More US news (mainly of past visitors)

Thanks to Hearth Music for the news that The Boot online magazine has premiered 'Each season changes you', a track from Hurricane Clarice, the forthcoming album by the 'apocalyptic stringband duo' of Allison de Groot and Tatiana Hargreaves (left; see the BIB for 22 Feb.). The track can be heard on YouTube. The Ruth Talley/Albert Gore song has been recorded by many country and bluegrass singers; de Groot and Hargreaves learned it from the 1962 recording by Rose Maddox, the first woman to make a bluegrass LP. More details are on the Hearth Music press release. Hurricane Clarice is due for release this coming Friday (25 Mar.).

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For everyone who remembers the earliest Athy bluegrass festivals, and especially the fine contributions by Homer Ledford & the Cabin Creek Band from the Lexington area of Kentucky: Doyle Lawson, in the 21 Mar. instalment of his excellent series 'The school of bluegrass' on Bluegrass Today, writes: 'The first F-5 that I owned was built by Homer Ledford in Winchester, and I bought it while working with J.D. [Crowe] and used it on the Bluegrass Holiday recording.'

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The Steep Canyon Rangers announced last Wednesday (16 Mar.) that up to the end of March almost all their merchandise is marked down, with all proceeds from sales going to a Polish women's organisation helping Ukrainian refugees. A brief explanatory video by banjoist Graham Sharp is on the band's latest e-newsletter and also on YouTube.

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The Steeps will also be taking part in the Bluegrass Music Hall Of Fame and Museum's ROMP (River Of Music Party) festival in Owensboro, KY, on 22-25 June, together with many other bands and artists who have performed in Ireland, not to mention Galway's We Banjo 3, 'with their Celtic-inspired bluegrass', as the ROMP e-newsletter says. Full details are on the ROMP website and e-newsletter.

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This coming weekend (24-26 Mar.) the Industrial Strength Bluegrass festival takes place in Wilmington, OH, with an impressive lineup, and includes an opportunity to jam with Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers in a session sponsored by the Paige capo company. More details on this e-newsletter.

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Workshop camps for guitarists and others are well catered for in this coming June. Bryan Sutton's First Annual Blue Ridge Guitar Camp, postponed for two years by the pandemic, will be held on 1-5 June at the Brevard Music Center, Brevard, NC, on 1-5 June. Applications to take part can be made via this link. Steve Kaufman's 26th Acoustic Kamps (12-18 June, old-time and traditional; 19-25 June, bluegrass) are being held at Maryville, TN, with a new two-level programme for hammered dulcimer, mountain dulcimer, old-time fiddle, and old-time banjo. A full-colour pdf brochure is here, and a registration form here.

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The Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol, TN/VA, announces a live variety show in their 'Farm & Fun Time' series to be held on 14 April, featuring Dale Ann Bradley with her full band, Tammy Rogers & Thomm Jutz, and the series' house band Bill and the Belles.

© Richard Hawkins