Special Consensus tour, 16 Jan.-8 Feb. 2019

The sky's the limit: Special Consensus - (l-r) Dan Eubanks, Greg Cahill,

Rick Faris, Nick Dumas

Thanks to Nigel Martyn and his Old Flattop agency for the image above and the schedule for the Hew Year tour by the Special Consensus; their umpteenth visit to Ireland since 1995, and every bit as welcome as ever, with their latest double-IBMA-award-winning album. The tour comprises fifteen dates in this island, and seven in England and Wales. In addition to the venue website links shown below, links to online booking can be found on the band's website schedule for some of the venues. In the case of the Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire, booking is already open for the 17 Jan. show; tickets are €18 and the show starts at 8.00 p.m.

January
Wed. 16th: Colfers, Carrig-on-Bannow, Co. Wexford (tickets)
Thurs. 17th: Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
Fri. 18th: Raheen House Hotel, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary (Clonmel World Music)
Sat. 19th: Leap Castle, Co. Offaly (near Roscrea, Co. Tipperary)
Sun. 20th: GAA Hall, Sixmilebridge, Co. Clare, 3.00 p.m., with The Petersens (USA) (part of 20th Shannonside Winter Music Festival)
Mon. 21st: Hawk's Well Theatre, Sligo town
Tues. 22nd: The Red Room, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone
Wed. 23rd: Matt Molloy’s, Bridge St., Westport, Co. Mayo
Thurs. 24th: The Beehive Bar, Main St., Ardara, Co. Donegal
Fri. 25th: Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal
Sat. 26th: Market Place Theatre, Armagh city
Sun. 27th: Glen Theatre, Banteer, Co. Cork
Mon. 28th: Village Arts Centre, Kilworth, Co. Cork
Tues. 29th: Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast
(30 Jan.-7 Feb. in England and Wales)
February
Sat. 8th: Seamus Ennis Arts Centre, Naul, Co. Dublin

Sandy Harsch: funeral service at Bray, Sat. 1 Dec. 2018

Thanks to Ronnie Norton for informing us of this link:

Sandy Harsch (née Sturges) of Bray, Co. Wicklow, passed away peacefully on 20th November, 2018, dearly loved Mum of Caitriona and Rebecca, incredibly devoted Granny of Jessica, Max, and Benjamin, dear sister of Rush Sturges (San Francisco) and Dorothy Sturges (Arizona), fondly remembered by her sons-in-law Paul and Jonathan, extended family, friends, and colleagues in the music industry.

A service to Celebrate Sandy’s Life will take place in Colliers Funeral Home, Old Connaught Avenue, Bray, on Saturday (1st December) at 11.00 a.m. followed by private burial. Family flowers only please. Donations, if desired, to the DSPCA can be made at the funeral home or online at dspca.ie.

Track Dogs in Ireland, 8-10 Feb. 2019

L-r: Robbie K. Jones, Garrett Wall, Howard Brown, Dave Mooney

Devotees of the much-missed Johnny Keenan Banjo Festivals will remember Robbie K. Jones, who played cajon with Lluís Gómez's Barcelona Bluegrass Band, sat in with Jerry Douglas and Tony Trischka in 2006, and was back every year that the festival lasted.

Thanks to Robbie for the news that his own group, the Americana band Track Dogs (IRL/GB/USA), who toured in Ireland earlier this year (see the BIB for 11 Mar. 2018), will be back for a flying visit in early February next year as the start of an extensive tour in these islands. The band has just released a track featuring the up-and-coming bluegrass band The Barefoot Movement, whom they met at Folk Alliance International in Kansas City. 'The trip', Robbie writes, 'was so influential that we named the subsequent album Kansas City out groove.'

Robbie includes this link to the track, his original song 'Gonna get my way'. And the Johnny Keenan festivals have left a mark on it - Robbie writes: 'As a result of so many banjo-infested visits, I ended up playing one myself, and it’s in this track as well.'

Based in Madrid, the Track Dogs are Garrett Wall (guitars, piano, uke, vocals) of Dublin, Robbie K. Jones (cajón, banjo, vocals) of Vermilion, Ohio, Howard Brown (trumpet, piano, percussion, vocals) of Sheffield, and Dave Mooney (electric & double bass, uke, vocals) of Wicklow. Their dates in Ireland will be:

Fri. 8th Feb.: Tea Room Sessions, Brewery Lane Theatre, Carrick-on-Suir, Co. Tipperary
Sat. 9th: The Barrel Venue, McHugh's, Drogheda, Co. Louth
Sun. 10th: Tally Ho, Longford town

[note that the venue for 9 Feb. has been changed since this post was first published]

Plenty of the Track Dogs' music is on YouTube. The following links are to (in varying degrees) bluegrass-influenced tracks by the band on Spotify: 'Raise your head', 'Bon Scott, he rocked', 'All roads lead me to roam', 'The wrong man', and 'Orion sees'.

Mygrassisblue.com and the open road ahead

Following the BIB post of 22 Nov. announcing the new enterprise Mygrassisblue.com, dedicated to bringing top bluegrass to Ireland, thanks again to Dave Byrne (son of the great Dave Byrne of East Coast Radio and Midlands Radio 3) for explaining where Mygrassisblue.com comes from, and where he and his father mean to take it. The BIB added the bold type:

I guess it was all born out of a deep-rooted passion for the music – suffice it to say, Dad always had country and bluegrass on in the house when growing up (and still does), and when you throw enough mud some of it is bound to stick!

Dad and I have spent the last three summers travelling Stateside for bluegrass gigs and festivals. A combination of the welcoming and inclusive nature of the bluegrass family and artists expressing a lifelong desire to play over here is what has us were we are – 'we’d love to, we just don’t know who to contact or how to go about it' or 'we’d love to, but we’ve never been approached by anyone about it' sums up what we’re hearing over and over from willing-to-travel artists.

Of course there are well-established proponents of the genre over here who already do a great job facilitating visiting artists. We’re looking to add to that by putting in place our own (very hands-on) service, everything from the planning and management of a gig or tour to its promotion/ marketing and exposure online (hence the Social Media channels and domain name) - an all-inclusive one-stop service, if you will, for visiting bands and artists (just get on the flight and we’ll take it from there).

It’s early days, of course. We’re busy networking (especially with venues who, understandably, are wary of the unknown quantity that is Mygrassisblue.com) and finding our way, but we’re excited… and have some equally exciting prospects lined up. At the very least we’ll have fun trying to make this a success, trying to get some of the best in the world at what they do in front of what we know is an appreciative Irish audience.

In the BIB's view, this venture deserves the support of bluegrass fans throughout Ireland. The BIB is also happy to draw attention to Dave senior's broadcasts every Monday (7.00-9.00 p.m.) on www.PhoenixCountryRadio.com for the best in real country and bluegrass. All past shows are archived on Mixcloud at www.mixcloud.com/byrnescountry.

Wrapping up BAG for Christmas! - the Niall Toner Band, Mon. 3 Dec. 2018

The Niall Toner Band: (l-r) Dick Gladney, Richie Foley, Niall Toner, Paddy Kiernan, Johnny Gleeson

Ballymore Acoustic Gigs (BAG) announce:

The Niall Toner Band play BAG at Mick Murphy's Bar, Ballymore Eustace, Co. Kildare, on Monday, Dec 3rd. This is the last BAG gig of 2018, and it'll be a special one! Doors open at 8.30 p.m. Admission is €15.

The Niall Toner Band is perhaps the foremost band on the Irish bluegrass scene, and Niall Toner has been performing American traditional music, old-time songs and bluegrass since the very early 1970s. With various bands and collaborations to his credit - Lee Valley String Band, Sackville String Band, Hank Halfhead & the Rambling Turkeys - he formed the Niall Toner Band in the early 2000s. A hard-working outfit, with several lineup changes over the years, the current five-piece outfit have recently signed to Pinecastle Records in the US, making Niall, in his own words, 'an overnight sensation, after 40-plus years!'

Those of us familiar with his impact on the roots/ country scene in Ireland, consider it his just reward for a lifetime dedicated to the truth and honesty of the music.

Full five piece band!
Niall Toner (vocals, guitar, mandolin), Richie Foley (mandolin), Dick Gladney (upright bass (bull fiddle!), Paddy Kiernan (banjo), Johnny Gleeson (dobro, guitar, vocals)

Press quotes:

'Toner writes bluegrass and country songs that ring true, and would not be out of place on any bluegrass master's albums. This Irishman knows his stuff.' 5-star review, Maverick magazine

'I admire the way Niall's deep affinity for bluegrass and American country music blends seamlessly with his Irish sensibilities. It makes him a uniquely appealing artist, and Pinecastle Records are lucky to have him.' Pete Wernick (Doctor Banjo)

'Great original bluegrass songs and instrumentals. We are delighted to play Niall Toner anytime.' Brian McNeal, Prescription Bluegrass

'Niall makes great open-hearted music and his tributes to Bill Monroe and Jimmie Rodgers are just superb. His "Ocean of teardrops", composed in the style of the Blue Sky Boys and the Monroe Brothers, is a duet song that just kills me.' Paul Williams, songwriter and president of ASCAP

BIB editor's note: The blurb above sells Niall slightly short - his founding of the Lee Valley String Band took place, we believe, in the late 1960s.

20th Shannonside Winter Music Festival, 17-21 Jan. 2019

The organising team of the Shannonside Winter Music Festival announce:

Planning on hibernating this winter? Set your alarm for January 17th and the twentieth Shannonside Winter Music Festival in Sixmilebridge and Bunratty, Co. Clare. From 17th to 22nd, a hectic schedule of over 80 events across 17 locations brings an eclectic mix of music styles worth waking up for!

While much of the roster is filled with Festival alumni, 2019 sees the debut visit from the legendary Matt Molloy, playing the Saturday night concert with multi-instrumentalist John Carty and Arty McGlynn on guitar. Mick Hanly, legendary singer/songwriter, opens the concert.

From the US, the Cintron Brothers bring flamenco sounds, and a cappella group Purely Vocals are back after a successful visit in 2012, while award-winning bluegrass bands the Special Consensus and the Petersens, both from the US, make return visits to Sixmilebridge.

The Golden Star Morris dancers from the UK make their fourth trip to Clare, and the Munich String Band bring bluegrass from Germany. Perennial favourite Frankie Lane is back, while the Spancil Hillbillies, Ukealadies, and Jazzlite swing by to keep toes tapping.

Local boy Brendan Walsh returns from Switzerland with two bands - the Led Farmers to trad-rock the place, and the Diversus Guitar Quartet to sooth the soul! Folk and trad acts include Kate Purcell, the Doyle Family (UK), Randal’s Folly, Ger O’Donnell, and Kate Theasby, MegaTrad, and many more visiting and local names.

A full Saturday of concerts on five stages at Bunratty Folk Park is a serious musical treat. The set dancing in Bunratty Castle Hotel with Johnny Reidy is always well-supported, and the gigs, sessions, and concerts throughout both villages will feature the best of music and song!

Check out the Facebook page or wmw.ie.

The Festival lineup, with artist photos, can be seen here, and the complete schedule of events and locations for the whole six days is here. A guide to accommodation in the area, with photos and links to hotel and B&B websites, is here. Tickets will go on sale online this coming weekend. 

Look out for more on the BIB about the bluegrass content of the Festival in the next few days!

Red Wine's 10th Bluegrass Party

Red Wine's tenth annual Bluegrass Party was held on 17 November in their home town of Genoa (Genova), celebrating forty years of the band's existence. The richly varied programme, with many guests, included a new song about the disastrous bridge collapse in the city in August this year.

A full report by mandolinist and lead singer Martino Coppo appears on Bluegrass Today, with many photos. An approving comment by Robbie Chanders of Athy, Co. Kildare, appears on the band's Facebook.

Bill Hicks - who knows the Irish connections?

Bill Hicks c.1971 (photo: Tom Carter)

The BIB reported last week the death of North Carolina fiddler Bill Hicks, a major figure in the revival of old-time music in the last fifty years. We learn today that information is sought on his connections with old-time musicians on this side of the Atlantic - specifically in these islands, and even more particularly concerning musicians from Ireland.

The FOAOTMAD news blog carries a letter of today's date from Lew Stern in Virginia, banjo player, banjo teacher, and author of the admirable 2016 biography of Dwight Diller, who had told him, 'if any one of those North Carolinian musicians deserved a book, it was Bill Hicks.' The whole letter is well worth reading, but note this part:

One thing that I've not been able to discern is whether Bill's fiddling had an audience with Friends of American Old Time Music and Dance.

Bill traveled to Europe several times with the Red Clay Ramblers in U.S. State Department organized tours. He reached out and built friendships with Irish musicians who found their way to Chapel Hill. For example, the Red Clay Ramblers had a musical link with Trionna N'Domnhil [sic; i.e. Tríona Ní Dhomhnaill], an Irish musician who lived in Chapel Hill for a good part of the 1980s and fronted a band called Touchstone, along with Zan McLeod. Her late brother played professionally with John Burke.

I'd like to ask FOAOTMAD friends whether Bill Hicks ever achieved traction on your side of the world, whether old time - or new time - musicians in the UK listened to Fuzzy Mountain recordings, or followed the music of the Red Clay Ramblers, and whether Bill's fiddling did anything for old time musicians or old time music fans in your universe.

Having played old-time music in Ireland since the 1970s, the BIB editor can certainly confirm that the Fuzzy Mountain String Band's recordings on Rounder were extremely influential; the Sackville String Band might not have been founded without their impetus. Anyone who can help with Lew Stern's questions should contact him by e-mail.

Gold Tone Cyber Monday Special

The Gold Tone Music Group announce their Cyber Monday Special sale with 10% off and free shipping over the entire range. This offer applies only in the continental US, but if you're likely to be able to collect an instrument in the States or have a friend bring it over, there may be a bargain to be had. More details are available through the Gold Tone e-newsletter.

Jesse Brock journeys on

Regular attenders at the Ulster American Folk Park's annual bluegrass festivals have often seen and heard Jesse Brock (IBMA Mandolin Player of the Year, 2009, 2015); he's appeared there over the years with Dale Ann Bradley, Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, and the Gibson Brothers. After five years with the Gibson Brothers, an experience he describes as 'one of the best jobs in my 37 years in this business', Jesse is now leaving the band to explore further avenues in playing and singing. Read more in John Lawless's feature on Bluegrass Today.

25th Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival, 22-25 Aug. 2019

Thanks to Mick Daly, organiser of the Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival in Dunmore East, Co. Waterford, for the news that the dates for next year's event, the 25th Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival, will be the four days from Thursday 22 August to Sunday 25 August 2019. Booking for 2019 is in progress, with some acts to be announced over the coming weeks.

Artists interested in being a part of the Festival should contact Mick by 'phone (+353 (051) 878832; mobile: +353 (087) 2562899) or e-mail. His postal address is Creadan, Dunmore East, Co. Waterford.

Mygrassisblue.com to bring Kristy Cox to Ireland, May 2019

Thanks to Dave Byrne (son of the great Dave Byrne of East Coast Radio and Midlands Radio 3) for this announcement of a new enterprise, Mygrassisblue.com, dedicated to bringing bluegrass to Ireland:

We are an Irish-based team with a fervour for all things bluegrass. We aim to promote the best of the genre & to specialise in bringing it home to Ireland, back to its roots.

If you’re an artist, band, or representative agent with a client who is interested in touring Ireland, get in touch & we’ll work to make it happen. Pinky promise.

Oh, and our new online presence is coming soon. We’re working on the arrangement.

The first step by Mygrassisblue.com in making the project a reality is a tour in Ireland by the highly successful Australian bluegrass and country singer Kristy Cox. Australia's bluegrass performers, like its luthiers, are at international standard, and Kristy Cox is frequently featured on Bluegrass Today; so the tour, scheduled for 11-19 May 2019, is really something to look forward to. More details will be coming in the near future.

How serious Mygrassisblue.com are about 'bringing bluegrass back to its roots' is shown on their website: in the following quote from the notes to the 2003 album The Three Pickers, Ricky Skaggs gives the origins of his instrumental 'The road to Spencer':

I wrote this next instrumental… I thought so long and hard about the roots of bluegrass music & where it came from, emm, in my studies of Bill Monroe’s music, Flatt & Scruggs, the Stanley Brothers, people like that… and eh, my first trip to Ireland… felt like I’d died and went home. It felt so wonderful to be there and play music with the neighbours in the hood over there… and eh, they sure know how to play… it wasn’t no strain at all for me to jump right in & play the tunes I knew and they mixed right with tunes they knew and many of them were the same tunes just with different names… and eh, I kinda thought of that when I wrote this tune… kinda started out the Celtic way and kick into a little bluegrass.

The BIB wishes Mygrassisblue.com success!

Vincent Cross: latest project and Ireland tour 2019

Thanks to Vincent Cross (left), singer, songwriter, and Ireland's bluegrass representative in New York, who sends greetings and news of the new musical project which he is planning to bring to Ireland next summer. Vincent writes:

The new project still involves Americana roots music with the usual banjo tunes, but with the addition of recently composed and discovered traditional songs about the infamous nineteenth-century, Irish-American gang leader (my distant relative), James 'The Rooster' Corcoran. Known for his 'caustic tongue and ready wit', he was often stereotyped tabloid fodder for the newspapers of the 1800s. If you've ever seen the movie Gangs of New York, then this would be a musical accompaniment to the rogues, pimps, murderers, and thieves that inhabited New York City in the nineteenth century.

Vincent also sends this link to a short promotional video on the project, filmed in the area of New York where James Corcoran was a dominant figure up to his death in 1900 and is still commemorated in stone.

Details of Vincent's touring experience, distinctions and awards, recorded work, select reviews, recent blurbs, and more, can be found on the bio page of his website. His blog 'Tools of the trade: songwriters and their guitars' is good reading for anyone interested in the relationship between musicians and instruments. Videos of live performances include Abner Browns (Dublin; with clawhammer banjo), the 2016 North East Regional Folk Alliance (Stamford, CT), and The Song TV (USA).

Vincent welcomes performance opportunities for next summer. For more information and bookings, he can be contacted through his website.

Black Friday offer from Tradfest 2019

Following our post of 29 Oct. on Tradfest 2019 (23-27 Jan.), the organisers now offer a 'two for one' Black Friday deal on tickets for selected concerts. One of these is the Kathy Mattea show in St Patrick's cathedral, on 25 Jan. Check here for what's included in the offer, which runs from midnight tonight (Thurs. 22 Nov.) to midnight tomorrow, both times being GMT.

Sandy Harsch: updates

The BIB learns with deep regret from Ronnie Norton of the death of Sandy Harsch. Sandy, Ronnie, and Stephen Rapid were the founders of Lonesome Highway, Ireland's respected online music portal for hard-core country, folk, bluegrass, roots, and Americana music, and Sandy served as its content editor and copy editor in addition to her career as a broadcaster. She presented the regular Saturday-night radio show 'Country time' on RTÉ Radio 1, and received an International Broadcaster of the Year award from the Country Music Association. She will be sorely missed. We hope to have more details before long.

Update 22 Nov.: An obituary, with three portrait photographs of Sandy, is now on the RTÉ website.

Update 30 Nov.: Details of Sandy's funeral service (1 Dec.) are here.

News of past visitors

During this month several bands or individual musicians, familiar to audiences here from past appearances at festivals, have figured in bluegrass news items. On Bluegrass Today Dave Berry's series of reports from California includes a long interview with Larry Cohea, banjo-player with High Country at the first Athy Bluegrass Festival back in 1991 and on the band's subsequent visits. Larry keeps busy with several other bands as well as High Country, together with his work on instruments.

At the time of writing, the latest post on Bluegrass Today is a feature on Cedar Hill, Frank Ray's band from the Ozarks, and their latest album, By request, volume 1: a 50 year tradition. Frank and the band have played more than once at Omagh festivals, and the new album (twelve songs, 45 minutes playing time) can be heard on iTunes.

Also on a past Omagh lineup, Love Canon from North Carolina have just released a six-minute video of a live performance of the Paul Simon song 'Graceland', which was recorded on their Cover story album earlier this year on Organic Records. It follows their formula of applying a solid bluegrass treatment to pop and rock material. The video can be seen on YouTube or through a link on the Organic Records press release.

A regular favourite on the much-missed Johnny Keenan Banjo Festivals was Catalan banjo maestro Lluís Gómez with his Barcelona Bluegrass Band. Bluegrass Today has carried features on the 17th Al Ras festival of bluegrass and old-time music, which was held in Barcelona on the second weekend of this month; and on a video from Lluís showing his creative response to requests to play 'Oh, Susanna'.

Finally, the sad news that Bill Hicks, fiddler, songwriter, and stonemason, died on Remembrance Day at the age of 75. As a member of the Fuzzy Mountain String Band, the Red Clay Ramblers, Craver, Hicks, Watson, & Newberry (see image above), with whom he appeared at Omagh some years back, and other string bands, he was a strong force in the reinvigoration of old-time music over the past fifty years. A long interview with him by Sarah Bryan appeared in the Old Time Herald, xiv, no. 1, pp 20-33. Our sympathies and condolences go out to his wife and musical partner Libby Hicks.

Mules & Men: two shows coming up this week

Mules & Men announce on Facebook that they will be playing a midnight show in the Crane Lane Theatre, Cork, tomorrow night (Tuesday 20 Nov.), and will follow that on Saturday (24 Nov.) with a show at 'our new second home', the Horseman Inn, Main St., Castleblaney, Co. Monaghan.

Mules & Men thank everyone who came to the successful launch of their debut album Thinking sideways at Stoutman's in James's St., Dublin, last Friday: an evocative twenty-second video from the evening is on their Facebook. The album is available on Bandcamp.

4th Woodbine Bluegrass Jamboree, 12-13 July 2019

The Woodbine Bluegrass Jamboree announces on its Facebook (shared on Woodbine's own Facebook) that the dates for next year's event will be Friday 12 July and Saturday 13 July 2019. The BIB looks forward to receiving details whenever they are ready.

We Banjo 3 announce Irish tour, 4-7 Sept. 2019

It says a great deal for We Banjo 3's popularity abroad that they can now announce (in their own words) 'in many ways our biggest Irish tour to date', and it consists of four dates, ten months from now. The dates consist of two consecutive shows at Whelan's in Dublin (4, 5 Sept. 2019), one at St Luke's, Summerhill North, Cork city (6 Sept.), and one at Roisin Dubh, Leisureland, Galway city (7 Sept.). Tickets for these are now on sale.

After a year in which they have been stunned by becoming the first Irish band to reach #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart, winning RTE's Folk Album of the Year award, and playing live to a total of over 400,000 people, the band are now making plans for next year. These include new tours (the USA in the first quarter of 2019), new merchandise, and a live album recording. We Banjo 3 add:

Please let your friends and family know about these concerts, we'd love to sell them all out (by Christmas!!!) [...] Keep an eye on social media in early December as we are running a ticket promotion for our Jan.-March US tour.

Two Time Polka at Nenagh, 23 Nov. 2018

Ray Barron of Two Time Polka announces:

Here are the details of our next gig:

Fri. 23rd: Nenagh Arts Centre, Banba Square, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary. Doors 8.00 p.m. Adm. €15 / €12.50 concessions. Tel. 06734400

Regards,
Ray & TTP

Roy Clark, 1933-2018

The BIB learns with regret from Bluegrass Today of the death of Roy Linwood Clark, multi-instrumentalist and entertainer. With his extrovert musicianship in country, jazz, and mainstream fields, he brought bluegrass picking on guitar, banjo, and fiddle to wider audiences, especially through the influential TV series 'Hee Haw'. Several YouTube examples of his playing can be seen on the Rolling Stone magazine website.

As a boy in Washington, DC, he used to hang around outside the Stoneman family house, listening to the playing of Roni Stoneman's elder brothers. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2009, and the American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame in 2017.

Update 20 Nov.: Bluegrass Today reports that a ceremony celebrating the life of Roy Clark was held today. More details are in John Lawless's feature.

Hisashi Ozaki, 1933-2018

Pride is taken in the historic cultural connections between the music of Ireland and the old-time, bluegrass, and related music of North America. Richard Thompson provides on Bluegrass Today an obituary of Hisashi Ozaki of Japan, who with his older brother Yasushi became devoted to traditional American country music at a time when it was the product not merely of an alien culture, but of a country embroiled in fierce and immensely destructive war with their own. The brothers received an IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award in 2013. Read more in Richard's feature, which includes an eleven-minute video (also on YouTube) of them performing at the 2014 Fuji Rock festival.

Additional gigs for Stompin' Dave Allen

Following the BIB post of 17 Oct. on the tour by old-time multi-instrumentalist and entertainer Stompin' Dave Allen (GB), which begins tomorrow (15 Nov.) at Colfer's in Co. Wexford, his 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

All dates are shown on the BIB calendar.

Good news from Europe

Red Herring: (l-r) Joram Peeters, Paul van Vlodrop,

Loes van Schaijk, Arthur Deighton

Thanks to Loes van Schaijk of Red Herring, based in the Netherlands and Czech Republic, for the news that the band will be on tour in these islands in late May and early June 2019. They already have some major anchor engagements, and are available for additional gigs.

Red Herring consists of Arthur Deighton (vocals, mandolin, guitar, bouzouki), Joram Peeters (vocals, fiddle, viola, guitar, bouzouki, mandolin), Loes van Schaijk (vocals, upright bass), and Paul van Vlodrop (banjo, mandolin, guitar, vocals) - all of them among the most capable and experienced bluegrass musicians this side of the Atlantic. Paul, a former member of 4 Wheel Drive, has been called 'the best mandolin player in Europe' by no less than Martino Coppo of Red Wine. Loes is also author of the outstanding book High lonesome below sea level on bluegrass in the Netherlands. More on all the members can be found on the band's website, together with videos and a downloadable press kit.

This year the band came in second in the European Bluegrass Band contest at the big La Roche Bluegrass Festival in France; they had previously won the #1 Audience Popularity Award at the Bluegrass Beeg Festival in 2014, and the #2 Audience Popularity Award at the European World of Bluegrass Festival the following year. They have just released their third album, Here to distract you, comprising mostly original songs and a few covers.

Loes sends links to their first official video, 'Wedding dress', their second, 'Pigs upon a ninja', and a video of a live performance in Rotterdam of 'No hearts won'. (You can also find on YouTube their version of the Paul Brady song 'Marriage made in Hollywood'.)

Red Herring expect to be in Ireland during the first two weeks of June. For more info and bookings, contact Loes through the band website, by 'phone (+31(0)6-14362134), or e-mail.

*

Although the European Bluegrass Music Association's Bluegrass Europe has ceased publication as a print magazine, its Facebook continues to carry news of bluegrass events in Europe, and the latest item there advertises Red Wine's tenth Bluegrass Party concert, to be held this coming Saturday (17 Nov.) as part of their fortieth anniversary celebrations.

Bluegrass and country legends in photos

The online magazine The Bitter Southerner publishes today 'The threads wind westward', an essay by Chuck Reece on the progress of mountain and country music westward across North America, as chronicled in the hundreds of photos taken over four decades by Lawson Little (68), born in Chicago of Southern parents. As a professional photographer engaged to take promo photos of musicians, Lawson Little became accepted in their company and took his own informal photos documenting the development of the music.

The selection published today includes seventeen of notable bluegrass figures: Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt, Ralph Stanley, Jim & Jesse, Vassar Clements, Tim O'Brien, Darrell Scott, and Del McCoury. Some of the captions were clearly written before the deaths of Ralph Stanley and Guy Clark. Any fan of country, bluegrass, and related music is likely to want to see much more of this archive.

FOAOTMAD's new website

As announced last Friday, the completely renewed FOAOTMAD website is now operational. Among other features, one page is devoted to the 25th Gainsborough Festival, to be held on 15-18 Feb. 2019, with the Reed Island Rounders as headliners. (The 2nd Annual Irish Old-Time Appalachian Music Gathering at Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare, will be on the following weekend.)

FOAOTMAD is also on Facebook, and you can sign up for the organisation's Event and Blog e-mail at this link to stay updated with old-time events in Britain.

The latest post on FOAOTMAD's Facebook looks forward to next year's tour in these islands by Richie Stearns & Rosie Newton (see the BIB for 3 Nov.), and includes a video (also on YouTube) of them playing 'Glory in the meeting house'. The BIB is glad to learn that at least one date in Ireland for this tour has already been arranged. Full details will be published when the tour schedule is complete.

Katie Loughrin, camera artist

Katie Loughrin of Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, takes fine photographs of the many musicians and bands presented at the Red Room by her parents Sharon and Arnie; one recent example (above) shows Rapidgrass from Colorado, who played there on 29 July this year. These and many more can be seen on the Katie Loughrin Photography Facebook.

Since early 2016 Katie has also maintained a YouTube channel with her own evocative videos of landscapes, townscapes, and people. We look forward to any videos from her of musical events.

Mules & Men release Thinking sideways, 16 Nov. 2018

The dynamic Mules & Men will launch their debut album Thinking sideways at 8.00 p.m. this coming Friday (16 Nov.) in J.K. Stoutman's, 131 James's St., Dublin 8. The poster image (above) shows that Hank Wedel, singer/ songwriter and stalwart of the Cork scene, will take part, in the role of Righteous Dude; more details are given on the Mules & Men Facebook for 1 Nov..

Mules & Men are Lily Sheehan (guitar, vocals), Mark Corry (double bass, vocals), John Denby (mandolin, vocals), and Luke Coffey (banjo, vocals). A few days ago they played at the V. Studio hairdressers' on James's St. - 'very sound with great haircuts' - and you can see and hear the result on their Facebook.

New single from Jeff Scroggins & Colorado

Jeff Scroggins & Colorado (USA), who toured here first three years ago and have come back repeatedly, announced yesterday on their Facebook:

We're so excited that our new single 'Over the line', the title track of the upcoming album, is out today! You can find it where ever music is sold or streamed. You can pre-order the new record from the Patuxent Music website. This song, written by Molly Tuttle and Steve Poltz, was so much fun to record!

A 37-second sample of the track can be heard on Bluegrass Today. Back in September, the band released their first single from the project, the Ronnie Reno song 'Big train' (see the BIB for 22 Sept.).

New FOAOTMAD website to launch on Monday

Following on from the BIB post of 26 Oct., the FOAOTMAD committee announce on their news blog that the new FOAOTMAD website will replace the old faulty site from this coming Monday, 12 Nov., with no change of address. The committee add:

A lot of people have been involved in preparing material for the new site. The site has been developed and compiled by a new member to the FOAOTMAD committee, Tim Mason, who has joined us as our webmaster.

We have ideas that will enable the site to grow and give us more benefits in the future. So to keep up to date with developments make sure you are signed up to the email and blog. Existing members of the blog will automatically transfer to the new system.

Some minor technical issues are foreseen, particularly for users with Apple devices and the Safari browser (the BIB has both). FOAOTMAD are evaluating potential fixes, and in applying them the new site may be briefly unavailable.

We Banjo 3 release 'Don't let me down' video in aid of Pieta House

We Banjo 3 have released today a video of 'Don't let me down', a song from their latest album Haven, which was released in July (see the BIB for 10 and 30 Aug.). All proceeds from the song during this month and next month will be donated to Pieta House, a dedicated suicide prevention organisation in Ireland.

'Don't let me down' is written out of personal experience of struggles with anxiety and depression; but with so serious a subject, it is (as We Banjo 3 say in their press release) 'at its core a love song to your self'. Moreover - setting the 'Celtgrass' label aside - it would fall completely naturally into a bluegrass treatment.

All the links needed for viewing the video on YouTube, sharing it on Facebook, downloading it from iTunes, and donating to Pieta House, are on We Banjo 3's press release.

'The promise' from Barry & Holly Tashian (USA)

Thanks to Niall Toner for this link to 'The promise', sung by Barry and Holly Tashian, with Ross Sermons on bass.

Barry and Holly (left) brought their E-5 Band over for a tour, including the Bunratty Bluegrass Festival, two years ago. The song was released on their CD Long story short. This video appears on Carl Carlson's 'Bluegrass on the Tube' channel, which issues a different video every day. Niall adds:

This just came in today, and it's Barry and Holly Tashian singing a song I wrote with them for a possible Carter Family tribute album, which, sadly, never got made. The brief was to compose a modern song 'in-the-style-of' the Carter Family, and this was our pitch.

Shane Hennessy at Whelan's, Dublin, 28 Nov. 2018 (update)

Not bluegrass, but the dynamic and imaginative playing of Shane Hennessy from Carlow should appeal to more than just fingerstyle guitar pickers - and he has played at MerleFest. He will be playing, with support, in the main venue at Whelan's, 25 Wexford St., Dublin 2, on Wednesday 28 November.* Doors open at 8.00 p.m., and tickets are €16.50.

*When this post was first published, the day was shown in error as 'Friday'. Apologies to all.

Woodbine at Baltinglass, Fri. 30 Nov. 2018

Thanks to Tony O'Brien for this news:

Woodbine play a charity gig in aid of Wicklow Hospice in Horans, Baltinglass, Co. Wicklow, on Friday 30 November at 9.30 p.m. Admission €5. This fund-raiser is organised by Helen Barry. We hope some bluegrass fans will support this very worthy event.

'Bunclody girl' video from Niall Toner

Niall Toner released yesterday (7 Nov.) a new music video, 'Bunclody girl'. Niall is deservedly the best known and most respected figure in bluegrass and traditional country music in Ireland, a position he has earned over decades as performing and recording artist, band-leader, broadcaster, and songwriter.

'Bunclody girl', however, is unmis-takably an Irish ballad in 6/8 time. Niall explains:

The inspiration for 'Bunclody girl' came about in 2003, while I was sitting in the outdoor section of what was the beautiful Chantry Restaurant, in plain sight of the spot where the Clody river joins the Slaney, just below Bunclody town, in County Wexford. The girl in question was my lovely wife, Moira, who passed away on March the 6th, 2018. This video was filmed by Fiaz Farrelly on locations around Mount Leinster, which straddles Co. Carlow and Co. Wexford, and is dedicated, with love, to Moira's memory.

'Bunclody girl' can be seen and heard on YouTube and on the Niall Toner Band Facebook.

New single from Brennen Leigh & Noel McKay (USA)

Texas duo Brennen Leigh & Noel McKay are becoming familiar faces in Ireland - they toured here in October 2017 and in June 2018 - and a week from now they will begin a European tour, with two dates in Switzerland and four in Norway.

Their recording of the Guy Clark song 'New cut road' has now been released by Voxhall Records in Nashville, TN. It is the first single from their next album, which is due for release early next year. Guy Clark was their mentor and friend, and the single serves as a tribute to him.

Musicians on the recording are Brennen Leigh (lead vocal, mandolin), Noel McKay (harmony vocal, acoustic guitar), Jenee Fleenor (fiddle), Mark Fain (upright bass), and Matt Menifee (banjo). 'New cut road' is available for radio airplay at AirPlay Direct and for download at iTunes and Apple Music.

The Cabin Session, Dundrum, 29 Nov. 2018

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

We're back again on 29 November with special guests Terrie Gray (singer/ songwriter) and Phelim Drew. Hope to see you 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.

Red Hat Acoustic Music Club at Naas, Fri. 9 Nov. 2018

Thanks to Paul and Anne McEvoy, organisers of the Red Hat Acoustic Music Club, for a reminder that the Club's meeting this month (9 Nov.) will mark its sixth birthday.

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.

NCH November programme - including Punch Brothers

The National Concert Hall (NCH) in Dublin announces its 'Month of Masters' November 2018 programme, which includes the quartet of US jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders (left above) on Wed. 7 Nov., English composer Gavin Bryars (right above) and his ensemble on Mon. 26 Nov. -  and of course the Punch Brothers (centre above) at 8.00 p.m. on Mon. 19 Nov., their last show in a European tour that begins tomorrow (Tues. 6 Nov.) in Prague. The Punch Brothers' 'Perspectives' concert will be on the NCH main stage. Tickets (€30, €27.50, €25; discounts available) can be booked online.

The Punch Brothers are Chris Thile (mandolin), Chris Eldridge (guitar), Paul Kowert (bass), Noam Pikelny (banjo) and Gabe Witcher (fiddle). The NCH release says they 'turn American roots music on its head – from their bluegrass roots they dive into Bach and Radiohead songs as well as their own beautifully crafted songs. They come to Dublin fresh from the success of their critically lauded All ashore album.'

The NCH provides links to an informal concert on YouTube, and a special interview with Chris Thile on Spotify.

For anglers, and others: Chris Coole (CAN) coming in January

Chris Coole (left: photo Rodney Wilson), who will be in Ireland early next year as a member of the Lonesome Ace Stringband, comes from a good deal further north than the southern Appalachians, but is nonetheless one of the most respected old-time clawhammer banjo players, as well as songwriting and playing in other combinations including the Foggy Hogtown Boys bluegrass band.

Bluegrass Today (BT) reports that he will be one of the banjo masters at the 7th Annual California Banjo Extravaganza, beginning on Wednesday this week, along with Ned Luberecki and the host and organiser Bill Evans (who visited Ireland more than once a few years ago). BT also reports: 'A fishing enthusiast when he’s off the road, Coole’s most recent album is titled The road to the river: a collection of tunes and songs inspired by the fishing passion.'

Mala (CH): new projects, new growth

Mala Gassmann of Switzerland, who has toured Ireland several times with the duo or trio configurations of Mala & Fyrmoon (also on Facebook), announces that she has remodelled her website and welcomes feedback on its new format.

Mala also announces a new side project, 'Michi, Mala, & Jasmin' in which she sings harmony with two other Swiss singer/ songwriters, Michael Leuthold and Jasmin Larue (above). Also, in June she recorded a new solo album in Inglewood, East Nashville, TN, and has several months' work still to do on making it ready for issue. Much more is on Mala's latest e-newsletter.

'Browngrass' on ABC Radio

Following the BIB post of 12 Oct., thanks once again to Donal and Cornelia McKernan, who send this link to a sixteen-minute interview (with music) on ABC Radio in Australia about ‘Browngrass’ music, faith, drought, and family. It was recorded on Tuesday 23 October, when Donal and his father Joe spoke with Kelly Fuller of ABC Radio about their relationship with Appalachian old-time and bluegrass music. More about their two new 'Browngrass' songs can be read at these links:
www.bruderhof.com/en/voices-blog/l…unity/browngrass and www.bruderhof.com/en/voices-blog/l…stralian-drought.

Donal and Cornelia conclude their e-mail with the wish 'Peace & Courage' - especially appropriate as the centenary of the 1918 armistice draws near. Wilfred Owen was among those who died in the fighting on 4 Nov. 1918; see Dr Josh Levithan's incomparable blog A century back.

Richie & Rosie (USA) available for bookings, late Apr.-early May 2019

The BIB post of 15 Oct. carried news from the UK's Brookfield Knights (BK) agency about US artists on their roster who will be touring these islands in summer and autumn next year.

Now Loudon Temple of BK announces that earlier this week the agency were offered the chance to put together a UK tour for Richie and Rosie (Richie Stearns and Rosie Newton, photo above), who are booked for a festival in London in the second half of April 2019. Richie and Rosie, in Loudon's words, are

... recognised around the world as one of the best old-time Appalachian duos on the planet... They're the best there is!... This is a rare opportunity to grab something of exceptional quality... their pedigree is unsurpassed.

The original suggestion to GB promoters was for gigs in the period 21-9 April 2019; the response was so encouraging that the duo are now prepared to extend the potential tour period to 5 May to accommodate gigs in Ireland. Loudon says:

It's over to you to let us know if this might be possible or not... Please let us know if you have some space on your music programme [...] and let’s see if we can pull this off.

Here are YouTube links to them playing 'Waterbound', 'Polecat blues' and 'Willow garden', and 'Veins of coal'. Contact Loudon by e-mail.

Borders beyond bluegrass - and bluegrass beyond Kentucky

The BIB editor writes:

To the perennial question 'What is bluegrass?', there's now an answer which may not be conclusive but is pragmatic and useful - 'Bluegrass' = any music played by a band that gets an enthusiastic reception at a bluegrass festival.

One example is Matuto (USA), who play 'Brazilian bluegrass' with electric guitar, piano accordion, bass, drums, violin, and Brazilian percussion instruments. There's no connection, as far as we know, with the São Paulo Bluegrass Music Association, and it can be hard to hear the connection with bluegrass; but it must be there somewhere, because their performance at (for instance) the 2013 Wintergrass Festival was warmly commended by the organisers, audience members, and other artists (see this video from their YouTube channel).

Matuto founder member and guitarist Clay Ross is quoted on Bluegrass Today as saying: 'I’ve heard Bill Monroe would tell musicians, "You can’t really play bluegrass because you’re not from Kentucky, you should do what you do.”' Bill Monroe certainly believed that people should play their own style; but if he ever did say that non-Kentuckians couldn't play bluegrass, he didn't let this affect his choice of band members. Of the 149 Blue Grass Boys listed in the appendix to Tom Ewing's Bill Monroe, twenty-eight were born in Tennessee, and only fourteen in Kentucky - less than North Carolina and Virginia with twenty each. In both the 'classic' band of 1945-8 and the last version of the Blue Grass Boys with which he ever recorded - let alone his other bands - Bill was the only Kentuckian.

Not just for bassists (or mandolinists)

Two weeks ago on Bluegrass Today Dave Berry of the California Bluegrass Association conducted a substantial interview with Lisa Burns (left), multi-award-winning bassist and a pillar of the California scene. While the interview includes tips specifically for bass players, the middle third of it - on timing, using the metronome, practice methods, and getting the whole band to gell - is worth reading for anyone who plays in a group.

Update 2 Nov.: Today, Bluegrass Today publishes Dave Berry's interview with master luthier Steve Gilchrist. Mostly about mandolins, of course, but of interest to anyone who's into instruments and the making of them - plus you can see a video (also on YouTube) of Chris Thile playing a Gilchrist Model 5.