The Bluegrass Ireland Blog

Welcome to the Bluegrass Ireland Blog

2012-01-28T23:55:00.000Z

If you're visiting the BIB for the first time, details of its background and purpose can be found here, and tips on using it are here. To reach both, click on the 'Welcome' label at the bottom of this post. The calendar is the main point of the BIB. All comments on posts go through a 'moderating' process before publication; so if your comment doesn't appear at once, there is no need to resend it. News items should be sent to the editor by e-mail.

Virginia Ramblers to come this summer?

2012-01-28T17:07:00.003Z

The Virginia Ramblers (l-r: Jeff Vogelgesang, Donnie Shifflett, Charles Frazier, Zack Deming)

Thanks to Jeff Vogelgesang, mandolin player for a five-piece traditional bluegrass band, the Virginia Ramblers (USA), for news that the band are planning to book a 10-14 day tour in Europe, including these islands, in the coming year.

The Virginia Ramblers work festivals, concerts, wineries, etc., mostly through Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Delaware, and have also played at the Grass Valley festival in California and on the famous Prairie Home Companion radio show. They have an open period in their booking calendar between 10 and 22 June 2012; other blocks may be available in late July and mid-August.

You can enjoy quite a lot of Ramblers performances on YouTube: some examples are the medley: 'Unfaithful' and 'Lotsalove'; 'Pleasant Hill'; 'Mississippi Sawyer'; 'Don't hurry me'; and 'The old crossroad'. A warm recommendation of their self-titled CD is on County Sales. This is exactly the kind of band the BIB editor likes to see and hear, and we welcome comments from - say - Mel Corry or Sean McKerr.

Promoters, festival and event organisers, and others interested in contacting the Virginia Ramblers should send Jeff an e-mail.

Molly Hicks at Bunclody, 4 Feb. 2012

2012-01-28T16:20:00.006Z

Ruth Dillon and Bernie O'Mahony of the Molly Hicks

Thanks to Ian Mullins, bar manager of the Carlton Millrace Hotel, Bunclody, Co. Wexford, for the news that the Molly Hicks will be playing in the main bar of the Carlton Millrace Hotel on Saturday 4 February 2012, beginning at 10.30 p.m. and continuing till 12.30 a.m. Admission is free, and all are welcome.

Weekend at Colfer's, Carrig-on Bannow

2012-01-28T15:44:00.005Z

Woodbine report with regret that they will not after all be playing at Colfer's, Carrig-on-Bannow, Co. Wexford, tomorrow (Sunday 29 Jan.). John Murphy, who has given hospitality to all forms of Americana over the years and has run an annual Bluegrass, Country, and Americana weekend there since 2005, has been obliged to cancel arrangements this year with all bands except for Sarah Savoy & the Francadians (see photo), a highly regarded Cajun band of French musicians led by Louisiana-born Sarah, who belongs to one of the most distinguished families in Cajun music. The band have been playing in Ireland for ten days (see their tour schedule); unfortunately we only just learned of this. They will be playing the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh, Co. Tyrone, tonight, and their show in Colfer's at 8.00 p.m. tomorrow is the last in the tour.

I Draw Slow at Celtic Connections, 28 Jan. 2012

2012-01-27T20:47:00.006Z

Following the coup by Dublin's I Draw Slow last week, opening for Béla Fleck & the Flecktones at the National Concert Hall, Dave Holden sends the following news:

For anyone who happens to be in Glasgow this Saturday, I Draw Slow are delighted to be playing the Celtic Connections festival. We're on this Saturday (28 January 2012), at 7.30 p.m. in The Arches, supporting the Sweetback Sisters.

Full details, including online booking, are on the concert's web page.

Clonmel World Music news: Zoe Muth on 2 Feb. 2012

2012-01-26T11:42:00.006Z

Thanks to Gerry Lawless of Clonmel World Music in Co. Tipperary for this news of the 2012 season of CWM shows:

The first Clonmel World Music gig of 2012 is on Thursday 2 February, in Raheen House Hotel, Clonmel, and it features the excellent Americana singer Zoe Muth, with her band the Lost High Rollers from Seattle, USA.

She has a strikingly honest vocal delivery and unpretentious poetic lyrics. Her voice immediately recalls Nanci Griffith, Iris Dement, and Kitty Wells. The Lost High Rollers band are Dave Harmonson on (pedal steel, Dobro, electric guitar), Ethan Lawton (mandolin), Mike McDermott (electric bass), and Greg Nies (drums). The band are playing at the prestigious Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow and will do a short UK and Irish tour before heading for Holland, Sweden, and Norway. Clonmel is one of only three Irish dates. Bob Harris of the BBC has championed her from the start and says she is 'in a class of her own'.

Zoe Muth has released two critically acclaimed albums to date. Her latest album, Starlight Hotel, was on top of many music critics' and magazines' polls for 'album of the year' last year. It ended 2011 as No. 1 on the US Radio Stations Airplay chart as most-played country album in all the USA.

As usual, doors for the Clonmel World Music gigs will open at 8.00 p.m. There will be no support act, and the band will start at 9.00 p.m. prompt. This ensures the gig will finish before 11.00 p.m. Tickets are only €15 each and are available in Premier Music Centre, Clonmel (052 6129811), from Gerry Lawless (086 338 9619), or from Martha Beardmore (087 910 7201).

See the BIB for 10 Jan. for an earlier brief mention of the band and the show. Gerry adds:

We have 6/7 gigs planned for 2012. The confirmed gigs so far are:

Thurs. 2 Feb. Zoe Muth & the Lost High Rollers (USA)
Mon. 12 Mar. Ashelin (Newfoundland)
Thurs. 26 Apr. Woody Pines (USA)
Thurs. 14 June I Draw Slow (Ireland)

Ronnie Norton for LBG 2012

2012-01-25T22:35:00.010Z

Congratulations to Ronnie Norton of Dublin, ace bluegrass photographer, critic, reporter, and radio presenter, who will be a member of the 2012 IBMA Leadership Bluegrass class.

The Leadership Bluegrass programme aims to build up a network of people who have shared learning and communication related to the needs of the bluegrass community. Ronnie, who presents the 'Lonesome Highway' internet radio show on World Wide Bluegrass, is also a member of the Lonesome Highway website team, and as a photographer he has covered the major bluegrass events in this island for years, often serving as a festival's 'staff photographer'. He is the only member of this year's LBG class to come from outside the USA.

The BIB sends Ronnie our best wishes for LBG 2012, which will be held in Nashville on 8-10 March - three days of the most intense learning experience most people will ever encounter after leaving school...

Noriana Kennedy: pre-Australia tour, Feb. 2012

2012-01-24T17:38:00.004Z

Thanks to Noriana Kennedy of Galway for this news and press release:

Folk singer Noriana Kennedy, together with Nicola Joyce and Noelie McDonnell, will be touring Australia this spring and summer through an exciting record deal offered by ABC Australia. As a farewell and warmup, their pre-Australia Irish tour brings their great music to the Crane, Galway (9 Feb.), the Linen Hall Theatre, Castlebar (14 Feb.), Campbell's Tavern, Headford (25 Feb.), and Whelan's, Dublin (29 Feb.).

From a Filipino and Irish background, Noriana Kennedy was born in Dublin. She worked in Castlebar for a year with the EPA but moved to Galway in 2005 to become part of its thriving Irish music scene. After six years of gigging and honing her craft, last year she released Ebb n flow, an album that revels in both the Irish and American folk tradition. The Irish Times lauded Ebb n flow for its 'exquisite phrasing and a songbook as wide as a southern porch'.

Noriana now finds herself at the fore of the Irish roots music scene, singing with esteemed players like Sharon Shannon and the Waterboys' Trevor Hutchinson. The singer was awarded the Irish Music Network Performance and Touring Award in February 2011, and consistently wins audiences over with her nuanced, joyful performances and her fluid playing of the quirky hybrid banjo-ukulele. Her performance at the Galway Arts Festival last year was reviewed by the Connacht Tribune as one of Galway's most memorable folk concerts in 2011.

For her Irish farewell tour , Noriana will be joined by Galway native Nicola Joyce, who Earl Hitchner of the Wall Street Journal praised as ‘a magnificient vocalist who sings with sheer beauty and poignancy’. Nicola is a seasoned and gifted performer who has played in over 500 cities across the globe with Americana/Irish group Gráda. Nicola plays percussion and mandolin and is a harmony singer of both precision and grace.

Also hailing from Galway, Noelie McDonnell plays with an ease and magnetism that is all too rare in modern performers. A singer-songwriter of genuine class, Noelie received extensive airplay in Ireland with 'Nearly four', a song inspired by his nephew. He has been hailed by the New York Post as 'a startlingly good new Irish talent’ and his album Beyond hard places spent two months in the iTunes Top 10 folk album charts. The live arena is where Noelie thrives, and he has been invited to share the stage with such luminaries as John Martyn, Greg Brown, Luka Bloom, and Eddie Reader.

Noriana is overwhelmed by the reaction the Australian market seems to be having on her music, saying: 'It's a really exciting time for us, as great friends and musicians, to all head off to Australia. We are blessed that ABC Australia have taken us on so confidently. There's talk of us playing Sydney Opera House... but all to be confirmed soon!'. Together, Noriana Kennedy, Noelie McDonnell and Nicola Joyce spark splendidly off each other, bringing added magic to the already impressive Ebb N Flow. Their Irish concerts will be well worth the visit and their splendid vocals combine with guitar, percussion, and the banjo-ukulele to weave a beguiling tapestry of Irish and American folk. Listen out for their live performance on the Pat Kenny radio show on 8 February. See Noriana's website for further details.

Thurs. 9th: Crane Bar, Sea Rd, Galway, 9.00 p.m. €10
Tues. 14th: Linen Hall, Castlebar, Co. Mayo, 8.00 p.m. €16
Sat. 25th: Campbell's Tavern, Headford, Co. Galway, 9.30 p.m. €10
Wed. 29th: Whelans Live (upstairs), Dublin 2, 9.00 p.m. €10

Noriana Kennedy
30 Crescent Court
Fr Griffin Road
Galway, Ireland
Tel. +353 0861003342
e-mail

Music hath charms

2012-01-24T12:58:00.002Z

Thanks to C. Paul Lyttle of the Moniaive Bluegrass Festival in Scotland, and to 'Gerry' who sent him this YouTube link found on the Mandolin Cafe website (that wouldn't be Gerry Madden, would it?).

The video will please all of us who feel bluegrass is close to nature; it should have a special appeal for those who know Josh Williams (USA) from his visits as a teenage mandolin player with Special Consensus about ten years ago, who is now an acclaimed bandleader, singer, and multi-award-winning guitarist. As the photo shows, Josh gets on well with animals. In the video, one of his fans just wanted to get as close to him as possible.

A further bonus: Terry Baucom, the Duke of Drive, is playing banjo.

Events at the Séamus Ennis Centre, Naul, Jan.-Feb. 2012

2012-01-24T12:33:00.000Z

Joost van Es of 4 Wheel Drive with the statue of Séamus Ennis outside the Centre (photo: Jan Michielsen)

The Séamus Ennis Cultural Centre, Naul, Co. Dublin, a good friend to bluegrass and related music in the Dublin area, continues its rich programme of music, film, spoken word, crafts, and other skilled activity. The Centre's updated schedule between now and 26 Feb. 2012 can be seen here. A notable event for BIB readers is the show by the Wiyos (USA) on 17 Feb. - the last of four dates they are playing in Ireland in the middle of a longer tour of Britain.

All performances are presented at the Centre, with doors open at 7.30 p.m. and the performance at 8.30 p.m. unless otherwise stated. Full details, including ticket prices, are on the Centre's website. For more information, photos etc., contact the Centre by phone (+353 (0)1 8020898), fax (+353 (0)1 802 0931), or e-mail.

Get your coat on!

2012-01-23T17:22:00.005Z

... says Dangem Quality Instruments of Craigavon, Co. Armagh:

You have a jam session to go to!
This Saturday 10.00 a.m.-12.00 noon 28 Jan. 2012
Lagan Valley Island, Island Civic Centre, The Island
Lisburn, Co. Antrim BT27 4RL

See full details . Even more - don't miss

Tuesday 7 Feb 2012: 8.30 p.m. until who knows when -
The Belfast Bluegrass Sessions
The Errigle Inn, 312-320 Ormeau Road,
Belfast, Co. Antrim BT7 2GE
Tel: 028 9064 1410

NTB for USA, Sept.-Oct. 2012

2012-01-23T15:58:00.005Z

Last week brought the news that Niall Toner has joined the artist roster of the noted US bluegrass label Pinecastle Records. This week the US booking agency Mountain Music Entertainment announces the dates of NTB's planned US tour later this year, in association with his forthcoming record release:

Niall is available for booking September 15th-October 15th, 2012. Please contact us for your venue, festival, or event!

Read the full MME press release (which includes the above photo of Niall's guitars and mandolin) here.

4th European Bluegrass Summit, Bühl, 2-4 Mar. 2012

2012-01-23T12:18:00.008Z

The 4th European Bluegrass Summit will be held on the weekend 2-4 March 2012, hosted by the city of Bühl, south-west Germany, which provides all facilities. The Summit was first held at Bühl in 2009, as an initiative by the International Committee of the IBMA, and has been held since then under the auspices of the European Bluegrass Music Association (EBMA). The EBMA announces:

The summit is open to all, professionals and non-professionals, members and non-members of the European or other national associations, who think they may benefit from sharing ideas and best practices with like-minded people doing similar work in other countries. This includes fans, musicians, promoters, journalists, webmasters, national association reps, and anyone else with a personal, professional or organisational interest in bluegrass in Europe.

The programme includes a concert by two leading European bands. Full details, with facilities for registration and reserving accommodation, are on the EBMA website.

Blue Cedar Project in 'dream session'

2012-01-22T20:10:00.000Z

Thanks to Gerry Tully and Emmett Vaughan of Blue Cedar Project in Co. Meath for news of a feature on them by Grace Charley in the Arts & Music section of the Meath Chronicle yesterday - the same day on which they were playing at Vicar Street, Dublin, supporting 'Friends in Low Places: the Ultimate Garth Brooks Experience'. They will be doing the same on further dates round the country in the coming weeks.

As Grace points out, this is no small achievement for a duo who launched their joint career less than a year ago. Read the entire feature, reproduced on their website.

Western swing at Mount Merrion, 10 Mar. 2012

2012-01-22T13:13:00.004Z

Thanks to Musiclee.ie for the news that Chris Meehan & his Redneck Friends - a ten-piece band that plays western swing together with Cajun and an element of rock 'n' roll, with a lineup that includes some distinguished artists in Irish music - will be playing at Kiely's, the Sportman's Inn, Mount Merrion, Dublin, on Saturday 10 March at 9.00 p.m. Tickets are €15 if booked in advance. Tel. 01-2832666.

The Electric Cave Production found a new home

2012-01-21T16:59:00.004Z

Thanks to Uri Kohen of the Electric Cave Production in Westport, Co. Mayo, for this good news:

My last post to the blog was about the sad news of the closure of Geraghty's pub, which was the home of the Electric Cave Production and a host for many unforgettable nights of quality music.

Since then, we were invited by McGing's pub to host our gigs under their roof. McGing's hosted many gigs and sessions in the last five Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festivals, and now we hope that it will be our main residence. A Band Called Wanda (the Cave's favourite) opened the current series in late December with a superb gig that brought the house down.

Last night (20.1.2012) we welcomed to Westport the Young Folk [photo above] - a folk-rock band from Dublin, recently marked by IMRO to be Ireland's next big band. Their visit to Westport proved why: the band, led by the fantastic voice of Anthony Furey, performed a fantastic line of originals and covers in the spirit of such folk legends as Dylan, Young, and The Band. Young Folk created a unique sound and left their mark on well known songs such as 'The wight' or 'Bad moon rising'. The fiddle playing of Karen Hickey added a great dimension to all the songs. The bands are currently touring around the country, and it's well worth catching up with one of their shows.

The Electric Cave Production are working on a winter programme for the pub which will feature folk & bluegrass music at the highest level. We are also putting finishing touches to the 2012 Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival. See you in Westport!

Ry Cavanaugh in Ireland, 17-26 Feb. 2012

2012-01-20T23:16:00.005Z

Thanks to Ry Cavanaugh (USA), former Donegal resident, who sends this release:

With a song on Mary Black's new album and a string of dates with Donegal's Henry Girls, Boston singer/songriter Ry Cavanaugh returns to Ireland for a short 'solo' tour this February.

During the winter of 2010 Ry Cavanaugh was holed-up in a house on the beach in Culdaff, Co. Donegal, writing songs, playing with local musicians, and running a Thursday night session (non-trad) at the local music pub. On one of the Thursdays, Mary Black's band was rehearsing for a tour in the back room. The band all joined the session after rehearsal and as he did every Thursday, Ry closed the night by singing his song 'Lighthouse light'. A year later, the song appeared on a new Mary Black CD, performed as a duet with Janis Ian.

Ry writes and demos songs regularly, but seldom performs on his own. His vibrant band Session Americana keeps the live music part of his life busy, fun, and rewarding. Session Americana plays regularly around his native New England, and has toured Ireland a couple of times, including Galway Arts Festival and Earagail Arts Festival in 2010. But his desire to re-centre some of his musical life in Ireland and reconnect with some of the musicians he worked with in Donegal, and an offer to play the Belfast Nashville Songwriter Festival, have led him to plan a tour on his own this winter.

The timing of the trip coincides with a stretch of dates the Henry Girls were booking, so they asked him to be part of their shows - as co-star, guest, support, collaborator, guitar player, bass player, whatever is needed. Ry is most comfortable in a collaborative musical setting, and even though this was supposed to be a 'solo' tour, wandering around with the Henrys and other friends is a perfect way to share a few of his songs and spend a couple of winter weekends.

17 Feb. Monroe's, Galway, with the Henry Girls
18 Feb. Kenny's Bar, Lahinch, Co. Clare, with the Henry Girls
19 Feb. The Playhouse, Derry city, with the Henry Girls
20 Feb. Roddens Bar, Buncrana, Co. Donegal, with Finbarr Doherty and Seamus Devenny
23 Feb. McGrory's, Culdaff, Co. Donegal
24 Feb. Castlereagh Civic Centre, Belfast: 'In the round' with Eleanor McEvoy and Benita Hill
25 Feb. venue TBD, Belfast, with Ted Ponsonby and Denise Boyle, Doors 1.00 p.m., show 1.30 p.m.
25 Feb. The Glens Arts Centre, Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim, with the Henry Girls
26 Feb. The Half Moon Theatre at Cork Opera House, with the Henry Girls

Knotty Pine String Band: forthcoming dates

2012-01-20T22:57:00.004Z

Thanks to Declan O'Kane, fiddler of the Knotty Pine String Band of Omagh, Co. Tyrone, for some good news for the start of 2012:

The band are appearing at a fundraising event for Concern Ireland in Lansdowne Rugby Club, Dublin, on Friday 10 Feb. 2012. Tickets for the event are available online, and this will show times for the event as well.

Later on in the year (30 June 2012) we are playing at the Ardhowen Theatre, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh; and in September we are touring Scotland for a week, starting at the Moniaive bluegrass festival (Friday 28 Sept.).

New festival planned for Tramore, 1-4 June 2012

2012-01-20T22:43:00.003Z

Thanks to Joe Lonergan of Waterford city, who was involved in the earliest stages of the Guinness International Bluegrass Festival at Dunmore East, Co. Waterford, for the news that he is preparing the 1st International Bluegrass Festival at Tramore, Co. Waterford, to be held on the bank holiday weekend 1-4 June 2012. We look forward to being able to publish further details in due course.

Holmes & Henry: live on Drive FM, 21 Jan. 2012

2012-01-19T18:30:00.006Z

Colin Henry & Janet Holmes (photo: Richie Tindall)

Colin Henry reports:

Janet, accompanied by myself, will be live on Drive FM (105.3 FM) from Derry/Londonderry at 1.00 p.m. this Saturday (21 January). The programme is called 'For Folks Sake' and is hosted by Dessie Fisher. I think we will be taking up most of the programme, which runs until 2.30 p.m. The website is here.

JKBF 2012 in a new home: Tullamore

2012-01-19T12:51:00.005Z

Thanks to Chris Keenan and Kathy Casey (left and right respectively in the photo) for this major news for the 2012 festival season:

The organisers of the Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival wish to announce that the festival has moved to a new location...

The festival's new home will be TULLAMORE in the county of Offaly!

This move is seen as a positive step in making the festival more accessible with regards to location and in the form of accommodation, with a number of hotels, B&Bs, and camping facilities within the town's boundaries.

Further details will be released shortly, including lineup, events, and relevant information about Tullamore and surrounding area.

We hope everyone will join us in Tullamore 20-23 September 2012, to celebrate the start of our second decade!

ArtistWorks offer to open 2012

2012-01-18T18:22:00.005Z

The ArtistWorks Academy of Bluegrass, with its roster of A-list instructors on all six bluegrass instruments, is offering a new year's gift to subscribers to its regular e-mail newsletters. You can get one month extra, free (value $30), when you choose a three-month subscription to learn a bluegrass instrument online.

The Academy advises taking up the offer without delay: it will expire on Wednesday next week, 25 January 2012. For full details and links, read the Academy newsletter here.

Earl in the New Yorker - blog, that is

2012-01-18T12:23:00.004Z

Thanks to Bluegrass Today for drawing attention to the appearance of an article by Steve Martin about Earl Scruggs on the culture blog of the prestigious New Yorker magazine. Acknowledging help received from Gary Scruggs and from two master communicators and banjo historians Pete Wernick and Tony Trischka, the article provides a good overview of the career of the Father of Bluegrass Banjo, with a fine recent photo, and may have a surprise or two even for some who already know a good deal on the subject. And you get to hear 'Foggy Mountain breakdown'.

Niall Toner signs with Pinecastle Records

2012-01-17T18:30:00.001Z

Bandleader, singer/songwriter, broadcaster, and 'Godfather of Irish bluegrass' Niall Toner has joined the roster of artists on the prominent US bluegrass label Pinecastle Records. He will soon release a new single in Ireland, a song called 'Tomorrow', taken from his upcoming Pinecastle release - a new album of original material, due in autumn 2012 in conjunction with a US tour.

Niall's most recent release in the US was The sounds of the Blackstairs Mountains, featuring his tribute to the father of bluegrass, 'William Smith Monroe', which is still receiving extensive airplay on bluegrass radio. Niall writes:

I am thrilled and delighted to be the first Irish artist signed to Pinecastle Records. It's a dream come true for me, and an honour to be part of a label roster that includes many of my own musical heroes, like Jesse McReynolds and the Osborne Brothers. I look forward to working with Lonnie, Ethan, Matt, and the entire Pinecastle team. Onwards and upwards.

The Pinecastle press release includes tributes to Niall's achievement from Greg Cahill of Special Consensus (USA), Robert Weingartz, chairman and CEO of AirPlay Direct (Niall has the fastest rising bluegrass album in APD's history), and Paul Williams, songwriter and president of ASCAP. Niall's compositions have been recorded by many artists in and out of bluegrass, and in 2003 he was nominated for a Global Artist Award by the CMA. His radio show, Roots Freeway, is broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1. A feature is also on Bluegrass Today.

Welcome to Attila Tapolczai

2012-01-16T20:29:00.007Z

Attila (guitar) with his folk trio in Tübingen, Germany, 2005

The BIB welcomes a new member of the scene: Attila Tapolczai, born in Budapest, Hungary, who has achieved a long-term ambition by coming to live in Ireland. He arrived in Galway last September and will be joined by his friend and bass-player Laszlo Pasztor next month.

Attila came to bluegrass from punk rock: the band he played with since his mid teens has recorded five albums. Looking for 'a more relaxed but also powerful music', he turned increasingly to American and Irish folk music and to bluegrass. Since 2005 he has played both punk and acoustic music in Germany and Hungary, recording three albums with his acoustic group. Strongly influenced by Tony Rice as a guitarist, he also plays mandolin and writes original material.

Attila has had an interesting and eventful musical journey so far, and is looking forward to taking an active part on the scene here. Some of his solo work can be seen and heard on YouTube; check out the further links shown below, and read his full musical biography here.

Attila & Friends: Facebook; Soundcloud; Reverbnation
Attila Tapolczai: MySpace, YouTube

A game worth knowing

2012-01-15T16:33:00.005Z

The BIB editor reports:

The workshop given yesterday afternoon (14 Jan.) by Béla Fleck in Waltons New School of Music, George's Street, Dublin, was well attended. Fleck, who will be playing in concert with the original lineup of the Flecktones at the National Concert Hall this coming Tuesday (17 Jan.), responded to many questions on subjects ranging from banjo amplification to warm-ups (he uses three Bach pieces) to rhythms in Indian music, and let us hear plenty of his irreplaceable prewar TB-75 conversion. Anyone there had the opportunity to learn a lot.

To take one example: he described an 'improvisation game' played (offstage) by a particular band. The first musician thinks up a musical phrase and plays it till it satisfies him; the next musician devises something that will fit in with this phrase, and the two instruments then play together. The third instrument then plays something to fit the combined sound; and so on till everyone is playing and has contributed to the emergence of an overall sound. The first musician then adjusts what he is playing to suit the sound that has emerged, and the process begins all over again.

This can go on for as long as desired. As a means of producing 'togetherness' in a band that plays improvisational music like bluegrass, it seems hard to beat.

The Cabin Sessions: Dundrum, Dublin, 26 Jan. 2012

2012-01-15T16:22:00.000Z

On the continuing series of shows at Uncle Tom's Cabin (not far from Dundrum Luas station), Gerry Fitzpatrick announces:

Happy New Year to all.

This month's session takes place on Thursday 26 January, 9.30-11.30 p.m., with of course most of the usual suspects - the McGrane Family, Cathy McEvoy (fiddle), Con Butler (bass), and Gerry Fitzpatrick (dobro) - doing their stuff.

Special guests:
Tim Hawkins, Richard Hawkins, & Cathal Cusack (Trad American)
Emma Butler (contemporary folk)
Dave Hardy (clarinet)

Admission free. Hope to see you there.

If you or someone you know would like to perform at the Cabin Sessions, let me know [e-mail]. We are particularly interested in featuring local musicians & singers.

Gerry sends this link to a review of the Cabin Session held on Arthur's Day, 22 Sept. 2011, which gives a fair idea of the form and content of a characteristic night at the Cabin.

Butch Waller on Bluegrass Today

2012-01-14T22:38:00.004Z

Among American musicians who have left their mark on the scene here, Butch Waller holds a special place as leader of High Country, the premier hardcore California bluegrass band. High Country took part in the first Athy bluegrass festival in 1991 and returned by popular demand in 1993 and then again fifteen years later; on the left, Butch is shown on stage at Athy in 2008.

His place in bluegrass history back in the USA is even more assured, as shown in a feature on him by David Thom on Bluegrass Today two days ago. The feature includes a video of Butch and the legendary Frank Wakefield in a hair-raising duet on the Monroe tune 'Roanoke'.

Hot-rodding your resonator guitar

2012-01-12T18:30:00.005Z

We avoid saying 'your Dobro®', because Dobro® owners won't need the following advice. Owners of other resophonic guitars, however, may be interested in the Feb. 2012 issue of the UK magazine Guitar & Bass. There's a three-page article which takes one through ten clearly detailed stages for DIY-upgrading an Ozark resonator guitar.

The process, which includes replacing the cone but doesn't seem seriously expensive or difficult, left the instrument (according to Guitar & Bass) sounding 'louder, brighter, fatter, sweeter, and more dynamic'. Something we could all use.

Québec Redneck Bluegrass Project

2012-01-12T13:55:00.004Z

Thanks to Mark Corry, who writes:

I'm a bassist from Longford, but play bluegrass (of a sort) with five French Canadians. We all live in China but are talking about doing a tour in Europe later on in the year. We've done two albums so far (another in the pipeline) and sing in French, English, Irish and Chinese. Our music is available for free here.

I'd love if you could give us a mention on your blog. And any help or suggestions of sheltered street corners for busking would be very appreciated!

Here's a video of a song as gaeilge in Quebec last summer; and another video.

Mark also sends a bio giving the band's history, the full text of which can be read here.

New weekly bluegrass session in Sligo town

2012-01-10T17:40:00.002Z

Thanks to Gerry Grennan in Sligo town, who writes:

Hello and Happy New Year - just a mention of a new bluegrass session for beginners in McLynn’s pub, Old Market Street, Sligo, 9.30 p.m. every Monday. I would appreciate it if you could include it in your Calendar 2012 listing.

It's there now! McLynn's is a recognised music venue in the centre of Sligo, and videos from performances there can be seen on YouTube. A location map and contact details can be seen here.

The Wiyos - back in Ireland, 14-17 Feb. 2012

2012-01-10T14:53:00.001Z

Loudon Temple, of the Brookfield Knights agency in the UK, reported back in August 2011 that the Wiyos (USA) would be back in these islands in Feb. 2012, anchored by their appearance at the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow. Two dates were at that time given as open for Ireland. It now appears that the band will be playing four dates in this island, beginning with a return appearance at the Ubangi Stomp Club, Dublin city (where they played last April), and ending at Naul, Co. Dublin. All four dates are on the BIB calendar.

In April 2011 the Wiyos' shows in Ireland included Clonmel World Music, where the show sold out in advance. And by the way - the first Clonmel World Music show for 2012 will be on Thursday 2 Feb., featuring Zoe Muth & the Lost High Rollers from Seattle, USA. This is an alt.country band including electric guitar, electric bass, and drums, but with a lot of lead mandolin and some bluegrass-compatible songs. Check them out on YouTube.

Fleck and Washburn in Cork, 25 Jan. 2012

2012-01-09T21:41:00.003Z

Thanks to Junctions in Cork for the following comment on the BIB post about the forthcoming Béla Fleck workshop in Dublin on 14 Jan. The comment is important enough to deserve its own post:

Béla will also be appearing in Cork at the Pavilion on 25 Jan. This is part of the Junctions series and he will be joined by Abigail Washburn, Karan Casey and Buille. More details and tickets here.

Chris Stuart as Gaeilge

2012-01-07T12:58:00.006Z

Award-winning writer, songwriter, bandleader, and lead singer Chris Stuart from California has taken to the teanga.

Chris and his namesake and fellow award-winning songwriter, bandleader, and lead singer Chris Jones are currently writing some of the sharpest and funniest prose about bluegrass subjects on Bluegrass Today. And in his latest piece, setting out his 'non-New Year’s resolution' for 2012, Chris S. gives his objective for this year as Ciúnas gan uaigneas. Read the whole piece (in English) here.

Prison Love Sunday Session at Sin É, Dublin: 8 Jan. 2012

2012-01-06T22:26:00.005Z

Mark 'Marko' O'Mahony of Prison Love reports:

Prison Love will be at Sin É, Ormond Quay, Dublin, for a session this Sunday (8 Jan.) from 8.30 – admission free. Special guest on banjo – Colin Derham of I Draw Slow!

Location map

Happy birthday, Mr Scruggs

2012-01-06T14:17:00.004Z

Today is the 88th birthday of Earl Eugene Scruggs, Father of Bluegrass Banjo. Bluegrass Today carries a post by John Lawless, father of the original Bluegrass Blog, on the anniversary and how it is being celebrated in California.

The new issue of Bluegrass Europe (#82, Jan.-Mar. 2012), which is now reaching subscribers, includes an article by banjo maestro, teacher, and communicator Peter Wernick, entitled 'Earl Scruggs' contribution acknowledged at Monroe Centennial celebration', which includes his statement delivered at the International Bluegrass Music Museum on 13 Sept. 2011. Like the rest of this issue of BE, this is very much worth reading.

And (just to remind us what all this is about) this YouTube video shows Lester, Earl, and the Foggy Mountain Boys having a good time on an Earl Scruggs composition, 'Ground speed'.

Blue Cedar Project

2012-01-06T13:02:00.006Z

Thanks to Gerry Tully (guitar, vocals) and Emmett Vaughan (guitar, banjo, mandolin, vocals) for news of their new bluegrass and roots duo. Both have had wide and long musical experience before joining to form Blue Cedar Project, based in Co. Meath. To quote the Blue Cedar website:

We play bluegrass, roots, and blues music, focusing on the darker lyrical and melodic themes within these genres. Using acoustic instruments in an array of tunings, we strive to produce an authentic, original sound. We present our songs very simply, using vocal harmonies, guitar, mandolin, and banjo. This minimalistic approach is influenced by Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, and other progressive artists.

As well as covers of Gillian Welch, Old Crow Medicine Show, etc., Blue Cedar Project play many bluegrass standards and are writing their own material in a progressive bluegrass/ roots style. They recently secured a slot supporting Friends in Low Places: the Ultimate Garth Brooks Experience in a nationwide tour, playing major venues such as Vicar Street, Dublin. Check the dates on their website, where other features include a sampler video of their music. Blue Cedar Project are also on Facebook.

Bluegrass (?) ukulele

2012-01-04T15:13:00.004Z

With reference to what the BIB said a few days ago, that the ukulele is 'not yet' a bluegrass instrument - thanks to Eamonn Quigley, who sends this link to a YouTube video of ukulele maestro Jake Shimabukuro at a live show. The video has been given the title 'Bluegrass ukulele'; the channel owner notes that Shimabukuro 'introduced this as being inspired by his time with Bela Fleck'; and it's easy to imagine it being played in a Mountain Heart show.

This is outstanding playing, but it doesn't convince us that the uke has a future in bluegrass except as an occasional novelty. However, in consideration of the feelings of those who love the instrument, we're attaching this photo of a Martin 2T tenor ukulele.

Greetings from Mohill - and Hoogstraten

2012-01-04T12:24:00.003Z

Thanks to Tommy Kelleher, chief organiser of last year's 1st Annual Mohill Bluegrass Festival in Mohill, Co. Leitrim, who writes:

A very happy New Year to you, Richard, your family, and the Bluegrass Ireland Blog. Best wishes to all our supporters for 2012, from the Mohill Bluegrass Festival. Looking forward to seeing you in mid August 2012.

The Festival has its own Facebook, with photos and more from the 2011 event. Thanks also to Jan Michielsen of 4 Wheel Drive (headliners for this year's Athy Bluegrass Festival), who sends good wishes for 2012 and this link to the latest Cheap Aldi Camera movie, showing some of his family's Christmas in Hoogstraten, Belgium, and with a nice banjo piece as soundtrack - who can identify it?

Waltons introductory banjo class resumes for 2012

2012-01-04T12:00:00.000Z

Thanks to Paddy Kiernan (left), who sends a reminder that his 'Introduction to 5-string banjo' course will resume on Thursday 26 January 2012 at Walton's New School of Music on George's St., south central Dublin.

The school is taking enrolments now, and the link to its website page with all the details of the course is here.

New year news from Moniaive

2012-01-03T14:53:00.003Z

Paul Lyttle, organiser of the Moniaive Michaelmas Bluegrass Festival in Scotland, sends new year greetings and good wishes to all, and reports that he has added new features to the Moniaive website, including many videos by Sandy Holland of performances from the 2011 festival.

As announced on the BIB on 23 Dec. 2011, 'Criffel Creek', a new radio show from Alive Community Radio (107.3 FM) in Dumfries, starts on Sunday 22 January 2012 and runs from 10.00 a.m. to 12 noon then and on alternate Sundays thereafter. The show will consist of bluegrass, old timey, Americana, and gospel music, and listeners are encouraged to get in touch during the show and give Alive Radio feedback on the mix of music.

This year's Moniaive Michaelmas Bluegrass Festival will be held on 28-30 Sept. 2012, and the list of bands already confirmed includes two from Ulster: the Knotty Pine String Band from Omagh and the Down and Out Bluegrass Band from the Belfast region. The website adds: 'MMBF is currently in talks with a top-flight band from the USA. Keep an eye on the website as we will release details at the end of January 2012.'

Béla Fleck to give Dublin workshop, 14 Jan. 2012

2012-01-02T15:10:00.004Z

Thanks to Mike Gilchrist, whose Fickle3 Promotions is presenting Béla Fleck & the Flecktones at the National Concert Hall in Dublin on 17 Jan., for the news that Béla Fleck will be giving an intimate workshop in Dublin a few days before the concert.

The workshop is presented by Fickle3 Promotions in association with Waltons New School of Music, George's Street, Dublin 2, where it will be held on Saturday 14 January from 3.00 to 4.30 p.m. The entry fee is €25; Waltons recommend early booking, as no more than 35 people will be able to take part. During this workshop, Béla will share his experiences, demonstrate his own songs and techniques, and answer questions about his approach to banjo and his career.

Full details can be seen here, where a booking application form can also be downloaded.

Mike also announces that Dublin's own I Draw Slow will be opening for Béla & the Flecktones at the NCH on 17 January. More on this very shortly, when the BIB will be able to give a link to the full new press release for the concert, which will include details of the workshop.

New Year greetings

2012-01-01T18:51:00.007Z

Thanks to Colin Henry (centre in the photo, left, of Ferguson, Holmes, & Henry), who writes:

I want to take this opportunity at the start of a new year to thank our tireless editor Richard for all the effort and time, most of it single-handed, that has been put into the blog; not just last year but the six years it has been in existence. I am sure I speak for many when I say that it has been an invaluable source of information and interest. It is of course the main web presence of Irish bluegrass, and not only gives Irish bluegrassers a sense of community but lets the world (and I mean the world) know what talent exists here.

Thanks, Richard, for it all. How you get time to practise the banjo I do not know, but as we are all obsessed with playing we can always find the time for a few forward rolls (and backward rolls and forward/backward rolls and melodic licks, etc., etc.).

Happy New Year to the Blog, long may it continue.

And thanks to Gary Ferguson, Colin's US colleague in the trio - though we're sorry to hear the 2012 tour will be so short. Gary writes:

Please pass along my best wishes to everyone and mention that we (Colin, Janet and me) will only be doing two gigs in July and anyone wanting to come to the shows can contact us for any info. We will be at Flowerfield Arts Centre in Portstewart on 7 July and the Red Room in Cookstown on 8 July.

Happy New Year!

Happy new year - with ukuleles

2011-12-31T21:06:00.009Z

The Bluegrass Ireland Blog has now been in operation for just over six years, in which time over 2,400 posts have been published on it; nearly all of them are still there, and still accessible to anyone. We're happy to take this opportunity of thanking again Alice Toner, who originally set up the BIB, chose for it the appearance with which it still charms the world, and made it fully operational.

And we're also happy to be able to draw attention to another of Alice's achievements: 'Ukulele Hooley 2011', a documentary film which she made at the 2011 Ukulele Hooley by the Sea, held at Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, on 19-20 August. The documentary can be seen in two parts on the Uke Ireland & Ukuhooley Blog, and also on the Ukuhooley YouTube channel. The two parts, adding up to nearly half an hour, vividly convey the atmosphere of the event as well as some remarkable acoustic string music. Anyone with an interest in ukulele playing and related events in Ireland should visit these two sites.

The ukulele is enjoying renewed popularity at present, and old-time musicians seem increasingly fond of it. 'Is it a bluegrass instrument?', you ask. A prudent reply would be: 'Not yet'. But a video on the bluegrass scene in this island, comparable to Alice's documentary on the Ukuhooley, would be worth having.

Two Time Polka: new year weekend

2011-12-28T12:27:00.001Z

Ray Barron of Two Time Polka reports:

Here are our gigs over the new year weekend : -

Fri. 30 Dec. Langton's Hotel, John St., Kilkenny, Kickoff 9.00 p.m. Adm. free. Tel. 056 7765433
Sun. 1 Jan. Murph's Bar, Tramore, Co. Waterford. Kickoff 10.00 p.m. Adm. free. Tel. 051 386440
Mon. 2 Jan. O'Flaherty's Bar, Dingle, Co. Kerry. Kickoff 4.00 p.m. Adm. free. Tel. 066 9151983

Regards and thanks,
Ray and TTP

Sacred Harp in Cork: more on the new website

2011-12-27T19:33:00.004Z

The vigorous Sacred Harp singing community in Cork announces that the media page of its new website is now fully operational. Video and audio material, together with still photos, can be accessed there.

Post-Christmas jam at Ellie May's, 27 Dec.

2011-12-26T15:32:00.006Z

Thanks to Dangem Quality Instruments of Craigavon, Co. Armagh, for good news for anyone who would like some after-Christmas bluegrass: a bluegrass jam will be held from 3.30 p.m. tomorrow (27 Dec. 2011) at Ellie May's, Dunadry, Co. Antrim - just down the A57 off of the M2. For a location map, click here. Dangem add:

Leave the better half off at Junction 1 to shop and book them in for tea (big points for that one, guys).

You can see the whole release, with inside and outside views of the venue, here.

Christmas greetings

2011-12-26T14:05:00.003Z

Thanks to Arnie and Sharon Loughrin in Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, for Christmas greetings; Sharon adds:

I'm attaching a wee link with a Christmas tune from Monday night's house concert.* We had Aaron [Jonah Lewis] for an extra couple of nights and the Broken String Band were kind enough to let him join their Wednesday night session in Balloo House; also fitted in a trip to the Folk Park and a drive through the Sperrins.

* At the Red Room, where the Kennedy, Lewis, Hicks Trio played on 19 December. More photos and videos from the evening can be seen on the Red Room Facebook page and on Sharon's YouTube channel.

You can also hear a six-minute medley of Christmas tunes played solo by the unique Béla Fleck in this post on Bluegrass Today. Don't forget that Fleck and the original Flecktones will be in concert at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, on 17 January 2012. Tickets can be booked online.

Thanks also for Christmas greetings from John, Monika and Sean Bermingham at Croc an Oir, Mullinahone, Co. Tipperary, one of the most unique music venues in this country.

Christmas greetings from the BIB

2011-12-24T16:00:00.000Z

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

In 2012 (and for the foreseeable future) keep looking at Bluegrass Today (the splendid new form of the original Bluegrass Blog), the European Bluegrass Blog, and all the other fine sources of news on our music!

Good news for the coming spring

2011-12-24T13:49:00.007Z

The Special C.: David Thomas, Greg Cahill, Rick Faris, Dustin Benson

A new album by the Special Consensus (USA) in the band's present configuration (see above) may be released as early as March 2012. It has been recorded in the Compass Records studio in Nashville. Special C. leader Greg Cahill is delighted with the producing (by Alison Brown herself), the material (songs by Jon Weisberger & Tim Stafford, Brink Brinkman & Tony Rackley, Becky Buller, Dixie & Tom T. Hall, Ryan Roberts, etc.; two original instrumentals; an a cappella gospel song by the Golden Gate Quartet; and more), and the band's own performances. Look for further details in the near future on Bluegrass Today and in due course on the Special C. website.

Update 29 Dec.: More detail is now (as of 28 Dec.) on Bluegrass Today.

Cani Bruton: a tribute

2011-12-24T12:13:00.005Z

Vinny Baker of Bending the Strings and the VeeBee Recording Studio, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, sends sad news and a tribute:

This week I lost a very close and dear friend, Cani Bruton, an excellent upright bassist, who died from a heart attack in his home on 20 December... he was just 48 years old.

Cani, a native of Mullingar and a bass player since his early teens, played with a vast number of people in the music business, mostly in the rock and blues scene; but in the past three years he developed a huge interest in bluegrass, newgrass, gypsy jazz, swing, and in particular the music of David Grisman, known as 'Dawg music'... a mix of bluegrass instrumental and jazz. He jammed with myself and mandolin player Joe Meehan every week at my studio over the past few years and was an extremely capable bassist.

His death, which happened so suddenly, has left the entire musician community in Mullingar completely numb, and indeed heartbroken, as he was well loved by all his friends in the Mullingar music scene.

He was always the first bass player I would call when I needed someone to do a bass session in the studio; and being such a fine and experienced player, Cani is on sessions from VeeBee studio, ranging from rock to folk to jazz and bluegrass.

His death has left a huge void in the lives of so many of us musicians, and all of us are finding it so difficult to come to terms with this huge loss of such a dear friend and musician.

May you Rest in Peace, Cani, we all miss you so much.

Moniaive on the air

2011-12-23T20:27:00.003Z

Thanks to Paul Lyttle, organiser of the Moniaive Bluegrass Festival in Scotland, who reports:

if you tune into Alive Radio on Wednesday 28 December between 6.00 p.m. and 8.00 p.m. you will hear a show hosted by Dave Macfarlane and myself which is dedicated to bluegrass music and the Moniaive Michaelmas Bluegrass Festival. Dave and I will present the show and use it as a platform for the forthcoming 'Criffel Creek' show on alternate Sundays 10.00 a.m.-12 noon... starting date to be announced soon.

Meantime have a very Merry Christmas,

Paul

A Dobro 'White Christmas'

2011-12-21T11:22:00.006Z

Thanks to Colin Henry, who writes:

Thought you might like to put this link on the Blog. I was in the recording studio this week and when we had finished I took ten minutes and recorded one of my favorite Christmas songs with some 'cheesy' backing. Josh Graves named his dobro 'Julie'... I think I will now call mine 'Bing'! Happy Christmas to everyone.

The photo, from Gerard Thompson's album, shows Colin and 'Bing' on stage - and is that Mel Corry behind?

Solid bluegrass in Dublin pre-Christmas

2011-12-20T20:58:00.008Z

>Thanks to Hugh Taggart, lead singer and guitarist of Well Enough Alone (above), who reports:

Well Enough Alone will be supporting the Cujo Family in the Button Factory, Curved St., Dublin 2, this Thursday (22 December). Doors are at 7.30; no cover charge.

Hugh Taggart and friends will be playing an early show of bluegrass and country songs in Sweeney's bar on Dame St. this Friday (23 December) from 5.00 till 7.00 p.m.; no cover charge.

8th BelNash Fest, 22-6 Feb. 2012

2011-12-20T18:21:00.004Z

Thanks to Colin Magee, Panarts director, for news of the 8th Panarts Belfast Nashville Songwriters' Festival & Songwriting Convention, which will be held in Belfast during 22-6 February 2012. More than 100 songwriters, including Nanci Griffith (above), will perform in thirty-five concerts and showcases over the five days. Tickets are now available online. Full details are in this e-newsletter.

Acoustic Guitar magazine, Jan. 2012

2011-12-19T18:28:00.005Z

Acoustic Guitar magazine #229 (Jan. 2012; at present in the shops) has several features of interest to bluegrass/old-time fans: the continuation of Kathy Barwick's instructional series on crosspicking; reviews of two CDs, Kenny Smith's Return and Noam Pikelny's Beat the devil and carry a rail; Jody Stecher's arrangement of 'Fair and tender ladies'; and an article on the Carolina Chocolate Drops in their recent four-piece lineup. The 'current' issue, #230 (Feb. 2012) has Gillian Welch & David Rawlings on the cover and Hank Williams's 'I'm so lonesome I could cry' as one of the featured songs.

Meanwhile, in Acoustic magazine (no relation), Leon Hunt assesses two intermediate-range 5-string banjos now marketed under the 'Vintage' name. And - a completely unconnected but serendipitous find - you might also look up the Findajo Vintage Banjos website; though the catalogue consists mainly of 4-string instruments, there are some remarkable 5-strings, including what is said to be the second Gibson Mastertone RB-4 ever made.

Frank Marion Necessary, 20 Dec. 1935-15 Dec. 2011

2011-12-18T13:25:00.007Z

A month ago (see the BIB for 16 Nov.) we had occasion to mention Reno-style banjo-player Frank Necessary, longtime musical partner of AL Jones, and their band the Spruce Mountain Boys. Jay Armsworthy, IBMA member, sends the sad news that Frank Necessary died on Thursday afternoon, 15 December, after a long illness. His funeral will be held on Wednesday 21 Dec. in Leonardtown, Maryland. Niall Toner writes:

I share the sadness at the news of the passing of Frank Necessary. I had played with Frank and Al Jones at the 2005 Jerusalem Ridge Festival, and I was due to interview Al during my recent visit in connection with Bill Monroe, but I understand that he was at Frank's bedside in the hospital since early September. May he rest in peace.

The image above shows the cover of the band's early Rounder album (now out of print). A fine photo of Frank Necessary, together with funeral details and a condolence list, can be seen here. The photo below, taken by Moira Toner, shows Niall with Frank (left) and AL Jones beside the Spruce Mountain Boys trailer, rehearsing for their set at Jerusalem Ridge in 2005.

Christmas greetings from Woodbine

2011-12-17T18:45:00.006Z

Tony O'Brien writes:

Woodbine would like to wish all our friends a very happy Christmas and a bright new year.

Thanks for the fantastic support that made 2011 our most successful year to date. We look forward to meeting you all again during 2012.

4 Wheel Drive to head the bill at Athy 2012 festival

2011-12-17T18:01:00.009Z

Multi-award-winning European band 4 Wheel Drive, a favourite with bluegrass audiences in Ireland for a decade, will top the bill at the 22nd Athy Bluegrass Festival.

The Athy festival, founded in 1991, is the longest-running annual bluegrass event in this island. Tony O'Brien, director of the festival since 1998, first booked 4 Wheel Drive in 2001, the first of many appearances the band has made in Ireland. Tony announces that the coming Athy festival will be held on the weekend 13-15 July 2012, located in the GAA Club, Dublin Road, Athy, the venue for several earlier festivals. Full supporting lineup will be announced soon.

For Athy info, contact Tony O’Brien, 21 Kilkenny Road, Ballylinan, Athy, Co. Kildare; +353 (0)59 8625266; e-mail.

More Winter Music Weekend news

2011-12-16T14:25:00.003Z

Thanks again to Brendan Walsh and the rest of the Winter Music Weekend crew at Sixmilebridge, Co. Clare, for more information on the coming Weekend (12-15 Jan. 2012). The many new features this year include twenty concerts and sessions in the Folk Park at Bunratty Castle; a Poetry Corner in the Courthouse after Saturday lunch; and a session in the festival club after midnight on Saturday, hosted by the indefatigable Down and Out Bluegrass Band.

The Bunratty Castle Hotel has a special festival offer of two nights B&B for two people for €150, and there's a free shuttle-bus service between the hotel and Sixmilebridge on Friday and Saturday nights. You may wish to take the easy way out and join Sixmilebridge Folk Club; if so, application forms are available. Oh yes - and a ticket for the whole weekend costs €60. More details at the Weekend website.

Not just a classic - a bargain

2011-12-14T12:04:00.004Z

Three weeks ago (25 Nov.) we reported news from Richard F Thompson that Foggy Mountain jamboree, the 1957 Columbia album by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, is to be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame®. We now learn that this classic album is available on Amazon.co.uk for £4.07 (or even less from other sources linked to the Amazon site).

Update 21 Jan.: Thanks to the marvels of licensed reissue, equivalent bargains in compilations of classic tracks by Flatt & Scruggs, Bill Monroe, the Stanley Brothers, etc., may also be available at your nearest supplier of bluegrass CDs.

Little Ass Birds launch new CD, 21 Dec. 2011

2011-12-13T17:34:00.005Z

Thanks to Conor Doyle of the Little Ass Birds for this news:

Little Ass Birds (LABs) play the Cobblestone in Dublin on Wednesday 21 December; doors 8.30 p.m., show begins at 9.00 p.m. It promises to be a great fun and festive night with supports from Ben Scott (Australian folk songwriter) and from folk duo 'Charlie & Benny'. LABs' debut CD Up in the air will be on sale on the night.

Also, Charleen and I ('Charlie & Benny') will be playing again at the Cabin Sessions, Dundrum, on Thursday 29 Dec.

Bluegrass and old-time music in Britain: on video

2011-12-13T14:20:00.004Z

Thanks to John Breese in Britain for news of his 26½-minute video documentary 'Bluegrass & old-time: an exploration of the music in the UK', produced as part of his Master's course at Southampton University, with support from the British Bluegrass Music Association. You can watch it here; it is one of the videos on the Bath Bluegrass School's YouTube channel.

There's plenty of music throughout, either on the soundtrack or from footage of individual musicians or jams, but the video is not primarily meant to be a showcase for bands or festivals. Space is deservedly given to the Sore Fingers Summer Schools, one of Britain's main gifts to the bluegrass world. Major figures from bluegrass and old-time music in Britain can be seen and heard giving their views on the scene, how they came to it, and where it is going. Anyone in touch with the scene in Britain will see familiar faces here (including one eminent US musician who has often played in Ireland).

The BIB cordially recommends this video - and, incidentally, wonders what the chances are of an equivalent production for this island...

Tupelo in Whelans, Dublin, 17 Dec. 2011

2011-12-12T20:58:00.004Z

Thanks to Kevin Duffy, fiddle player with Dublin-based acoustic roots band Tupelo, for the news that the band will be playing upstairs at Whelan's, Wexford St., Dublin 2, on Saturday 17 December. Full details are on the poster (left; click on the image for an enlarged view). The band's press release quotes their lead singer, James Cramer:

I saw an Emmylou Harris performance on TV and I knew I had to have a fiddle in the band. It worked from the first song. You can search all your life and never find the right people but it was finally together and that was the start of Tupelo.

Get your band on the DanGem bands page

2011-12-12T13:47:00.004Z

Thanks to Derek Lockhart of DanGem Quality Instruments of Craigavon, Co. Armagh, who writes:

We are going to revamp the 'Bluegrass bands' page on our site. If any bluegrass band would like to have a presence on the page, just drop us an e-mail. This is a resource for all bluegrass bands, and is free of charge. If they send us the following, we will gladly include them.

Name of band
Contact details: 'phone
Contact details: e-mail
Picture of band
URL of band website (if you have one)

Off Quay Song Club, Kinvara, Co. Galway

2011-12-11T13:32:00.006Z

Thanks to Pete Lamb in Galway, who sends word of:

... a new singer/songwriter night happening 9.00 p.m. every Thursday in Connolly's, Kinvara. Live original music in a superb cosy, intimate venue in a village world-renowned for its musical tradition. Free entry. It's not strictly bluegrass, or even Americana... but those genres being close to my heart, performers in that style will naturally be warmly welcomed!

Anyone interested in performing can message me on Facebook, e-mail me, or contact me on 085-1033709. Or better still, just turn up and take a look.

We look forward to hearing further from Pete about future development of the Club, and about the 2012 Galway Americana festival.

13th Shannonside Winter Music Weekend, 12-15 Jan. 2012

2011-12-11T12:59:00.005Z

Thanks to Brendan Walsh and his team for the latest news of the 13th Shannonside Winter Music Weekend, to be presented by the Sixmilebridge Folk Club in Co. Clare a month from now.

The Weekend has been for many years the essential New Year livener-up for acoustic music fans, with high-calibre guest artists (e.g. Special Consensus (USA) in 2011) heading eclectic programmes of music, dance, and poetry. The 2012 Weekend will comprise a total of seventy events in fifteen venues in and around Sixmilebridge, including the fine setting of the Bunratty Folk Park. Brendan reports that you can now download the brochure as a pdf document from the Weekend website, and writes:

Great lineup of acoustic roots bands this year inc. Sarah Savoy & the Francadians Cajun band, I Draw Slow, the Carrivick Sisters (UK), Wookalily, Down and Out Bluegrass Band, Red Cloud Bluegrass, Gypsy Rebel Rabble, and Woody Guthrie sessions led by John Nyhan, just to mention the genres your readers might be interested in.

There are only forty weekend tickets left, and as you know our venue is small; so if you know anyone interested you might let them know. They are available to buy now at the festival office: tel. 061 713605 (9.30-1.00 and 2.00-5.00 weekdays).

The full programme, with bands, times, and locations, can be seen here.

Ruth Moody in Ireland, Jan-Feb. 2012

2011-12-10T17:39:00.008Z

Ruth Moody, born in Australia and raised in Canada, was in Ireland in May 2008 with the Wailin’ Jennys (see the BIB for 14 Mar. 2008), of which she is a founder member. She is also former lead singer of the Canadian roots band Scruj MacDuhk (which became the Duhks, and begat the Turtle Duhks, who played at this year's Omagh festival), and she has appeared many times on the radio show 'A Prairie Home Companion'.

Thanks to G Promo PR for the news that she will be in Britain and Ireland for a tour lasting from 13 January to 9 February 2012, fitting in with the release of her solo album The garden and with her taking part in the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow.

January
Sat. 28th: The Black Box, Belfast (as part of Out To Lunch Festival); 028 9024 6609; £6. NB: this is an afternoon show (2.00 p.m.).
Sun. 29th: The Hawk's Well Theatre, Sligo town; +353 (0) 71 916 1518; €TBC, 8.00 p.m.
Mon. 30th: The Brontë Centre, Rathfriland, Co. Down; 028 40623322; £TBC, 8.30 p.m.

February
Celtic Connections: 'Transatlantic Sessions' tour with Raul Malo, Jerry Douglas, Aly Bain, Danny Thompson, Tim O'Brien, Eddi Reader, Karen Matheson, & more
Tues. 7th Feb. The Convention Centre, Dublin; 0818 719377; €40.20/€42.20, 8.00 p.m.

I Draw Slow at the Grand Social, Dublin, 17 Dec. 2011

2011-12-09T21:50:00.000Z

L-r: Colin Derham, Louise Holden, Konrad Liddy, Dave Holden, Adrian Hart

Thanks to Dave Holden for the news that a week tomorrow (Saturday 17 December) Dublin roots band I Draw Slow play The Grand Social, 35 Lower Liffey St., by the Ha'penny Bridge, Dublin 1; their last gig in 2011, and their third appearance in the venue in the last six months. Doors 8.00 p.m.; admission €10. Their press kit says:

'Captivating' (Irish Times), 'achingly beautiful' (Hot Press), 'polished and gutsy' (Sunday Times), Dublin roots band I Draw Slow have been drumming up enthusiastic reviews in Ireland since the release of their top-ten-selling second album, Redhills. However, their impact abroad is redrawing the map for these Irish/Americana songwriters. They have been described in the UK press as 'American top league equivalents' destined 'to blow the opposition away', drawing favourable comparisons with Gillian Welch and Alison Krauss. The band has been invited to tour the UK, Germany, Denmark, and Belgium in 2012 so catch them while you can.

A treat for old-time fans: the Kennedy, Lewis, Hicks Trio in Ireland, Dec. 2011

2011-12-09T21:25:00.001Z

Thanks to Noriana Kennedy, who sends this update on dates scheduled for the Kennedy, Lewis, Hicks Trio:

Fri. 16 Dec. Spells, Ballaghadereen, 10.00 p.m.
Sat. 17 Dec. The Pillar House, Ballinasloe, 10.00 p.m.
Sun. 18 Dec. Boyles of Slane, Slane, 10.00 p.m.
Mon. 19 Dec. The Red Room, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, 8.30 p.m.

Brimming with the pure good stuff, the Kennedy, Lewis, Hicks Trio bring old-time dance rhythms, lyrical ballads, and roaring ragtime tunes to engage and wow audiences in Ireland this winter. Aaron Jonah Lewis, with credentials hard to beat, has won awards at the US's most prestigious bluegrass festivals including first prize at the Galax Old Fiddlers Convention 2007. His hauntingly powerful command of the fiddle takes you on a journey to his Virginia roots and the music that moved and continues to move generations. Joining him on vocals for this special tour is Galway-based roots singer Noriana Kennedy (Mad Uncle Harry) who is creating a buzz nationally with her much acclaimed Irish/American folk album Ebb n flow. Completing the trio is banjo/guitar player Sleepy Ed Hicks (UK). Ed has been impressing audiences with his distinct style and 'proves that the banjo is the most versatile instrument in existence'. Drawing deeply from the old-time and bluegrass traditions, their sound together will leave you dancing, hollering, and howling at the moon.

KLH webpage
Listen to Aaron Jonah Lewis and Ed Hicks album

Noriana Kennedy
30 Crescent Court
Fr Griffin Road
Galway city
Tel. 0861003342; e-mail

Bluegrass education - and more

2011-12-08T12:10:00.008Z

Thanks to James Taylor of ArtistWorks for this link to an interview with David Butler on the EdTechDigest website, on the future of music education, with special reference to the interactive video method for which ArtistWorks is famous (see the BIB post of 27 Nov., for instance).

Banjo players should make a point of seeing the video that shows ten minutes of Jens Kruger talking to Tony Trischka, and more footage of Kruger playing at a banjo workshop.

Thanks also to Ned Luberecki, Megan Lynch, and Stephen Mougin of the Nashville Music Workshop for this link to news of their own online bluegrass instruction system, together with links to the Hangout websites for the bluegrass instruments - and Christmas greetings, which the BIB cordially reciprocates.

Addendum: And there's always the father of instructional media for the bluegrass instruments: Happy Traum's Homespun. Just in the last week or so, Homespun news has included downloadable sets on harmony singing and bluegrass jamming, lessons from Sam Bush on bluegrass mandolin and Ken Perlman on clawhammer banjo, a free fingerstyle guitar lesson, and more. Read a Homespun e-newsletter; among the free goodies available are eleven pages of advice by Happy Traum on effective performing in public, which are available in pdf form here for download.

Update 10 Dec.: ... and Homespun also have gift certificates.

Sacred Harp in Cork: new website

2011-12-06T18:02:00.006Z

Following the BIB post of 26 November - thanks again to Vicky Langan, who sends the news that the Cork Sacred Harp singers now have a new website, with links to Twitter, audio files, and more. Active preparations for the Second Ireland Sacred Harp Convention and Singing School (3-4 Mar. 2012) are in progress.

Niall Toner on RTÉ Radio 1 over Christmas

2011-12-06T15:21:00.005Z

Niall Toner sends a reminder:

My IMRO Special with actor/songwriter/singer Paul Williams, recorded at the John Field Room in the National Concert Hall, Dublin, goes out under the 'Behind the lines' banner on RTÉ Radio 1 on 26 December at 9.00 p.m.

I have another special on RTÉ Radio 1 called 'Rathgar to Rosine: a personal odyssey in search of the music of Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass', which will be broadcast on Thursday 29 December at 2.00 p.m.

And my Roots Freeway show returns to the airwaves on 10 December at 11.00 p.m. with its healthy mixture of roots, folk, bluegrass, singer/songwriters, and traditional music, as well as gig guides and guests.

In January 2012 Roots Freeway will also be offering listeners another chance to enter an exclusive free competition in which they can win a superb guitar or mandolin.

Niall Toner Band
Roots Freeway
Niall Toner MySpace

BIB editor's note: The Paul Williams with whom Niall is appearing is not Jimmy Martin's tenor singer and mandolinist - still very much active and recording with J.D. Crowe and Doyle Lawson as well as with his own Victory Trio - but the songwriter who composed the hit songs for the Carpenters.

Update 7 Dec.: See also the section on Niall in the latest Mountain Music Entertainment e-newsletter.

Bluegrass for Pudsey - the triumphant total

2011-11-29T19:44:00.005Z

As reported on the BIB, bluegrass sessions were held in aid of Children in Need on the first three weekends in November at Ellie May's (left) in Dunadry, Co. Antrim. Tony Curran reports the outcome:

I know everyone will be delighted to learn that we managed to raise a total of £517.83 (and an American quarter dollar that someone thought was a 10p!) for the appeal. This magnificent sum was in no small measure due to the support we had from all the bluegrass community, including an unexpected visit to the 'Black North' by Sean McManus and PJ, who stayed over in his camper at Ellie May's on the evening of the 19th!!

MANY, MANY, MANY THANKS! to all who helped! I hope to be able to present Ray (the manager/tenant) of Ellie May's with a certificate of our donation - with suitable media coverage (of course!) - as soon as I receive it from Pudsey headquarters!

What a good result! Thanks again to all who contributed with time, money, playing skills, and friendship!

Americana concert at Roscrea, 10 Dec.: update

2011-11-29T17:54:00.004Z

Following the BIB post of 26 November on the coming concert of Americana in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, on 10 December, the concert organiser, Tom Stapleton, writes:

We have decided to offer the Bluegrass Ireland Blog viewers the same deal as our mailing list: i.e. €10 admission to any Bluegrass Ireland Blog viewers who text 087-2238040 to reserve.

The BIB thanks Tom for this generous offer.

Academy of Bluegrass Xmas gift certificates

2011-11-27T20:56:00.002Z

The ArtistWorks Academy of Bluegrass, with its overpowering roster of maestros teaching through interactive video lessons, is offering gift certificates this Christmas for hundreds of online banjo, guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and bass lessons at all levels from beginner to advanced (not to mention lessons ArtistWorks offer in other instruments in other genres). Read the full details here.

Sacred Harp in Cork!

2011-11-26T18:33:00.013Z

For years your editor has muttered about how good Sacred Harp singing is - both in itself, and as a vital soil for the growth of bluegrass harmony - and about how scarce it is in Ireland. Now we learn that there's a lively Sacred Harp community in Cork, centred on UCC music department. Vicky Langan writes:

Hey there, just stumbled across an old blog post of yours on the last English convention. A pity you missed out on Ireland's first ever Sacred Harp singing convention last March! We had visitors from the US and Europe, teachers from Alabama and Georgia, and a whole lotta craic was had over the course of three days.

Don't miss this year's convention! [3-4 March 2012] PS: We've been singing in Cork for three years now. Come and join us any Thursday evening.

The Thursday evening sessions are at the Camden Palace, Camden Quay, Cork city, from 7.00 to 9.00 p.m. For more details, see the 'Regular singings' page of the Cork Shape Note website. We'd be glad also to hear from anyone who took part in the Belfast Sacred Harp workshop six weeks ago.

Update: We now learn that the Cork shape-note community took a large part in the Belfast event, and that Vicky recently organised a workshop at Campbell's Tavern, Headford, Co. Galway, as part of the Americana Month there (see the BIB of 9 November). Also, get a feel of the sound and atmosphere from the Cork Sacred Harp YouTube channel, where five of the seven videos are from the March 2011 convention.

Further update: See this item on the European Bluegrass Blog.

Night of Americana in Roscrea, 10 Dec. 2011

2011-11-26T14:34:00.004Z

Thanks to Tom Stapleton, doyen of Americana promoters in Ireland, for news of a special night of Americana music and song, to be held at the Damer Court Hotel, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, on Saturday 10 December 2011. And there's a discount on the price of admission for anyone who is on Tom's mailing list.

The show features Americana music and song from Bill Monroe to Gillian Welch, including favourites from the film O brother where art thou?, and the lineup includes Ireland's senior old-time and bluegrass group, the Lee Valley String Band (see the lads on YouTube), who offer 'an understanding and delivery of traditional American music that is not time-dependent', according to Folk Roots magazine.

Also appearing is New Yorker Ari Hest (see him on YouTube, too). Doors open at the Damer Court at 8.30 p.m. and tickets are €15 at the door or €10 for mailing list subscribers. Call 087-2238040.

Update 29 Nov.: Tom has just generously extended the same discount to BIB readers, who should call the same number.

Tom Stapleton
Mountheaton
Roscrea, Co. Tipperary
Mobile +353 (0)87 2238040; land line +353 (0)505 21647
Skype: tomstapleton

Prison Love Sunday Session at Sin É, Dublin: 27 Nov. 2011

2011-11-25T17:58:00.002Z

Mark 'Marko' O'Mahony of Prison Love reports:

The second of our free Sunday Sessions is happening this Sunday (27th Nov.) at Sin É, Ormond Quay, Dublin 7. Really enjoyed the session there a few weeks back – good sound and great atmosphere.

We have an earlier kickoff time of 8.30 p.m. and will be finishing up at about 10.30. The bar will be serving delicious tapas from 6.00 p.m. if you want to get in there early. Admission FREE.

7th Temple Bar Trad Fest, 25-29 Jan. 2012

2011-11-25T17:33:00.005Z

Bluegrass and old-time musicians who also play Irish music and are in, or within reach of, the Dublin area should note that the 7th Temple Bar Trad Fest will be on in that part of the city centre from 25 to 29 January 2012. No programme details are on the website at present, but we're informed that a buskers' stage will be open on 28 and 29 January for talent not on the main schedule.

As a reassurance that 'trad' is not interpreted exclusively - on the IMRO showcase page of the festival website, the musicians shown in the video include Lena Ullman with 5-string banjo. Thanks to Temple Bar Traders for the news.

Classic albums recognised

2011-11-25T11:47:00.006Z

Good news on the Bluegrass Today website for all who want their knowledge of classic bluegrass albums to be either confirmed or extended. First, Richard F Thompson reports that Foggy Mountain jamboree, the 1957 Columbia album by Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, will be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame®. Richard's report includes a description of the album's contents, a link to where you can sample it on iTunes, and - for an extra treat - a video from one of the band's TV appearances (with Hylo Brown playing bass).

Secondly, bluegrass DJ and record retailer Daniel Mullins begins a new weekly series to let newcomers to bluegrass know of the great milestone albums of the past that are still accessible. The series begins with Tony Rice's 1983 solo album on Sugar Hill, Church Street blues. Read Daniel's reasons for beginning with this album here. We look forward to the rest of this series.

NTB in Islandbridge, Dublin, 26 Nov. 2011

2011-11-24T17:20:00.004Z

A show by the Niall Toner Band is at the top of the present gig listing from Musiclee.ie. The band will be playing at the Commercial Rowing Club, Long Meadows, Islandbridge, Dublin 8, on this coming Saturday, 26 November, at 8.30 p.m. Tickets €10 (€8 if booked in advance), which for a band of this distinction seems a real bargain.

The Commercial Rowing Club is one of a series of rowing clubs on the Liffey side of the Chapelizod Road (R109), which runs alongside the wall of the Phoenix Park. A month ago I Draw Slow played there at the opening show of the Island Bridge Roots and Trad Club; the NTB show will also be an IBR&TC affair.

For further info call 086-2249262. Other Musiclee shows in the coming month can be seen on the same page.

Rural Rhythm news

2011-11-24T14:42:00.005Z

Thanks to Roger Ryan of the Country Music Association of Ireland for drawing attention to the release by Rural Rhythm Records of Bill Monroe 100th Year Celebration: Live at Bean Blossom. The title may raise false hopes: it wasn't possible to return the Father of Bluegrass to this life for the occasion, but a whole pile of top-line people in today's bluegrass world were on the album, and many of them were also at yesterday's release party.

Full details of the event are on the Rural Rhythm news page, together with links to details of the album and other good things on the RR website - if you have five minutes to spare, we recommend viewing the Graves Mountain All Star Jam promo video, which is also on YouTube.

Crosspicking: taught by Kathy Barwick

2011-11-23T20:06:00.006Z

Thanks to Cathal Cusack for this link to an instructional feature in the online version of the current issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine.

In the feature Kathy Barwick (interviewed by Scott Nygaard) goes through some of the material she covered at her Dublin workshop in June this year (see the 7 September post on the BIB). Ten exercises in crosspicking are shown in tab and standard notation, and in the online version Kathy also demonstrates them, together with a 'lick of the month', on video.

Cathal comments: 'Probably of interest to guitar players in the bluegrass area' - quite rightly, as coincidentally (?) this year George Shuffler, whose work with the Stanley Brothers made crosspicking a vital part of bluegrass guitar playing, was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.

End of an era in Westport

2011-11-23T18:51:00.003Z

Uri Kohen of Electric Cave Production reports from Co. Mayo:

During last week we learned of the closure of Geraghty's pub in Westport, one of the oldest in the town. Since its reopening around seven years ago, the pub set itself to become the leading music venue in the town.

Around four years ago the Electric Cave Production and John (the pub owner) had a clear vision to turn the pub into one of the main music venues in the country. More than 100 gigs, featuring artists from all over the world, were performed there. Some of the best folk and bluegrass acts from Ireland and beyond left their mark on the west's music scene. David Hope was the artist who opened the 'Unfinished Music' series, and together we raised the standards of all music shows in the town.

The pub was also the official home of Westport Folk & Bluegrass Festival in recent years. John and his team - Gemma, Louis, and Brendan - looked after all the artists as family, and they all told us about their great experiences in the pub. The B&B over the pub provided a warm bed to all the artists that came through the pub's doors.

The closure of the pub will mark a change in the music scene in Westport, and will leave a big hole in the country music venues landscape. The Electric Cave Production are now in the process of finalising the lineup for the 2012 Westport Folk & Bluegrass Festival, but are also looking for a new home.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank John and his team for all the years and the great memories they left us. May the future be bright to us all.

For all of you music lovers - see you in Westport.

The photo shows Jeff & Vida (USA) in Geraghty's a year ago, when they had driven through extreme weather conditions to be there.

Bluegrass Slow Jam at Walton's - off to a good start

2011-11-22T19:22:00.005Z

Paddy Kiernan (left), whose 'Introduction to 5-string banjo' course' is doing well at Walton's New School of Music in central Dublin, reports:

Last Friday saw the first ever Bluegrass Slow Jam held at Walton's School of Music. It was very well received, and so we've decided to hold another one on Friday 2 December. All the information can be found on the School of Music website, which also includes information on Cathy McEvoy's forthcoming Bluegrass Fiddle Workshop. Anyone with any questions about the class, or about banjo lessons, can contact me by e-mail.

Update 23 Nov.: Paddy hopes to be able to send photos from the next jam session for the blog, as well as details of another beginners' banjo class in the new year.

Belfast Bluegrass is one year old!

2011-11-22T18:56:00.000Z

Richard Leeman, of Belfast Bluegrass (and the Down and Out Bluegrass Band), reports:

The next Belfast Bluegrass session takes place on Tuesday 6 December upstairs in the Errigle Inn, Ormeau Road, Belfast, starting at around 8.30 p.m. As well as being our last one before Christmas, this session is particularly notable as it is one year since the session started, in December 2010. We have had some great evenings over the last year, as well as a memorable afternoon at the Open House Festival in June, but the most pleasing aspect of the sessions has been the new friendships that have been formed between bluegrass musicians from Belfast and beyond.

The session only exists because of the enthusiastic participation of local musicians, many of whom have been at almost every one over the last year. To all our 'regulars' (they know who they are) I would like to say a very big thank you, and I hope they have enjoyed our monthly get-togethers as much as I have. I also want to say thanks to our hosts, the Errigle Inn, and to everyone who has helped spread the word or promote the session. With your support, I hope that the session can continue for many years to come.

Dangem Bluegrass Get-Together, 26 Nov. 2011

2011-11-21T13:17:00.001Z

Dangem Quality Instruments of Craigavon, Co. Armagh, report that the next in their monthly schedule of Saturday morning jam-and-teaching sessions - the Dangem Bluegrass Get-Togethers - will be on Saturday 26 November, with the familiar venue, times, and programme:

9.30/10.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon at the Lagan Valley Island, Island Civic Centre, Lisburn BT27 4RL, Co. Antrim; tel. 028 9250 9292

9.30-10.00: Warm up
10.00-11.00: Split up for banjo beginners class
11.00-12.00: All join in the sing-along and jam session

Dangem's full e-mail bulletin can be read here.

Bending the Strings play Mullingar Park Hotel next Sat night., 26 Nov. 2011

2011-11-21T12:48:00.005Z

Thanks to BTS for this news:

Martin Cooney, Moyra Fraser, Gerry Madden, and Vinny Baker, collectively known as Bending the Strings, play Mullingar's Park Hotel, next Saturday night (26 November). Kickoff is at 10.00 p.m.

The band are currently working on their second album, the follow-up to their very successful All keyed up album. The new album will be the band's first recordings with the addition of Gerry Madden on mandolin; is in the mixing stage at guitarist Vinny Baker's Veebee Recording Studio outside Mullingar; and was recorded mostly live in the studio with a minimum of overdubs - and indeed, the live feel comes across on the album. There will be a mix of classic bluegrass songs, trad fiddle tunes, original compositions, and the trademark trad/modern bluegrass sound of Bending the Strings band.

A title for the album has not yet been decided on, but watch the blog for further news. We hope to see all our friends in the Mullingar Park Hotel next Saturday night, 26 November.

A night to remember

2011-11-20T18:44:00.003Z

Uri Kohen reports from Westport, Co. Mayo:

The first event of the first Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival was a tribute event for this fine music. I (with my very small knowledge of the genre) played some fine tune, and friends came and helped us to bring it home - Hubie and Sarah MacEvilly finished the evening by singing 'Red clay halo' by Gillian Welch. I fell in love with the song.

Two years later, as part of the third festival, an RTÉ film crew joined us to tell the story of an Israeli who produces a bluegrass festival in Ireland. I said then that as long as the public will support me, I will bring Gillian to Westport one day. Last year I saw her in concert for the first time, and last Friday I went to Belfast to see her once again.

My wife and myself got a great seat beside Tim Rogers and got to meet a lot of good bluegrass people like Sharon and Arnie. The concert was a dream come true for any Gillian Welch fan; the hits were coming one by one in superb performance, the unique guitar playing of David Rawlings sounded fantastic, and Gillian's voice was perfect.

By then it was a night to remember, but there was more to come: during a late drink in the hotel, Tim pointed out David, who was himself sampling some fine brew. On my way to bed, I took the opportunity to shake Dave's hand and to tell him that the west of Ireland will always give him a warm welcome. I know they won't make it to the 2012 festival - but the sky's the limit. Thanks, Gillian and Dave, for a great show.

A treat for traditionalists

2011-11-20T18:04:00.004Z

The BIB editor reports:

Memories of last weekend at the welcoming Pikers Lodge Hotel in Lough Gowna, Co. Cavan, include agreeing with Mr Sean McManus on how hard it's getting to find bluegrass that sounds like it used to. Well, here for Sean and others with similar taste is a song by Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice, from their latest CD The heart of a song, which not only states the problem but provides a cure. The title is 'A far cry from Lester and Earl'.

You can see the band doing it on stage during the Uncle Pen Days at Bean Blossom on YouTube, with a fervent reaction from the audience; better for hearing the words is another YouTube video, which combines the audio track from the album with a series of evocative photos from the past.

'From Rathgar to Rosine': on air 29 Dec. 2011

2011-11-18T17:45:00.004Z

'From Rathgar to Rosine: a pilgrimage to find Bill Monroe'

A one-hour radio documentary presented by Niall Toner, and produced by Aidan Butler, which tells about a journey from Rathgar in Dublin to Rosine in Kentucky to try and unlock some of the mystery behind the enigma and the genius that was Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass Music. Monroe was born in 1911 and died in 1996; and now in 2011, fans and admirers are celebrating his career in his centenary year.

Niall Toner was first introduced to the music of Bill Monroe by a neighbour's son in Rathgar in Dublin in the late 1950s. Niall was smitten, and since that time has been a Monroe fanatic, studying and performing bluegrass music, and writing songs and composing tunes in the bluegrass music genre.

Niall first met Monroe in 1975 before a concert in Belfast [photo above]; later on at a Blue Grass Boys gig in Cork city at the Carling Country Music Festival in 1984; and for a third, and last, time in the USA at a bluegrass festival in Bean Blossom, Indiana, in 1990.

In September 2011, Niall and RTÉ Radio 1 producer Aidan Butler travelled to the 10th Annual Bill Monroe Bluegrass Festival at Jerusalem Ridge in Kentucky, near the Monroe homeplace in Rosine, and spoke with as many of Monroe's friends, relatives, neighbours, admirers, and band members as they could locate.

This documentary follows Niall on his very personal journey to discover the Man behind the music. 'From Rathgar to Rosine: a pilgrimage to find Bill Monroe' will be broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 on Thursday 29 December 2011, at 2.00 p.m.

Grand finale of 'Bluegrass for Pudsey' at Ellie May's, 19 Nov. 2011

2011-11-17T19:24:00.004Z

A reminder from Tony Curran (left) that this coming Saturday (19 Nov. 2011) will mark the grand finale of the series of three bluegrass sessions at Ellie May's in Dunadry, Co. Antrim, in aid of Children in Need. The two previous sessions were held on 5 and 12 November (see the BIB posts for 7 and 13 Nov.).

The final session comes just a day after the televised event. Tony writes:

We will charge a few pounds from each punter to play their 'TUNE/SONG OF CHOICE' and, hopefully, will be able to submit a substantial cheque at the end of the day to this worthy cause.

I am hoping that I may also be able to promote this occasion on several local radio stations. Any bluegrass promotional opportunities available should be exploited to their fullest extent! ~ Anybody out there that can help should get in touch!

For more info about the final session, and/or any future bluegrass events in the area, contact Tony by e-mail.

Banjo news

2011-11-16T21:44:00.004Z

Michael J. Miles, the supreme clawhammer banjo virtuoso who visited Ireland all too briefly earlier this year, sends word that he not only has a completely refurbished website - he's offering his CDs at $10.00 each, up to and including 15 December 2011. These include some of the finest achievements of banjo music, so we recommend investigating. Read Michael's latest e-newsletter.

************

Secondly - if you've missed a chance so far this year of winning a Deering banjo, you have another chance: go to the Facebook page of Dana and Lauren (aka the Shankman Twins, Malibu Storm) and LIKE them - which shouldn't be hard, especially if you remember their appearances at the Dunmore East Festival some years ago.

************

The appearance of this item means that on the BIB there are now 2,400 posts. As the BIB began operating almost exactly six years ago, the statistics show that on average more than one post appears on it every day. Keep watching this space...

AKUS reviewed in DT (UK)

2011-11-16T16:11:00.004Z

Although it has carried decent obituaries of such figures as Red Allen, John Hartford, Bill Monroe, and Wade Mainer, the many virtues of the Daily Telegraph (UK) don't usually include familiarity with or approval of any form of country music; so it's noteworthy that yesterday's issue carried a very favourable review by Martin Chilton, the paper's digital culture editor, of a recent concert by Alison Krauss & Union Station at the Royal Festival Hall in London. Read it here.

More memories of Bill Monroe

2011-11-16T12:59:00.001Z

Thanks to Niall Toner for the two photos above (click on either for a larger image), taken in Kentucky during his US tour in September and October this year. On the left: Niall (with sweatshirt supporting a Dublin musician) in part of the Bill Monroe Centennial Exhibit at the International Bluegrass Music Museum at Owensboro, KY, about thirty miles from Monroe's birthplace. The framed mandolin headstock veneer, with a 'curl' missing and the name 'Gibson' deleted by Bill himself, was on his Lloyd Loar Gibson mandolin for many years. Niall sends these further comments:

The mandolin in the display case in the Museum is one of Monroe's. To the best of my recollection it is an Ibanez, and it was one of the mandolins that caused a bit of a 'stir', as it was presented to Monroe while he was on tour in Japan, and photos taken at the time were subsequently used in magazine ads which led to legal action by Gibson, who were, of course, Monroe's official sponsor.

The woman holding a copy of my Monroe tribute CD by the side of Bill's gravestone is his daughter, Carolina Rose. She is one of the subjects of our interviews at Rosine [to be broadcast in the one-hour RTE special at Christmas 2011]. She performs with an all-woman band, and also with AL Jones (Monroe's son), he of AL Jones and Frank Necessary fame. Necessary is currently seriously ill in hospital.

AL Jones, Frank Necessary, & the Spruce Mountain Boys, and their recordings on Rounder, Old Homestead, etc., have exemplified hardcore bluegrass for many years. The life story of Carolina Rose and her brother AL Jones has been published as The road from Gloria Jean to Carolina Rose.

At Rosine cemetery, 1 October 2011

2011-11-15T17:57:00.004Z

Last week the BIB published the cutting below from the Times-News for Hartford and Beaver Dam, KY, showing Niall Toner playing at the cemetery of Rosine, KY, during a memorial service for Bill Monroe on 1 Oct. this year.

We've now given the occasion its own post, as Enda Donnelly of Fair City Grass has written to say that he is

delighted to observe my spouse [Geraldine] on the extreme left, just above Niall's shoulder, draped in a shawl, given to her by a kind vendor as it was a chilly frosty morning. Needless to say I am obscured by Niall's head and shoulder!

At the far right-hand corner is 'Doc' Campbell Mercer on mandolin, and the small very elderly lady (who was dressed in red), in the centre beside the banjo player, is a close relative of Bill Monroe and she gave a short talk about Bill and family. Most of us there took part vocally in the chorus of all the gospel songs. Glad we were part of that memorable occasion.

Slim Pickins Irish tour, Nov.-Dec. 2011

2011-11-15T16:00:00.005Z

Thanks to Anthony Mannion of Slim Pickins (above), who reports:

Since I was last in contact, Slim Pickins have been playing away, getting together some more tunes for our first record. We have been on RTE Radio 1 on the Arena Show and John Creedon, and also on Country Wide, so all is going good for us...

and forwards this release on their current tour in Ireland:

Slim Pickins are a Dublin/Galway based band who play buck leppin’ traditional and original old-timey country & bluegrass.

Tour dates:
Fri. Nov. 18th: McCarthy's, Dingle, 9.00 p.m. €8
Sat. Nov. 19th: Roisin Dubh (upstairs), Galway, 9.00 p.m., €8
Mon. Nov. 21st: Crane Lane, Cork, 11.30 p.m., FREE
Fri. Nov. 25th: The Cobblestone, Dublin, 8.30 p.m., €10
Sat. Dec. 3rd: McGarrigles, Sligo, 8.30 p.m., €10

Firmly rooted in old-time sounds, Slim Pickins have absorbed musical influences from a broad-reaching transection of American music. Merging the contemporary influence of Old Crow Medicine Show and Dave Rawlings, and the traditional sounds of the Stanley Brothers, Doc Watson, and Bill Monroe with their own unique tones, they embody the old-time tradition whilst also managing to reveal their own voice.

Resonating from an unoccupied niche in the resurgence of today’s acoustic string bands, they've opened up for Irish folk legends Tir na Nog, Simone Felice's 'The Duke and the King', and shared the stage with Lisa Hannigan and Gavin Glass. Their own eclectic upbringings and an infatuation with western swing and early bluegrass sees them mixing original music with traditional arrangements of songs passed down through the years, as they deliver three-part vocal harmonies in time to buck leppin' banjos, dobros and guitars. Their high energy shows are good old-time fun, creating a sound that is as refreshing as it is downright addictive!

New acoustic roots band and session in central Dubln

2011-11-15T15:42:00.004Z

Thanks to Mark Flynn, who writes:

We're called the Mountaineers (we're a spinoff from the Blood Red Mountain Band) and we play every week, on Tuesdays from 9.30 p.m., in the International Bar [right] on Wicklow Street, Dublin 2. Mostly play country, roots, and rock-and-roll-type songs and instrumentals; we'd be heavily influenced by the Band, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and the Waterboys. Lineup is fiddle, guitar, uke, and bass; always acoustic and always free in.

Vincent Cross gives a timely reminder

2011-11-15T12:52:00.004Z

Thanks to Vincent Cross in New York, who recently read in the New York Times a review by Seth Schiesel, the NYT music critic, of Biophilia, the latest CD by Björk. The review stresses how innovative the album is, because with an app from iPad one can interact with the music, in

a sort of audiovisual game... ambitious artists and executives in the struggling music industry will recognise Biophilia as a vital step forward in rethinking how their work can be conceived, packaged, delivered, and made relevant to the public.

Vincent, in his reply printed in the NYT, points out how musicians have for decades been interacting with recordings (and expanding their own consciousness and abilities in the process), by listening to them over and over again and playing along with them. I'm sure he has bluegrass musicians in mind...