Instruction and more from across the Water

Ken Perlman (USA), master of 'melodic clawhammer' banjo (not to mention fingerstyle guitar) continues his programme of online live instructional banjo workshops on Zoom in the new year, with a workshop on 'A "crooked" tunes survival kit' on Sat. 9 Jan. at *5.00-6.15 p.m. EST*; one on creating variations and breaks in clawhammer style on Mon. 25 Jan. at 7.30-9.00 p.m. EST; and four in February (one every Monday) on fiddle tunes from Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island. Details of times and prices are given on the booking pages. Ken also announces that the Suwanee Banjo Camp (of which he is a director) will be held in 2021 on 13-14 March as an online event. Full details of programme and instructors are on the SBC website.

*Please note that the time for the 9 Jan. class was originally given in Pacific Time instead of Eastern Time; this has now been corrected.

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April Verch (CAN) sends her thanks and appreciation for everyone's support during the past twenty years, in a video that can be reached through her latest e-newsletter and also on YouTube.

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Deering Banjos send a reminder that Jens Kruger's new free series of masterclasses begins on Tuesday 5 Jan., devoted to musical concepts that can be applied to develop one's playing. While the series is aimed at players in intermediate and advanced levels, players at any level can benefit from the classes. Anyone interested in taking part should send an e-mail RSVP. Jens's video introduction to the series can now be seen on Deering Live or YouTube.

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Steve Kaufman (USA) announces that his schedule of new live flatpicking classes will begin on Monday next week (4 Jan.). Full details of all his instructional programmes are on Steve's website.

News from the Ulster American Folk Park

The BIB editor reports:

The Ulster American Folk Park at Omagh, Co. Tyrone, posted on Christmas day this early-20th-century greetings card on its Facebook.

On visiting the Park's website, what you'll hear first is the genial voice of Richard Hurst, director of customer services (and leader of the organising team of the Bluegrass Music Festival which the Park has held annually since 1992), announcing on a YouTube video: 'The Ulster American Folk Park is open again!' What you'll see first is an official statement that under the latest government guidance, the National Museums of Northern Ireland will remain closed for six weeks from 23 December. So if plans remain unchanged, Richard's welcome (recorded in August 2020) will be effective once more from 3 February 2021.

Since September the Park has a new online facility, Folk Park Live! Songs of the settlers. This now comprises eleven videos by Irish artists singing and/ or playing songs and tunes from both sides of the Atlantic, linked in one way or another to the emigration experience. The videos were each recorded in a different location in the Park and released in sequence on the Park's Facebook; all can now be accessed on the Park Music Tour page. Song texts shown on the website are not always the same as what is sung in the videos.

'2020 In Memoriam' from mygrassisblue.com

Thanks to Dave Byrne jr of mygrassisblue.com for this verdict on the year, combined with a fitting tribute to the bluegrass and country music artists who have died during it: 

The countdown is on to the end of this annus horribilis.

We put together a short video, an ‘In Memoriam’ to some of those we sadly lost in 2020.

2020 In Memoriam | https://youtu.be/plrBW3XBNbo

2020 has been a tough year for all, but we’re looking forward to 2021 and, of course, to getting back to some semblance of normality, whenever that happens to be.

Wishing all members of the bluegrass community in Ireland (and beyond) a very happy and prosperous new year.

'2020 In Memoriam' can also be seen on the mygrassisblue.com Facebook. It has been warmly welcomed by John Lawless on Bluegrass Today.

XII Red Wine Bluegrass Party now on YouTube

Following on from the BIB post of 15 December, thanks to the EBMA Facebook for the news that our friends in Italy's premier bluegrass band Red Wine have now put their 'XII Red Wine Bluegrass Party' online in a 32-minute video on YouTube. The Party consists of live numbers by the band, interspersed with Stefano Goldberg's outstanding photos from previous Bluegrass Parties. It ends with a moving musical tribute to Stefano - the Hazel Dickens song 'Won't you come and sing for me'.

Near the beginning, the Party also includes an affectionate tribute to Ireland and the good times the band have had here.

Tony Rice, 8 June 1951-25 December 2020 (updates)

Thanks to Tim Rogers of Westport for sending the sad news of the death on Christmas day of David Anthony 'Tony' Rice. His music dominates modern bluegrass guitar, with an influence felt throughout acoustic string playing.

A biographical article up to his 2013 induction into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame can be read here. More details are given by John Lawless on Bluegrass Today, together with three videos showing Tony with J.D. Crowe & the New South in 1975; leading an array of superpickers in the '80s; and playing and singing solo one of his trademark pieces, the Norman Blake composition 'Church Street blues'.

His authorised biography Still inside: the Tony Rice story, written by Tim Stafford and Caroline Wright, was published in 2010 by Word of Mouth Press.

Update 28 Dec.: David Morris's own appreciation of Tony Rice, together with a compilation of tributes from his peers in bluegrass and country music, can be read here. And Jason Verlinde, editor of the Fretboard Journal, writes a major retrospective memoir of Tony Rice, with several videos, which can be read here. It complements Art Dudley's 2005 FJ article on Tony's unique D-28. Verlinde concludes with:

As long as acoustic music is played, Rice will continue to pull us forward. I don’t think we’ll ever catch up to him.

Update 29 Dec.: Stacy Chandler's article 'Iconic bluegrass guitarist Tony Rice dies at age 69' appeared on No Depression on St Stephen's day. It includes an account of Tony Rice's induction into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, together with a video of his full acceptance speech, during which the 'Miracle of Raleigh' took place. Important statements about Tony and his legacy continue to appear on Bluegrass Today.

'Holly jolly Christmas' from Cup O' Joe

Bluegrass Today added several posts yesterday of Christmassy contributions by various artists, and at the time of writing the leading post on Bluegrass Today is John Lawless's Holly Jolly Christmas from Cup O’ Joe. This features a socially distanced video from Co. Armagh and South Carolina, with all the members of Cup O' Joe - including member-by-marriage David Benedict - suitably rigged out in seasonal jumpers to play and sing the 1962 pop song in string-swing mode. The video can also be watched on Facebook, where there are more seasonal songs from the Cup O' Joe circle.

Christmas greetings from the BIB

The Bluegrass Ireland Blog sends best wishes for a joyful, peaceful, and healthy Christmas and a happy, safe, and prosperous New Year to all its readers, to all lovers of bluegrass and kindred musics, and to all people of goodwill everywhere.

'Merry Christmas everyone' from Mules & Men

Special thanks to Mules & Men for this Christmas greeting:

Nollaig Shona Dhuit!

We made a Christmas video for the Shakin' Stevens classic 'Merry Christmas everyone' - hopefully it will give you a laugh.

We had the privilege of being joined by Benjamin Burns for this one. Ben is from Geevagh, Co. Sligo, and makes lovely music with synths and recordings of bats, sparrows, and frogs! https://soundcloud.com/benjamin-burns-2

See ye in 2021. All the best from Luke, Paddy, Lily, & Niall
mulesandmen.com

JigJam send a reminder of 27 Dec. concert

JigJam, with an important guest (see photo), send their good wishes for a wonderful and safe Christmas, and a reminder of their online concert on Sunday 27 December - see the BIB for last Monday. Some tickets are still available as a gift to someone, or indeed to yourself.

Date: December 27th
Time: 10.00 p.m. (Irish time), 4.00 p.m. (Central US time)
Ticket Link: StageIt

JigJam add: 'We can’t wait to get together and play some festive tunes for you all! Spread the word!'

European bluegrass on Bluegrass Today

Successive news items on Bluegrass Today yesterday have drawn attention to respected European traditional bluegrass bands: John Curtis Goad's review of Travelin', the latest album from Bluedust (Italy); and John Lawless's report that Bluegrass Christmas, the latest album from Jussi Syren & the Groundbreakers, has just won the 2020 Christmas Album of the Year award in their native Finland.

The songs on Bluegrass Christmas can be sampled on Bluegrass Today and Apple Music, and the Bluedust feature includes two videos - one of which shows the band playing 'Kentucky Lincoln breakdown', composed by Colton Powers, who was touring in Ireland in January this year as banjo player with Seth Mulder & Midnight Run.

Finding 'the old place'

Thanks to Dale Farmer, head of the organising team of The mountain minor, the film drama centred on old-time music, for his Christmas blog. It's well worth reading, especially for those who share Dale's hankering for the roads leading back to 'the old place', wherever that may be.

The BIB can't quite agree with Dale, who feels that he's become 'a bit of a Scrooge' at this time of year, and 'that us Christmas Scrooges have something in common; we’re the ones that painfully live in the past'. As a corrective, listen to Bill Monroe's recording of his composition 'Old Ebenezer Scrooge' (which obviously portrays Scrooge's reborn frame of mind on Christmas day).

Dale includes a video clip from the film (also on YouTube) of Dan Gellert playing 'Shakin' down the acorns'. And there's a long list, with many links to web sources, of media that during 2020 featured The mountain minor or its participating artists. Finally, Dale invites all to join the Mountain Minor discussion group on Facebook - and, of course, to buy the DVD and soundtrack album.

Ear training app available from Spain

The FOAOTMAD news blog, organ of the UK's national association for American old-time music and dance, reports that the Reel Space Folk Music School in Valencia, Spain, has launched the Reel Ear Web App to help musicians to learn more efficiently to play music by ear. 'The music is the same, your ears are the same, but we just reinvented how to connect them together!' There's a one-minute promo video, which is also on YouTube, and an offer of a fifteen-day free trial. Read more on the FOAOTMAD blog.

Tabitha Agnew Benedict - and Eli Gilbert's '12 Days of Licksmas'

Eli Gilbert from Maine, whose banjo, hands, and T-shirt are seen above, gives banjo instruction on line, and over the last four years has put literally dozens of videos of tunes and lessons on his YouTube channel. (One of the tunes is entitled 'Knotty Pine', in case anyone is reading this up in Omagh.) Tablatures and other help are available for those who support Eli on Patreon; and he also runs a vlog on steel guitar playing.

A year ago he decided to put a series of videos online under the title '12 Days of Licksmas', and this year he began a second series on 14 Dec., expanding the concept to showcase the work of 'young, extremely talented, award-winning banjo players'. The BIB is gratified to see that the list includes Co. Armagh's Tabitha Agnew Benedict, who is featured on day 2 of the Gilbert series and is following the same pattern on her own YouTube channel. More information, together with one of Tabitha's videos, is on Bluegrass Today, where John Lawless writes:

Attention banjo players and students! If you haven’t already discovered Eli Gilbert’s 12 Days of Licksmas videos, see that you do so post haste.

Deering Live End Of Year Special, 22 Dec. 2020 (update)

Deering Banjos will be closed for business from Wed. 23 Dec. 2020 to Mon. 4 Jan. 2021, so they extend this invitation to join the creators of the company:

Join us for the last Deering Live of 2020, where we will sit down with Greg, Janet, and Jamie Deering, as we finally take a second to reflect on what has been a truly remarkable year. And since it's the holidays, you never know what artists and other guests might join us at any time! So grab a drink and come hang with us.

The Special will be shown live at the new time of 3.00 p.m. ET, noon PT, and 8.00 p.m. Irish time.

Update 24 Dec.: You can now watch the ninety-minute Special on the Deering Banjos blog, together with a two-minute video greeting from the Deering family, singing 'Deck the halls' (with Greg Deering playing Pete-Seeger-style up-picking).

Have a wonderful winter Wooka Yuletide

Belfast's Wookalily report in their latest e-newsletter:

Well, 2020 is a year we certainly won't forget. Here are some of the highlights and lowlights of our year.

• The attack of the Covid monster impacted us all, some worse than others, but generally it's been a very isolating, scary, and surreal time. At the beginning of lockdown we lost all of our gigs including our Irish album launch tour (now rescheduled for release Easter 2021 - Covid willing), but we're thankful we're still here to tell the tale. 
• We recorded two tracks for Help Musicians NI to help raise much-needed funds for fellow struggling musicians. The idea was to encourage fans to help musicians, help musicians, help musicians, quite literally. 
• Not long after we were invited by Hotpress magazine to film a live cover of Wavelength for Van Morrison's 75th birthday celebrations as part of the 'Rave on Van Morrison' series. Check it out on the Hotpress YouTube channel, along with contributions by a galaxy of Ireland’s leading artists and performers, including Sinéad O’Connor, Hozier, Imelda May, Damien Rice, Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol, Tim Wheeler of Ash, Moya Brennan, Bronagh Gallagher, John Spillane, Mary Coughlan, Brian Kennedy, Liam Ó Maonlaí, and the president of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins. 
• Not least WE SIGNED A WORLDWIDE RECORD DEAL with MIG Music in Germany and we're really looking forward to working with these guys. Wooooo!!!!! 

   Considering the current musical climate we're thankful for all the good things, but we're taking nothing for granted. Live music has virtually been banned in Northern Ireland, so we thank you all for your continued support during these strange and precarious times. Stay safe, stick to your 1 Christmas bauble (see what we did there? lol), have a very Merry Christmas and keep listening to good music! From all of us at Wookalily, until next year...

Wookalily's newsletter also includes this YouTube video of their version of 'Rockin' around the Christmas tree'!

JigJam online Christmas concert, 27 Dec. 2020

Tullamore's JigJam, originators of 'I-Grass', announce:

It's been a tough year all round but we're looking to finish on a high! We’re delighted to announce our upcoming Christmas Concert on December 27th! We’ll be doing an online show on StageIt full of Christmas songs and lots more!

Kicking off on the 27th at 10.00 p.m. Irish Time, 4.00 p.m. Central Time!! We can’t wait to get together and play some festive tunes for you all! Spread the word!! Tickets are limited and can be bought for yourself or as gifts for your friends! (or enemies!)

The support that we've received from our fans all year has been heartwarming and we appreciate each and every one of you. We hope you can join us for our final concert of the year.

A suggested donation for tickets is $7.00. A three-minute trailer of the show, from a JigJam performance in Australia last year, can be seen on YouTube.

'Carol of the bells' taught by Hank Smith

Continuing his series of instructional videos for Deering Banjos, Hank Smith of Hank, Pattie, & the Current gives a seven-minute tutorial on the seasonal tune 'Carol of the bells' (based on a Ukrainian folk song), which can be watched on the Deering website or on YouTube.

Oldtime Central: review of 2020, plans for 2021, and Holiday Fundraiser

The editors of Oldtime Central (OTC) send their latest e-newsletter with an overview of what OTC accomplished during the pandemic:

• 42 original articles, pre-recorded interviews, and lessons
• 2 successful weekend-long festivals
• 3 public concerts by some of our favorite musicians
• 7 live zoom interviews with musicians during the pandemic

Their plans for 2021 include:

• Expanding our editorial team to ensure that we can publish quality articles and videos about topics that the community cares about once a week, starting in January
• Producing the 2021 festival guide, and including festivals happening virtually to help you plan your festival season
• Hosting at least three weekend-long online Gatherings, with in-person events starting in 2022
• Using our platform to schedule and host more concerts, smaller workshops, and live interviews
• 'Producing more useful lesson videos, including more teachers and smaller series for beginners

The editors also ask for the help of old-time music enthusiasts:

An anonymous donor has pledged $5000 for a dollar-for-dollar donation-matching campaign until the end of the year, which means we have 13 days before it's over! We'd love to make the most of this opportunity, and this money could go a long way towards helping to support our work. Would you consider giving to Oldtime Central and helping us give back to the Oldtime community?

You can donate to Oldtime Central here.

The latest BBN

The latest issue (no. 92, winter 2020) of British Bluegrass News (BBN), journal of the British Bluegrass Music Asociation, maintains its usual high standard of presentation and solid content. In length and depth the artist interviews are as good as anything in an American source, and better illustrated than most.

Editor Chris Lord contributes two six-page interviews: the first, with Leon Hunt, one of the most adventurous banjo-players on the British scene, includes his involvement with the Fairfield Banjo Company; the second is with the 'new-traditional' Alex Leach Band from east Tennessee.

Other features include 'Discovering bluegrass in Scotland', focusing on the Glasgow-based Fountaineers band (but passing over the Moniaive Michaelmas Bluegrass Festival, which for many in Ireland has been the main link to the Scottish scene); and a major 'Tab Corner' feature by Jack Baker, with 'I'm on my way back to the old home' tabs for banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and guitar. And much more, including guitarist Hubert Murray of Tullamore in the list of music teachers.

NB: The Moniaive Michaelmas Bluegrass Festival website announces that the 12th Moniaive festival will be held on the weekend 24-26 September 2021, with (as always) an impressive lineup; YouTube videos of all the bands on the bill can be seen on the website. They include Nu-Blu and Jeff Scroggins & the Scroggdogs. Incidentally, both Chris Lord and Jack Baker of BBN appear at the head of the Moniaive website as members of The Vanguards, who played at the 2017 Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival and returned for a tour of Ireland in May 2019.

Jens Kruger and his 2021 Masterclass series - on Deering Live

Deering Banjos announce (links added by the BIB):

We are excited to welcome Jens Kruger back to Deering Live. Jens will be launching an Intermediate/ Advanced Masterclass Series on deeringbanjos.com, starting in January 2021 in which he will go over advanced musical concepts that you can apply to your banjo playing. 

This week Jens will talk about his new Masterclass Series, go over some of the concepts he will cover, as well as take suggestions from you the audience for topics to cover in his series. Tune in, get a taste for and have a voice for what's to come.

The interview will take place on Thursday 17 Dec. at 6.00 p.m. ET (3.00 p.m. PT). Last week's ninety-minute interview with Chris Coole (CAN) can now be seen on Deering Live and YouTube.

Gold Tone 2020 gift guide

The Gold Tone Music Group have issued their 2020 holiday gift guide, conveniently arranged in groups of items under $25, $50, $100, $200, and $500. Banjoists should note the new Gold Tone curly maple armrests (right), which are claimed to fit banjos with 11" or 12" rim and 16, 18, or 24 brackets. At $39.99 they are (as far as we know) the lowest-priced wood armrests on the market. However, Gold Tone are selling direct during the pandemic, so ordering direct from the US will add the cost of postage.

Gold Tone also announce some interesting new products coming in 2021, including a 'FitsAll Universal Instrument Stand', and a High Moon open-back 12" banjo with Dobson tone ring.

Red Wine Bluegrass Party 2020 - coming shortly to your screen (update)

Red Wine: (l-r) Silvio Ferretti, Martino Coppo,
Lucas Bellotti, Marco Ferretti

After news of the Special Consensus (USA), another bunch of friends from abroad come to mind, who have also been away from Ireland far too long - Italy's premier bluegrass band Red Wine from Genoa (or Genova, as they insist on calling it).

By this time of year, the band would normally have held their annual Bluegrass Party concert in the magnificent Teatro della Tosse in their home city. But on 28 October mandolinist/ lead singer Martino Coppo announced with regret on Facebook that COVID restrictions had made it necessary to postpone the 12th Red Wine Bluegrass Party. Nevertheless, the band did not want to skip the 2020 edition without proposing an alternative - especially after the death in January 2020 of Stefano Goldberg, their great friend and official photographer, who was also a prime mover in putting on the Bluegrass Party, and would not have chosen to leave its place empty.

Red Wine are therefore preparing a Virtual Bluegrass Party to be shown online, and to be announced as soon as possible. Meanwhile they have posted on Martino's YouTube channel a slideshow of Stefano Goldberg's outstanding photos from the first eleven Parties, and a three-minute promo video for the Virtual Party.

Update 28 Dec. 2020: The 'XII Red Wine Bluegrass Party' can now be seen in a 32-minute video on YouTube which includes an affectionate tribute to Ireland and the good times the band have had here.

The Special C. - looking forward to 2021

If the good old days of 'normal circumstances' were still here, we would by now be looking forward to the next visit by the Special Consensus - and we are, of course; it's just that we can't count on it being early in the new year. The band's schedule shows Greg, Dan, and Rick booked for Bluegrass Camp Germany in mid May, but - at present - nowhere else outside North America during 2021.

While we're waiting, Bill Conger has contributed a major feature to Bluegrass Today, 'Graduating from the school of Special Consensus', with distinguished alumni giving their memories of the band. Greg Cahill explains why 2020 should have been a very special year for the Special C., with everyone who has been a member since 1975 still around for the proposed 45th anniversary reunion. The '45th + 1 Anniversary/Reunion' concert is now scheduled for 9 October 2021 at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. The photo below shows the Special C. lineup we have not yet seen in Ireland, with Nate Burie on mandolin.

You gave me a song box sets now available

The organising team of You gave me a song, the documentary film about the life and music of Alice Gerrard, announce with pride that the You gave me a song box set is now available:

Box Set featuring the 77-minute Film Festival cut, bonus scenes, and outtakes, 2 CDs with music from the film and Alice’s discography and personal archive, and an 8 page booklet with favorite photos and a note from Alice.

A portion of sales will support cultural organizing projects of the Highlander Research and Education Center, a catalyst for grassroots organizing and movement building in Appalachia and the South for ninety years.

Six limited-edition bundles, each comprising the box set with a variety of additional goodies, have also been prepared; two of these have already sold out. Details of the bundles and of pricing and postage are on the website, where sets can be bought.

Charley Pride, 1934-2020 (update)

Des Butler sends further sad news:

The death has occurred of Charley Pride in Dallas, TX, on Saturday 12 December 2020, of complications related to Covid 19. He was 86 years old.

Charley Frank Pride was born on 18 March 1934, in racially segregated Sledge, Mississippi, the fourth of eleven children of poor sharecroppers.

He became the first black performer to appear at the Grand Ole Opry since founder member DeFord Bailey who had last appeared in 1941. Between 1969 and 1971, Charley Pride had eight singles that reached number one in the US Country Hit Parade. On 1 May 1993, Charley became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. In 1969, his compilation album The best of Charley Pride sold more than one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. He was second only to Elvis Presley in overall record sales for RCA Victor. He did much to break down racial segregation in the music business in a much segregated US at the time. His race soon became a minor detail compared to his success.

In 2020, the CMA announced that Charley Pride would receive the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award at the 54th Country Music Awards in recognition of his work in the genre. His performance at the award ceremony was to be his last; he has died a month after receiving it.

Charley Pride 1934-2020 R.I.P.

BIB editor's note: The Wikipedia biographical article shows that Charley Pride's willingness to play at Belfast in 1976 for agent Jim Aiken was important in bringing touring acts back to Ireland despite the Troubles. Roni Stoneman describes (in her 2007 autobiography Pressing on) her part in the launch of Charley Pride's career.

Update 15 Dec.: Hilary Saunders' obituary for No Depression overlooks DeFord Bailey completely but includes two video recordings and a PS stating that a TV special, 'CMT remembers Charley Pride' will be shown this Wednesday (16 Dec.) at 8.00 p.m. ET, Thursday 17 Dec. at 9.00 a.m., and Saturday 19 Dec. at 12 noon ET.

Update 2 Jan.: On Christmas day, Sonny Osborne's memories of Charley were published on Bluegrass Today in the 'Ask Sonny anything' series.

BU celebrates 75 years of bluegrass

The December 2020 issue of Bluegrass Unlimited (BU) is out, and the cover story is a major article by editor Dan Miller on the first seventy-five years of bluegrass music, reckoning from the first Grand Ole Opry performance of Earl Scruggs as a member of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys (see the BIB for 4 Dec.). The complete article can be read here.

There are many other features in the new issue - including no less than seventeen album reviews, all of which can be read on the BU website. A new feature of the site is regular podcasts - one of the latest is by legendary banjoist Alan Munde, with an overview of the different characteristics of the first generation of bluegrass bands. The IBMA's December newsletter says: 'We are deeply enjoying the new energy from bluegrass music's iconic publication! Grab your copy today!' and gives a subscription link.

Subscribers outside the US may find that BU is now reaching them later in the month than in the Warrenton, VA, days. The BIB editor would be glad to know whether other subscribers have this experience.

Red Hat Acoustic Music Clu meets virtually, Fri. 11 Dec. 2020

Congratulations to Paul and Anne McEvoy, organisers of the Red Hat Acoustic Music Club, for keeping the Club's monthly meetings going in virtual form throughout this challenging year. Paul and Anne announce:

Hi all, Red Hat calling. This is it, the BIG driver, 11th, one. Last month tipped the scales, Let's make this one even bigger. Don't forget it's mince pies. We wish all who took part over this last year a happy & safe Christmas. Keep singing & picking.

In normal times 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.

New look and new issue for the Old Time Herald

Good news - after a period of quiescence the Old Time Herald (OTH), queen among old-time music magazines, has refurbished its website, and the first issue of a new volume was published in October 2020 (see cover image, right).

The contents include four main articles, among which are the late Mac Benford's assessment of the Highwoods Stringband and its place in old-time music history (warmly recommended), and Ted Olson's highly critical review of Ken Burns's TV series on the history of country music, with a playlist of recorded country music from the period 1921-6. There are also fourteen reviews of CDs and books, and reviews in the OTH are traditionally of a very high standard. Subscription options are:

Print + online subscription
4 print issues + full website access ($26)
8 print issues + full website access ($46)

Online-only subscription
4 online-only issues + full website access ($15)
8 online-only issues + full website access ($25)

At present there is no indication on the website of different postal rates for US and non-US subscribers.

Chris Coole (CAN) on Deering Live TONIGHT

Deering Banjos announce that Chris Coole (left: photo Rodney Wilson), one of the most respected, active, and inspired old-time clawhammer banjo players, will be appearing this evening (Thursday 10 December) on Deering Live at 3.00 p.m. PT, 6.00 p.m. ET, and 11.00 p.m. for viewers in Ireland. The interview should subsequently be appearing on Deering's YouTube channel.

His all-too-brief visits to Ireland with the Foggy Hogtown Boys and the Lonesome Ace Stringband show only a small fraction of Chris's activities - performing and recording artist, sideman, songwriter, record producer, teacher, and dedicated angler. Some of his recent collaborations are listed on the Deering Live web page.

In connection with the question whether people should be allowed to play 'Turkey in the straw', listen to Chris Coole play it, with Clif Ervin on bones, on YouTube.

We Banjo 3: 'A Winter Wonderful' and Christmas shopping

Galway's We Banjo 3, the originators of 'Celtgrass', send a reminder of their forthcoming online all-star concert, the one-night-only festive holiday livestream 'A Winter Wonderful', on Friday 18 December at 8.00 p.m. EST (see the BIB for 19 Nov.). Tickets are available.

For US fans, We Banjo 3 merchandise ordered by this coming Friday (11 Dec.) is guaranteed delivery in time for Christmas. International orders are not guaranteed delivery by Christmas.

TradFest to launch on line, 19 Dec. 2020

Thanks to Ania Schuler for the latest e-newsletter from Dublin's TradFest, which in the past has presented artists of special interest to BIB readers*:

The TradFest team have been working really hard over the last 8 months to make TradFest 2021 happen, albeit in a different way, more suitable to these difficult times. But we can assure you that TradFest 2021 will help light up these dark winter days, and this year TradFest will run from December until summer 2021.

So after 8 long months of careful planning, tomorrow, December 10th from 11.30am (GMT) onwards, The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports & Media, Catherine Martin TD will launch TradFest 2021 live from Temple Bar. It will be followed by live socially distanced performances featuring Mundy, Mark Redmond, Ailbhe Reddy and Tolu Makay. Our host will be TradFest Artistic Director and RTE Ceili House presenter, Kieran Hanrahan.

This launch will be livestreamed on our Facebook page and will last for approximately 35 minutes. We would love if you tag us @TempleBarTradFest #IrelandinMusic and #TradFest.

We hope you can all join us and be Together Again in Music. While you wait for TradFest 2021, tune in to our weekly For Folk Sake Podcast.

More links are on the e-newsletter.

Update 18 Dec.: The TradFest team now announce that the coming TradFest has been 're-imagined' on a live-streaming basis and will begin with a new TV show, 'Music in Ireland', which will be broadcast on Tuesday 29 Dec. 2020 on RTE1 at 8.00 p.m., and internationally during 2021. An album of the show has been produced, and 80% of revenue from sales will go to the artists involved. A month later (28-31 Jan.) a series of four online concerts will be held in the State Apartments at Dublin Castle. Full details are on this latest TradFest newsletter.

*It appears that no US or Americana visiting artists will be featured this year.

Sore Fingers Advent Calendar going strong

Thanks to the EBMA Facebook for making us aware that the Sore Fingers Summer Schools (Europe's premier bluegrass and old-time music instruction institution, from which many pickers from Ireland have benefited) have presented since the first of this month the Sore Fingers Advent Calendar. On every day, a new video is contributed by musicians who have taught at Sore Fingers Week, presented with comments by co-chief organiser John Wirtz.

As might be expected, the guests include musicians who will be easily recognised in Ireland - not just by people who have gone to Sore Fingers, but by all of us who have seen them in performances here. The list so far includes Greg Cahill of the Special Consensus, Erynn Marshall & Carl Jones, Joe Newberry, and Chris Coole. All videos can also be seen on John Wirtz's YouTube channel.

ROMP (USA) presents Virtual Band Contest for 2021

The ROMP (River Of Music Party) festival is held in June, under the auspices of the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum, in Owensboro, KY, by the banks of the Ohio. Between now and St Patrick's day 2021, ROMP will be running a Virtual Band Contest in which the winners will perform on the festival's main stage at next year's ROMP, 23-26 June 2021.

A ninety-second video (also on YouTube) shows how to enter, and a further video explains the voting procedures. Full details are on the ROMP e-newsletter, on the website, and in a feature by John Lawless on Bluegrass Today.

Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi in online concert, 10/11 Dec.

The prestigious Oberlin College & Conservatory of Music announces that this coming Thursday (10 Dec. 2020) its Stage Left facility will present an online concert by Rhiannon Giddens & Francesco Turrisi at 7.30 p.m., which translates to 12.30 a.m. on Friday for Ireland.

The concert (which can be watched on YouTube) will be preceded by a conversation between Rhiannon Giddens and Professor Jan Miyake about her career and her concern with issues of social justice. Contact data are here.

'Christmas time is here' from Michael J. Miles

In his latest e-newsletter, Michael J. Miles (USA) offers a Blue Light Special sale rate for his CDs: $10 each. The newsletter also links to YouTube for two pieces on acoustic guitar, 'Christmas time is here' and 'Don't you worry 'bout a thing'. The BIB has been referring to Michael for a long time as 'the man who showed that Bach could be beautifully played on the clawhammer banjo', and he proves it with the 'Gavotte en rondeau'.

Further information on Michael's one-off workshops for guitar and clawhammer banjo, as well as his four-week classes for both instruments and his concert dates, can be found here.

Grass almost doesn't make the cut again

The Bitter Southerner online magazine has just published its list of the thirty best Southern albums of 2020, which stops just short of confirming the BIB's impression that bluegrass music (however good from a bluegrass follower's viewpoint) doesn't really belong in the BS list.

This year, #16 on the list is the Sturgill Simpson album Cuttin' grass vol. I: the Butcher Shoppe sessions, with twenty tracks of his earlier original songs, remade with backing artists including Tim O'Brien, Mark Howard, Scott Vestal, Stuart Duncan, and Sierra Hull. An appreciation of the album by Lee Zimmerman appeared on Bluegrass Today three weeks ago.

BAND Festival announces the Dunfanaghy Christmas Shop

The organising team of the BAND Gestival (Bluegrass And Nashville Dunfanaghy) in Dunfanaghy, Co. Donegal ('Where the music beckons, and the mountains echo the call'), announce:

Introducing the Brand New Dunfanaghy Christmas Shop! Bringing together a range of wonderful Dunfanaghy produce, the online shop allows you to shop local this Christmas and support local businesses from the comfort of your own home!

Dunfanaghy businesses give essential support to the annual BAND Festival, so visit the Dunfanaghy Christmas Shop site, and subscribe to the mailing list for all Dunganaghy information.

Happy 75th birthday, Bluegrass! at the Opry (and on YouTube)

The logo on the right has been carried on the BIB throughout 2020, and today the IBMA sends this reminder to tune in this Saturday (5 December) at 8.00 p.m. ET / 7.00 p.m. CT for a special Grand Ole Opry show featuring the Del McCoury Band, the Travelin' McCourys, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, and Sister Sadie to celebrate the 75th anniversary of bluegrass music.

On Saturday 8 December 1945 Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys, already a successful Opry act, first brought their new banjo player, the 21-year-old Earl Scruggs, to the Grand Ole Opry stage in Nashville. The impact of Scruggs's playing on the audience has led to this event being seen as the 'birth of bluegrass'. A lively correspondence is developing on Bluegrass Today in response to David Morris's suggestion that Earl Scruggs should be considered the Father of Bluegrass, rather than Bill Monroe.

Details for tuning in to this Saturday's event are on the IBMA announcement, which also has a link to a YouTube video, 'Happy 75th birthday, Bluegrass!', with contributions from many familiar faces including our old friends Greg Cahill and Rick Faris of the Special Consensus.

Update 7 Dec.: The three-and-a-half hour show can be watched on YouTube or on Bluegrass Today, where John Lawless points out that the music starts at about 35 minutes in.

The Farmer & Adele live from Nashville, 8 Dec. 2020

Thanks again to Uri Kohen for more good news:

Friends of Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival The Farmer & Adele - a great Western Swing band from Nashville, TN - hope to make it to Ireland in the near future, but in the meantime Irish fans can catch them live from the world famous Station Inn.

The band will take to the stage on 8 December for a special Xmas show that will be available for streaming all over the world. The Farmer & Adele play great western swing, country, and bluegrass music, and are highly regarded among their fellow musicians and music fans.

The live streaming is ticketed and one can get the tickets via this link. This show is sure to put a warm smile on our faces and will be a great start for the festive season.

'Bare feet on grass' from The Raines

L-r: Juliana Erkkonen, Ruth Dillon, Yvonne Tiernan

Thanks to Uri Kohen for news of 'A lovely new single from good friends of the Irish bluegrass family':

Galway trio The Raines formed after a meeting on Inis Oírr, off the west coast of Ireland, of Yvonne Tiernan, Ruth Dillon, and Juliana Erkkonen, all talented musicians with eye-opening resumés. The idea to form The Raines was born. The chemistry was instant and fans are going wild over the mix of vocal harmonies, rhythmic strings, honest lyrics with a bit of unexpected Americana added to the mix.

One look at the background of the women of The Raines and it’s hard not to be impressed. Yvonne (vocals/banjolele) also sings and has toured with the Chieftains; Ruth (vocals, guitar, ukulele), who toured and recorded with the legendary vocalist Dolores Keane, is a former member of the Molly Hicks, and has three solo albums of her own; and Juliana, also a former member of the Molly Hicks (fiddle, vocals) has been at the forefront of the Americana musical scene in Ireland, where her fiddle playing has won over many a fan.

The trio's new single 'Bare feet on grass' has already climbed the download and streaming charts, and it is currently Song of the Week on RTÉ Radio 1. Bluegrass and folk fans will enjoy the lovely harmonies mixed with sounds of guitar, banjo, and fiddle.

'Bare feet on grass' (on YouTube at the link given above) can be streamed and bought here.

Celtic Connections, 15 Jan.-2 Feb. 2021

The organisers of the Celtic Connections music festival in Glasgow, Scotland, announce:

Join us online for Celtic Connections 2021. Across 19 days, the festival will present exclusive online performances every night between Friday 15 January and Tuesday 2 February 2021.

An Early Bird festival pass (£30), giving unlimited access to the full nineteen nights of entertainment, is available for a limited time only, and will then increase to £40. Tickets to individual concerts will be available from early January, when the programme schedule is released. All tickets can be bought from celticconnections.vhx.tv. The lineup for Celtic Connections 2021 will include Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi.

Something good out of something bad

The assertion has been made that some tunes in old-time music should be 'cancelled' because of the words that have been set to them in the past, or other historical associations (see the BIB for 1 Oct.). The recent appearance of Hanging tree guitars, published by The Bitter Southerner online magazine in association with Music Maker Relief Foundation, seems relevant to this issue.

For fifty years North Carolinian Freeman Vines, 'an artist, a luthier, and a spiritual philosopher', has been using old timber from many sources, together with other materials, to build guitars. The title of the book refers to those he has made from the wood of trees that were used for lynchings. A video, 'Hanging tree guitars: the art of Freeman Vines', can be seen on YouTube. Full details of the book are on the website.

Ireland remembered - in Switzerland

John Lawless posts on Bluegrass Today the sad news of the death of Bruce Johnson, well known fiddler on the Californian bluegrass scene, at the age of 67, just four days after testing positive for COVID-19. Details of his career are on Bluegrass Today, together with a video showing parts of a concert played by Sawmill Road in Basel, Switzerland; Angelika Torrie of the Swiss Bluegrass Music Association is seen introducing the band. Bruce Johnson is of course on fiddle; playing bass is Steve Spurgin, who had toured Ireland with California and consequently wrote the song 'A walk in the Irish rain' - which Sawmill Road sing with gusto on this video (also on YouTube).

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The BIB editor writes:

Another Swiss connection: the Engelhardt Music Group announces that multi-award-winning singer/ songwriter Ronnie Bowman has released as a single the seventh track from his 2019 album, 'Matterhorn'. The song, written by country superstar Mel Tillis and Fred Burch, entered the bluegrass repertoire with the recording by the Country Gentlemen on their 1968 LP The traveler and other favorites.

Many bluegrass bands have since found it to be a crowd pleaser, notably Jeff Scroggins & Colorado on their recent Irish tours; and Chicago's Henhouse Prowlers, in their capacity as Bluegrass Ambassadors, have contributed a backing track to a recording by Martin Schaffner of Olten in Switzerland, who rewrote the text in Swiss-German, using Swiss names and expressions but keeping essentially the same story. The two texts can be seen here; the Prowlers comment: 'Martin clearly had a desire to bring the song home to the country that inspired it and he’s done an incredible job here, we think.'

Neither song, however, has any connection with the first man who actually reached the summit of the Matterhorn: the Londoner Edward Whymper (1840-1911) in 1865.