More detached notes

The Bluegrass Situation (BGS) is winding up the term of Nickel Creek as its Artist of the Month; on 17 April Stephen Deusner's interview with Sean Watkins, Nickel Creek's guitarist, 'Sean Watkins says "Celebrants" feels like Nickel Creek's most complete album yet' was published, with six embedded videos of songs from the album; and earlier this week the series of interviews was completed with Deusner's 'Chris Thile envisions Nickel Creek's "Celebrants" as one epic Lego set'. with five videos. The set of three interviews provides substantial background for Nickel Creek's concert four months from today at the National Concert Hall, Dublin.

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A.J. Lee & Blue Summit, who made a big impression at the 2019 Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival, can be seen and heard playing their version of the Darrell Scott classic 'You'll never leave Harlan alive' on the BGS or on YouTube. See more in the BGS's latest Weekly Dispatch.

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A fascinating look at bluegrass as it was fifty years ago, a crucial point in its development, is given here by Neil V. Rosenberg, doyen of bluegrass historians, in his memoir of interviewing J.D. Crowe, seeing a Jimmy Martin show, and more.

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Compass Records announce that they released on Friday 'Snowbird', the latest single by the Special Consensus (below) from their album Great blue North, due out on 12 May. Compass also released on Friday 'Three by three', the latest single from Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards, who have toured here several times in the past.

© Richard Hawkins

New album coming out for Westport headliners

The Kody Norris Show: (l-r) Cousin Charlie Lowman, Mary Rachel Nalley-Norris, Kody, Josiah Tyree

Rebel Records announce that the Kody Norris Show have a new album, Rhinestone revival, due for issue on 2 June, exactly a week before the opening of this year's Westport folk and Bluegrass Festival in Co. Mayo (9-11 June), where they will head the bluegrass section of the bill and the lineup for the Saturday night concert. The album is available for pre-order.

Full details are on the Rebel press release and the ampler press release from Jeremy Westby / 2911 Media. 'Rhinestone revival' is no bad choice of words - if the Kody Norris Show were to appear on the same stage with the Po' Ramblin' Boys, the audience might need to view the show through smoked glass. Fortunately, this revival of Jimmy Martin's dress sense goes with a revival of the strength of his music.

© Richard Hawkins

I am a pilgrim: Doc Watson at 100 out today

Two months ago the BIB reported on Stacy Chandler's No Depression article 'Dolly Parton, Steve Earle, and more featured on 100th birthday tribute to Doc Watson', describing the fifteen-track album I am a pilgrim: Doc Watson at 100. The album is out today, and is reviewed by Jim Shahen in 'Songs shine brightest on star-studded Doc Watson tribute'. A quote: 'What makes the album such a rewarding listen is the obvious care and work each performer put into their respective song.' Three YouTube audio tracks from the album are included.

Update: David Menconi, historian of North Carolina popular music, reviews the album (with four videos of tracks from it) and considers Doc's legacy as a person, as well as in music, in 'Doc Watson at 100: his influence lives on through MerleFest, new tribute album' on the Bluegrass Situation.

© Richard Hawkins

For banjo devotees

Thanks to Conor Daly, banjoist and set-up master, who writes:

I received my Purcell bridges a few weeks ago from Tim Purcell in North Carolina. He sources both new and old woods to craft a very fine line of banjo bridges. I ordered two, one called 'Old Shop Maple Nr 1' and another called 'Old Gym Floor Maple'; of those, the second one seemed to bring out the best of my Prucha Pioneer, which I received late last year.

The stock bridge was doing a super job but I felt that the instrument had more to offer, so I took the plunge and after reading the descriptions of all the products on offer on his website, I narrowed it down to those two. It's really got everything a player is looking for: great responsiveness, volume to spare, and just the right balance of note separation and sustain. Here's a short clip of it on my Prucha [above]. If you're in the market for a bridge upgrade, you could do worse than checking out the website http://www.purcell-banjo-bridges.com/

*

On the Deering Banjo Company blog, David Bandrowski interviews US banjo maestro Hank Smith of Hank, Pattie & the Current and Billie Feather, the Current's guitarist (both of whom took part in the first Dublin Bluegrass Collective jam session of 2023 - see the BIB for 3 Jan.). David Bandrowski writes that they:

... worked together to arrange the traditional fiddle tune 'Blackberry blossom' using classical arrangement techniques. This arrangement was originally made for 5-string banjo and classical guitar but here guitarist Billie Feather is using a Deering Solana Six 6-string banjo.* We asked the pair questions on how they went about arranging this tune in this style. Read the interview and get some ideas for your playing!

* Or 'banjo-guitar', as it was once called. A four-minute video of them playing the arrangement is on YouTube. The Solana is strung with classical guitar strings; on another video (three minutes), they play a similar arrangement with Billie on a regular classical guitar.

© Richard Hawkins

Detached notes

On Bluegrass Today Michael Luchtan, who has covered Barcelona bluegrass events in the past, reports on the final meeting, on St George's day (23 Apr.), of a jam session that had been held in the city on the second and fourth Sunday of each month for the past six years. A video of the final song (need you ask? it was 'Will the circle be unbroken') can be seen on Bluegrass Today or on YouTube. Lluís Gómez, who many in Ireland will remember from the Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival performances of his Barcelona Bluegrass Band, can be seen in the centre of things. To keep informed about the resumption of regular jams in Barcelona, check the Barcelona Bluegrass Jam Facebook.

*

The new single of 'Danny boy' sung by Danny Burns with Tim O'Brien (see the BIB for 21 Apr.) can now be heard via John Lawless's feature on Bluegrass Today or on YouTube. It's a performance of 'this timeless classic' (Lawless) with emotional power.

*

The Compass Records group announce that 'Snowbird', a new single by the Special Consensus from their latest album Great blue North, is to be released tomorrow (Fri. 28 Apr.) on all digital platforms. The single features Claire Lynch as a guest artist. The album can be pre-ordered on CD and digital, and all CD orders will be signed by the band.

*

Concern is being expressed about recent developments in Artifical Intelligence (AI), and in his article 'The sadness of singing robots' writer Craig Havighurst sets out in detail why the consequences for music-makers could be particularly bad. Bluegrass is a music with such well-defined formulae that it's not hard to imagine AI replications taking it over completely. (Last December, Chris Jones wrote a good funny column on Bluegrass Today on his experience of writing bluegrass songs with a chatbot.)

© Richard Hawkins

'Bluegrass on the Lakelands' - and more

Following the BIB post of 24 Apr., thanks to Jim MacArdle of the Watery Hill Boys (above; Jim at centre) for this message,

... just to let you know that the Watery Hill Boys will be playing at two Very Special Events in May. On Saturday 20 May we will be at The Moorings restaurant, Bellanaleck, for a ‘Bluegrass on the Lakelands’ show in aid of Palliative Care – this is a beautiful venue. On the following Saturday (27th) we will be at the Ulster American Folk Park for Bluegrass Omagh 2023. Looking forward to seeing our friends , old and new, at both venues.

Jim also sends a view of The Moorings (below) and a copy of a Facebook post from Hilda Watson, reporting that tickets for 'Bluegrass on the Lakelands' on 20 May are now available from The Moorings, telephone 02866348679.

NB: BIB readers should note that the Bluegrass Omagh 2023 lineup is now much larger than when first published (and it was pretty good even then).

© Richard Hawkins

For World Pilots Day

Today (26 Apr.) is World Pilots Day 2023, and in honour of the occasion the BIB presents the above YouTube video of Earl Scruggs playing 'Ground speed', named after a factor which, as a qualified pilot himself, he had often had to take into account. Don't miss his little joke at 1:53.

© Richard Hawkins

New singles from Rick Faris and Fast Track

The BIB mentioned on 14 Apr. that Rick Faris (singer, songwriter, luthier, and veteran of eleven years with Special Consensus, including several tours of Ireland) had had his song 'Too lonely, way too long' released as a single on the Dark Shadow Recording label, with musicians on the session including the legendary Del McCoury (vocal) and Jerry Douglas (dobro), Harry Clark (mandolin), Laura Orshaw (fiddle), Zak McLamb (bass) and Luke Munday (banjo). Rick's vocals and guitar solos, as well as his writing, stand out well in this company.

John Lawless's report yesterday on Bluegrass Today quotes Rick, gives further details, and includes an audio track of the song.

*

The new single from Fast Track (mentioned on the BIB on 6 Apr.) can now be heard on Bluegrass Today and on YouTube, with harmony singing by the late Ron Spears. The single is available now from the Engelhardt Music Group and from popular download and streaming services online.

© Richard Hawkins

Celebrating Doc Watson at MerleFest 2023

This year's MerleFest is due to start two days from now (27-30 Apr.), and as this year is also the centenary of Doc Watson's birth, special features in the festival's schedule have been arranged. In 'Through the lens: a look ahead at MerleFest 2023, celebrating Doc Watson’s 100th birthday', Amos Perrine contributes to No Depression his own tribute to Doc and an outline of the sets that will be played in Doc's honour, together with details of the artists involved and an album of photographs of them, taken at various recent events.

© Richard Hawkins

Woodbine's festival schedule, spring-summer 2023

Welcome news from Tony O'Brien of Woodbine (above), who reports:

After a couple of successful gigs in March the following is a list of gigs we have over the next few months.

• Kilkenny Roots Festival: Fri. April 28th, Lenehans, 10.00 p.m.
• Durrow Bluegrass Festival: Fri. May 5th
•     "              "             "         Sat. May 6th
• Omagh Bluegrass Festival: Sat. May 27th
• Ardara Bluegrass Festival: July 21st, 22nd, 23rd
• Scarecrow Festival, Durrow: Aug. 5th

The photo above shows the band (including its third generation) at Bob's Bar, Durrow, during St Patrick's weekend this year.

© Richard Hawkins

Westport Festival workshop schedule, 10 June 2023

Thanks to Uri Kohen, head of the organising team of the Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival (9-11 June 2023), for the news that tickets to the Festival's main concerts are selling fast. Tickets and details of all the events are available via the website, http://westportfolkbluegrass.com/.

As well as the main concerts, the team are very excited to announce the two new workshops for the festival weekend, both of which take place in Westport Town Hall Theatre:

Saturday 10 June, 12.30 p.m.: Dr Greg Reish of the Centre for Popular Music at Middle Tennessee State University and its Spring Fed Records label will make a presentation on pioneers of Old Time music, the Haley Family. Admission: €10

Saturday 10 June, 2.30 p.m.: Award-winning fiddle player Austin Derryberry [above right] will conduct a fiddle workshop and present his own unique fiddle playing style. Admission: €10

© Richard Hawkins

Watery Hill Boys at The Moorings, 20 May 2023

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

... a special night being organised by Hilda Watson in memory of her late husband John to raise funds for the palliative care unit in Enniskillen. It will be an excellent night as the Watery Hill Boys are playing and it's a great cause.

The Moorings (also on Facebook) is an award-winning restaurant at 156 Derrylin Rd, Bellanaleck, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh BT92 2BA, and tickets (£15) include a light supper. Sharon adds:

It's a lovely spot on the shores of Lough Erne and the owner is keen to run some bluegrass nights. We went to meet him as he wanted some advice. Charlie seems a genuinely good fella who will look after the musicians; we have sent a couple of bands to book with him.

For the legacy of John and Hilda Watson to bluegrass in this island, see the BIB for 22 May 2022.

© Richard Hawkins

High Plains Tradition (USA) in Ireland, 28 Apr.-6 May 2023

Thanks to John Nyhan for sending, as a reminder to all, this copy of the poster image for the imminent tour by High Plains Tradition, the powerful traditional-bluegrass band from Colorado. This will be the band's sixth tour over here, and the detailed schedule can also be found on a dedicated page of their website. Any further inquiries should be addressed to John by 'phone (087 792 1771) or e-mail.

© Richard Hawkins

News from Compass Records

A fair bit of news comes from the Compass Records Group, among which we choose to start with this video of the Special Consensus playing 'Pretty Kate and the rabbit' together with April Verch and Darol Anger (fiddles) and Alison Brown (banjo). All the members of the Special C. are up for nomination as 'Player of the Year' on their respective instruments in this year's IBMA awards (and Greg Blake as Male Vocalist of the Year), and 'Pretty Kate and the rabbit' is up for nomination as Instrumental Recording of the Year.

Alison Brown released yesterday (21 Apr.) a new single, 'Porches', with the Kronos Quartet. The official video is on YouTube. It will appear on her forthcoming album On banjo, due for release on 5 May and available now for pre-order. Alison, who has visited Ireland several times with her jazz-oriented Quartet, founded Compass Records, has produced the Special C.'s albums on the label, and was inducted into the American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame in 2019. Her duet with Steve Martin on 'Foggy morning breaking' is up for nomination as Collaborative Recording of the Year and Instrumental Recording of the Year.

Grass roots is a new album (due out on 19 May) by the Colorado-based acoustic/newgrass/jam band Leftover Salmon, for whom Compass also have in stock new T-shirts. A track from the album, the Delmore Brothers classic 'Blue railroad train', which Leftover Salmon recorded with Billy Strings, was released yesterday (21 Apr.).

Update 23 Apr.: The Salmon/Strings recording of 'Blue railroad train' can be heard on the Bluegrass Situation and on YouTube.

© Richard Hawkins

'Danny boy' - new single from Danny Burns

Danny Burns and Tim O'Brien collaborate on the latest single by Danny Burns, released today by the Bonfire Music Group: a new recording of 'Danny boy', which will appear on Burns's forthcoming album Promised land, scheduled for release three months from now. The Bonfire Music Group press release says: 'With the new single, Burns showcases his bluegrass side. The song “Danny boy” has roots that date all the way back to 1910, when it was first created as an Irish ballad.'

Its 'creation as an Irish ballad' was the work of the English lawyer and songwriter Frederic Weatherly of Somerset (left). He set his words to the tune 'Londonderry air' collected by Jane Ross and published in George Petrie's The ancient music of Ireland (1855). Other words had been set to the tune before 1910, but Weatherly's became the lyrics most closely associated with it.

© Richard Hawkins

Detached notes

The latest e-newsletter from the Mountain Home Music Company announces a new single by Chris Jones & the Night Drivers (last here in 2019 for the Omagh festival and a tour) - 'Blow whistle', a song written by their bassist, Marshall Wilborn. The recording can be heard in full on Bluegrass Today. The band's regular lineup (Chris, guitar and lead voice; Marshall, bass; Mark Stoffel, mandolin; and Grace van ’t Hof, banjo/ baritone uke) are supplemented on the recording by Billy Cardine on resonator guitar.

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Two recent features by John Lawless on Bluegrass Today are of special interest to guitarists: one on the high-quality luthiery of Ben Walters Guitars in Virginia, and the other on Together!, a digital release on David Grisman's Acoustic Oasis label, comprising thirty-nine tracks of live guitar duets by Tony Rice and his brother Wyatt, which seems a bargain at $25.00. Billy Strings is quoted: 'This album is a must have for anyone who appreciates the power and beauty of live acoustic music, and a testament to the talents of two of the greatest guitar players to ever pick up the instrument.'

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For banjo players (and others), multi-instrumentalist Dave Richardson of Compact Recording Systems in Colorado has brought out Banjo V-1: acoustic artists interact with virtual instruments, a twelve-track album (including nine original compositions). A promo video for the album is on Kevin Slick's feature on Bluegrass Today and also on YouTube

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For lovers of the mandolin: Sandy Hatley's commemoration on Bluegrass Today of mandolinist Alan Niederland, who died earlier this month, includes many tributes from his fellow musicians, one of which takes the form of an elegiac composition for mandolin by Scott Napier. The video of it can be seen on Bluegrass Today.

*

A week ago (14 Apr.) Becky Buller, bandleader, fiddler, banjo-player, and songwriter, who played here earlier this century as a member of Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike, was inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame. Other commitments prevented her from being present at the ceremony, but her acceptance address can be read in full in John Lawless's report on Bluegrass Today.

© Richard Hawkins

Coming soon to a festival near you...

The Boogiemen: (l-r) Arnold Lasseur, Aart Schroevers, Bart van Strien, Robert-Jan Kanis (photo: Wunderlust Photography)

Thanks to our good friend Patrick Fuchs, director of the International Bühl Bluegrass Festival in south-west Germany, and to Judith Kirschner-Forcher of the City of Bühl press department for the latest press release on this year's festival, which will be held on 5 and 6 May (see the BIB for 16 Feb.). Patrick's favourite band are our old friends the Blue Grass Boogiemen (NL) who will be playing the Friday evening concert. Irish audiences will have the chance of renewing acquaintance with the Boogiemen when they perform at Bluegrass Omagh 2023, three weeks after Bühl.

© Richard Hawkins

TWO episodes of Deering Live - tonight and Friday

Mark Johnson (right), the originator of 'Clawgrass' (developing clawhammer banjo technique to play bluegrass and other music), will be the featured artist on Deering Live tonight, focussing on triplets and licks in 'double' tunings. The time for the feature is announced as 3.00 p.m. PT and 6.00 p.m. ET; the video can be watched later on Deering's YouTube channel.

In this eight-minute video Mark talks about how his style developed. Deering Banjos have brought out two signature 'Clawgrass' models for him, and he was awarded the Steve Martin Banjo Prize in 2012.

On Friday 21 April at 1.00 p.m. PT and 4.00 p.m. ET Deering Live will be presenting the duo of Campbell Jensen, comprising Ashley Campbell (daughter of the late Glen Campbell) and Thor Jensen, who toured in Ireland earlier this year.

Update: The Mark Johnson interview can now be seen here; the Campbell Jensen feature will be shown live on 21 Apr. at 9.30 p.m. Irish time.

© Richard Hawkins

'Window of a train' from Cedar Hill

The latest e-newsletter from Mountain Fever Records announces a new single, 'Window of a train', from Cedar Hill, the fine traditional bluegrass band from the Ozark region who have made many friends and fans in Ireland from past performances at Omagh and elsewhere.

Frank Ray has been with the band since its foundation in the late 1960s, and since then has been inducted into the National Traditional Country Music Association (NCTMA) Hall of Fame (2008), received the NCTMA Lifetime Achievement Award (2018), won the MerleFest Bluegrass Songwriter Award (2018), and was in 2019 inducted into the SPBGMA Hall of Greats.

Cedar Hill comprises Frank (mandolin, harmony vocal); Dalton Harper (lead vocal, guitar), who wrote 'Window of a train'; Patti LaFleur (upright bass); Pete Brown (fiddle, harmony vocal); and D.J. Shumate (banjo). The song can be heard on YouTube.

Update 11 May: See John Lawless's feature on Bluegrass Today, with an audio track of the song.

© Richard Hawkins

Bands galore on Kilkenny Roots Festival Music Trail

The main concert schedule of this year's Kilkenny Roots Festival (28 Apr.-1 May) has not been drawn up with bluegrass or old-time enthusiasts in mind, but the Music Trail programme should be rewarding for them - apart from the difficulty of catching all the bands one wants to hear when many of them are on at the same time. Over the weekend (the schedule for Sunday 30 April is especially busy) it will be possible to see and hear Woodbine, Two Time Polka, The Needables, the Blue Light Smugglers, the Prairie Jaywalkers, the Rye River Band, and the Niall Toner Band, not to mention other bands whose names your editor doesn't recognise.

© Richard Hawkins

Two Time Polka: April-May gigs

Ray Barron of Two Time Polka sends news of the band's forthcoming gigs:

Kilkenny Roots Festival
Fri. 28th April: Langtons Hotel, 10.00 p.m., adm. free
Sat. 29th: Left Bank Bar, 4.00–6.00 p.m., adm. free

Cahersiveen Mountain Roots Music
Sun. 30th: Sheebeen Bar, Cahersiveen, Co. Kerry, 11.00 p.m., adm. €10

Fete de St Georges, Bellechassagne, France
Sat. 6th May: La Grange, Bellachassagne, 10.00 p.m., adm. free

Sun. 21st: Crane Lane Theatre, Cork city, midnight, adm. free

Our next mail will give details of our gigs at the Bikefest, Killarney; Strings & Things festival, Clashmore; and Michael Dwyer festival, Allihies. Check our website for all gig details

Regards & thanks,

Ray & TTP

© Richard Hawkins

Banjophonics reviewed on Bluegrass Today

Ron Block (5-string banjo) and Damien O'Kane (tenor banjo) have toured here several times, most recently last October in support of their second collaboration on record, the album Banjophonics. The album is reviewed today by Lee Zimmerman on Bluegrass Today, with more details of the recording and the artists taking part, and a playlist with samples of all the tracks.

© Richard Hawkins

Robbie Fulks talks about his music

Thanks to Compass Records for drawing attention to Chris Willman's Variety magazine article 'Robbie Fulks, master of alt-country, finally plants both feet in the world of acoustic pickers with Bluegrass vacation’. In a twenty-minute interview, which can be heard via a link at the head of the article, Robbie Fulks (right; photo by Scott Simontacchi) talks at length, seriously and with humour, about his enduring relationship with bluegrass, the background to his early song 'Longhair bluegrass' (official audio here), his recent alt-country albums, writing a bluegrass song, his youngest son's attitude to music, and much more.

© Richard Hawkins

New single from Rick Faris

The award-winning Rick Faris (singer, songwriter, luthier, and veteran of eleven years with Special Consensus, including several tours of Ireland) has just had a new single released on the Dark Shadow Recording label. The song is one of Rick's own compositions, 'Too lonely, way too long', and the musicians assisting on the recording include Del McCoury (vocal), Jerry Douglas (dobro), Harry Clark (mandolin), Laura Orshaw (fiddle), Zak McLamb (bass) and Luke Munday (banjo). Rick adds: 'I wrote this song to be the swanky bluegrass groove I've been dreaming of my whole music career.' More details are on the Dark Shadow press release.

© Richard Hawkins

JigJam receive a standing ovation at the Opry (update)

On 18 Mar. JigJam (above), originators of I-Grass, made their debut appearance on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN, performing their original song 'Tullamore to Boston' and the traditional fiddle tune 'June apple', which received a standing ovation. Videos of both performances can be seen on the band's Facebook or via the links shown here. In their latest e-newsletter the band add:

It's hard to put into words the feeling of stepping into that famous circle on country music's biggest stage and performing to a sold out crowd of 4,000 music lovers. It was an honour to share the stage that night with acts such as Steve Earle, Lauren Alaina, Morgan Evans, Jameson Rodgers and of course Trisha Yearwood & Garth Brooks. In addition to an already amazing night, to receive a standing ovation on our Opry debut was truly a dream come true for us as a band and will most certainly live long in our memories.

A video of the standing ovation can be seen here. JigJam in their present configuration consist of founder members Jamie McKeogh (lead singer, guitar) and Daithi Melia (5-string banjo, dobro) from Tullamore, with Gavin Strappe (mandolin, tenor banjo) from Tipperary and Danny Hunter (fiddle) from Glasgow. All four JigJam albums can now be bought as a bundle for €60.00.

© Richard Hawkins

New faces in Midnight Run (USA)

Seth Mulder & Midnight Run have made many fans and friends with their performances over here. We now learn from John Lawless on Bluegrass Today that Ben Watlington and Max Etling left at the end of 2022. The new guitar and bass players are (respectively) Chevy Watson and Tyler Griffith, and bandleader Seth Mulder (who was an honoured guest at the Dublin bluegrass jam session two months ago) is looking forward to working with them. The rest of the band remain the same as at Shannonside in 2020 and Omagh in 2022 - Seth (mandolin), Colton Powers (banjo), and Max Silverstein (fiddle). The BT feature includes two recent videos of the band at live performances.

© Richard Hawkins

Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek | Authentic old-time playing - from Japan

The latest Bluegrass Situation (BGS) Weekly Dispatch includes:

(1) Stephen Deusner's feature 'Sara Watkins always knew there would be more Nickel Creek music to make', part of the BGS's programme for Nickel Creek (above; photo by Josh Goleman) as the Artist of the Month. Sara Watkins talks at length and in depth to Deusner about the trio, their music, and the making of their latest album, Celebrants, and the feature includes three music videos. Nickel Creek will be playing in Dublin on 30 Aug. - see the BIB for 6 Apr. - and thanks again to Owen Brady for the tipoff.

(2) In 'Japanese musician Bosco maintains the tradition of old-time fiddle and banjo', Lindsey Terrell interviews Takaki Kosuke from Japan, who acquired the nickname 'Bosco' in the USA and learned old-time music from meeting musicians such as Dwight Diller, the Hammons family, and Tommy Jarrell. His playing, which has been warmly praised by Bruce Molsky, is now on an album for the Old-Time Tiki Parlor. The interview comes with a video trailer for the album and further videos of him playing 'Shakin' down the acorns', 'Yew Piney Mountain', 'Sherman Hammons's tune', and 'Drunken hiccups' (a lovely banjo version). As he says, the story of how he found old-time music is

much the same story as people in New York, how they find old-time music, people in Boston, how they find old-time music. It’s just… met the right people at the right time. If old-time didn’t find me I would be a totally different person now. A totally different life, without the music. But it’s not just the music. It’s community.

© Richard Hawkins

Bluegrass-and-Celtic fusion at Westport 2023

Today on Bluegrass Today, Uri Kohen, head of the organising committee of the Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival, explains in detail to John Lawless a special feature of this year's festival (9-11 June): a collaboration combining three top local, Irish traditional, and folk musicians - Freda Hatton, Julie Langan, and Declan Askin - with Brendan Butler, one of Ireland's most prominent bluegrass and old-time musicians. The four of them will rework Irish traditional tunes in a bluegrass style, and bluegrass classics in traditional Irish folk style. As this will take place in the setting of a session, musicians from both genres will be able to make their own contributions to create something truly unique. Uri states: 'This gig is in line with our festival’s ever quest to discover and promote the deep roots of American old-time music and bluegrass in Irish folk and traditional music.'

In addition to giving an outline of the Festival lineup, Uri draws attention to the presentation that will be made by Dr Greg Reish of the Centre of Popular Music at the University of Middle Tennessee and Spring Fed Records, about the restoration of the Haley Family recordings and their issue as a box set. John Lawless concludes: 'From all accounts, it is a charming festival with a great deal to offer in a weekend away.'

© Richard Hawkins

Ivan M. Tribe, 1 May 1940-4 Apr. 2023

The BIB learns with regret of the death last Tuesday (4 Apr.) of Ivan M. Tribe, one of the premier scholars of old-time, 'hillbilly', and bluegrass music, and the culture that produced them. He was an indefatigable writer on these subjects. Richard Thompson has contributed an obituary on Bluegrass Today indicating the scope of Dr Tribe's achievements, and including a tribute from Matteo Ringressi, who will be playing at Bluegrass Omagh 2023 as a member of the Truffle Valley Boys (I). A further obituary is on the funeral home website. The image above is from the cover of Dr Tribe's Folk music in overdrive: a primer on traditional country and bluegrass artists, published by the University of Tennessee Press in 2018.

© Richard Hawkins

Bob Denton (USA) in Ireland some time in 2023

Bob on the Cliffs of Moher, armed for Irish music with his English-made Clifford Essex Paragon, re-necked by Tom Cussen of Clareen Banjos

Thanks to the multi-talented Bob Denton for the news that he means to be in Ireland later this year. The original plan was to come for the first ten days of May, but this has had to be shelved as the clawhammer banjo player with whom he plays in the States 'had some gigs come up that couldn’t be avoided'. Bob has been active for over fifty years in bluegrass, old-time, Irish traditional, and other music in many countries. He writes (links inserted by the BIB):

The main reason for the trip was to spend time at Emerald [Guitars] in Donegal checking out their X20 and X30 guitars to see if they might be a good replacement for my two Composite Acoustics Dreadnaught Legacies. They are both cannons but big and bulky and heavy and I was very impressed with the X7 which I borrowed for an OT jam a couple of weeks ago. Perfect for a small OT jam or gig.

I used to tour with Roger Sprung in the '60s [see photo below] and other bluegrass bands for many years including Ireland in the '70s and China, but these days I am more into old-time as well as ITM. I’ll probably have my custom convertible that has a 12” pot with a Whyte Laydie tone ring (made in Canada) with both Irish tenor and clawhammer necks. Would be fun to give the new guitar(s) a run as well...

Bob still has his original D-28 and strap shown in the photo below of the Roger Sprung Band; the fiddler is Franklin George. In recent years Bob has been joint organiser (with Andrew Lambert) of www.irisholdtime.com and its 2018, 2019, and 2020 Appalachian Old-Time Gatherings in Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare. The BIB is glad to hear that there are hopes of another Gathering next year.

© Richard Hawkins

A springtime/ Easter reflection from Tim O'Brien

Tim O'Brien, who toured here in January with his wife Jan Fabricius, has released a new single, 'Little lamb little lamb', a song written last spring and recorded in December 2022 with his touring band: Tim (guitar, lead vocal), Jan Fabricius (mandolin, vocal), Mike Bub (bass), Shad Cobb (fiddle), and Cory Walker (banjo; also with East Nash Grass). The lyrics contrast the joyful rebirth of spring with the singer’s advancing age, and are given in full on YouTube; the video can also be seen in John Lawless's feature on Bluegrass Today. The track will be on Tim O’Brien’s next album, Cup of sugar, which is scheduled for release on 16 June.

© Richard Hawkins

National Banjo Day

The Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol, TN/VA, is celebrating National Banjo Day today with a brief outline of banjo history and a photo of the oldest surviving instrument that can be called a banjo, the 'Creole bania' obtained in the 1770s in Suriname, South America, by John Gabriel Stedman (1744-97). The photo is credited to Kristina R. Gaddy, who describes the instrument and Stedman's association with it in chapters of her book Well of souls: uncovering the banjo's hidden history. Another photo of the 'bania' is on the Banjo Roots Blog, at the head of Shlomo Pestcoe's 2011 article 'The Stedman "Creole bania": a look at the world’s oldest banjo'.

The venerable instrument is in the collection of the national museum of ethnology at Leiden (NL). Unfortunately, it is not currently on public display. Update: A photo can also be seen on the 'Banjo Roots: Banjo Beginnings' Facebook.

National Banjo Day is also being celebrated by the Compass Records Group with a Banjo Day Sale, offering 25% off select titles from their extensive catalogue of banjo-centric music. The Deering Banjo Company are (coincidentally?) introducing a new line of merchandise with the image of their newly designed character 'Banjohead'.

© Richard Hawkins

More on artists recently mentioned on the BIB

Robbie Fulks, whose versatile musical career began as an early member of the Special Consensus, has had his album Bluegrass vacation released today (7 Apr.) on Compass Records. Jon Young reviews it warmly on No Depression; the review includes two videos of songs from the album and ends: 'Robbie Fulks is so good at whatever he tries that you don’t want him to stand still long. But he sounds so contented here that it’s hard to begrudge his happiness.'

Update 8 Apr.: See also Lee Zimmerman's interview article published yesterday on Bluegrass Today.

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The latest Weekly Dispatch from the Bluegrass Situation (BGS) online magazine includes five videos in David Menconi's review/interview article 'As the newest supergroup in bluegrass, Mighty Poplar goes back to the classics'. Learn more about where the band's name came from, what recording the album was like, comparisons with the Bluegrass Album Band, and more.

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Nickel Creek are the BGS Artist of the Month for April, and the BGS staff have provided an introductory feature with a playlist of 'the essential Nickel Creek' and an official video of 'Celebrants' from the group's new album of the same name, and quotes from all three members about the album and their reunion. Chris Thile, citing his 1924 mandolin, says: '... there’s no substitute for what age and use does to the wood. That’s what Sara, Sean, and I have together. We started this band in 1989, and at this point, music just vibrates through us in a different way than I’ve experienced in any other collaboration.'

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Lindsay Lou plays guitar and sings harmony to Kyle Tuttle's banjo and lead vocal, with John Mailander's fiddling, performing 'Not quite spring' from a ski-lift above snow-covered Colorado, in a video on the BGS and also on YouTube.

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Finally, though Peggy Seeger has not been mentioned on the BIB recently (she was on tour here last summer), the BGS has published a video (also on YouTube) of her singing, to her own piano accompaniment, the love song Ewan MacColl wrote for her, 'The first time ever I saw your face'.

© Richard Hawkins

Channelling Uncle Dave

The BIB editor writes:

East Nash Grass (USA) are six young musicians with a lot of bluegrass history behind them, in terms both of their individual experience in successive bands and their knowledge of older music. There may be other young bluegrass bands who can deliver an old-time number with a similar vitality to the original, but if there are I've not been lucky enough to hear them. It was a treat, then, to see and hear East Nash Grass on YouTube belting out 'Railroadin' & gamblin'' with the same kind of verve with which Uncle Dave Macon and his banjo recorded it in 1938.

East Nash Grass consists of James Kee (guitar), Cory Walker (banjo), Harry Clark (mandolin), Gaven Largent (dobro), Maddie Denton (fiddle), and Jeff Picker (bass). Their video was recently featured on Bluegrass Today. See also these two Mountain Fever press releases (1 and 2) and Bob Allen's four-page feature on the band in this month's Bluegrass Unlimited magazine.

Uncle Dave's recording can be heard on YouTube - for instance, here. A good guide to the words of the song is here.

Update: Thanks to Patrick Simpson of the Dublin Bluegrass Collective, who writes: 'Those East Nash Grass guys are hard to beat. They play in Dee's Lounge, Madison, Tenn. every Monday live on YouTube at midnight Irish time. I normally watch the next day.'

© Richard Hawkins

Nickel Creek (USA) at the NCH, Dublin, 30 Aug. 2023

Several mentions of Nickel Creek and their new album Celebrants have appeared on the BIB recently, so thanks to Owen Brady for sending the news that the titanic trio of Chris Thile, Sara Watkins, and Sean Watkins are scheduled to play at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, on Wednesday 30 August at 8.00 p.m., in a Main Stage concert entitled 'Perspectives'. Tickets (€45, €40, €35, €27.50) can be booked here or via the link on Nickel Creek's online tour schedule. The concert is their only date in Ireland, and is the fourth in a European tour of six shows.

© Richard Hawkins

Tuners: more banjo stuff

The Gold Tone Music Group announce the addition to their range of a limited stock of Cheat-A-Keys D-tuners (right) at $199.99 a set. These can be fitted to a banjo without any prior modification to the instrument. See the Gold Tone website for full specifications, plus their press release. Bela Fleck contributes a 20-second promotional video, while Jim Pankey has a 16-minute video demonstrating D tuning and showing Cheat-A-Keys as well as Keith tuners. Cheat-A-Keys are also available from (e.g.) Banjo Ben Clark's store at a similar price.

© Richard Hawkins

Ron Spears's voice heard again (update)

Coming shortly after the death of Ron Spears (right; see the BIB for 23 Mar.), the Engelhardt Music Group (EMG) announce the release yesterday (5 Apr.) of a further single from Heartache and trouble, the latest album by Fast Track. Ron played bass and sang lead and harmonies in the band, and on this single, 'You'll never find another so true', Ron can be heard with mandolinist Shayne Bartley singing harmonies to the lead voice of Steve Day (fiddle). More details are on the EMG press release.

Update 7 Apr.: Richard Thompson announces on Bluegrass Today that a memorial service will be held in Sandy, UT, at noon on Friday 14 April, with a celebration of Ron's life to be held in Nashville at a later date. Richard adds: 'In lieu of flowers, Ron’s loved ones invite you to turn on your local bluegrass station and donate to a charity of your choice.'

© Richard Hawkins

Detached notes

Colin Henry (left) and Jerry Douglas in Belfast, 2011

A major interview with Jerry Douglas by Mike Fiorito appeared on Bluegrass Today last week. It is well worth reading for anyone interested not just in Douglas but in bluegrass music, its instruments, its people, and much more. Mike Fiorito's book on Peter Rowan (see the BIB for 14 Feb. and John Lawless's feature on Bluegrass Today) was published on Friday 31 Mar.

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Ticket sales for this year's IBMA World Of Bluegrass in Raleigh, NC, opened yesterday (4 Apr.) for IBMA members, and will open for the general public in two weeks (18 Apr.); see the IBMA's e-newsletter.

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A month ago the BIB mentioned that the online magazine No Depression had named the new bluegrass supergroup Mighty Poplar as its Spotlight band for March. The band's debut album was released last Friday (31 Mar.), and a four-page feature by Tim Newby on the band and the album is in the current (April 2023) issue of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine. No Depression has now published 'Mighty Poplar’s Chris Eldridge on listening past perfection'. Chris Eldridge suggests an 'assignment' to his readers:

Sit down with a good record that was recorded live by real people and I want you to listen beyond the top layer of the music. Listen into the moment that got captured on tape. Listen for the people — the actual human beings — making the music. Listen for the interplay. Listen to how they are (hopefully!) leaving it all out on the field. And listen to the beauty of human expression, in all of its perfect imperfection.

He also lists seven albums as specially rewarding for use in this exercise.

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In the aftermath of the Special Consensus tour earlier this year, we note that (1) Compass Records have announced new T-shirts with imagery from the cover of the latest Special C. album, Great blue North (see the BIB for 23 Feb.); and (2) Robbie Fulks (see the BIB for 22 Feb.), a Special C. alumnus, is now releasing his album Bluegrass vacation. A review by Lee Zimmerman, with a playlist sampling all the tracks, is on Bluegrass Today.

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Lee Zimmerman has also recently interviewed Sara Watkins on Bluegrass Today, about Celebrants, the new album from Nickel Creek. The published interview comes with four videos.

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Lindsay Lou, who toured Ireland seven years ago with her then band the Flatbellys, is featured in a video on the Bluegrass Situation (BGS) singing 'Takes so long, goes so fast' (also on YouTube).

© Richard Hawkins

Banjo stuff (update)

In the IBMA Foundation's latest newsletter, Brian Murphy (right) from Greer, SC, is shown with the custom-made banjo he won in last month’s raffle run by the Pisgah Banjo Company. The raffle raised $29,590 for the Foundation’s Arnold Shultz Fund, which encourages participation by people of colour in bluegrass music. Of this sum, $10,000 will go to the Black Banjo Reclamation Project. More details are in the IBMA Foundation newsletter.

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The Deering Banjo Company draws attentiom to its top-of-the-line Tenbrooks Legacy banjo ($8,999.00) and presents several videos of Ryan Cavanaugh playing his personal Tenbrooks, including this one of him improvising in jazz style.

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A week ago Bluegrass Today featured a collaboration between Alison Brown and Steve Martin, resulting in their joint composition for up-picking and down-picking banjos, 'Foggy morning breaking'. Their duet on it can be seen on Bluegrass Today and YouTube. Also taking part are Chris Eldridge (guitar), Sierra Hull (mandolin), Stuart Duncan (fiddle), and Todd Phillips (bass).

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The banjo receives a great deal of attention in a forthcoming publication from the University of Illinois Press, Taylor Hagood's Stringbean: the life and murder of a country music legend, scheduled to appear early next month. Richard Thompson previews the book on Bluegrass Today, with a substantial contribution from the author (professor of English at Atlantic University, Florida), whose research went to the length of building a banjo himself in order to understand the instrument as fully as possible.

A four-page feature on the book by Taylor Hagood appears in the current (April 2023) issue of Bluegrass Unlimited (BU) magazine, where it is also reviewed by BU editor Dan Miller.

Update 8 Apr.: BU's Newsletter no. 126 includes a link to the magazine archives for Genevieve Waddell's article 'Stringbean', published in 1974, two months after his death.

© Richard Hawkins