Last days of Celtic Connections 2020

The organising team of this year's Celtic Connections in Glasgow, now in its final few days, send a reminder of what's still to come: tonight (31 Jan.) the annual Transatlantic Sessions are hosted by Aly Bain and Jerry Douglas, joined by special guests including Michael McGoldrick, Cathy Jordan, Tommy Emmanuel, and Phil Cunningham. Elsewhere, the Ciaran Ryan Band provide 'an electrifying high-energy mix of self-penned Irish trad-style tunes with elements of bluegrass and swamp-trad'.

Tomorrow evening (Sat. 1 Feb.) Dirk Powell (photo above) launches his new solo album, with guest artists. More details and online booking links are here.

Wooden banjo armrests from Deering - and others

The Deering Banjo Company announce their range of wooden armrests for banjo (right): 'Available in a range of wood options, these armrests are a direct replacement for any standard Deering armrest and a great alternative if you suffer from nickel allergies.' They fit any banjo with twenty-four hooks on the rim.

Wooden armrests from different makers have been on the banjos of high-profile pickers in Ireland for some time, notably Paddy Kiernan (Lands End, Pine Marten, Niall Toner Band) and Tabitha Agnew Benedict (Cup O' Joe, Roots Revival, Midnight Skyracer). As well as the advantages given by Deering, we gather that the picking arm is both more comfortable and more efficient with a well made wooden armrest.

The enterprising and innovative Banjolit outfit, based in the Czech and Slovak Republics, have 'original' and 'mini' lines of armrests in different woods, plus a special model designed to fit any top-tension banjo with a standard 11-inch hoop and twenty-four brackets; it will work also on a 'traditionally tensioned' banjo.

The original Banjo Revolutionaries, Nechville Musical Products, make armrests for both 11- and 12-inch pots. They are compatible with conventional hook-and-nut style banjos, as well as instruments made with Nechville's patented Heli-Mount system. Armrests from all three sources appear to be priced around $69.00, with some of the Banjolit range at $64.00.

Vote for Westport in Irish Festival Awards

Thanks to Uri Kohen, head of the organising team of the Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival, for the big news that the Festival has been nominated for both the category of Best Small Festival and the category of Best Lineup in the Irish Festival Awards 2019. Uri writes:

We could do with the help of all our friends and fans. Please vote for us! Thanks.

Voting is now open, and friends and fans of Westport can cast their votes for the festival here. Congratulations to the team on the nomination - Westport is the only bluegrassy event to be nominated. This year's Folk and Bluegrass Festival, the fourteenth to be held at Westport, Co. Mayo, will be on 5-7 June 2020.

Long Way Home (NL/USA) launched in Ireland!

The BIB post of 25 Jan. on Owen Schinkel, the 'Sliding Dutchman', mentioned that Owen and his partner, mandolinist Kylie Anderson from Utah, are now resident in Ireland as a duo, Long Way Home. Owen now sends this very welcome news:

I saw the BIB with the new article about Kylie and me! Thanks for that shout out, it's great to live in a country with a friendly bluegrass community.

The Long Way Home duo project from Kylie and me launched officially this month. Our website can be found on https://longwayhome.ie/. We're hoping to get some gigs rolling this spring and summer. We love to meet more people across the island. I'm sure our our paths will cross soon! Looking forward to a great 2020.

Owen and Kylie are based in Cork, and were playing last weekend at the Heart and Home Bluegrass Festival in Ballydehob. They can be contacted through the Long Way Home website, by 'phone (087 7011854), or e-mail.

Frank Robinson: funeral arrangements

Following the BIB post of Monday 27 Jan., Frank's death notice on the Funeral Times website states:

Funeral leaving his late home on Thursday [30 Jan.] at 11.30 a.m. for service in Christ Church [Limavady] at 12.00 noon followed by interment in adjoining Church yard.

Family flowers only, please; donations if desired and cheques payable to Foyle Hospice and forwarded to Browns Funeral Directors, 10 Linenhall Street, Limavady.

Messages of sympathy can be sent via the Funeral Times website.

Instrument collection for auction in GB

For instrument collectors who can fit in a trip to Britain's Lake District in a few weeks' time, the FOAOTMAD news blog today (28 Jan.) has some exciting news. UK old-time banjo player and luthier Dave Stacey reports:

Following the sad death of Derek Hall (Kendal) his amazing collection of guitars and banjos will be put up for auction. If probate goes through smoothly the likely date will be 9 March and the auctioneers are 1818 Auctioneers at Crooklands near Kendal.

Over the years I built six high-grade Fairbanks and Vega reproduction banjos for Derek, featuring ornate inlays and floral carving on the neck heel. I can provide details and photographs of these instruments and can be contacted at staceybanjos@hotmail.com or phone 01462 683074.

A catalogue of the instruments will probably appear on the auctioneers' website in the near future.

Frank Robinson

The BIB editor writes:

With the deepest regret, we learn from Tony Curran and Tony O'Brien that Frank Robinson of Derry died on Sunday night (26 January), after years of serious health issues, which he bore with exemplary fortitude and good humour.

Frank would have laughed at the idea that he was any kind of renaissance man, but he was a guitar hero of the showband era, jazzman, film buff, aficionado of science fiction, writer, walking encyclopedia of country music, and for decades a linchpin of bluegrass in the north-west. A dedicated scuba diver in earlier years, he was also an imaginative and skilled handyman. Walking on the streets of Derry city, he seemed to know everyone. And along with his lively and keen wit went an unfailing and active generosity: he was always looking out for other people.

Frank was my oldest bluegrass friend in Ireland - we first met late in 1969 - and I owe him more than I can repay. Carol and I send our heartfelt condolences to Florence and her family.

The photo above shows Frank (centre) with Tony Curran, Dessie Crerand, and his 1988 Dan Crary Signature Model Taylor guitar. Frank was a longtime friend of Dan Crary, a major figure in the development of bluegrass lead guitar playing. Regrettably, health problems obliged Frank to part with the guitar some years ago.

More kudos for Kristy Cox (AU)

Award-winning Australian bluegrass and country singing star Kristy Cox (left) toured Ireland with her band last spring in the first venture by the Mygrassisblue.com team, who have organised a European tour for her this year that includes the Omagh festival on 22-24 May. Thanks now to Dave Byrne jr of Mygrassisblue.com for this news (links added by the BIB), which he sends:

... to highlight another success by Kristy Cox over the weekend at the Country Music Association of Australia’s (CMAA) Toyota Golden Guitar Awards – she picked up her fourth award for Bluegrass Recording of the Year (and for the second year in succession) for 'Yesterday's heartache', the first single release from her forthcoming Mountain Fever Records release, No headlights (it's released 28 February). The title track and third single release, 'No headlights', also debuted last week at number 5 on the Bluegrass Today charts. All this ahead of us announcing in the coming days the tour schedule for her May 2020 European tour. So it’s a busy and exciting time for Kristy, and us.

We thought you might like to share Kristy’s acceptance speech (link below) with the BIB community, where Kristy signs off by claiming that 'The whole world should be surrounded by bluegrass.' And who here would disagree with that sentiment?!

Kristy Cox, Golden Guitar Awards 2020 | YouTube |

BIB editor's note: 'No headlights' can be heard on this feature by John Lawless on Bluegrass Today (9 Jan.). NB: Thierry Schoysman of the Sons of Navarone will be playing banjo (his Great Lakes top-tension model) in Kristy's band for her European tour this spring.

PS: See also this e-newsletter from Mounain Fever Records, and John Lawless's news item on Bluegrass Today.

The Sliding Dutchman now resident in Ireland

Owen Schinkel (photo: Ben Bateson)

One of the many unexpected bonuses of last weekend's Shannonside Winter Music Festival was finding the talented young Dutch dobroist Owen Schinkel, the 'Sliding Dutchman', playing as a guest on the sets by the Sons of Navarone.

The BIB first learned of Owen in July 2017, when he had just won a scholarship to East Tennessee State University. Lee Zimmerman's feature and interview with him on Bluegrass Today last April showed both that he was using his time in the States to the best advantage, and that he intended to return to this side of the Atlantic. We can now expect to see much more of him - his website states:

Recently Owen has moved to Ireland to pursue his musical career together with mandolinist Kylie Anderson, who is also his partner. Together Kylie and Owen are working on a duo group called 'Long Way Home'. They’re planning to record an EP and perform in Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United States in 2020 [bold type added by the BIB]. The website from Long Way Home will soon be available at the website from Long Way Music.

PS: Owen can be seen for a split second in the Sons of Navarone's video on Facebook of the end of their final show at Sixmilebridge.

Janet Dowd and friends on BBC2 NI TV, 26 Jan. 2020

Thanks to Sharon Loughrin of the Red Room near Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, for this news:

The new series of the Ulster Scots programme 'Hame' will have Janet Dowd accompanied by Colin Henry on dobro and a Cookstown man, David Bell, on guitar, this Sunday night at 10.00 p.m. on BBC2; it might be of interest to BIB readers.

Sharon adds:

Looking forward to Seth Mulder & Midnight Run at the Red Room this Wednesday night, I'm sure you enjoyed them at Shannonside.

The answer is YES!

A new bluegrass session in Tullamore starts this coming Sunday

Hubert Murray

Thanks to Hubert Murray for this news of a new focus for bluegrass pickers and fans in the Midlands:

I'm starting a bluegrass session in Tullamore, Co. Offaly, with my friend Dave Hawkins, he's a lovely dobro player. He's starting out playing bluegrass and we thought that Tullamore needed some bluegrass to ease the Sunday souls back into the weekday.

The plan is to have it monthly on the last Sunday of the month in Eugene Kelly's Lounge, Convent Road, Tullamore 7GH5+3G, from 4.00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m. All pickers welcome. The inaugural session is this Sunday, 26 January.

An outline of Hubert's CV as singer, guitarist, songwriter, and bandleader appeared on the BIB on 1 June 2017.

Grits & Gravy in Wales, 13 Feb. 2020 - album release

The FOAOTMAD news blog reports that the Grits & Gravy Stringband will be playing on St Valentine's Eve (Thursday 13 Feb. 2020) at Burnetts Hill Chapel, Marletwy, Pembroke-shire, Wales SA67 8AX. The show is scheduled to start at 7.30 p.m. Tickets (£12.00) can be booked: the 'phone numbers shown on the poster image (left) are 01646 621530 / 01646 651725.

Grits & Gravy are releasing their new album, Ain't nothing but a thing, which they began recording back in October - see their Facebook, where plenty of good music can also be heard on videos. Right after the Marletwy show, they will be playing that weekend at the 26th Gainsborough Old-Time Festival in England.

Mules & Men at Banjo & Bovril in Bray, 25 Jan. 2020

Mules & Men announce on their Facebook that they will be playing in the Harbour Bar, Bray, Co. Wicklow, at 3.00 p.m. this coming Saturday (25 Jan.) as part of the Bar's Banjo & Bovril Trad & Folk Festival, which begins tomorrow (22 Jan.) and runs to Sun. 26 Jan. inclusive.

All Banjo & Bovril gigs are free, and are family-friendly up to 9.00 p.m. Full details are on the Harbour Bar website. Mules & Men add: 'We will have The Niall [Hughes] with us.'

Top-class bluegrass in Bühl, 15-16 May 2020

Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands

Thanks to our good friend Patrick Fuchs and the press office of the city of Bühl (near Baden-Baden in Germany) for news and photos of bands taking part in this year's 18th International Bühl Bluegrass Festival, which will be held on 15-16 May 2020 with a lineup that includes several bands who have played in Ireland over the years.

The Blue Grass Boogiemen (photo: Jelle Mollema)

As an example, a special event under the title 'Bluegrass unter Hebebühnen', geared towards a younger audience, will be held on Friday 15 May at 8.00 p.m. in the premises of the Josef Oechsle agricultural machinery company, a major sponsor of the festival. The Blue Grass Boogiemen (NL) and the Hackensaw Boys (USA) will be performing. Tickets are available starting at €17 in the Bürgerhaus Neuer Markt in Bühl, phone (0 72 23) 9 31 67 99, at www.reservix.de, and from the Reservix-ticket agencies.

Chatham County Line (photo: York Wilson)

The traditional free open-air sets in Bühl city centre will take place on Saturday 16 May with the Munich String Band (D) at 11.30 a.m. and Cousin Hatfield (NL) an hour later. Both groups will then open the big evening concert in the Bürgerhaus Neuer Markt at 5.00 p.m., followed by Old Salt (B), Chatham County Line (USA) on their first visit to Germany, and (at the top of the bill) Laurie Lewis & the Right Hands (USA). For the grand finale, all artists traditionally come on stage to close the evening.

Tickets for Saturday evening, starting at €35, can be booked in advance in the Bürgerhaus Neuer Markt, phone (0 72 23) 9 31 67 99, at www.reservix.de, and from the Reservix-ticket agencies. Tickets for €25 will be sold at the box office at 8:00 p.m., subject to availability.

Update 23 Mar.: It has now been officially announced that the 18th Bühl Bluegrass Festival has been postponed to 14-15 May 2021, because of restrictions necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic.

Is your band up for a documentary?

This message from World Bluegrass Day appeared on Sunday on Facebook:

Actively looking for the best bluegrass bands from outside the US who would like to be featured in an upcoming short-form documentary about bluegrass from around the world. Must be willing to provide raw footage of both playing and location. Interested? Reach out. #bluegrass

An entry (or more than one) from Ireland would surely be welcome. World Bluegrass Day is celebrated on 1 October every year.

21st Shannonside Winter Music Festival: a report

Seth Mulder & Midnight Run on stage at Sixmilebridge GAA Hall

Thanks to Des Butler for this report and photos:

Well, the Shannonside Winter Music Festival has come of age with its 21st Festival having taken place last weekend, and what a great weekend for music lovers of practically all genres it was.

To mention just a few of the bands performing - as it would be impossible to get to every performance, given the eighty events that were taking place - we had DD & the Delta Boys (above) providing us with some covers of the blues masters (i.e. Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, et al.), all performed with great dynamism and rhythm. Cajun fans were catered for with unadulterated dance music of Louisiana, Cajun and Zydeco, enriched with a healthy dose of blues and Swamp. We also had the great harmonies of the rousing sea shanties that Kimber’s Men perform with great gusto.

The Cajun Roosters in the Folk Park's Tea Room

For me and all bluegrass fans that attended the Festival the highlight had to be the performances of the Sons Of Navarone and Seth Mulder & Midnight Run. What performances these two bands gave, culminating in their finale at the Sunday afternoon concert in the GAA Club in Sixmilebridge with both bands playing out of their skins. Sons Of Navarone (below) are a polished and tight, skilful band with wonderful voices and a great repertoire, interspersed with some excellent witticisms and some whimsical antics.

The stars of the whole festival, for me, were Seth Mulder & Midnight Run - a high-octane, high-energy powerhouse of traditional bluegrass music, incorporating all aspects of what a great bluegrass band should be, and doing great covers of some of the old masters, e.g. Flatt & Scruggs, Osborne Brothers, Stanley Brothers, and many more. As the banjo player in the band had just turned 25 on the Sunday itself, a new phenomenon occurred in the shape of a bluegrass birthday bash on stage with cake, including candle, being presented on stage by the Maestro himself, John Nyhan (see below).

The entire weekend was sprinkled with some great jamming sessions throughout, with some of our best home-grown talent taking part i.e. Pat Kelleher, Frankie Lane, Richard Hawkins, Niall O'Rahilly, and Jim from Cork, John Nyhan, and many, many more talented musicians who sat in.

As Brendan Walsh has retired from his organisational role in the Festival, he has handed it over to the new man Michael Minihan in good order. Judging by this festival, the new man and committee are also doing a great job and I am sure we can look forward to many more years of great festival weekends at this venue.

Last but by no means least, bluegrass fans have the Maestro himself, John Nyhan, to thank for again bringing some of the best bluegrass bands out there to this country for our enjoyment. He hasn’t broken his own record yet of never bringing a mediocre band here.

Howard Watts ('Cedric Rainwater'), 1913-70

Howard Staton Watts, born in Florida on 19 Feb. 1913, died fifty years ago today (21 Jan. 1970). One of the founding generation of bluegrass musicians, in the 1930s he was a professional hillbilly entertainer as singer, guitarist, comedian, and tap-dancer, using from 1938 the stage name 'Arizona Slim'. In 1941 he moved to Nashville, TN, where he began playing upright bass.

In 1943 he joined Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys as bass player and comedian, adopting the stage name 'Cedric Rainwater', introducing the 'walking bass' style common among western swing bassists, and 'helping to solidify the definitive bluegrass sound' (Gary Reid). From 1945 to 1948 he was a member of the 'classic' Blue Grass Boys - including Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, and Chubby Wise - and when Scruggs and then Flatt left, he joined them as bassist for their first two years and four recording sessions. He subsequently performed and recorded with Hank Williams, Hank Snow, Ray Price, Marty Robbins, and many other leading country artists.

In 2007 he was the first bass player to be inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in his own right (Tom Gray was inducted in 1996 as a member of the 'classic' Country Gentlemen and 'Pop' Lewis in 2006 as a member of the Lewis Family). The first five lines of his biography on the Hall of Fame website have been stuck in out of context, but otherwise Gary Reid's excellent article is unaltered.

IBMA showcase applications open from 3 Feb. 2020

The International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) announce that bands and artists wishing to appear on the official showcase schedule at this year's World of Bluegrass in Raleigh, NC, can submit applications in the period 3-29 Feb. 2020:

Selected acts will have the opportunity to perform on multiple stages during the IBMA Bluegrass Ramble and IBMA Business Conference. With countless stages and thousands of attendees, this is the premier platform to share your music with talent buyers, industry leaders, and fellow world-class musicians.

Full details are on this IBMA e-newsletter. The band pictured above is Mile Twelve, already well  known over here from their tours, whose mandolinist David Benedict (second from left) married Tabitha Agnew, banjoist of Armagh's Cup O' Joe, in May 2019. Mile Twelve have just released a video of 'Rocky Island', recorded by Ralph Stanley is 1974, and eighteen years earlier (under the title 'Ho, honey, ho') by the Osborne Brothers & Red Allen. The video can be seen on Bluegrass Today and also on YouTube.

Tickets now on sale for 14th Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival, 5-7 June 2020

The organising team of the Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival at Westport, Co. Mayo, announce:

Tickets for the 14th Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival are now on sale via the festival's website.

As in the past, all pub gigs and sessions are free to the public, and at the end of every night there will be one ticketed event, each valued at €20. There is an option to buy a Friday & Saturday concerts combo ticket for €35.

This year, we added an option to buy tickets for the workshops and square dance in advance via the same link.

In the past number of years, the festival's main events were sold out, so it is highly recommended to buy them well in advance. Looking forward to see all bluegrass fans in Westport, 5-7 June.

BIB editor's note: Tickets went on sale since this morning at 10.00 a.m.

Two Time Polka: gigs for end of January 2020

Ray Barron of Two Time Polka announces:

Here are details of our next January gigs.

Ballydehob Heart and Home Bluegrass Festival
Fri. 24th: The Irish Whip Bar, Main St., Ballydehob, Co. Cork. Start 10.00 p.m. Adm. free. Tel. 028 37191

Sat. 25th: The Irish Whip Bar, Main St., Ballydehob, Co. Cork. Start 10.00 p.m. Adm. free. Tel. 028 37191

Regards & thanks,
Ray & TTP

'Man of constant sorrow' to Grammy Hall of Fame (Update)

The 1951 Columbia recording by the Stanley Brothers of 'I'm a man of constant sorrow' has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Richard Thompson has a very informative feature on Bluegrass Today about the induction, with a historical note on the song and its origins. The recording can be heard on the Bluegrass Today article and also on YouTube.

This was the Stanleys' first recording of the song, which they first heard sung by their father. They recorded the song again in 1959 with an added vocal refrain, and this version is now widely known through being sung by the 'Soggy Bottom Boys' in the film O brother where art thou?

BIB editor's note: I'm still attached to the somewhat different version of the tune as sung by the New Lost City Ramblers (which I probably first heard sung live by Terry and Gay Woods in Dublin). This is based on the 1928 recording by Emry Arthur. A striking and uncommon instrumental version can be heard on a home recording by the legendary West Virginia fiddler Ed Haley.

PS: In what appears to be a coincidence, the Stanley Brothers have now also been commemorated in a special edition of a bourbon whiskey. See John Lawless's feature on Bluegrass Today.

Update 21 Jan.: Other inductions to the Grammy Hall of Fame this year include 'I'll fly away' by the Chuck Wagon Gang, from their 2019 album No depression In heaven: the gospel songs of the Carter Family. The 1948 recording of this song by the original Chuck Wagon Gang, well worth listening to, can be heard here. Thanks to the Mountain Home Music Company for the news.

You gave me a song available for screenings

Following on from the BIB post of 17 November, thanks to Kenny Dalsheimer of the organising team of You gave me a song for this news.

You gave me a song is the documentary film on the life and achievements of Alice Gerrard, who was inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2017 together with Hazel Dickens for their ground-breaking work as women in bluegrass. Friend of Bill Monroe and Tommy Jarrell, founder-editor of Old Time Herald magazine, and much more, Alice Gerrard has inspired a film that is, as the website says, '... one woman's story of being traditional, never conventional. This is a film about getting older, but never giving up.'

You gave me a song has been winning awards at film festivals, and the makers would love to have it shown in Ireland. Bluegrass festivals and other events and organisations that would be interested in hosting a special screening in 2020 should contact the team through the website.

New year and new features on Oldtime Central

The editors of Oldtime Central (OTC) announce:

We're hard at work here at Oldtime Central, and wanted to share a few things that we are working on RIGHT NOW to further our mission of supporting the Oldtime Community. We are:

• Overhauling our festival guide, which means adding an interactive map, reaching out to even more festivals, and making the search function more user-friendly
• communicating with state folklorists to bring you more articles about the history and evolution of oldtime music
• planning cross-country interview trips to continue painting a picture of what oldtime music is today
• recording more lessons with more teachers to help beginners learn how to play
• Retooling our resource pages to be more comprehensive and useful

And that's all just the first half of this year! Thanks to everyone on this newsletter for your ongoing support and faith in us. We hope to keep delivering for the oldtime community, and are sure that our site is only going to keep getting better. Stay tuned!

New items published on OTC over the holiday period are:

Missouri Rules of Harmony

Liza Jane: Banjo Lesson with Hilarie Burhans

Decolonizing the Music (Room)

Westport 2020 headliners signed up by Rebel Records

Following the BIB's post of 7 Jan., we learn from a feature by John Lawless on Bluegrass Today that the Kody Norris Show from Tennessee, who will be headlining the bluegrass contingent of this year's Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival, have been signed to a record contract by Rebel Records (est. 1960), one of the most respected record companies dedicated to bluegrass music. Mark Freeman of Rebel is quoted as saying:

We have been keeping an eye on the Kody Norris Show for some time now. From their high-octane stage show, to Kody’s delightfully engaging emcee work, to their dazzling vintage Nudie suits, this group is ‘entertainment’ personified. Plus, they are fantastic musicians to boot!

More details are on Bluegrass Today.

PS: ... and on this Rebel e-newsletter (still with the 4-string banjo image at the head).

Fleck & Washburn at the NCH, 21 Jan. 2020

The National Concert Hall in Dublin sends a reminder that Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn, 'the king and queen of the banjo', will be playing there at 8.00 p.m. a week from today (21 Jan.). Tickets, starting at €27.50, can be booked online.

The NCH reminds us that 'their debut album Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn (2014) reached number one on the Billboard Bluegrass charts and earned them a Grammy for Best Folk Album, and its follow-up Echo in the valley (2017) garnered similarly glowing acclaim.'

You can also read here the NCH's interview with Béla, who talks about their musical and life partnership, their evolving craft, their love for Celtic music, and what fans can expect from the show.

Two historic old-time digital albums from FOAOTMAD

The UK's Friends Of American Old Time Music And Dance (FOAOTMAD) announce that two CDs issued by FOAOTMAD are now available as digital downloads from Bandcamp, where all the tracks can be heard.

Ripples across the Pond (2000), comprising twenty-five tracks by musicians 'from Britain and beyond', is available at £4. Friends across the Pond (2004), nineteen tracks by a very distinguished list of Americans who have played at UK festivals, is £5. Of special significance for BIB readers is the fact that Ireland's premier old-timers, the much-missed Rough Deal String Band, appear on both albums.

Seth Mulder & Midnight Run (USA) tour begins TOMORROW

A reminder that thanks to John Nyhan, Seth Mulder & Midnight Run, from Gatlinburg, TN, will begin their second tour of Ireland tomorrow (15 January). The full schedule is on the poster image above and on the BIB calendar. More details are on the BIB for 20 December.

An end to bluegrass at Voorthuizen?

Voorthuizen, in the central Netherlands, was the home of the annual European World of Bluegrass (EWOB) Festivals from 1999 to 2017, and since then the enthusiasm of the local organising team, European Bluegrass Voorthuizen, has ensured that bluegrassers from all around Europe have continued to flock there in springtime. Many bands from Ireland have played there over the years.

Last month, however, the board of European Bluegrass Voorthuizen announced with great regret that a bluegrass event will no longer be possible, owing to increasingly tight administrative regulations and the loss not only of the traditional venue but of camping and parking areas.

The board will continue to exist and support and promote bluegrass music. A new location in Voorthuizen is under development, and may prove to be a suitable venue; but at present no predictions are possible. The announcement, on website and Facebook, concludes:

We would like to thank all artists, visitors and volunteers who have helped make the festival be the success that it was in the past two decades or so. Without all of you it would not have been possible.

JigJam: tours in Germany and the USA

Tullamore's JigJam, founders of I-Grass, are now several gigs into a tour in Germany that will last till Sunday 19 January - shortly after that, they will be touring in the USA till the middle of April. Full details of the tours are on their website, and their dates in the USA are shown on the poster image (right), designed by Eric Larson.

JigJam write: 'Germany is going to be a place that we want to tour every year. We're already planning our follow-up tour for January 2021. Any suggestions?!' On this and many other matters, the band invite input from their fans and friends. Their next trip, immediately after the tour in Germany, will be to the 32nd Folk Alliance International Conference in New Orleans (22-26 Jan. 2020).

Essential reading every Friday

The BIB editor writes:

In the spring of last year Terry Herd and John Lawless engaged a new contributor to Bluegrass Today - the great Sonny Osborne, 'one of the most talented artists and enduring personalities our music has ever produced', as they wrote when the column first appeared on 31 May 2019 under the title 'Ask Sonny anything'.

Since then Sonny has written every Friday (and often at length) his replies to all kinds of questions about his life, his career, and the people and places he has known; bluegrass music, banjos, and how both should be played - you name it. He has often remarked how much he enjoys doing this, and it shows in everything he writes.

I look forward to every Friday because of 'Ask Sonny anything', and I'm never disappointed. It's worth your while to read every instalment. You might also begin with 'Thanks, Chief: a Sonny Osborne appreciation' - tributes by his fellow banjo players, compiled by Bill Evans for Sonny when he reached 70.

Cup O' Joe at Out to Lunch Festival, Belfast, 23 Jan. 2020 - and more

The 20th Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival will be held in Belfast from 2 May to 12 May; some of the shows are already sold out. Meanwhile its January equivalent, the 15th Out to Lunch Festival, began last Friday and continues till 26 January.

Sold-out shows on the Out to Lunch programme include this coming Saturday (11 Jan.) when The sound of my voice, a documentary film of the career of Linda Ronstadt (a good friend of the Seldom Scene) will be given its Irish premiere at the Black Box. Also sold out is the Cajun Roosters show at the Black Box on Friday 17 Jan.

The good news is that Cup O' Joe will be in concert at the Black Box on Thursday 23 Jan. at 1.00 p.m. Tickets (£8.00) can be booked here. Cup O' Joe officially launched their new album In the parting last Friday at the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast, and they will be touring Britain from today till 21 Jan. (see their Facebook). The photo below is the work of Katie Loughrin of the celebrated Cookstown family.

13th Ardara Bluegrass Festival, 17-19 July 2020

The 13th Ardara Bluegrass Festival will be held in Ardara, Co. Donegal, on the weekend Friday 17 July-Sunday 19 July 2020. This year's programme of events will be announced soon.

The Festival is also on Facebook, where bluegrass-related events in Ardara during the rest of the year are publicised. For further information, call Pat McGill at 087 6900714.

The Local Honeys (USA): Ireland dates from 'Sing the Gospel' tour

The Local Honeys made a lot of fans and friends in Ireland last year with tours in February and June, including the 13th Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival. The BIB received in October advance news that they would be back early in 2020; and thanks to their Facebook we're now able to show their full schedule for Ireland.

The shows in Ireland begin and end their 'Sing the Gospel' tour, which also includes dates in Britain, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands (see the poster image).

January 2020

• Fri. 17th: The Grand Social, 35 Lower Liffey St., Dublin 1, 8.00 p.m. (suppoting Tyler Childers)

February 2020

• Tues. 4th: Whelan's, Wexford St., Dublin 2, €15
• Wed. 5th: Matt Molloy's, Bridge St., Westport, Co. Mayo
• Fri. 7th: Imbolc International Arts Festival, Derry city, with Rioghnach Connolly and band
• Sat. 8th: Draiocht, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15 (supporting Sharon Shannon)

First Red Hat Club meeting of 2020 at Naas, 10 Jan.

Thanks to Paul and Anne McEvoy, organisers of the Red Hat Acoustic Music Club, for the news that the Club's first meeting of 2020 will be held this coming Friday (10 January). Paul and Anne look forward to seeing everyone on Friday.

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.

A return favour to Pete Seeger

In his latest e-newsletter, Michael J. Miles - the man who showed that Bach could be beautifully played on the clawhammer banjo - describes how Pete Seeger played many benefit concerts for the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. Michael invites Chicagoans and others to return the favour by donating to Pete's Clearwater Foundation, for which he is giving a benefit concert in New York later this month. As Michael writes, 'If you're even reading this, it's likely that Pete touched your life somehow.' More concert details, videos, and links to free banjo and guitar tablatures are here.

Bluegrass Today on Seth Mulder & Midnight Run (USA) tour

L-r: Colton Powers, Ben Watlington, Seth Mulder,
Max Etling, Cody Bauer

The forthcoming tour by Seth Mulder & Midnight Run from Gatlinburg, TN (see the BIB for 20 Dec. 2019), is the subject of a feature by John Lawless on Bluegrass Today. The article includes information about the band's background and experience, together with a video of them on a live show, playing a Seth Mulder original. John Lawless writes: 'Fans of hard-driving old time bluegrass are encouraged to seek them out during this trip.'

The article doesn't, however, mention that the basic foursome of Midnight Run will be augmented by Cody Bauer on fiddle. The tour (the band's second visit to Ireland, both organised by the redoubtable John Nyhan) begins eight days from now at Headford, Co. Galway, followed immediately by their headlining the bluegrass part of the Shannonside Winter Music Festival programme. All their dates are on the BIB calendar.

More news of past and coming visitors

John Lawless announces on Bluegrass Today that the Kody Norris Show (above) has added 'Cousin' Charlie Lowman to the band on upright bass. The Show embodies the vitality and showmanship of 1950s bluegrass, especially Jimmy Martin's style; and Charlie's energy and enthusiasm - he plays in several bands, including his own - is expected to fit perfectly with this. The Kody Norris Show will be headliners at this year's 14th Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival.

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Also on Bluegrass Today, David Morris gives his choice of the twelve best bluegrass albums of 2019, stressing that 'this is a very subjective list that reflects my opinions alone', and that the outstanding quality of this year's crop made choices exceptionally difficult. The list includes as #2 Inner journey by Darin & Brooke Aldridge; #4, For the record by Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers; and #6, Breaking in lonesome, the debut solo album by Rick Faris of the Special Consensus.

Lisdoonvarna 2020 - THE hub for old-time music!

From Andrew Lambert and Bob Denton, organisers of the Annual Irish Old-Time Appalachian Music Gathering, to all lovers of old-time music:

Greetings, and Happy New Year,

We hope you’ll be coming to the 3rd (and only) All-Ireland Old Time Appalachian Music Gathering. It should be a cracker!

We are continuing with our quest to get the old-time music enthusiasts of Ireland to meet once a year, and thus emulate in a small way what the Trad Irish music community has been doing for decades at the Fleadh and the Willie Clancy week.

We meet on 21-23 February in Lisdoonvarna. This year we are sticking our neck out and paying air fares, etc., for both a top musician to lead our sessions – Clay Buckner, fiddler with the mighty Red Clay Ramblers – and for a caller to lead the barndance on Saturday night (Jeremy Child).

Responding to demand, we have also included an added dimension of Appalachian musical culture, by inviting Shape-Note singers to join the weekend. Some of them have already attended as musicians.

As in year 1, we will offer some instrumental and dance workshops, plus a Shape-Note singing workshop for those who are interested. We will post an outline programme on the website shortly, including listing of workshops.

As you know, we only ask that attendees put €10 a head into the pot (€15 if registering after 31 Jan.) so that we can hopefully cover at least some of our costs. A good turnout of locals on Saturday night (concert/ barndance) will help.

PLEASE REGISTER YOUR ATTENDANCE ON THE WEBSITE – otherwise we can’t plan. Do so before 31 Jan. and it’s only €10.

While this year the Sleepzone Hostel will not be open*, the Ritz and Ravine are offering B&B at only €35 per head; and the Boghill Centre just outside Lisdoonvarna offers hostel-style accommodation for those who want it. Also check local Air BNBs and see our accommodation page on the website for a few more tips.

So we are really looking forward to re-creating the great buzz of the last two years, and having a great weekend of music and more.

See you in Lisdoonvarna!

Andy & Bob
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*A few folks felt that the Sleepzone Hostel was a bit damp last year. Sleepzone have decided it is just not economic to prepare properly just for one weekend (out-of-season) and then close down again.

Web links and bold type above have been added by the BIB.

Greenshine at the Asgard Theatre, Arklow, 24 Jan. 2020

Thanks to Brendan O'Regan for this good news:

I'm back running roots concerts in Arklow - my first in Arklow's new Asgard Theatre, which is opening up the cultural scene in Arklow big time!

As shown in the poster, Brendan is presenting Cork's Greenshine in the Asgard Theatre, 34/35 Lower Main St., Arklow, Co. Wicklow, on Friday 24 January at 8.00 p.m. Tickets (€15) can be booked online at gr8events.ie. The ample information there includes Christy Moore's description of Greenshine as 'the sound of a family immersed in music, tight in harmony, in love with song'.

Celtic Connections in Glasgow, 16 Jan.-2 Feb. 2020

The organising team of Glasgow's Celtic Connections festival send New Year greetings and their latest e-newsletter as an aid to mapping out what to attend during the eighteen days (16 Jan.-2 Feb.) of concentrated and assorted music.

The programme, organised into different (but overlapping) genres can be seen here; most of what's likely to interest BIB readers - and it's a lot - comes under Americana. A calendar of day-by-day events is here. A location map is provided for every event.

Cox's Army (USA) issue new album

Exactly two months ago the BIB carried news of Jeff Burke, well known in Ireland from his many tours as half of Jeff & Vida as well as being an instructor at Bluegrass Camp Ireland. Since moving from Nashville to Chicago, Jeff has been prominent in setting up the Bluegrass Chicago website as a hub for the bluegrass and old-time communities in the metropolitan area.

Jeff is also now mandolinist and baritone singer in Cox's Army, led by Chuck Cox (guitar, lead vocals) with Laird Patten (banjo), and Jack Campbell (bass, tenor vocals). The band, founded in 2016, perform classic and original material in the traditional style, usually round a single Ear Trumpet Labs microphone. Their debut album Green eyed train came out in 2018, and the second, New Richmond Town, was released on 8 Nov. 2019. The title song - a Chuck Cox original - is on YouTube, and the album is streamed on SoundCloud and Spotify.

On both of Cox's Army's albums, the producer was Chris Walz, whom many will remember as guitarist with the Special Consensus on one of their early tours of Ireland, and the mixing was done by Ricky Wasson, longtime guitarist and lead singer with J.D. Crowe & the New South. Cox's Army is also on Facebook.

Greg Cahill to be inducted into SPBGMA Hall of Greats

Greg Cahill of Chicago founded the Special Consensus in 1975 and has been bringing the band to Ireland on tours since 1995. In the intervals, he has been one of the most hard-working and respected members of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), active in spreading bluegrass through education, and serving as IBMA president and chairperson. Yesterday the Special Consensus posted on their Facebook (links added below by the BIB):

Greg is feeling extremely honored and humbled as the New Year begins. The Bluegrass Stories podcast will feature his interview for a week, beginning today, and he is nominated for the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America (SPBGMA) Banjo Player of the Year award and he will be inducted into the SPBGMA Hall of Greats on Feb. 2 at their annual winter festival in Nashville.

The BIB sends Greg heartfelt congratulations, which bluegrass supporters in Ireland are sure to endorse.

BU, Jan. 2020

The BIB editor writes:

The January 2020 issue of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine includes the annual Festival guide, and we're glad to report that once again Ireland shows up with more events on the calendar - three - than anywhere else outside North America. Of course, this understates our own festival scene as well as those of other countries.

Among other good things in this issue, Nancy Cardwell Webster gives a Highlight Review to the CD Bluegrass headquarters by Finland's Jussi Syren & the Groundbreakers, one of the few bands from outside the USA that gets frequent favourable mentions in BU - this is the third Highlight Review they've had. The review ends: 'Fans of Red Allen, Jimmy Martin, Jim Eanes, the Lilly Brothers, Don Stover, and the Stanley Brothers will enjoy the music of Jussi Syren & The Groundbreakers.'

While waiting for the annual BU instrument issue in March, instrument nerds may wish to follow up the ads for Mitch banjos (also to be heard on YouTube) and for the Fiddolin, an instrument combining fiddle and mandolin, invented by Wayne Jerrolds, a former fiddler for Bill Monroe & his Blue Grass Boys. This is also to be seen and heard on YouTube.

'Rozene' first #1 for McKay & Leigh (update)

Friends and admirers of Brennen Leigh & Noel McKay (who have toured Ireland several times and headlined the bluegrass concert at last year's Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival) will be glad at the news that in the week before Christmas their current single 'Rozene' was #7 on the Bluegrass Today weekly chart, and #1 on the Grassicana chart - their first #1, though earlier in 2019 their 'New cut road' reached #2.

The song was written by Brennen Leigh and Erin Enderlin. Musicians on the record were Brennen Leigh (lead vocal, mandolin), Noel McKay (harmony vocal, guitar), Jenee Fleenor (fiddle, BGV), Simon Flory (upright bass), and Aaron McDaris (banjo). It was recorded and mixed by John Nicholson at Hilltop Studios, Nashville, TN, and produced by Jimmy Metts for Voxhall Records.

Update 2 Jan.: 'New cut road' by McKay & Leigh is #27 on Bluegrass Today's 'Top 30 grassicana songs of 2019' list. Recordings by Della Mae, who will be playing in Dublin three weeks from now as part of Tradfest 2020, are at #6 and #13; and 'Great big sea', recorded by Danny Burns, currently on tour in Ireland, is at #25.

Meanwhile, recent visitors to Ireland with recordings on Bluegrass Today's 'Top 30 bluegrass songs for 2019' include Chris Jones & the Night Drivers (#5), Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers (#19), Sideline (#23), Rick Faris (#24), and Gena Britt (#30).