'It would be nigh on impossible to attend a Colorado performance and not have a good time.' The band will be featured showcase artists at IBMA's World of Bluegrass next week.

Owensboro named as a National Music City

Thanks to the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum (formerly the International Bluegrass Music Museum) at Owensboro, Kentucky, for the news that the Select Traveler organisation has designated Owensboro as a National Music City, along with such centres as Macon, Georgia; Branson, Missouri; Cleveland, Ohio; and Seattle, Washington.

The Grand Opening of the BMHoF&M's new premises in Owensboro takes place a month from now: full details are on its website.

Banjophony, Battersea, Beaconsfield - and Brown County?

The BIB editor writes:

A further step bringing bluegrass and Irish music closer together: Ron Block, banjo- and guitar-player with Alison Krauss & Union Station, and Damien O'Kane, tenor-banjo player from Coleraine and now based in England, have joined forces to produce Banjophony, a fifteen-track album - almost all original material - with over an hour of playing time, which has already received highly positive reviews. More details are on Bluegrass Today, where you can also hear one of the tracks, a Ron Block original - 'Battersea Skillet Liquor', which the composer calls:

A tune with a booted foot on either side of the Atlantic. It is made by mixolydian-ing a cup of G.K. Chesterton with a cup of Gid Tanner; boil down to a syrup and toss it back. It’s good for what ails you.

It's also reminiscent of 'Stoney Lonesome', written by Bill Monroe with Charlie Smith, and named after a town in Brown County, Indiana.

NTB prepare for IBMA WOB

In the week before IBMA's World of Bluegrass, Niall Toner announces on Facebook:

Good to hear from friends in Chapel Hill and Raleigh, NC, that the storms have passed, and it's all systems 'go' for IBMA next week! Great to know that damage was not too severe, but also, that there will be fund-raising activities during the week to help those who did suffer some losses. The Niall Toner Band will be making a contribution to this fund.

NTB will also be playing their showcase gigs on the Master's Stage on Wednesday at 4.20 p.m., and Darwin Davidson's Bluegrass Showcase in the Marriott Hotel at 10.30 p.m. that same night. We are also hoping to play at the Grey Fox and California Bluegrass Association suites, as well as playing around the Convention Centre and hotel.

We are bringing a demo of thirty original songs and tunes, which will be of interest to bands looking for new and unique material for their next album projects. Ask any member of Ireland's Niall Toner Band for a copy of these original songs! Looking forward to WOB 2018!

The NTB warmed up for IBMA last Sunday at Rahanna, Co. Louth, with Evan Lyons joining them on banjo - the photo on the left shows Dick Gladney, Evan, and Niall. More details are here. Photo at top shows (l-r) Johnny Gleeson, Niall, Gerry Madden, Dick.

Rick Faris solo project with Dark Shadow

Rick Faris is well known to Irish audiences: he's been with the Special Consensus (USA) since 2009, first on mandolin and then guitar, on which he is a highly regarded performer and luthier. We can expect to see Rick again when the Special C. return to these islands in the first two months of 2019.

Rick was building a career before he joined the Special C., and (as well as his work as a luthier) he is taking things a stage further by preparing a solo project, to be released next year on Stephen Mougin's Dark Shadow Recording label. Full details are on John Lawless's feature on Bluegrass Today.

Old-time music workshop week in Spain, 4-11 May 2019

Kate Lissauer, whose Buffalo Gals were the old-time headliners at this year's Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival, sends a quick e-newsletter to announce that the next old-time music workshop week in Andalusia, Spain, with Beverly Smith (USA) as host teacher, will be on 4-11 May 2019.

Prices will be the same as for this year's event (19-26 May 2018), so check here for the details till Kate is able to update the website.

Tom Ewing's 'gold standard' biography of Bill Monroe now out (UPDATE)

On 24 Apr. the BIB reported the welcome news, announced by Richard Thompson on Bluegrass Today, that Tom Ewing's Bill Monroe: the life and music of the Blue Grass Man was scheduled for release in September this year, in 656 pages with thirty monochrome photos, at $34.95 in hardback.

Richard Thompson now brings the even more welcome news that the book was published yesterday (13 Sept.), 107 years since the day Bill Monroe was born. Bluegrass historian Tom Adler writes an appreciation, ending:

Ewing’s book is, as of now, the ‘gold standard biography', and a copy belongs on the bookshelf of every real fan of bluegrass music.

Those who pre-ordered it will be hoping for its speedy appearance through the post.

Update 19 Sept.: Richard D. Smith, author of Can't you hear me calling: the life of Bill Monroe, Father of Bluegrass (2000) defends his biography on Bluegrass Today.

10th Balla Bluegrass Festival, 26-9 Oct. 2018

Thanks to Uri Kohen for this welcome announcement on the 10th Balla Bluegrass Festival:

For the last nine years, Balla Bluegrass Festival (Co. Mayo) has marked the end of the bluegrass festivals season in Ireland. Four years ago, the organising team of the Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival came on board to help, transforming the event to a 'Not To Be Missed' event for all bluegrass fans.


Taking place on 26-29 October (October Bank Holiday) for the tenth year, the festival lineup is a combination of some of the festival's favourite acts over the years, namely Woodbine (Athy; above left) and Colonel Bullshot Rides Again (above right) who are a collective of bluegrass musicians from Mayo, led by the one and only Tommy Lyons.


Craig Judelman (above), Jack Latimer (right)

This year, the festival is presenting three international acts: Craig Judelman & Jack Latimer (USA/Germany), the Often Herd (UK), and renowned American mandolin player Roger Green backed by the powerhouse of Bill Forster (banjo), Juliana Erkkonen (fiddle), and Fergus Packman (bass).

The Often Herd

The organisers are looking forward to see all bluegrass fans for one last celebration of the music we love so well. See you in Mayo...



Clockwise from top left: Roger Green, Bill Forster, Fergus Packman, Juliana Erkkonen

All these photos, with more on the artists, can be seen on the Festival's Facebook.

Old Hannah at Cashel Arts Festival, 22 Sept. 2018

Thanks to veteran promoter of acoustic music Tom Stapleton for the news that Sligo's Old Hannah (above; also on Facebook) will be taking part in this year's Cashel Arts Festival at 9.00 p.m. on Saturday 22 Sept. in St John the Baptist Cathedral, John St., Cashel. Tickets (€14, including €2 booking fee) can be booked online. Old Hannah can be seen and heard on YouTube performing their song 'Irish boys' on TG4's 'Ceol ar an Imeall'.

Tom Stapleton, Mount Heaton, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary; e-mail.

More bargains from Gold Tone

Back on 24 August the BIB reported that Gold Tone Musical Instruments were holding their summer sale, with savings on blemished or overstocked instruments, amounting in some cases to hundreds of dollars. This sale ran to the end of August, but discounts of 50-80% are still available from Gold Tone on discontinued lines and blemished instruments, with full warranty and professional setup. As with the August sale, this is of most direct interest to people in the USA, but if you have friends there it might be possible to get a bargain. Details are here.

Midnight Run (USA) in Ireland, 20-27 Sept. 2018

In April and July the BIB published posts looking forward to the prospect of a tour by Midnight Run, who will be headlining the 10th Moniaive Michaelmas Bluegrass Festival in Scotland at the end of this month. Thanks to John Nyhan, this fine hard-core traditional band will be playing eight shows in Ireland before Moniaive. John supplies the following introduction and schedule:

Midnight Run are a hard-driving, high-energy bluegrass band from Gatlinburg, Tennessee, with a passion for classic bluegrass and country music. Their influences come from Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, Jimmy Martin, Del McCoury, George Jones, and Merle Haggard.

'With Midnight Run, it is not only about the music, but connecting with the audience and leaving them with a memory that will last a lifetime.'

Thurs. 20th: Campbell's Tavern, Headford, Co. Galway, 9.30 p.m.; tel. 093 354 54

Fri. 21st: O Gliasain's Pub, Sixmilebridge, Co. Clare, 8.00 p.m.
Admission is free to this concert as it is in conjunction with Culture Night 2018. The concert will be preceded by a talk - with music and song - on the Irish connection and influence on bluegrass. With participation by Midnight Run and Irish traditional musicians. A concert will then follow with Midnight Run. Tel. 086 846 4509

Sat. 22nd: Coastguard Cultural Centre, Love Lane, Tramore, Co. Waterford, 8.00 p.m.; tel. 051 391 656

Sun. 23rd: Glen Theatre, Banteer, Co. Cork, 8.30 p.m.; tel. 029 56 239, 087 792 1771

Mon. 24th: Merry's Bar and Restaurant, Lower Main St., Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, 8.30 p.m.; tel. 087 064 0542

Tues. 25th: St John's Theatre, The Square, Listowel, Co. Kerry, 8.00 p.m.; tel. 068 22 566

Wed. 26th: The Red Room, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, 8.30 p.m.

Thurs. 27th: Lissan House, Drumgrass Rd, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, 8.30 p.m.; tel. 02886 763 312 or Eventbrite online.

For further details on the above, tel. 087 792 1771 or e-mail.

Conor Daly launches the Global Bluegrass Jam Hub

Thanks to Conor Daly, longtime stalwart of the Dublin bluegrass scene and banjo setup maestro, for news of an important new initiative he has taken. Conor writes:

I've started a new Facebook group called the Global Bluegrass Jam Hub. With so many jams everywhere these days, I thought this would be helpful for pickers. The idea is to get as many people as possible to join up and as many groups as possible to link to it, so information about jam sessions all over the world can be shared.

For example, if someone arrives or is planning to arrive at some new location and they want information on local bluegrass or old-time jam sessions, they can post a query and hopefully someone from the location, or with knowledge of it, would provide the requested details such as dates, times, locations, travel information, song lists, etc.... This may be augmented by a bulletin board and/or dedicated website at some stage in the future.

I've attached the link for it (www.facebook.com/groups/309212956527076/) and would appreciate if you could put it up on the blog.

We're happy to do so: the Global Bluegrass Jam Hub meets what is already a long-felt want here, and should indeed be a boon to pickers all over the world. Thanks to Conor also for the image below, used as the cover picture of the new Facebook group; taken fairly recently, it shows the weekly Dublin bluegrass jam at Sin E in full swing.

Landless: four-part harmony in Belfast, 15 Sept. 2018 (update)

For anyone who enjoys four-part harmony singing of tradition-based music - including shape-note hymns - Moving on Music announce that Landless (Lily Power, Meabh Meir, Ruth Clinton, Sinead Lynch), from Dublin and Belfast, will be in concert (supported by harpist Eilís Lavelle) on this coming Saturday (15 Sept.) in the Upper Gallery of the MAC, Belfast. Doors open at 9.00 p.m.; tickets (£12/ £8) can be booked online here, where there are full details of the group and the event. Their album Bleaching bones appeared earlier this year; their music can be heard on BandCamp, their own YouTube channel, and elsewhere on YouTube.

Update: Landless can also be heard at the Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire, the following evening (Sun. 16 Sept.), where they will appear as special guests in a concert by US multi-instrumentalist and composer Peter Broderick; full details here.

Greg Cahill takes coffee (and more)

The Special Consensus: (l-r) Nick Dumas, Dan Eubanks,
Rick Faris, Greg Cahill

In his 'Having a coffee with' series on Bluegrass Today, Richard Thompson presents a long, informative interview with Greg Cahill, founder and leader since 1975 of the Special Consensus (USA). The feature includes many details of Greg's career as a performing and recording artist, plus his likes in food, drink, songs, albums, banjos, sports teams, and much more. Be sure to read his favourite bluegrass memory, about halfway through the interview. Greg has also served as IBMA board member, chairman, and president, and received an IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award in 2011.

The BIB is delighted to announce that the Special Consensus, its favourite US visitors, will be returning to Ireland early in the New Year. The band's online schedule at present shows a tour in Ireland and Britain lasting from Thursday 17 January to Monday 11 February 2019, with no further details as yet.

The Cabin Session, Dundrum, 27 Sept. 2018

Gerry Fitzpatrick, organiser of the Cabin Sessions series, 'Acoustic Music at its Finest', announces the eighth Session this year:

We're back with you on Thursday 27 September. Special guests: Emma Butler (contemporary), Enda O'Connor (folk-rock), and one of Ireland's best blues guitarists, Ben Prevo. Hope to see ya there.

*

The Sessions are held on the last Thursday of every month at Uncle Tom's Cabin in Dundrum, south Dublin (not far from Dundrum Luas station, in the city direction). Shows run from 9.30 to 11.30 p.m. and admission is FREE. If you or someone you know would like to perform at the Cabin Sessions, let Gerry know by e-mail. The Sessions are particularly interested in featuring local musicians and singers.

Woodbine gig at Borrisoleigh cancelled

The BIB is sorry to hear from Tony O'Brien that what had been the next scheduled Woodbine gig - at Finn's Ale House, Borrisoleigh, Co. Tipperary, this coming Sunday 16 September at 8.30 p.m. - has been cancelled.

Tony reports that Woodbine had two excellent spots at Omagh's 27th Bluegrass Festival ten days ago, with Mel Corry from Co. Armagh on banjo and Dessie Crerand from Co. Donegal on fiddle. Woodbine's Facebook shows (below) the same lineup, photographed at the 2016 Ardara festival.

Horsenecks in Britain next month - with new album

Thanks to the FOAOTMAD news blog for the news that the Horsenecks string band, from Portland, OR, and Liverpool, will be playing a few dates in Britain at the end of October. The band announce:

We're celebrating the release of our brand new album Fiddlehead! Recorded in Portland in late 2017 and all live around a single microphone, Fiddlehead is a dynamic collection of old time fiddle tunes, banjo tunes, vocal harmonies, and original music.

The Horsenecks played at the 2017 Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival in the five-piece configuration shown below. The fifteen tracks on Fiddlehead can be sampled and bought through cdbaby.

Vickers Vimy: in Westport TONIGHT (11 Sept.)

Co. Mayo's 'gloriously timeless' (Hot Press) folk/ Americana band Vickers Vimy - who played at last month's 24th International Bluegrass Festival at Dunmore East, Co. Waterford - will be playing tonight in the Acoustic Yard Sessions series at Matt Molloy's, Bridge St., Westport, Co. Mayo.

Yesterday (Mon. 10 Sept.) the band released 'Chicago', the third media single from their second album Atlas of hearts. 'Chicago' can be heard in a live performance on YouTube and on Spotify. The song - inspired by the ideas of Guglielmo Marconi, who transmitted wireless signals from Clifden, Co. Galway, to Glace Bay, Nova Scotia - imagines being out on a boat in Clew Bay as a storm bears down, with giant sparks from the Marconi station in the distance like fireworks crackling in the clouds.

On its release at the end of March this year, Atlas of hearts was Charlie McGettigan's Arts Show Album of the Week on Shannonside/ Northern Sound, and was subsequently Recommended Album of the Week (RTÉ Radio 1) and Roddie Cleere's Featured Album of the Week (KCLR). It can be bought from the band's Bandcamp page.

More about Vickers Vimy is on their website. Their upcoming shows are as follows:

Tues. 11th Sept.: Acoustic Yard Sessions, Matt Molloy's, Bridge St., Westport, Co. Mayo
Fri. 21st: Culture Night, Lucas Bar, Ennis, Co. Clare

Fri. 19th Oct.: The Underground, Peadar Kearney’s, Dame St., Dublin 2
Sun. 28th: Sligo Live Festival

Wed. 7th Nov.: Ghostlight Sessions, Balor Arts Centre, Ballybofey, Co. Donegal

GHS Fingerboard Care Kit now available

GHS Strings announce a new addition to their string cleaning products: the Fingerboard Care Kit, which includes a fret buffer, a bottle of GHS Fingerboard Cleaner/Conditioner, and a cloth. The kit is suitable for all stringed instruments with natural, non-glossy, darker fingerboards.

Full instructions for using the kit are on the GHS store website. The price from GHS is shown as $8.24 and the suggested retail price as $10.99; check with your local dealer for the price in Ireland.

Pilgrim St sign with Brookfield Knights

Pilgrim St at the Hawk's Well Theatre, Sligo, 2018 
(photo: Elaine Kelly)

Following yesterday's news of Pilgrim St and their current EP Tour, which will last till January, we received this announcement from Loudon Temple of the UK's Brookfield Knights roots music agency:

Hi, folks - please allow me to introduce you to a great band from Ireland that we will be working with in the coming months as we are so fired up about their performance and music. Band leader Eugene Donegan is Cc'd here.

The band is called Pilgrim St - a seven-piece unit that has been together now for four years. They are keen to expand their reach and we are delighted to give them a help to do that.

Website and links to various video clips follow below.

• Website
• 'My little blackbird'
• 'How can a man be happy'
• 'Emerald'

Pilgrim St.'s EP Tour, Sept. 2018-Jan. 2019

Thanks to Eugene Donegan of the seven-piece Navan-based Pilgrim St for the news that the band, having launched their EP Tour at the 24th Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival two weeks ago, will continue with the dates shown below. Pilgrim St announce on their blog:

We are really looking forward to getting back out on the road over the coming months and bringing our show to new venues and back to old familiar haunts.

Sun. 16th Sept.: Theatre Royal, Waterford city
Sat. 22nd: Droichead Arts Centre, Drogheda, Co. Louth
Sun. 23rd: Black Box, Belfast

Sat. 20th Oct.: Coleman Music Centre, Gurteen, Co. Sligo
Sat. 27th: Balor Arts Theatre, Ballybofey, Co. Donegal

Fri. 23rd Nov.: Dean Crowe Theatre, Athlone, Co. Westmeath
Sat. 24th: Siamsa Tire, Tralee, Co. Kerry

Sat. 15th Dec.: Tara Na Ri, Navan, Co. Meath

Sat. 5th Jan.: Ramor Theatre, Virginia, Co. Cavan

Online booking facilities are on the 'Tour' page of Pilgrim St's website.

Photo: John Wilde, 2017

Gwenifer Raymond at Whelan's. Dublin, 9 Sept. 2018

Whelan's of Wexford St., Dublin 2, announce that Gwenifer Raymond will be playing upstairs at 8.00 p.m. on Sunday 9 Sept. Her website bio states:

After years of playing around the Welsh valleys in various punk outfits she began listening more to pre-war blues musicians as well as Appalachian folk players, eventually leading into the guitar players of the American Primitive genre. She has since been playing her own moody and often-times manic original American-Primitive-styled compositions on guitar and banjo around the UK and the US.

Videos of 'Sometimes there's blood', from her album You never were much of a dancer, can be watched on her website and YouTube; it's a guitar instrumental that has much of the character of a driving banjo tune. Her clawhammer banjo playing on 'Idumea' can be seen and heard here.