More news of recent visitors

Some events expected yesterday did not happen, but two likely to interest BIB readers did. First, Chris Jones & the Night Drivers (USA), who were here last spring when the weather was less kind, released their new album The choosing road on the Mountain Home Music Company label. Details are on the latest Mountain Home e-newsletter.

Update 2 Apr.: A live video of the band playing 'Looking for the bridge' can be seen on YouTube and Bluegrass Today.

Secondly, Rick Faris, who was here as guitarist with the Special Consensus (USA) early this year, released a debut solo on Dark Shadow Recording - the title track of his coming album Breaking in lonesome. More details and an audio clip are on John Lawless's feature on Bluegrass Today.

In addition, the 17th International Bühl Bluegrass Festival in south-west Germany (17-18 May 2019) will feature Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley (USA), Jeff Scroggins & Colorado (USA), and the Lonesome Ace Stringband (CAN), all of whom have played in Ireland during the last two years. A full set by Jeff Scroggins & Colorado can also be seen in the 142-minute video of the whole final Berlin concert of Rainer Zellner's 2018 Bluegrass Jamboree.

Eagle Music Shop's 'Banjo 12' on Deering blog

Last Wednesday (27 Mar.) Jamie Deering posted 'Incredible banjo event in England' on the Deering Banjo company's blog to mark 'Banjo 12', the very special one-day event to be held on 11 May 2019 at the Eagle Music Shop in northern England (see the BIB for 14 Mar.). Among its many features, the Event will include the largest selection of Deering banjos ever to be displayed anywhere in the world for public viewing and test driving.

Jamie Deering also describes the tribute to Pete Seeger that will be hosted by her father Greg Deering and Cork's Pat Kelleher, both with their long-neck banjos. Thanks to Pat for this photo of himself with Pete Seeger, taken about ten years ago.

New Life of John Duffey

Thanks to Richard Thompson on Bluegrass Today for the welcome news that John Duffey’s bluegrass life: featuring the Country Gentlemen, Seldom Scene, and Washington DC, a 420-page book by Stephen Moore and G.T. Keplinger, with a foreword by Tom Gray, is to be published by Booklocker early next month, initially in softcover ($19.95) and hardback ($34.00), with an e-book to follow later.

For mandolinists and tenor singers (especially the more adventurous in both categories) and anyone interested in developments in bluegrass music from the late 1950s onwards, the late John Duffey is a figure of major importance. He was inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 1996 as a member of the 'classic' Country Gentlemen and again in 2014 as a member of the original Seldom Scene. Epilogue: a tribute to John Duffey (Smithsonian Folkways SFW40228), a seventeen-track album accompanied by a 44-page booklet, was issued last year.

Shape Note Singers Galway - link corrected

Thanks to Sean McGrath in Galway for drawing attention to the link that was previously shown on the BIB for the Shape Note Singers Galway Facebook page, and which had ceased to be operational. Sean supplied the BIB with a corrected address, and the Galway singers should now be accessible here.

Nonsuch Dulcimer Club’s Spring Fling, 22-24 Mar.

Thanks to William Duddy for this news concerning an important but neglected instrument of traditional American music:

Having yet to meet any other mountain dulcimer players here in Ireland, I am delighted to have discovered the English-based Nonsuch Dulcimer Club. After attending two of their events in 2018, in Somerset and Malvern - for mountain and hammer dulcimer players - and made many new friends, it was great to meet again at their Annual Spring Fling in Allendale (near Hexham, Northumbria) over the weekend 22-24 March.

Erin Mae Lewis (over from Kansas; above right) provided a top-class weekend’s tuition for some fifteen 'mountaineers' and gave an engaging, virtuoso concert in Sinderhope Hall on the Sunday evening – where she was supported by the fascinating local (to Hexham) trio Midsummer Blue featuring mountain dulcimer, Northumbrian pipes, and harp. All of this in the scenic surrounds of the North Pennines – just magic !

The banjo as a weapon of peace

Introducing the sixth annual membership drive of The Bitter Southerner online magazine, the editor, Chuck Reece, contributes an essay on 'This family's values', and near the end writes:

We’ve built a machine here, and we hope it can do the same thing Pete Seeger’s banjo did: This machine surrounds hate and forces it to surrender. That would be The Bitter Southerner at its best.

As a reminder of the approaching centenary of Pete Seeger's birth (3 May 1919), the photo shows Pete's banjo with the legend in situ, and also its unique bridge.

Update 29 Mar.: Here's a statement of what the Bitter Southerner 'family' believes in. At a guess, it is likely to secure wide agreement among BIB readers.

Level Best (USA): updated schedule for Oct. 2019 tour

Level Best: (l-r) Lisa Kay Howard, James Field, Joe Hannabach, 

Terry Wittenberg, Wally Hughes

Following the announcement on 2 Jan. that Level Best from Virginia will be touring Ireland this coming October, thanks to Level Best's mandolinist Lisa Kay Howard for an updated schedule for the tour.

Lisa Kay has already toured Ireland twice in the past two years with her husband Wally Hughes (fiddle, resonator guitar): in April 2017, backing Americana singer/ songwriter Brooksie Wells; and again in April 2018 as members of the dynamic six-piece band East of Monroe. Level Best comprises three members of East of Monroe: Lisa Kay, Wally, and Terry Wittenberg (banjo), together with Joe Hannabach (bass) and James Field (guitar), one of the most widely experienced musicians in bluegrass. The dates confirmed for the October tour are:

Fri. 18th Oct.: Dorney Bridge house concert, Ballinamallard, Co. Fermanagh
Sat. 19th: Moy River B&B, Clonacool, Co. Sligo
Sun. 20th: Upstairs On The Square at Groucho's, Richhill, Co. Armagh
Thurs. 24th: St John's Theatre, Listowel, Co. Kerry
Fri. 25th: TBA
Sat. 26th: Crusoe's Coffee Shop, Castlerock, Co. Londonderry

Lisa Kay adds that Level Best will definitely be coming to the Dublin Bluegrass jam at Sin E, Ormond Quay, Dublin, on Tuesday 22 Oct. as well, which holds out the promise of a night as classic as East of Monroe's visit there last year. For more information, e-mail Lisa Kay.

High Plains Tradition tour begins TONIGHT

High Plains Tradition: (l-r) Bobby Vickery, Doug Elrich,
Mark Leslie, Steve Gilmore, Kenny Pabst

High Plains Tradition, the classic bluegrass band from Colorado, are now in Ireland and will be playing the first show of their tour tonight (Wed. 27 Mar.) at the Coachman in Parnell St., Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. All dates for the tour are on the BIB calendar. Bluegrass enthusiasts in the south and south-west of Ireland are particularly well placed to reach their shows, but nobody from any part of the country who gets to one will be disappointed.

BAND Festival: more artists announced

Following on from the news on the BIB post of three weeks ago, the organising team of the 3rd BAND Festival (Bluegrass And Nashville Dunfanaghy) announce that the lineup for this year's event (21-23 June 2019) will include Donegal-born Tanya McCole and (returning from last year) Porter McClister (USA).

Artists in the bluegrass-and-related-music fields include Mules & Men, Two Time Polka, and Donegal's own Erdini.

Brandon Lee Adams & Johnny Staats (USA): Ireland tour Oct. 2019

Thanks again to Dave Byrne of the mygrassisblue.com agency for this flyer image and press release for a tour coming this autumn by two outstanding US artists:

Brandon Lee Adams & Johnny Staats. Adams & Staats. Flatpicking & mandolin mastery. Two masters. One stage.

'Brandon Adams is the real deal when it comes to bluegrass and true country music. A clear heartfelt singer with strong original songs, and an excellent guitarist.' - Peter Stone Brown

A singer/songwriter and guitarist very much of the Tony Rice school and hailing from the hills of Appalachia, Brandon Lee Adams traces his musical roots from traditional gospel music all the way to folk, jazz, and blues, but it is bluegrass and acoustic music that have had, and continue to have, the deepest impact on him.

'Brandon is a beast of a guitarist.' - Carl Jackson

An up-and-coming artist he may be, but Adams has already appeared on two GRAMMY-nominated albums and one IBMA award-winning album (the Skaggs Family Records double CD Celebration of life). He played the Ryman Auditorium as a teenager and has recorded and/or shared the stage with a Who’s Who of iconic artists including his hero, the aforementioned Tony Rice, J.D. Crowe, Kitty Wells, Don Rigsby, Art Stamper, Ernie Thacker, Dave Evans, and many more. On 2014’s highly acclaimed Hardest kind of memories, his first full-length release of mostly mainstream contemporary bluegrass, he worked with top grassers Scott Vestal (banjo), Randy Kohrs (dobro), and Luke Bulla (fiddle), while 2018’s Time that I was leavin’ saw him sharing the studio with Sammy Shelor, Carl Jackson, and Forrest O’Connor.

'When I listened to the song we recorded... it was one of the few times that I missed my voice.'
- Tony Rice commenting on the track ‘I long for seventeen’ from 2014’s Hardest kind of memories

Seeing himself more as a story teller who happens to play an instrument and with chops to rival anyone, Adams proves worthy of the praise he receives each time he graces a stage with his virtuosic, melodic, and lightning-speed guitar playing and deep, rich country voice.

'I am not an expert on the mandolin, nor would I claim to be. However, for twenty-five years I've had the privilege to stand on stage with one of the world's renowned masters. I've also performed with Jethro Burns, Bill Monroe, David Grisman, Ricky Skaggs, and others. So, I think it's safe to say that at least by now I know when somebody "has it." Johnny Staats definitely "has it."' – John Cowan

A multi-award-winning multi-instrumentalist, Johnny Staats established his musical dominance throughout the latter half of the 1990s thanks to a string of wins at the prestigious Vandalia Gathering Mandolin championships in his home state of West Virginia. A major label recording career followed, somehow facilitated around his day-to-day commitments as a UPS package delivery driver. The first release from the 'mandolin-playing UPS driver', 2000’s Wires and wood, a set consisting primarily of Staats’s original music collaborating with such luminaries as Sam Bush, Scott Vestal, Jerry Douglas, John Cowan, Jim Hurst, and Tim O’Brien, quickly became the talk of Music City and garnered him international acclaim by demonstrating to a new and varied worldwide following Johnny’s vocals, astonishing guitar and mandolin speed, and creativity.

'In his hands, the mandolin soars and glides, pops and hisses, astounds and amazes. The school of Bill, Sam, and Dawg has a new honors graduate.' – Tim O’Brien

There was national recognition too with regular performances on the hallowed stage of the Grand Ole Opry; high-profile appearances on NBC’s 'The Today Show', CNN’s 'Larry King Live', the CBS Evening News, & CMT Country Music Television; and favourable exposure in national press – the New York Times described the release as 'Bewitching', 'Dazzling' said USA Today, while 'Astonishing' was the New York Post’s adjective of choice. 2013 featured a Bluegrass Ramble after-hours showcase performance at the World of Bluegrass in Raleigh, NC, and also saw the release of his full-length follow-up Time moves on, another helping of mostly Staats compositions, a more traditional bluegrass sound combined with country and blues influences.

Adams & Staats | Ireland October 2019
A gifted, musically agile and versatile duo looking to expand live performance opportunities and experiences, Adams & Staats are excited to be coming to Ireland to perform for an Irish audience. A full nationwide tour is scheduled for October 2019. Tour details, including dates and venues, will be announced in mid-2019.

For more on the Adams & Staats Ireland Tour 2019, visit http://mygrassisblue.com/adamsandstaats-2019

For more on Brandon Lee Adams visit http://www.brandonleeadamsmusic.com
For more on Johnny Staats visit http://www.johnnystaatsproject.com

Select videos (YouTube)

Brandon Lee Adams
• Time that I was leavin' (Official Music Video)
• Reuben
• I think it's going to rain today (Fretboard Journal)
• Keep on the sunny side (with John McEuen)
• Backstage at 'Song of the Mountains'

Johnny Staats
• Classical bluegrass
• Mandolin Mondays - Jessica's lullaby
• Aleyas Mandolin #17
• A mandolin master’s tribute to keeping your day job
• Johnny Staats & Dave Vaughn: A tribute to West Virginia coal miners

BIB editor's note: Both are indeed amazing instrumentalists, and Brandon Lee Adams in particular is an outstanding singer.

Two Time Polka: April 2019 gigs

Ray Barron of Two Time Polka announces:

Here are our April gigs.

Wed. 3rd: Mother Mac's Bar, High St., Limerick city. 9.30 p.m. Adm. free. Tel. 061 414900 (part of Limerick Fringe)

Thurs. 11th: The Courtyard, Union Rd., Kilmacthomas, Co. Waterford. 8.00–10.00 p.m. Adm. free. Tel. 051 2955654

This venue is adjacent to the Waterford Greenway and is one of the many businesses that have sprung up since the Greenway opened. My brother Ger is organising the night to launch his local election campaign which he will be contesting in May.

Sat. 13th: The Blue Haven, Pearse St., Kinsale, Co. Cork. 10.00 p.m. Adm. free. Tel. 021 4772209

At the moment we're booked to play a number of festivals in May: Kilkenny Roots Festival; Mountain Roots Festival, Cahersiveen; Zydecozity festival, Raamsdonksveer, the Netherlands. Dates, venues, times etc. for some of these gigs are already available on this link. As soon as details for the others are confirmed we will update the site.

Regards,
Ray & TTP

Wookalily join Brookfield Knights artist roster

Belfast's Wookalily (Adele Ingram, Clair McGreevy, Louise Potter, Lyndsay Crother, and Sharon Morgan) have signed up with the UK roots music agency Brookfield Knights, who announce on their latest e-newsletter:

We are delighted to confirm that we have recently added hugely entertaining Irish band Wookalily to the artist roster.

They now have their page on the BK website, with links to their own website and Facebook pages, music samples, and videos. The agency also announce the bands who will be available for tours in the early months of 2020, including the Crooked Jades (USA) and Amanda Anne Platt & the Honeycutters (USA; headliners at Dunmore East 2018). Full details are on the e-newsletter.

New venue in Sideline schedule, 10 July 2019

Sideline: (l-r) Bailey Coe, Jason Moore, Skip Cherryholmes, 

Troy Boone, Steve Dilling, Daniel Greeson

Thanks to Dave Byrne of mygrassisblue.com for notifying a change to the schedule previously announced for the coming tour by Sideline (USA) in July this year. Sideline's concert in Sligo town on Wednesday 10 July will be in Andersons Live on Kempten Promenade, by the river in the centre of Sligo.

Mac Wiseman remembered

Following the death of Mac Wiseman four weeks ago (see the BIB for 24 Feb.), a major feature by Richard Thompson is now on Bluegrass Today, with many reminiscences by distinguished members of the bluegrass family whose lives Mac touched.

Strong claims can be made that Mac Wiseman was the finest singer in bluegrass music; that he knew by heart more songs than any other singer; and that he understood business better than anyone else in bluegrass. And as John Lawless wrote at his death:

Perhaps the highest honour he can claim is that, despite nearly 70 years in the music business, one never hears a word spoken against Mac Wiseman.

Irish interest galore in the new BBN

The latest issue (no. 86, spring 2019) of British Bluegrass News, the quarterly magazine of the British Bluegrass Music Association, is out, and as usual there's plenty in it that will resonate with readers in Ireland. First, the front cover has a fine photo of Greg Cahill, leader of the Special Consensus (USA), followed by a two-page interview with Greg by Chris Cooper on the band's development, the making of their last album, winning awards, and plans for the future.

Then there's a two-page feature by Chris Courogen on the fast-rising Mile Twelve (USA); Matt Ditchburn's account of a European tour with a focus on Peter Rowan and Red Wine (I); our own William Duddy's feature on C. Paul Lyttle and the Moniaive Michaelmas Bluegrass Festival; a photo of Uri Kohen in Maria Wallace's report on IBMA's World of Bluegrass 2018; and of course much more.

There is also, at the bottom of page 9, a nice photo of a seven-piece band (all the bluegrass instruments plus piano accordion). BBN doesn't identify the band, but Irish readers will recognise them as Pilgrim St from Navan, Co. Meath - who, as it happens, will be part of this year's Moniaive festival.

High Plains Tradition (USA) - less than a week away

High Plains Tradition: (l-r) Bobby Vickery, Doug Elrich,
Mark Leslie, Steve Gilmore, Kenny Pabst

The BIB editor writes:

Thanks to John Nyhan, Ireland will be welcoming back the very satisfying classic bluegrass band, High Plains Tradition from Colorado, less than a week from today - the band play the first date in their 2019 tour next Wednesday (27 March) in Clonmel. They toured Ireland in their own right first in 2010, some of their members having previously performed here with the late great Bluegrass Patriots of Fort Collins, Colorado. High Plains Tradition's solid, dynamic, and entertaining presence made a hit with audiences right from the start, and subsequent visits have consolidated that. It'll be great to see them back.

High Plains Tradition (also on Facebook) consist of Doug Elrich (mandolin, vocals), Steve Gilmore (guitar, vocals), Mark Leslie (banjo, vocals), Bobby Vickery (fiddle, vocals), and Kenny Pabst (bass, vocals). The band combines five individual personalities so well that one might be reluctant to single anyone out; but it wouldn't be unfair to the rest of HPT to say that Bobby Vickery's intense vocals get a specially enthusiastic response from audiences. Here again are the tour details:

March 2019

• Wed. 27th: Coachman Bar, 13 Parnell St., Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, 8.00 p.m.; tel. 085 850 2289
• Thurs. 28th: O Gliasain's Bar (Concert Room), Sixmilebridge, Co. Clare, 8.30 p.m.; tel. 086 607 9864 (A Sixmilebridge Folk Club Presentation)
• Fri. 29th: Market House, Main St., Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare, 9.00 p.m.; tel. 087 688 1650
• Sat. 30th: Coastguard Cultural Centre, Love Lane, Tramore, Co. Waterford, 8.00 p.m.; tel. 051 391 656
• Sun. 31st: Glen Theatre, Banteer, Co. Cork, 8.30 p.m.; tel. 087 792 1771

April 2019

• Mon. 1st: Village Arts Centre, Kilworth, Co. Cork, 8.00 p.m.; tel. 087 792 1771
• Tues. 2nd: Finn's Ale House, Borrisoleigh, Co. Tipperary, 8.30 p.m.; tel. 087 977 8347
• Wed. 3rd: Merry's Bar and Restaurant, Lower Main St., Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, 8.00 p.m.; tel. 087 064 0542
• Thurs. 4th: St John's Theatre, The Square, Listowel, Co. Kerry, 8.00 p.m.; tel. 068 22 566

For further information on any of the above, contact John Nyhan by 'phone (087 792 1771) or e-mail. More exciting news from John can be expected in the near future.

Enter the Scroggdogs

Jeff Scroggins, best known here as leader and banjo-player of his powerful and exciting band Jeff Scroggins & Colorado, is preparing a new band which will be more limited geographically (i.e. they won't tour so much outside the western USA), but more adventurous musically. The name 'Scroggdogs' denotes 'just me taking it further West and further releasing my “inner hippy”, and inviting some amazing West Coast pickers to join me and my cause'.

The long and very informative interview by Dave Berry on Bluegrass Today closes with Jeff saying:

The food in Ireland is actually pretty great; it is much easier to eat healthy on the road there than it is in the US. I hear that they also have some pretty good beer and whisky...

News from the Mother Country

The organising team behind the documentary film You gave me a song: the life and music of Alice Gerrard report that it has been chosen as one of forty-six films (out of 1,700 applicants!) to be screened at the Full Frame Documentary Festival early next month in Durham, NC. Funds are still needed to cover the costs of audio post and mix, colour correction, animations, music and film licensing, and festival submission and distribution.

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Thanks to Devon Léger of Hearth Music for the news that the debut album by Allison de Groot and Tatiana Hargreaves will be released this coming Friday (22 Mar.) on Free Dirt Records. The thirteen songs and tunes are masterful fiddle-and-banjo duets; but in addition de Groot and Hargreaves are

... searching for the deepest sources: the old musicians who played outside Western scales, musicians whose intricate rhythmic sensibilities pushed back towards Africa, musicians whose voices were silenced because they didn't fit the narrative of white, male, Southern musicians playing Appalachian music.

The project has received a good deal of notice on Bluegrass Today, most recently here.

Roy Thompson to step down from BAG

The BIB learns with great regret that Roy Thompson, who has been running Ballymore Acoustic Gigs (BAG) since 2011 in succession to the late great Larry Roddy, and who has put on nearly 150 artists in those eight years, will be stepping down from running BAG at the end of the current season in May, as he can no longer give it the time and energy needed to maintain its high standards.

Roy stresses that musicians and audience alike are hoping for the gig to continue, and that he will do all he can to help anyone prepared to take it on. His message, which can (and should) be read in full here, ends:

This little gig, and all that has made it what it is, has enriched my life, and my own musical creativity in ways I cannot begin to articulate. So, to all who came and listened to a gig; came and played a gig; booked, or set up a gig; and to the Murphy family for hosting them all, I extend my sincere, deep, and profound gratitude. I am indebted to you all.

Meanwhile, there are two months of gigs to go before the curtain call. Come one, come all; let's go out on a high!

The BAG programme of shows for April can be seen here.

A good night remembered

Thanks to Jamie Daly and Mina Stanard of Arlington, VA, for this photo, taken by Mina at the jam session held to welcome them to Dublin last Wednesday (13 March). Reading clockwise from the extreme left, the pickers shown are Jamie (mandolin), T.J. Screene (bass), Hugh Taggart (guitar), John Miller (dobro), BIB editor (banjo), Jason Lowey (guitar), Patrick Simpson (guitar), and Leo Guilot (fiddle). Click on the image for an enlarged and clearer view.

Mountain music - with real mountains

Thanks to the FOAOTMAD news blog for drawing attention to the fourth annual Old Time Weekend in the Alps, to be held in Elm, Switzerland, on 20-22 September 2019. Oldtimemusic.ch announce:

Do you love playing old-time music with friends? Do you enjoy playing tunes in the beauty of nature? Are you up for an adventure? Then come to the fourth annual Old-Time Weekend in the Alps, happening this fall in Switzerland!

Join us [...] for a gathering of old-time musicians from around Europe. We have the pleasure of welcoming Jane Rothfield as our tutor this year. You’re sure to make some international friends as you learn new tunes and techniques in the majestic setting of the Swiss Alps. For more information and pictures and to register, check out https.oldtimemusic.ch.

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And checking that link led us to the website of Oldtime Central, set up by Ben Smith last year as

a central, online commons that supports local oldtime communities by providing a wide range of content, archives, news, forums, links, and opportunities to connect.

The goodies available include free video fiddle lessons from Craig Judelman (USA), who toured Ireland in 2010 with the Dust Busters and last autumn with his own Interstate Express. Well worth exploring.

Gerry Madigan: 'Build that pipeline!'

Eighteen months ago (see here) Gerry Madigan, pioneer of professional bluegrass banjo playing in Ireland, toured here with George Kaye, pioneer of professional bluegrass fiddling in Ireland. Gerry has been resident in Canada for several years now, and late last year he joined the Spitzee Post Band in High River, Alberta. Thanks to Gerry, who sends his best regards to everyone on the bluegrass scene here, together with this update on his own activities:

I wrote a song in support of the pipeline here in Alberta, 'Build that pipeline' – a major national economic crisis – without pipelines our economy will continue to spiral downwards. Nice coverage from CBC TV National.

The Spitzee Post Band can be seen and heard singing 'Build that pipeline' on the 'Music' page of their website and on YouTube.

Happy St Patrick's day! (especially in Durrow, Co. Laois)

Nothing seems more appropriate for today than 'Shamrock', composed by Ralph Stanley and recorded by him and his brother Carter with the Clinch Mountain Boys. The original recording can be heard on YouTube as the second track of their 1963 King album America's finest 5-string banjo hootenanny.

The tune can also be heard here as the second track of Steve Sparkman's 1997 album Harlan County five-string, and played by Jarrod Church here from his 2006 album Clinch Mountain banjo: a tribute to the master, Dr Ralph Stanley.

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Late news: Woodbine report on their Facebook:

It's Bluegrass & Shamrock for Woodbine on St Patrick's Night in Bob's Bar Durrow 9.00 p.m. Always a great gig in Bob's.

Tullamore follows Boston on new IBMA streaming video feature

In its March newsletter the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) announces 'Here, there, & everywhere' - a new live series streamed from the IBMA Facebook page. It will feature 'a selection of fine bluegrass music, including previous IBMA Momentum and Emerging Artists awards nominees, previous World of Bluegrass official showcase bands, and international artists'.

The first half-hour episode has been contributed by Mile Twelve from Boston, CT, and can be viewed here. The second will be performed by JigJam from Tullamore, Co. Offaly, at midnight (CT) on Tuesday 19 Mar. and will subsequently be similarly available on the IBMA Facebook.

Thanks!

The BIB editor wishes to thank the members of the Dublin bluegrass community for the special private jam session on Wednesday 13 March to welcome Jamie Daly and Mina Stanard, visitors from Arlington, VA, who had previously been at Killarney with the Constituents band (see the BIB for 19 Dec. 2018). All the bluegrass instruments were represented and the result was a very satisfying evening. Jamie and Mina were delighted, and left with a very favourable impression of the pickers here. Special thanks to T.J. Screene and his wife Breege for hosting the jam.

'Banjo 12' at the Eagle Music Shop, 11 May 2019

Thanks to Pat 'Mr Longneck' Kelleher of Dripsey, Co. Cork, for drawing our attention to the 'Banjo Event of the Year' - the epic one-day event to be held on Saturday 11 May 2019 at the Eagle Music Shop near Huddersfield, northern England, to celebrate the Eagle's twelfth consecutive year as the #1 world dealership for the Deering Banjo Company. The Eagle describes it as:

A fantastic day of banjo teaching workshops, on-stage banjo presentations, jamming sessions and world-class on-stage performances from some of the world’s most respected players in the banjo world. The all-day event will be packed with a fusion of world-class music including the best of American and Irish... All topped off with a showcase evening concert.

Artists taking part include the Kruger Brothers (CH/USA); Bill Forster; and many others, not forgetting Pat himself, who will be giving a special presentation together with Greg Deering (both on their long-neck banjos) to mark the centenary of Pete Seeger, born on 3 May 1919. Tickets are already moving rapidly, so book online to avoid disappointment.

Darrell Scott (USA) and Steve Cooney (AUS) at Ballincollig, 22, 23 Mar. 2019

L-r: Darrell Scott, Steve Cooney

Thanks to Marlene Enright, events and venue manager of the White Horse, West Village, Ballincollig, Co. Cork, for the news that award-winning singer/ songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Darrell Scott, now based in Nashville, TN, will be playing at the White Horse solo on Friday next week (22 March 2019) at 8.30 p.m., and with Australian/Irish musician Steve Cooney the following night (Sat. 23 Mar.), also at 8.30 p.m. Tickets (€23 for the solo concert, €26 on Saturday) can be ordered and bought online.

Darrell Scott has collaborated with many artists in bluegrass and related music, including Tim O'Brien, Sam Bush, and Dan Tyminski.

Americana visitors, Mar.-Apr. 2019

Thanks to Ballymore Acoustic Gigs (BAG) and Denise Kovalevich of dmkpublicity.com for news of two acts in different fields of Americana who will be performing in Ireland within the next five weeks.

Award-winning singer/ songwriter and guitarist Dana Cooper (USA; above left) will wind up his schedule of concerts and workshops with the BAG performance on 25 Mar., which, like three other shows in the tour, will have Irish singer/ songwriter Gillian Tuite in support. The YouTube example of his work given by BAG features Justin Moses on banjo and fiddle. Dana Cooper's full schedule is:

Thurs. 14th Mar.: Songwriting workshop, Ballyfermot College of Further Education, Ballyfermot Rd, Dublin 10, 12:30 p.m.
Fri. 15th: With Gillian Tuite & Kathy Crinion, DC Music Club, 20 Camden Row, Dublin 2, 8.00 p.m.
Sat. 16th: With Gillian Tuite, Green Door Market, Bluebell Business Centre, Old Naas Road, Dublin 12, 11.00 a.m.
Sat. 16th: With Gillian Tuite in concert, Moy River B&B, Loughill, Cloonacool, Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo, 8.00 p.m.
Wed. 20th: O'Sullivan's Courthouse Pub, the Mall, Dingle, Co. Kerry, 9.00 p.m.
Mon. 25th: With Gillian Tuite, Mick Murphy's, Ballymore Eustace, Co. Kildare, doors 8.30 p.m. (Ballymore Acoustic Gigs)

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The Devil Makes Three (USA; above right) will be playing three successive nights (Tues. 16 Apr.-Thurs. 18 Apr.) at Vicar St, Dublin, as the opening of a tour in support of their latest album Chains are broken. The European section of the tour, extending to 1 May, includes shows in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Britain; the Dublin shows and most of the others in Europe will be played with Dropkick Murphys.

Their music could be labelled as folk-rock/ country-rock, often on acoustic instruments (including 5-string). The depth of it, however, is indicated by their website:

The power of words isn’t lost on longstanding Americana triumvirate The Devil Makes Three— Pete Bernhard, Lucia Turino, and Cooper McBean. For as much as they remain rooted in troubadour traditions of wandering folk, Delta blues, whiskey-soaked ragtime, and reckless rock ‘n’ roll, the band nods to the revolutionary unrest of author James Baldwin, the no-holds barred disillusionment of Ernest Hemingway, and Southern Gothic malaise of Flannery O’Connor.

The Cabin Session, Dundrum, 28 Mar. 2019

Gerry Fitzpatrick, organiser of the Cabin Sessions series, announces the third Session of 2019:

We're back on 28 March with special guests Enda O'Connor and Dean Wright. Hope you can join us!

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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.

More news of past visitors

Tristan Scroggins, mandolinist with our powerful visitors Jeff Scroggins & Colorado (USA), has released an EP with accompanying tab book for his mandolin breaks, both under the title Fancy boy and obtainable from his Bandcamp page, where the tracks can be heard. More details are on Bluegrass Today.

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Morris Public Relations announce that the life of Michael Cleveland, eleven times IBMA Fiddle Performer of the Year, is celebrated in a documentary film, 'Flamekeeper: the Michael Cleveland story', which was released globally on Amazon and Vimeo last week. Trailers can be seen on these sites and on Bluegrass Today.

Sarah Savoy Band (USA/FR) headline Dunmore East 2019

Anyone who saw and heard Sarah Savoy and the Francadians at the 2018 Shannonside Midwinter Music Festival will welcome this news from Mick Daly, organiser of the Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival (22-25 Aug. 2019) in Co. Waterford. Full details of the lineup will be announced in early April. For now, Mick sends the image (above) to appear on road signs for this year's event, together with the following press release on the headline artist:

From a legendary traditional music family from Louisiana we bring you the Sarah Savoy Band - guaranteed to conjure up images of smoky bars, dangerous men and women, beer and cigarettes, dance, and the heady inspirational eras of Louisiana music. Born and raised in Eunice, Louisiana, in a family considered ‘Cajun royalty’ - father Marc makes the Acadian brand accordion, considered to be the finest single-row diatonic in the world; mother Ann wrote the reference [sic] on Cajun music, Cajun music: a reflection of a people - Sarah is a certified chef and has been executive chef of three different restaurants in Paris, published a cookbook on Cajun food, The Savoy kitchen: a family history of Cajun food, and has performed cooking demonstrations around the world, including the US, England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Belgium, France, and Morocco.

Playing music from the heart of Cajun country and damn fine too, Sarah Savoy has been referred to as a ‘Louisiana singer with hell-raising credentials’, singing and playing as multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, doing mostly traditional Cajun music, spiced with a fairly rough rock-'n'-roll attitude, then toned back a bit by country ballads and blues, covers by Johnny Paycheck and George Jones, and then simmering all that down with some sexy Zydeco numbers.

From accordion to guitar to washboard or triangle, Sarah's vocal style has been compared to that of Patsy Cline, Patti Smith, and Wanda Jackson; her musicians are all multi-instrumentalists as well and thoroughly enjoy switching around on stage.

She's also led conferences in both English and French on the history of Louisiana's francophones, the history of the accordion in Louisiana music, and Louisiana culture and folklore.

‘La voix des Cajuns’ (Rolling Stone)
‘The Princess of Cajun’ (Blues Magazine)
‘The Queen of White Trash Cajun’ (fRoots)

High Plains Tradition (USA) tour dates, 27 Mar.-4 Apr. 2019

High Plains Tradition: (l-r) Bobby Vickery, Doug Elrich,
Mark Leslie, Steve Gilmore, Kenny Pabst

Thanks to John Nyhan for the very welcome news that after a powerful kickstart to the bluegrass year, we now have another great classic bluegrass band, High Plains Tradition from Colorado, touring from 27 March to 4 April. The band (also on Facebook) toured Ireland first in 2010, made a hit with audiences right from the start, and consolidated this on their subsequent visits.

High Plains Tradition consist of Doug Elrich (mandolin, vocals), Steve Gilmore (guitar, vocals), Mark Leslie (banjo, vocals), Bobby Vickery (fiddle, vocals), and Kenny Pabst (bass, vocals). Here are the tour details.

March 2019
Wed. 27th: Coachman Bar, 13 Parnell St., Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, 8.00 p.m.; tel. 085 850 2289

Thurs. 28th: O Gliasain's Bar (Concert Room), Sixmilebridge, Co. Clare, 8.30 p.m.; tel. 086 607 9864 (A Sixmilebridge Folk Club Presentation)

Fri. 29th: Market House, Main St., Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare, 9.00 p.m.; tel. 087 688 1650

Sat. 30th: Coastguard Cultural Centre, Love Lane, Tramore, Co. Waterford, 8.00 p.m.; tel. 051 391 656

Sun. 31st: Glen Theatre, Banteer, Co. Cork, 8.30 p.m.; tel. 087 792 1771

April 2019
Mon. 1st: Village Arts Centre, Kilworth, Co. Cork, 8.00 p.m.; tel. 087 792 1771

Tues. 2nd: Finn's Ale House, Borrisoleigh, Co. Tipperary, 8.30 p.m.; tel. 087 977 8347

Wed. 3rd: Merry's Bar and Restaurant, Lower Main St., Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, 8.00 p.m.; tel. 087 064 0542

Thurs. 4th: St John's Theatre, The Square, Listowel, Co. Kerry, 8.00 p.m.; tel. 068 22 566

For further information on any of the above, contact John Nyhan by 'phone (087 792 1771) or e-mail.

Jim Dunlop, 7 Apr. 1936-6 Feb. 2019

The BIB learns with regret of the death last month of Jim Dunlop, born in the Maryhill suburb of Glasgow, Scotland, who in his early twenties emigrated to Canada and from there to California. There he applied his training and vision as an engineer to developing a wide range of accessories for musicians, of which picks (left), strings, and capos are the most familiar to bluegrassers.

Jim Dunlop died a few days after the end of this year's Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow. A commemoration (the BIB speculates) might take place at next year's festival.

Red Hat Acoustic Music Club at Naas TONIGHT

Thanks to Paul and Anne McEvoy, organisers of the Red Hat Acoustic Music Club, for a reminder that the Club's third meeting of 2019 will be held tonight (Friday 8 Mar.).

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.

High Plains Tradition (USA) in Ireland, 26 Mar.-8 Apr. 2019

An anonymous message just received asks:

Heard High Plains Tradition are coming to Ireland this March
Can you let me know gigs

The only person who could do that at present is the tour organiser, from whom we expect to have details in the very near future. High Plains Tradition, the splendid hard-core band from Colorado, recently announced on their Facebook in reply to an inquiry from Ireland:

We will be in Ireland from the 26th of March through the 8th of April. Don't have details of where and when but will post as soon as we know.

Giddens & Turrisi: five shows sold out to date

The tour by Rhiannon Giddens & Francisco Turrisi organised by Music Network began on Tuesday (5 Mar.) and will continue to 16 March. The first two shows of the tour and the last two as well were sold out several days in advance, and we now learn that their show at the Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely, Co. Wicklow, this coming Friday (8 Mar.) is also sold out. Anyone thinking of seeing them during the tour should book as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

New April Verch album available for pre-order

Fans of classic country music, as well as the many friends and admirers of April Verch (CAN), will be glad to learn that April's latest album Once a day (due for release a month from now) is what she describes as 'my heartfelt homage to 1950s and '60s Classic Country - it's a love letter and a thank you letter all in one, to an era of music that has always been a huge part of my life'. Moreover, it can now be pre-ordered from her website; doing so entitles the buyer to added goodies.

Full details and links are on April's latest e-newsletter. She is scheduled to tour on this side of the Atlantic in July 2019; but in Estonia and Finland, not Ireland.

Update 12 Apr.: April announces the release of Once a day in this month's e-newsletter.

Two Time Polka: March and April 2019 gigs

Ray Barron of Two Time Polka announces:

Here are our upcoming gigs.

Sat. 16th Mar.: The White Horse, Ballincollig, Co. Cork. 10.00 p.m. Adm. free. Tel. 021 4871388

Sun. 17th Mar.: Centenary Stores, Charlotte St., Wexford town. Start (after parade) 12.30 p.m. Adm. free. Tel. 053 9122303

Wed. 3rd Apr.: Mother Mac's Bar, High St., Limerick city. 9.30 p.m. Adm. free. Tel. 061 414900 (part of Limerick Fringe.

Sat. 13th Apr.: The Blue Haven, Pearse St., Kinsale, Co. Cork. 10.00 p.m. Adm. free. Tel. 021 4772209

At the moment we're booked to play a number of festivals in May: Kilkenny Roots Festival; Mountain Roots Festival, Cahersiveen; Zydecozity festival, Raamsdonksveer, the Netherlands. Dates, venues, times etc. for some of these gigs are already available on this link. As soon as details for the others are confirmed we will update the site.

Regards,
Ray & TTP

Greenshine at Naul, 13 Apr. 2019

L-r: Noel Shine, Ellie Shine, Mary Greene

'Ireland's biggest little venue', the Seamus Ennis Arts Centre at Naul, Co. Dublin, announces that Greenshine (above) from Cork will be playing in concert there on Saturday 13 April. As usual at the Centre, doors open at 8.00 p.m. and the show starts at 8.30. Tickets can be booked here (€16 / €13) or bought at the door (€18 / €15).

Old-time music in Liscannor, Co. Clare, every Sunday from 17 Mar.

Thanks to Kevin Beggan (brother of Colin Beggan, longest-serving guitarist of the Sackville String Band and a continuing force in music) for this news of

... an old-time session we have in the Cliffs of Moher Hotel in Liscannor, County Clare. It's every Sunday lunchtime from 1.00 to 3.00 p.m.; we call ourselves the Upcounty String Ticklers, a reference to the fact that we all live in North Clare. The band consists of myself, Kevin Beggan (vocals, mandolin & bouzouki), Adam Shapiro (fiddle & vocals) and Stewart MacPhail (guitar, banjo & vocals).

We mostly have a few other old-time music enthusiasts joining us, all musicians welcome! We begin the season on Sunday 17 March and continue every week until the end of October/ beginning of November.

Update: The photo below of the session is taken from the Irish Old Time website.

Baltimore Fiddle Fair website upgraded

Congratulations to Declan MacCarthy, founder and organiser of the Baltimore Fiddle Fair in Baltimore, Co. Cork, on the completely redesigned and upgraded website for the Fair, which this year will be held on 9-12 May. The familiar logo (left) is no longer used on the website.

This year's programme includes (as yet) no one from the worlds of bluegrass or old-time music; the closest approach is in the French-Canadian trio De Temps Antan.

US ace guitarists for BAND Festival

The organising team of the 3rd BAND Festival (Bluegrass And Nashville Dunfanaghy) announce that the lineup for this year's event (21-23 June 2019) will mark the Year of the Guitar by including two US instrumental wizards: Shawn Jones from California and Stephen Inglis from Hawaii (a master of 'slack-key' guitar). More details are on the BAND website, and further news on the lineup will be coming soon.

Henry Family open Dorney Bridge 2019 programme

Thanks to John Watson (longtime videographer to the Red Room, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone) and Hilda Watson for the news that their new house concert venue Dorney Bridge, at Ballinamallard, Co. Fermanagh, begins its 2019 programme in the very near future. John writes:

We have exciting plans for the months ahead. We can cope comfortably with around thirty people and associated parking, but as always a few more can always be squeezed in.

Bookings so far:

Sat. 23rd Mar.: Janet, Colin, Olivia, and James Henry and possibly Ivan Muirhead from the Broken String Band too, 8.15 p.m.

Thurs. 16th May: Kathy Barwick & Pete Siegfried (USA), 8.15 p.m.

Sun. 21st July: Gary Ferguson (USA) along with Johnny Tanner and Roy Thompson, 6.00 p.m.

Fri. 18th Oct.: Level Best (USA; James Field, guitar; Terry Wittenberg, banjo; Wally Hughes, fiddle/ dobro; Lisa Kay Howard, mandolin; Joe Hannabach, bass; see the BIB for 2 Jan. 2019), 8.15 p.m.

We are up for having other bookings in or around the Westport and Omagh festivals, and would welcome hearing from any bluegrass artists who would be happy with a house concert venue. We encourage folks to check up-to-date info on our Facebook page - Dorney Bridge.

More details on the coming Henry Family show on 23 Mar. are here.

Roger Ryan's 'Country Cuts', Mar. 2019

Thanks to Roger Ryan of the Country Music Association of Ireland for the March 2019 issue of his 'Country Cuts' e-newsletter. It gives news of forthcoming country music events in Ireland, including the 9th Annual Hot Country TV Country Music Awards Concert on Mon. 29 Apr. 2019 at the Slieve Russell Hotel, Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan; the Late Late Show's 'Search for a country star'; the coming of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to Dublin; and much more. The newsletter can be read in full here.

How to survive in jams - and more

Bluegrass Today announces that Ned Lubercki has followed his recently published video instruction course, Bluegrass banjo for beginners, with his Bluegrass banjo jam survival guide. Luberecki introduces it:

Across the seven sections of the Bluegrass banjo jam survival guide, we’ll work on ear training, chord groups, double-stop positions, roll patterns, variations, and licks that you can play all over the fingerboard. We’ll apply these skills to all the most common chord changes in bluegrass!

If it does this, the course will equip the user with practically all the skills needed to be an effective improvising musician.

The Staghorn saga continues

The BIB editor writes:

I have still not heard from whoever wrote in search of a Stelling Staghorn banjo (see the BIB of 11 Feb.). Many people seem to be interested in the BIB post of 20 Feb. in which Brendan Emmett offered his 1976 Staghorn for sale. No one, however, has yet asked me for Brendan's e-mail address.

Brendan has Staghorn #198 (dated 1 Oct. 1976), which has two Keith tuners, a Fishman pickup, and a new TKL case, and is offered at €3,500 (for comparison, the RRP for a new Staghorn in the sterling area is £6,419). If you are interested and would prefer to contact him direct, Brendan can be reached here.