Valerie June and Marcela Avelar on Deering Live

Black History Month began yesterday, and singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Valerie June was featured on Deering Live on Tuesday this week, together with artist Marcela Avelar, who created the artwork for the children's book Somebody to love: the story of Valerie June's sweet little baby banjolele. The hour-long feature can also be seen on YouTube. The 5-string banjo is among the instruments Valerie June plays, and 'Drink up and go home'* is among the songs she performs.

*A recording by Jimmy Martin can be heard here.

© Richard Hawkins

Familiar voices from IBMA WOB

The BIB mentioned on 21 Sept. the coming issue of a second series of Banjo All Stars Trading Cards, with specially commissioned portraits by various artists of prominent bluegrass banjo players - and that the Bluegrass Trading Company Facebook has a nice picture of Greg Cahill, leader of the Special Consensus by Anna Magruder of Portland, OR. The portrait (right) is shown with three enlarged details.

Greg will be visible in the flesh in Ireland early in 2023; see the ample Special C. tour schedule on the BIB for 19 Sept. Meanwhile his voice can be heard in the eighth and latest (at the time of writing this post) of a series of Deering Live Shorts - interviews (generally ten to fifteen minutes long) with bluegrass banjo celebrities attending the IBMA World Of Bluegrass at Raleigh, NC. The full list is on the Deering Live Shorts page.

Among the many topics in Greg's interview, he stresses how good it is to see the growing numbers of talented young players now coming into bluegrass; and how good it is to work with Alison Brown when the Special C. records for her Compass label. Greg did a seventy-minute interview for Deering Live in June last year, which can be seen on YouTube.

© Richard Hawkins

Banjo All Stars trading cards - second series to be voted for

Exactly eight months ago (21 Jan.) - it seems a lot longer, but much has happened in the world since then - the BIB relayed the news from Bluegrass Today of Colyn Brown, his Bluegrass Trading Company, and the first series of Banjo All Stars trading cards, showing forty prominent bluegrass banjo players as represented in newly commissioned artwork. A new series is now in preparation, to include over sixty players; nominations are flooding in, and the issue is planned for spring 2023. Full details are on the Bluegrass Trading Company website and John Lawless's feature on Bluegrass Today.

Dublin's Georgina Flood is contributing her artwork to the project, including the portrait above of a young Carl Jackson - see the notes on the Bluegrass Trading Company Facebook. The BIB is pleased to note a nice portrait of Greg Cahill, leader of the Special Consensus, painted by Anna Magruder of Portland, OR.

© Richard Hawkins

Art we can appreciate

The BIB editor writes:

This is not a paid ad for No Depression, but I compliment the magazine and its artist on the design (right) for the cover of its Fall 2022 print issue. I have seen, but can't now locate, a picture of a nineteenth-century banjo with a soundhole in the centre of the head.* In the 1980s Mark Cox revived the idea, and (on the advice of Don Reno) put the hole in the 'ten o'clock' position, which might have been a problem for the tracklaying crew shown in the picture.

By the way, No Depression published on 14 Sept. a review by Andy Crump of If it all goes south, the new album by Amy Ray. The review includes two YouTube videos of numbers from the album. In addition to being an activist for social justice and environmental causes, Ray is not a characteristic bluegrass singer; the songs in the videos, however, lend themselves well to a bluegrass treatment, and the instrumentation includes impeccable, imaginative banjo-playing by Alison Brown.

* A c.1920 Fred Van Eps Recording banjo, with the soundhole forward of centre, can be seen here.

© Richard Hawkins

'Nine eagle feathers in a County Cork park'

This is the title of a post by John Lawless on Bluegrass Today, and it's also the name of a new old-time tune composed by banjo-player Cameron DeWhitt and recorded by the Tall Poppy String Band, of which he is a member. The tune was inspired by the story behind the creation of the stainless-steel Alex Pentek sculpture 'Kindred spirits', commissioned by the town council of Midleton, Co. Cork; installed in Bailick Park, Midleton, in 2015; and officially unveiled and dedicated in 2017 by Chief Gary Batton of the Choctaw Nation, leading a delegation of twenty other Choctaw citizens.

The sculpture was inspired by the story of funds raised by the Choctaw people in 1847 to alleviate the famine in Ireland. The band, who will have an album out later this month, can be seen and heard playing the tune on the Bluegrass Today feature and on YouTube.

© Richard Hawkins

Westport 2022 official launch, 21 May

The Festival Committee (Uri Kohen, Freda Hatton, Tim Rogers, Sarah MacEvilly) with Ann-Marie McGing and Desmond Downes (art designer)

Thanks to Uri Kohen for this news:

On Saturday, Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival was officially launched and entered the last furlong in preparations for the sixteenth instalment of the festival. On the night Ann-Marie McGing, Mayo County Council Arts Officer, did the honour of launching the event, and the new art work and programme of events was on display.

Music on the night was provided by Derek Mcloughlin and the much loved Hubie & Sarah MacEvilly (The Rocky Top String Band) backed by Tommy 'T-Bone' Lyons & Tim Rogers.

Artwork for the inside (left) and outside of the new Festival programme

The Band

Derek McLoughlin

© Richard Hawkins

Detached notes - and an Irish link

John Lawless reports on Bluegrass Today* (BT) on an exciting new enterprise with an unexpected Irish link: the Bluegrass Trading Co. (also on Facebook), based in Friendsville, TN. Colyn Brown, the founder, aims to produce 'the world's first bluegrass-related, high-quality, trading cards. These aren't standard photo cards, they will be works of art, each portrait hand-painted by our featured artists.' The first series, representing forty leading bluegrass banjo players, is due for release in April 2022 and can be pre-ordered. Subsequent series are planned for players of the other bluegrass instruments. Much more detail is on the website and BT.

The Irish link is that while three of the featured artists in the first series are from Knoxville, TN, one from Portland, OR, and one from Dallas, TX, the sixth is Georgina Flood from Dublin, who (as can be seen from the small print on the photo image above) painted the portrait of Earl that appears on the reverse of the card. Congratulations to Georgina Flood on her part in this project.

PS: Though one reader of Bluegrass Today seems to have been unable to find it, this first series does include a card for Sonny Osborne, whose portrait was painted by Georgina.

*

Thanks to the Newsline agency of Nashville, TN, for the news that - as some subscribers may already have seen - Dale Ann Bradley is on the cover of the February 2022 issue of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine, together with an article on her by Bill Conger.

*

Missy Raines, nine times winner of IBMA's Bass Player of the Year award, formed last year a touring bluegrass band, Allegheny, which is now 80% composed of veterans of tours in Ireland. Missy herself has toured several times, notably in a duo with guitar wizard Jim Hurst, and her band now includes Ellie Hakanson (fiddle) and Tristan Scroggins (mandolin) - both of whom were here as members of Jeff Scroggins & Colorado - and Frank Evans (banjo), a member of Canada's Slocan Ramblers. The only Alleghenian without (as far as we know) experience of touring in Ireland is Ben Garnett (guitar). The livestream concert that the band played last night (20 Jan.), with Ned Luberecki on banjo, can still be watched by Facebook members on the Nashville Tunestream Facebook.

*

The Bluegrass Situation (BGS) announces a new addition to its podcast network: 'Carolina Calling', a series on the immeasurable contribution of North Carolina to American music, featuring interviews with NC artists. The first episode will be aired on 31 January. Artists featured will include Pokey LaFarge (see the BIB for 19 Jan.) and Woody Platt of the Steep Canyon Rangers.

*

The Mountain Home Music Company announce that the Gina Furtado Project has released a new single, 'It won't be me', written and sung by Gina herself, and blending her liking for Latin- and manouche-flavoured sounds with a declaration of refusal to accept abuse.

*

The Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum in Owensboro, KY, announces its programme of coming events, which includes many names familiar to fans in Ireland - among them Galway's We Banjo 3, kings of 'Celtgrass', who will be in concert on 18 Mar. and taking part in the ROMP Festival in late June. Tonight (21 Jan.) the Museum launches its 'My bluegrass story' series on RFD-TV; see this YouTube trailer.

© Richard Hawkins

Christmas album and artwork from April Verch and Joe Newberry

Photo by Thomas Beck; artwork by Martha Kelly

April Verch (CAN) and Joe Newberry (USA) have played separately in Ireland in the past - April touring several times with her own band, and Joe as a member of Big Medicine - but not yet as a duo, though they have been performing together in this format for a long time. The chemistry of this combination can be felt from the twenty-eight videos on their YouTube playlist. Their first album together, Going home, was warmly received.

April and Joe have now completed an eleven-track Christmas album, On this Christmas day, scheduled for release on 3 December 2021 on Slab Town Records. April describes it as a 'holiday folk album [...] full of heartwarming originals, fiddle & banjo duets, and deeply rooted traditional material Joe and I have been performing live on holiday tours for a number of years.' A live performance of the title track can be seen on YouTube.

From today (3 Nov.) the album can be pre-ordered/ pre-saved.
Note: April and Joe decided that it should not take the form of a physical CD; instead, they worked with Memphis artist Martha Kelly to create the beautiful, frameable winter scene shown above, with information about the project and a download code on the back. Frames will be available for sale, so that fans can have a framed piece of art for their own walls or to give as a present.

© Richard Hawkins

Art, magic, and country music history

The Bitter Southerner online magazine has published a set of writings collectively titled 'Summer voices', with the main focus on artist and puppeteer Wayne White, raised in the South and subsequently based in New York and Los Angeles, who will be guest editor of the BS for a month.

BIB readers may be specially interested in 'Art & magic: a conversation between Wayne White & Tyler Mahan Coe'. Coe, a musician and writer, hosts the 'Cocaine & rhinestones' podcast series on country music history. The BS feature includes reproductions of artworks by Whyte: paintings of Dolly Parton, Hank Williams, Buck Owens & the Buckaroos, and Lightnin' Hopkins, all of these having the names of the subjects underneath.

No name is under the picture that heads the article; it's given right at the end, but bluegrassers will recognise it as based on a 1939 photo of the original Blue Grass Boys lineup, showing (l-r) Art Wooten (fiddle), Bill Monroe (mandolin), Cleo Davis (guitar), and Amos Garen (bass). As with Robert Crumb's book R. Crumb's heroes of blues, jazz & country (2006), the painting tells the viewer less about the subject than the original photo does. No matter; it's a work of art by Wayne White (or Robert Crumb).

© Richard Hawkins

Winfield 2021 - an Irish contribution?

Thanks to Rex Flottman of the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, KS, for news that the 49th Festival is scheduled to be held, as in the past, at the Winfield fairgrounds on 15-19 Sept. 2021. The lineup features the artists previously announced, together with several major additions, and can be examined on the poster image (right; click to enlarge).

The poster itself is the third in a series of posters focusing on campground picking, for which Winfield is famous. It comes from a designer who, according to Rex, is based in London, and according to his website is from Kent, but as his name is Sean de Burca we suspect an Irish connection somwhere. Sean is a graphic designer, illustrator, and typographer (and an accomplished acoustic guitarist) who creates album artwork, logos, posters, and other materials for many musicians and record labels worldwide. He is also on Facebook.

© Richard Hawkins

Halloween introduces the Haunted Banjo - coming early in 2021

Thanks to Jamie Latty for the news that Deering Banjos are launching an extremely limited edition (ten instruments) of the Kesinger Custom Deering® Haunted Banjo, in collaboration with artist Brian Kesinger and based on his 'Buster Bones' character (above). The Haunted Banjo features regular Deering quality construction, together with spooky-themed embellishments designed by Kesinger. This is part of a Kickstarter campaign, with a Banjo Revue - 'a live streaming haunted hootenanny' coming in February 2021.  Full details are available through the links shown above.

New artwork on We Banjo 3 merchandise

Galway's We Banjo 3, originators of 'Celtgrass', announce a special time-limited autumn merchandise offer, based on the 'By hardship we rise' design (right) by their friend Andrew Benincasa. This can be had on heavy-blend hoodies in black or cherry red, and on a 'Next Level TriBlend [light-weight] Vintage Purple Hoodie'.

Also in the offer are a 3-ply cotton mask with We Banjo 3 logo, and a 'Rise & Shine' baseball cap. Buying a mask with a hoodie will save you $6 off the regular price. Pre-ordering all these items is open till 19 Oct. 2020 only.

Mike Armistead wins IBMA Designer of the Year award

The IBMA sends its latest press release announcing the recipients of this year's Industry Awards, recognising outstanding work in non-performing industry categories. The BIB is delighted to see that Mike Armistead, who was touring here in September 2019 as a member of Leroy Troy's Hillbilly Trio, has received the award of Graphic Designer of the Year. 

During the tour last year Mike came out with a stunning poster design for every gig the Trio played - one example is shown on the right, and all eleven of them can be seen on the website of the mygrassisblue.com agency, who organised the tour.

Also honoured in the Industry Awards: Milan Miller, well known in the southern part of this island as a visitor, is now Songwriter of the Year. His single 'Walking home to Wexford', recorded with Tim O'Brien, was released in July.

Update 1 Oct.: This is the second year in succession that Mike Armistead has won the award: see David Morris's report on Bluegrass Today.

The Steve Martin Banjo Prize

Bluegrass Today reports that the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo & Bluegrass, after a decade of annual awards, will be thoroughly reorganised in its administrative and award structure, in its title, and in its scope.

Steve Martin will remain as chairman emeritus, with the Freshgrass Foundation and the Compass Records group as partners with seats on the board. A full list of board members is given on Bluegrass Today. The annual award has been $50,000 up to now; this year it will be divided between five banjo-players, in recognition of 2020's difficulties. In future, a grant of $25,000 will be given to one or more players each year.

And in future, its title will be simply 'The Steve Martin Banjo Prize'. Bluegrass Today reports: '... it will no longer be limited to bluegrass and the five string. Banjo players in any style are eligible, and the board intends to honor important contributors from all areas of banjodom.' The prize sculpture by Eric Fischl is shown above.

Sale of No Depression back issues

No Depression, the seasonal journal of roots music, spent seven years online before returning to a print edition in 2015. Issues since then have consistently had striking cover art - the image on the left is from the first issue of the return to print, and that on the right is from the 'Bluegrass beyond' issue of winter 2016.

No Depression is now offering back issues at $9.00 (plus shipping) instead of the regular $17. Browse the issues on offer here; the sale lasts till the end of Monday 6 April.

Monday night at 11th Balla Bluegrass Festival

Congratulations to the 11th Balla Bluegrass Festival in Co. Mayo for another rousing weekend at the two venues of Mannion's and the Olde Woods. This year the Festival filled a valuable role as a showcase for bluegrass bands from Ireland, presenting the Rocky Top String Band, Mules & Men, the Rocky River Bluegrass Show, and Pilgrim St.

Tonight Balla's own Colonel Bullshot Rides Again (photo below), led by the festival organiser Tommy 'T-Bone' Lyons (centre of front row), will bring the festival to a close with a bluegrass gig at Mannion's.

The festival's handsome poster (above left) is another example of the tendency of four-string banjos to creep in anywhere, as the BIB commented on 17 Oct.

Jerry Garcia's banjo career in detail

For anyone interested in the part played by the 5-string banjo in the musical career of Jerry Garcia, a comprehensive account is given by Cory Arnold in his article 'Jerry Garcia and the banjo' on the Deering banjo company's blog, edited since its original appearance two years ago on the Hooterollin' around blog.

In its Deering form, the article features ten YouTube videos showing Garcia's banjo-playing at different stages of his career. Points of interest include the relation between Garcia's use of steel guitar and his return to banjo-playing, as well as his later clawhammer-style playing. Near the end of the article, Cory mentions an occasion about 1993 when Garcia played some songs on the banjo in a pub in Ireland. He writes:

Enjoyable as that must have been, that wasn't the former South Bay banjo gunslinger taking on all comers, just a middle-aged guy in a bar plunking out a few tunes to amuse his fellow patrons. The banjo had been an essential instrument in Garcia's musical arc, it resurfaced, had a renaissance, and then it had gone.

Does anyone remember this occasion in Ireland? And could there be any possible connection with the Ballydehob mural painting (see the BIB for 15 Feb. 2019)?

Update: See the comment by Tim Rogers concerning this episode, below.

Update 15 Oct.: Tim has since sent in a further comment, important enough to warrant appearing as a new post, here.

Leroy Troy and his Hillbilly Trio

(L-r) George Harper, Leroy Troy, Mike Armistead

Thanks to Dave Byrne jr of the mygrassisblue.com team, the BIB has already been able to carry news (on 6 May and 9 Aug.) of the tour of Ireland by Leroy Troy and his Hillbilly Trio (above), which will begin on 5 Sept., just over two weeks from now.

All the information you need on the band and the tour is on the mygrassisblue.com website, including a feature on 'The Tennessee Slicker' Leroy himself, with videos of two interviews and two performances; and a feature on the Tennessee Mafia Jug Band, of which the Trio can be considered an A-Team. Moreover, there's what amounts to an art exhibition: images of ten posters which Mike Armistead has devised for the individual gigs in the tour.

Mike's skill and taste were celebrated by Dick Bowden on Bluegrass Today back in 2012, and he has now been nominated for Graphic Designer of the Year in the 2019 IBMA awards. The BIB likes his poster designs so much, we've reproduced them at appropriate places in the 'Events in the next few weeks' section on the right-hand side of the blog.

Willard Gayheart: At home in the Blue Ridge

Thanks to Devon Léger of Hearth Music / Hearth PR for news of a debut album by a veteran of Appalachian music, with a close connection to a rising young American artist who has already performed in Ireland this year and will be back next month.

Willard Gayheart (above) of Galax, VA, one of the focal points of old-time and bluegrass music, has recorded his first solo album, At home in the Blue Ridge - eleven original songs about the country, the way of life, and (among other things) his Wayne Henderson guitar. As a feature on the Grateful Web explains, 'This isn’t music made for stages, or made for commerce, it’s music made for family, for sharing a common experience.' The album is due for release on 24 May on Blue Hens Music.

Willard's own family includes his granddaughter Dori Freeman, who was featured in the Dublin Tradfest in January, will play two shows in next month's Kilkenny Roots Festival, and took an active part in the recording of At home in the Blue Ridge. Willard is also a renowned pencil artist, and samples of his art work and his music, together with a seven-minute video on Vimeo about him (in which Dori Freeman appears) can be found on his website. More of his music can be found on YouTube, including a session in which he picks with the legendary banjo-player Butch Robins.

A mystery solved

Many thanks to Tim (surname unknown) for solving a mystery that's been with the BIB for twenty months. In May 2017 Jim Purtell in the USA wrote in, asking whether anyone could locate a mural he had seen on the side of a pub somewhere in Co. Cork, based on the cover art (left) of the album Old & in the way - the name of one of the songs and also of the band, composed of Jerry Garcia (banjo), Vassar Clements (fiddle), David Grisman (mandolin, vocals), John Kahn (bass), and Peter Rowan (guitar, vocals).

Tim writes:

I first saw this mural back in 1996 whilst on a family holiday when I was about 15, so it's been there a while. We were just driving past and didn't get a chance to go in, but on a cycling trip in 2005, made a point to go and check it out and grab a pint of the black stuff! It was a really lovely rustic pub back then and has since been scrubbed up a bit...

It's called Vincent Coughlan Bar & Restaurant and is in Ballydehob, Co. Cork. Found some pics here. Have a great day!

Thanks again, Tim; we're delighted to have this information. BIB readers can find the best view of the mural near the end of the bar's photo gallery - it reproduces just the figures of the musicians, without the background or lettering of the original artwork. In 2009 (Google Street View) the words 'MURPHY's IRISH STOUT' appeared round the figures. See the BIB for 30 May 2017 for links to more about the album and band.