Henhouse Prowlers (USA) to the Czech Republic

The Henhouse Prowlers: (l-r) Kyle O'Brien, Jon Goldfine, Ben Wright, Chris Dollar

Chicago's Henhouse Prowlers made brief tours in Ireland in March this year and August last year in the course of wider tours this side of the Atlantic. They have toured in more than twenty-five countries, often going to places where traditional American music has never before been heard. Their Bluegrass Ambassadors project is a mission to educate and inspire through cultural exchange and educational programmes.

Their next misson, as outlined in Bluegrass Today, will be to the Czech Republic, probably the most bluegrass-rich country in the whole of Europe, with the oldest bluegrass festival on the Continent (Čáslav, founded in 1973), scores if not hundreds of bands, and world-class luthiers. With support from Reverb.com, they will be bringing a dozen entry-level instruments to give to young Czech learners.

Loop2Learn Lite now FREE

For the dedicated picker who learns by studying recordings: the Gold Tone Music Group announces that the Loop2Learn app, which allows videos from YouTube or your own phone to be looped for repeated playing (and slowing-down, if required), is now available free in the new Lite version. Read more on their latest e-newsletter.

NTB at Temple Bar Tradfest, Jan. 2019

Niall Toner (left) announced a week ago on Facebook:

I am still 'in recovery', though totally inspired, after three weeks in the USA, at IBMA in Raleigh, NC, and Nashville, TN, but looking forward to the next outings for the Niall Toner Band... December the 3rd, we will play Ballymore Eustace for Roy Thompson, which will be the end-of-year gig for his excellent music club [see the BIB for 25 Oct.]. Then, our first gig of 2019 will be, I'm delighted to say, in St Michan's church in Dublin, as part of Tradfest 2019, on Thursday January the 24th. So, check us out!

Tradfest 2019 - 'Ireland’s largest festival of traditional music and beyond, in some of Dublin’s most historic places' - will run from 23 to 27 January. The main concerts (all of which are now bookable) include:

Fri. 25th: Kathy Mattea, St Patrick's cathedral, doors 8.00 p.m., show 8.30 p.m., €34.99

Sat. 26th: The Henry Girls, the Oliver St John Gogarty, Library Bar, doors 3.00 p.m., show 4.00 p.m.

Sun. 27th: The Henry Girls, the Oak, doors 3.00 p.m., show 4.00 p.m.
Jerry Douglas, Teddy Thompson, Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards, Dublin Castle, doors 6.30 p.m., show 7.00 p.m., €34.99

More details of Tradfest are TBA.

News of recent visitors

The Garrett Newton Band from North Carolina were headliners at the 2017 Ardara Bluegrass Festival in Co. Donegal. Pinecastle Records announce that the band's next album, Bluegrass Barn, will be released in April 2019. The title song is now available for airplay via AirplayDirect and can also be bought and downloaded on BandCamp.

Pinecastle's YouTube channel carries this video of Garrett running through 'Charlotte breakdown', which can also be seen on the band's Facebook.

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Chris Jones & the Night Drivers, who were on tour here during the snows of March, are shown below celebrating the success of their single 'Bend in the road', which Chris calls 'our little slice of bluegrass optimism'. It will be a part of their next album, which is scheduled to appear next spring. Read more on this Mountain Home Music Company e-newsletter.

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Finally, Hot Rize and the Del McCoury Band, both of whom have been away for far too long, and the Travelin' McCourys (who have not yet travelled this far) are hoping for nomination in the 2019 Grammy awards. Read more on the Hot Rize and McCoury e-newsletters.

Tony Joe White, 1943-2018

Des Butler sends this sad news of the death of a major artist in a field that, like bluegrass, springs from the realities of rural life in the South:

You may have heard the 'Swamp Fox', Tony Joe White, has passed away on Wednesday last.

Born 23 July 1943, Oak Grove, Louisiana; died 24 October 2018, Leiper's Fork, Tennessee, age 75 years.

Another great loss to country blues and Americana music. R.I.P.

Contacting ArtistWorks

Thanks to Ben K of Music-ic, who sends in this comment on the BIB post ArtistWorks Vocal School opens:

I would like to review the online vocal lessons course on my site (https://www.music-ic.com/learn-how-to-sing-online/). Who can I contact?

ArtistWorks, based in California, has an impressive faculty of instructors in its bluegrass section, where singing is taught by Michael Daves (country vocals are taught by Lari White). We don't, unfortunately, have an up-to-date name to contact, but there is a contact page on the ArtistWorks website and this e-mail link to the information section.

Contacting FOAOTMAD

Thanks to Paul Bennett of FOAOTMAD, the UK organisation promoting American old-time music and dance, who sends good news for anyone who may be experiencing difficulty in reaching FOAOTMAD through the contact links on its news blog or website.

The website is faulty and a new one is now in preparation. Meanwhile, any response to items on the FOAOTMAD blog or mail-outs can be e-mailed by this link.

Ballymore Acoustic Gigs for Nov.-Dec. 2018

Ballymore Acoustic Gigs (BAG), based at Mick Murphy's, Ballymore Eustace, Co. Kildare, announce the programme of six gigs in November and December 2018. All except the last are on a Monday, starting at 9.00 p.m. sharp, with doors open at 8.30 p.m. Admission is as shown on the image above. There is free admission to the 8th annual 'Vibe for Larry', held in honour of the late Larry Roddy on Friday 7 December to end the 2018 season.

For BIB readers the main event will be the show by the Niall Toner Band on Monday 3 December. Links to artists' websites are on the BAG blog.

A banjo for a lifetime

It's not often that a really unique and outstanding instrument comes on to the market here. Alec Somerville has made a decision which he describes as 'like having a dog put down, or selling the homestead', and writes:

I have decided to sell the best banjo I ever had, which includes several Stewarts, Orpheums, Essexes, and other Vegas. I am playing short-scale 1880s nylon-strung things mostly now and enjoying it.

This is a 1923 Vega 'Style X' - a 10 13/16" heavy maple pot with Tubaphone tone ring; bracket ring (so screws to bracket shoes are hidden); beautiful purfling to edge of open-back pot; notched tension hoop; and original shoes, brackets, and tension nuts, open-ended; full 27" Vega scale. The tailpiece is a 1920s Kirschner. The banjo can be fitted with a resonator: Vega used a system of fleur-de-lis plates under each tension nut to make a 'flange'.

This was originally a tenor banjo. I got it c.1970 in Canada with a made-up 5-string neck. I had the present neck made by a friend, championship luthier Wayne Fairchild of Michigan, who was at that time making banjos, mostly 4-string, in the $10,000 class, and is now in the Banjo Hall of Fame. The maple came from North Carolina, near the Virginia and Tennessee state lines, and was a blank. Wayne cut and reversed the pieces with an insert, and added a heel-adjustable truss rod. The serial number 57040 (indicating 1923) appears on the wooden perch pole/dowel stick and on the pot.

The bound ebony fingerboard is mounted on multi-layered veneers and carries a fancy 1920s pearl pattern; positions are side-marked with dots. There is a full set of old Stewart-MacDonald planet-geared pegs with white buttons.

The deal includes a pair of Scruggs/Keith pegs for 2nd and 3rd strings, old type; an insulated, waterproof, padded, zippered, semi-rigid case by Betty Vornbrook, champion fiddler of the Reed Island Rounders, Hillsville, Va, who makes cases etc. under the brand name Autumn Wind; and a beaded strap [visible in the photo on left] I had made about thirty-five years ago by a Cree lady who was 82 at that time.

The Style X tenor was used by King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band and Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven bands. Kuhn describes it as 'possibly the best open-back banjo ever built'. This banjo, picked with a fingernail, is louder than any comparable Stelling, Gibson, you name it... It would be a lifetime banjo for a serious old-time picker.

Click on any of the photos for an enlarged view. For more details, contact Alec by e-mail.

Interstate Express trio in Ireland, 24-9 Oct. 2018: in Galway TONIGHT

Thanks to Andrew Ludick for further news of Craig Judelman's Interstate Express, who (as announced last week) will be playing at the Athy Community Arts Centre, Woodstock St., Athy, Co. Kildare, on Thursday 25 October at 8.00 p.m. and subsequently at the 10th Balla Bluegrass Festival in Balla, Co. Mayo.

The first good news is that banjo-player Joe Buirski will be with them, completing the trio that made their six-track album Run Mountain (which can be heard on BandCamp), and as on the tour of Britain and the Continent which they've just completed. The second good news is that they're playing two additional dates, the first of which is TONIGHT:

Wed. 24th: Galway Folk Club, De Burgo's, St Augustine St., Galway city, 9.00 p.m., €5
Thurs. 25th: Athy Community Arts Centre, Woodstock St., Athy, Co. Kildare, 8.00 p.m.
Fri. 26th-Sat. 27th: 10th Balla Bluegrass Festival, Balla, Co. Mayo
Mon. 29th: The Sky & the Ground, 112 S. Main St., Whitewell, Wexford town

Mother Maybelle, 1909-78

Maybelle Addington Carter ('Mother Maybelle') died forty years ago today in Nashville, TN. Her influence as a member of the Carter Family, and individually as an innovator on guitar and autoharp, is immeasurable. Fred Bartenstein's biographical essay on her in the records of the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum is essential reading. Next May will see the 110th anniversary of her birth.

Sacred Harp in the Bitter Southerner - and in Dublin

With Sacred Harp Dublin due to celebrate Isaac Watts Day* just a month from now (Saturday 24 November), the Bitter Southerner online magazine publishes today Chuck Reece's article 'Let everybody sing' about the ancient, living Sacred Harp tradition and the communities that it forms. Reece grew up in the north Georgia mountains where all-day singing conventions and dinner on the ground were a major part of life: the conventions

represented refuge for certain people — folks like me who could barely sit through a sermon, squirming at the threats of hellfire and brimstone, but who still wanted to touch the divine, whatever that was. Singing conventions were for folks who preferred that music help them reach the divine.

And this lies at the root of its widening appeal; Reece describes those who came to a convention at Big Creek Primitive Baptist Church, Alpharetta, Georgia:

People from all over the world will converge on this tiny church for two days of nothing but singing and food. Germans. Irishmen, Irishwomen, Irishchildren. People with varying levels of melanin. Jews. Gentiles. Muslims. Even atheists, for God’s sake.

The article, with audio examples supplied by Myke Johns and photographs by Johnathon Kelso, is a fine introduction to the Sacred Harp world, with a link to the Sacred Harp singing website and the Matt and Erica Hinton film Awake my soul: the story of the Sacred Harp. Recommended.

*Isaac Watts (1674-1748), 'Godfather of English hymnody', is credited with writing some 750 hymns. The celebration this year will be on the day before the 270th anniversary of his death, and will be held from 14.00 to 17.30 in the Robert Emmet Community Development Centre on Usher St., Dublin 8.

The Special C. this side of the Atlantic (update)

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

As mentioned on the BIB on 28 Sept., the Special Consensus (USA) are at present warming up on the Continent, in preparation for their tour of these islands from 17 Jan. to 11 Feb. 2019. The first instalment of their account of the current tour, covering dates in the Netherlands and Germany, appeared on Bluegrass Today on Friday, and at the bottom there's a link to a glowing account on Banjo Hangout of a show they played in Germany to benefit a church - together with several similarly warm commendations of the band. See also their Facebook.

No details yet of the coming tour in Ireland, but the BIB will publish them as soon as they're received.

Update 26 Oct.: The second report from the Special C. in Europe can be read here.

A classic from the Bluegrass Babies

It's been nearly six years, but thanks to Caroline Roberts for this latest press release from the Bluegrass Babies:

Coming to you direct from the beautiful misty mountains of North Carolina, is the Bluegrass Babies’ stonking new video of the all-time classic...

Blue Ridge Mountain Blues!

Directed by renowned filmmaker Ursine Welles [left] and shot in situ amongst the glorious flora and fauna of Blue Ridge Parkway, the Babies pull out all the stops with their dynamic, foot-stomping arrangement. Flo’s fiddle playing lifts the roof, Mo’s mando picking is finger-licking fine, and Bo’s guitar just rings with that hum-dinging rhythm that gets feet a-tap-tap-tapping.

The band flew into Little Asheville Airport last week at the end of an extensive European tour. Sadly the local AFM refused their usual troupe, the Toy Box Singers, a performing licence, insisting that support be drawn exclusively from hometown talent. Happily, though, a veritable host of artistes came forward and a star-studded cast of singers, dancers, and backup musicians was put together.

Said band spokesbaby Bo: 'We were thrilled to sign up multi-platinum-selling Big Bru Brewster for lead vocals, together with some cutting-edge troupes such as the Skunky Bottom Boys and the Possumettes, not to mention the Misty Mountain Minstrels who boast a BIBMA-winning banjo player.

'All in all, it’s been a long wait... but... put on your dancing shoes, hold onto your hats, and get ready to rock-a-bye baby to those big blue mountain blues!'

Yes, the Bluegrass Babies are back and on fire. Next stop – Kentucky!

BIB editor's note: Bru Brewster, like every other distinguished artist who has recorded this classic, introduces his own variations in the text. No disrespect to the Minstrels' banjo-player (though his instrument should have been much higher in the mix), but we can only regret the absence of Wild Woolly Bunton and the characteristic spark and punch he brought to previous Babies' releases. We hope AFM performing rights requirements in Kentucky are less restrictive. Meanwhile enjoy this video - Bo's guitar work is right in the pocket - and look forward to more from the gang in the Blue Grass State. The fully illustrated text of the press release, together with high-quality stills, can be found on Dropbox.

OTH: the way ahead

The latest issue of the Old Time Herald (OTH) - which is either with or on its way to subscribers - reflects the response to last year's readers' survey, with more features, more previously unpublished photos, more reviewers, and a return of how-to articles with music and tabs. The OTH also sends its annual fall fundraiser. Sarah Bryan (OTH editor and director of the Old Time Music Group) writes:

Over the next few weeks we’re going to be rolling out some new and awesome digital resources, as well as revamping our advertising package, so we’re also making improvements with organizational sustainability very much in mind. But community support remains an absolutely vital part of our organizational sustenance, and we very much hope that you will consider making a donation to the Old-Time Herald (at www.oldtimeherald.org). (Because the OTH is published by the nonprofit Old-Time Music Group, donations are tax-deductible in the United States.)

This year we have a giveaway of some wonderful music and writing from North Carolina, where the Old-Time Herald is based. We’re giving away two items. The first is the beautiful PineCone two-CD set Going down to Raleigh, packed with field recordings of some of the greatest old-time musicians active in North Carolina in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. We’re also giving away copies of Blue Ridge music trails of North Carolina from UNC Press, a guidebook by Fred Fussell and Steve Kruger, that will help you plan a music-filled trip to North Carolina. (Y’all come!) Even if you’re not going to be traveling this way soon, you’ll love the music history and photography, and the CD that accompanies the guidebook. At the end of this fall fundraiser we’ll randomly draw the names of 15 donors, who will receive either Going down to Raleigh or Blue Ridge music trails of North Carolina! (If you would like to enter the drawing but don’t wish to make a contribution at this time, just send us your name and we’ll be sure that you’re included.)

Everyone, as always: we thank you so much. We at the Old-Time Herald are grateful for your support of this magazine, which is, and always has been, a community effort.

No bluegrass fan should forget that OTH was founded by Alice Gerrard (friend of Bill Monroe and Tommy Jarrell, and pioneer woman bluegrasser in partnership with Hazel Dickens), with great support from the late Pete Kuykendall, editor of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine.

Rhiannon Giddens (USA) in Sligo, Sun. 28 Oct. 2018

Thanks to Alec Somerville for the news that Rhiannon Giddens (of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, winner of the 2016 Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, and deliverer of the Keynote Address at IBMA's World of Bluegrass 2017) will be in concert at Sligo on Sunday 28 October.

The venue is the Hawk's Well Theatre (not 'Hank Well's Theatre', as shown here), and tickets (€28 +s.c.) can be booked here. Doors open at 7.00 p.m., and the show starts at 8.00 p.m.

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Alec also confirms that the Burren Hostel at Lisdoonvarna can now be booked for the weekend 22-24 Feb. 2019, when the Second Annual Irish Old Time Appalachian Music Gathering will be held. More news about the Gathering will appear on the BIB as soon as possible.

Stompin' Dave Allen in Ireland, 15-18 Nov. 2018: booklng needed for 18 Nov. (UPDATE)

Thanks to John Roberts of Barking Spider Promotions, Clounlaheen East, Mullagh, Co. Clare, for the news that Stompin' Dave Allen (left; photo by Roy Cano), one of the leading entertainers on the old-time music scene in Britain, will be playing in Ireland a month from now.

Stompin' Dave plays and sings bluegrass, old-time, and rural blues on banjo, fiddle, guitar, and piano, plus flatfoot dancing. He has been over to Ireland on many occasions (see for example the BIB for 3 Sept. 2013, giving more detail on him), and the live reviews he gets would be envied by practically any performer. A lot of his music is on YouTube, including his own channel. The dates confirmed for this year's tour are:

Thurs. 15th Nov.: Colfer's, Carrig-on-Bannow, Co. Wexford
Fri. 16th: The Market House (Tom Malone’s), Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare
Sat. 17th: Sexton's, Kinvara, Co. Galway

NB: An engagement originally planned for Sunday 18 Nov. has not materialised, and John urgently needs a gig for him on Sunday 18 November. John can supply a P.A. system and accommodation is not needed, as immediately after the gig on Sunday Dave will be travelling straight back to catch the early ferry at Rosslare on Monday morning. If you can offer a booking, please contact as soon as possible:

John Roberts
BARKING SPIDER PROMOTIONS
An Cat Dubh,
Clounlaheen East,
Mullagh,
Co. Clare,
V95 N660
Tel. 00353 (0)65 7087564
Mobile: 00353 (0)871330954
e-mail

Update 14 Nov.: Stompin' Dave Allen's online schedule now shows an additional gig on Saturday and a confirmed gig for Sunday, as follows:

Sat. 17th: The Record Break, Ennis, Co. Clare, 3.00 p.m.; Sexton's, Kinvara, Co. Galway (evening)
Sun. 18th: The Greyhound, O'Curry St., Kilkee, Co. Clare

Judelman's Interstate Express (USA) at Athy, 25 Oct. 2018

Thanks to Andrew Ludick for the news that Craig Judelman's Interstate Express (USA) will be playing at the Athy Community Arts Centre, Woodstock St., Athy, Co. Kildare, on Thursday 25 October at 8.00 p.m. Craig will be playing a mix of old-time and bluegrass fiddle music accompanied by Jack Latimer (AUS) on guitar. The duo will be taking part during the following weekend (26-9 Oct.) in the 10th Balla Bluegrass Festival at Balla, Co. Mayo.

Andrew also draws attention to the six-track album Run Mountain by the full trio configuration of Judelman's Interstate Express: Craig Judelman (fiddle, mandolin, vocals), Jack Latimer (guitar, harmonica, vocals), and Joe Buirski (banjo, vocals). The album can be heard on BandCamp. The trio have been touring in Britain and the Continent.

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Much more of Craig's music can be heard and seen on YouTube. The BIB draws attention to 'Jim along Josie', with Craig's fiddle accompanying Jerron 'Blind Boy' Paxton's singing and old-time two-finger banjo-picking style, both of which sound as if drawn from the same well that Uncle Dave Macon used.

Michael D. Doubler's book Dixie Dewdrop: the Uncle Dave Macon story was published by the University of Illinois Press in September (see the BIB for 22 May). The author, who is Uncle Dave's great-grandson, will be giving a presentation and signing copies of the book at the Birthplace of Country Music in Bristol, TN/VA, on Sunday 4 Nov. More details are here. This event is part of the final day of the 2018 Banjo Gathering.

Ken Perlman interviewed and reviewed in summer 2018 B.M.G.

The latest newsletter from clawhammer banjo maestro Ken Perlman (USA) announces that his latest record release, Frails & frolics: fiddle tunes from Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton, & elsewhere on clawhammer banjo, has been reviewed in the summer 2018 issue of B.M.G. magazine.

B.M.G., published by Clifford Essex in London, is the oldest fretted instrument magazine in the world. The review, by David Cotton, can be read in full here. To the same issue David Cotton contributes a four-page in-depth interview with Ken, which includes many useful links to videos and other sources. More news of Ken's many and varied activities are on his website.

Jaywalkers (GB): new album and tour

The Jaywalkers (GB)*, who took part in the 2013 Omagh festival and opened the Saturday night concert at the 2017 Westport festival, are releasing their album Time to save the world in November, after a successful crowdfunding pre-order campaign. It features ten original songs and a Johnny Cash cover; a video of the first song, 'This time', can be seen in John Lawless's feature on Bluegrass Today, and on YouTube.

From 1 November to 23 February the trio will be touring Britain in support of the new album, playing fifteen shows before Christmas and ten afterwards.

*Not to be confused with Cork's Prairie Jaywalkers.

Brookfield Knights: acts touring in summer and autumn 2019

Loudon Temple of the UK's Brookfield Knights agency (BK) asks event organisers, promoters, and venue operators to check over a list of artists on the BK roster who will be touring in 2019. Loudon writes:

There are one or two tours almost completely filled with the odd date still available and others which are just being announced. Please let us know if you can possibly fill any of the slots on tours with availability and/or let us know what might be of interest and provide a steer on what would be your preferred dates.

The following list includes only those acts whose proposed tours include Ireland. If you want information on tours that take in Britain without Ireland, contact Loudon via the BK website or e-mail.

*Woody Pines (trio)      Available for England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, 12 July-4 Aug.

*3Hattrio      Available for Scotland, England, Ireland, Wales, 16 Aug.-8 Sept.

*Double-header show: The Pine Hearts and the Lowest Pair       Available for England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, 2-26 Oct.

The DBC, milestones, and US guests

The BIB editor writes:

Belated but sincere thanks to the members of the Dublin Bluegrass Collective (to those shown above, and more) for marking a recent significant birthday of mine with a picking party - and especially to Simon Humphries (co-organiser of Bluegrass Camp Ireland) for organising and hosting the event. Carol and I greatly appreciate it. (Historical note: when Bill Monroe passed the same milestone, he was jamming on stage shortly after having a triple heart bypass. As in most things, he set a high standard.)

The DBC's regular jam in Sin E on Ormond Quay last week was especially high-powered, with Midnight Run pitching in on their last night before returning to the USA. Photos and videos from their tour of these islands can be seen on their Facebook; the one on the right, showing Seth Mulder in front of Lissan House, Co. Tyrone, the venue for their last show in Ireland, is one of several taken there.

Tomorrow night (Tuesday 16 Oct.) another US guest from the bluegrass heartland will be at Sin E for the jam: multi-instrumentalist Randy Pasley (left) from North Carolina. Randy is looking forward to meeting everyone taking part.

Dan Eubanks releases a single

It seems to be solo project time for the members of the Special Consensus. After last month's news of the project Rick Faris has in hand (see the BIB for 18 Sept.) comes the news that bassist Dan Eubanks (left) has released a first single, 'October in the South', from his upcoming solo album, Look what the city’s done.

More details and a video are on Bluegrass Today. We can expect the band to have product with them, including their award-winning album Rivers and roads, when they're over here in the first two months of 2019.

'Rain' from Australia

Thanks once again to Donal McKernan in Australia, who sent us 'Smoky wind' last September as an example of the 'browngrass' music being made by his family, and sent us this spring a link to an article by his father Joe on the life of Turlough O'Carolan (see the BIB for St Patrick's day). Donal has just announced the release of another single by his family band, 'Rain', which can be heard on SoundCloud and appears as Song of the Month for October 2018 on the 'Voices' blog of the Bruderhof religious community. On the post for 10 October you can also find a SoundCloud link and the full lyrics, together with an article by Joe McKernan on the context and meaning of the song.

You gave me a song: progress report

The BIB last reported on progress with production of the film You gave me a song: the life and music of Alice Gerrard over six months ago, on 13 March 2018. (Our post of that date includes links to all info previously received.)

The production team now send their latest e-newsletter, including a report on the release on 22 Sept. of the album Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard - Sing me back home: the DC tapes, 1965-1969 on Free Dirt Records. The team also appeal:

Thanks to the many of you who have donated to the film over the past year! We need to raise $75,000 in the coming months to cover post production, licensing costs and complete the film by early 2019. Help us tell this story!

Donations to the Southern Documentary Fund can be made through this link.

New poster for Balla 2018 and dates for Westport 2019

The 10th Balla Bluegrass Festival will begin in just over two weeks' time in Balla, Co. Mayo, to wind up (as far as we know at present) the 2018 bluegrass festival season in this island. The festival now has a new poster image (left), showing all the acts taking part. More details of the lineup are on the BIB post for 14 September.

The image can be seen on the Balla Festival Facebook. The wording at the bottom announces that the festival is in association with the Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival; and the Westport festival's own Facebook announces that the dates for next year's event are 7-9 June 2019. Some festival-going regulars are already booking Westport accommodation...

The Sons of Navarone

The Sons of Navarone: (l-r) Yves Aerts, Thierry Schoysman, 

Guido Bos, Paul van Vlodrop

Thanks to our friends of Bluegrass in Belgium for a reminder of an outstanding European bluegrass band that hasn't yet performed in Ireland - though two of its members have, and the band as a whole tours in Britain and advertises in British Bluegrass News.

The Sons of Navarone won the European Band contest at the La Roche bluegrass festival in 2012 (no easy feat) and the Audience Popularity Award at the EWOB festival in 2016. Their album Nobody's business came out at the end of 2017, with enthusiastic notes by mandolin maestro Mike Marshall (USA) which can be read on their website. They'll be playing at the Kaleidoscoop, Molenweg 50, 2640 Mortsel, Belgium, on Friday 2 Nov.; not many BIB readers may be able to get there, but perhaps we'll see them in Ireland some time.

Erynn Marshall and Carl Jones in Britain, 10-23 Nov. 2018

The FOAOTMAD news blog announces an Old Time Extravaganza (left) in Richmond, Surrey, England, starring Erynn Marshall and Carl Jones. Anyone who has seen them on tours in Ireland - as recently as February this year, when they taught and performed at the First Irish Old Time Appalachian Music Gathering and later gave a workshop in Dublin - may be interested to know that their online tour schedule shows other events in Britain up to 23 November, though unfortunately none in Ireland.

NB: the Irish Old Time website announces the dates 22-24 Feb. 2019 for the second Gathering. The Gathering web page is not yet completely updated, pending Bob Denton's return to full health.

A dream come true - and a bright future

Thanks to Uri Kohen of the Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival (above, in yellow cap, among fellow delegates) for this very positive news from his recent experiences in the States:

Last April, I was lucky enough to be invited to take part in the 'South Arts - American Sounds' program in the USA. The program included eight delegates from Ireland, England, Australia, Serbia, Belgium, Switzerland, and France who were invited to see and hear the current bluegrass talents and to give our views of how to better promote American acts outside the USA.

The program started in Raleigh, NC, where we had workshops, exhibitions, and many showcases of the best bluegrass around at the moment. We were also lucky enough to see some of the greatest bluegrass acts on the planet - this was a dream come true for me. Our last two days in Raleigh were during the IBMA Wide Open Bluegrass Festival, probably the biggest bluegrass event on the planet, with over 100 acts and more than 250,000 people over two days.

We then flew to Orlando, Florida, where we took part in another program - Performing Arts Exchange - and were introduced to many art forms based in the South as well as bluegrass.

The whole experience was a big eye-opener, but also a stamp of approval that we are doing the right thing. I forwarded the message, on behalf of all of us, that Ireland is open for business and we will welcome with open arms every bluegrass act that wants to make the trip to our shores.

Last but not least - I booked some existing acts for the 2019 Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival, and I truly believe that the future of the Irish bluegrass scene is very bright.

The Cabin Session, Dundrum, 25 Oct. 2018

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

We're back on Thursday 25 October. Special guests are Joyce Murphy (contemporary), Tom Horan (country/ folk), and Lucas Hennessy (Americana). Hope you can make it along.

*

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.

Dave 'Sammy' Rohan

Uri Kohen of the Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival sends this sad news:

Last Saturday, the Irish music scene suffered a massive blow with the terrible news of the untimely passing of Dave 'Sammy' Rohan. Sammy was a very well known bass player across the entire music scene, but his main love was for bluegrass, country, and honky-tonk music.

He played many festivals and gigs with his band Hickory Wind, and recently bluegrass fans had the chance to hear and see him with Demolition String Band (USA) who played both the Dunmore East and Omagh bluegrass festivals.

We wish to send our condolences to Sammy's family. Bluegrass music in Ireland has lost a great musician and a great friend. May he rest in peace.

Midnight Run (USA) join Dublin weekly jam, 9 Oct. 2018

For those of us, particularly in the Dublin area, who missed Midnight Run when they were here last month, some very welcome news from John Nyhan, who organised their Irish tour:

The classic bluegrass band Midnight Run from Tennessee, who made such a huge impact on their recent tour of Ireland, Scotland, and England, will be back in Dublin on Tuesday next (9th October) before they fly home to the US on Wednesday 10th.

I am delighted to announce that they will join the Dublin Bluegrass Collective for their usual Tuesday night jam in the Sin É pub in Ormond Quay Upper.

I also wish to say that it was a great pleasure to be associated with this band. They delivered some of the finest classic bluegrass ever played on these shores, which sounded fresh every night. Add to the above a great work ethic (while still having fun), great personalities, and communication skills, and you get a band that tick all the boxes.

So bluegrass musicians and audiences alike should make their way to the Sin É on Tuesday night next and give Midnight Run a great send-off back home to Tennessee.

And next week at the Dublin Bluegrass Collective jam in Sin É, multi-instrumentalist Randy Pasley from North Carolina is expected (see the BIB for 28 Sept.).

The future of Appalachia's past

The BIB editor writes:

Many of us, in the 1970s or since, will have seen and/or bought at least one volume in the Foxfire series - most likely the one with a chapter on making a mountain banjo. The books were an invaluable guide to life in Appalachia as it had been (and in some cases was still) lived.

A new book, Travels with Foxfire: stories of people, passions, and practices from Southern Appalachia, by Phil Hudgins and Jessica Phillips, is available from the Bitter Southerner website, where you can also find a review by Beth Ward that looks at Appalachia's present, the images of its past that have been formed, and what holding on to those images may mean.

Old-time and bluegrass are not identical with Appalachia, but some of this review will resonate with anyone concerned with issues of tradition and change in these musics.

Navá tour begins TONIGHT

Navá, the unique quartet exploring relationships between the musical cultures of Ireland and Persia, launch tonight (Fri. 5 Oct.) a seven-show tour of Ireland, of which tomorrow's show in Belfast is presented by Moving on Music. Navá consists of Iranian brothers Shahab and Shayan Coohe with Niall Hughes and Paddy Kiernan, who - among other activities - are two of the most talented young bluegrass musicians in Ireland. The tour dates are:

Fri. 5th: Bello Bar, Portobello, Dublin 2, 8.30 p.m.
Sat. 6th: Duncairn Centre for Culture & Arts, Antrim Road, Belfast, 8.30 p.m. (doors 7.30, £15 conc.)
Wed. 10th: Sixmilebridge Folk Club, O Gliasain's, Sixmilebridge, Co. Clare, 8.30 p.m.
Thurs. 11th: De Barra's, Clonakilty, Co. Cork, 8.30 p.m.
Fri. 12th: Mannion's, Balla, Co. Mayo, 8.30 p.m.
Sat. 13th: The Model, The Mall, Sligo town, 8.30 p.m.
Sun. 14th: The Black Gate, Francis St., Galway city, 8.30 p.m.

Navá (also on Facebook) will be playing in Dublin in two months' time for Kaleidoscope Night (Wed. 5 Dec.) in Portobello.

Bluegrass Unlimited, Oct. 2018

Among the many good things in the October 2018 issue of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine (BU), the review section includes a review by Steve Goldfield of the album I can hear you calling from Anna Falkenau and Lena Ullman. It's a little misleading about where they come from, but concludes: 'Both musicians play impeccably and with a lot of feeling... These are two skilled musicians from across the pond who filter everything through their own musical experiences.'

Steve Goldfield also gives a Highlight Review to When the sun comes up, the latest album from the Lonesome Ace Stringband (CAN), who will be touring in Ireland early next year; see the BIB for 25 Aug. Around the same time, the Special Consensus will also be touring here; their latest album Rivers and roads (Compass 4709) is top of the BU charts for October.