News of past visitors

Thanks to Michael J. MIles for this image (right) from his latest e-newsletter, with its regular crop of instructional aids and other good things. Michael adds: 'the most important to me, my life's work really, is the release of this new recording American Bach revisited. [...] Official release is Aug 4, we're taking pre-orders now that will give you immediate access to a few of the tracks.'

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Billy Strings has been nominated for the Artist of the Year award in the 2023 Honors and Awards of the Americana Music Association. Nickel Creek are also nominated for Duo/ Group of the Year and several bluegrass or old-time pickers for the Instrumentalist of the Year award. More details are on Bluegrass Today.

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Tim O'Brien, who toured here in January, has a new single, 'Bear', from his latest album Cup of sugar, due for release next month. Tim is feeling old enough to sympathise with the bear, who he says 'represents anyone or any social group that feels their world has changed too much while they weren’t looking'. More detail is on John Lawless's feature on Bluegrass Today.

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The outstanding tenor singer Don Rigsby, who has played here several times in different combinations including his own band, has released two new singles, for which the videos can be seen on Bluegrass Today or on YouTube: the gospel song 'When Jesus calls my name' and the secular song 'Cold ashes'.

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The Special Consensus have released a new video from their latest album Great blue North, a tribute to Canada; appropriately, the song chosen is 'Alberta bound' by the late Gordon Lightfoot, with a strong supporting cast of Canadian musicians: Ray Legere (fiddle); John Reischman, Trisha Gagnon, and Patrick Sauber (The Jaybird Trio), Pharis & Jason Romero, and Claire Lynch.

The video can be seen on Bluegrass Today or YouTube, and includes some stunning scenes of Canadian mountains. However, the footage of the Special C. playing the song is credited to Adam Bradley in Belfast, and Nigel Martyn (note the 'y'), who has organised their tours here for over twenty years, is also in the credits.

© Richard Hawkins