Welcome to the Bluegrass Ireland Blog

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.

Doc Watson in hospital

Thanks to Prof. Jack Bernhardt of North Carolina - whose McAuley lectures have been a regular feature of the Appalachian & Bluegrass Music Festival at Omagh, Co. Tyrone - for this news:

Doc Watson is in the hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Earlier this week, he fell at home and lay unattended for several hours. He was taken to a local hospital in Wautaga County, where he was treated for, among other things, a sinus infection. The physicians detected other problems and he was transported to Baptist Hospital in W-S. He is being treated for possible kidney failure, and has been listed in critical condition. Please ask your blog readers to send positive thoughts his way. He celebrated his 89th birthday in March. A musical treasure, indeed.

Thanks also to Jack for this link to coverage in the Winston-Salem News Observer. Doc is described as in 'critical but improved' condition after colon surgery. No bones appear to have been broken in his fall. David Holt, who frequently performs with Doc and has himself played at Omagh, in Dublin, and elsewhere in Ireland, has been keeping the media informed on Doc's progress.

See also this item on Bluegrass Today.

Berea Bluegrass All Stars at the Red Room, 30 May 2012

Thanks to Sharon Loughrin of the Red Room, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, who writes:

The Berea Bluegrass All Stars [above] from Kentucky are performing here next Wednesday night (30 May) at 8.30. This is their only date in the North during their tour. As usual, all are welcome; call me on 07747120659 for more details.

The All Stars (see the BIB of 27 Feb. and 26 Mar. 2012 for more details) begin their tour tomorrow (26 May) at the Ballyhooly Arts Festival in Co. Cork. Sharon also sends a reminder (see the BIB for 8 May) that

... the Bluegrass Pickin' Parlour in the Black Box in Belfast have a free session this Sunday with Janet Holmes at 2.00 p.m., the Tennessee Hennessees at 3.00, and an open session from 4.00 to 6.00. Their Facebook page has a nice image to go with the news.

Old Flattop tours and shows from now to end 2012

(L-r) Chuck Nation (fiddle), Jim Pankey (banjo), Curtis Blackwell (guitar), Susan Nation (bass)

Thanks to Nigel Martyn for news of shows in Belfast and tours throughout this island that are being presented by his Old Flattop agency between now and the end of the year. The many notable artists on the schedule include Arlo Guthrie, Gretchen Peters, Mary Coughlan, and Frank Vignola & Vinny Raniolo.

Of greatest interest to BIB readers will be the Curtis Blackwell Bluegrass Band (USA; above), who will be touring from 13 to 24 June, opening with a show in Belfast. All their dates are on the BIB calendar; full details for other Old Flattop artists are on the OF website.

Nigel Martyn, 23 Lowwood Park, Belfast BT15 4BB
Tel. +44 (0)28 90 580 793; mobile +44 (0)7545 020938
Skype name: nigelmartyn

Martini Cowboy to headline 18th Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival

Press release

Headline stealer Jack Grace (USA) and his band make a welcome return to Europe’s largest free bluegrass festival, the 18th Guinness International Bluegrass Festival which takes place in Dunmore East, Co. Waterford, from 23 to 26 August. This will be the eighteenth year in which fans of bluegrass, country, rhythm, roots, new grass, and blues descend on the picturesque fishing village to enjoy free music events played throughout the village’s pubs and hotels.

Mick Daly, festival founder and organiser, was delighted that Jack Grace is to return to headline the August Festival. 'We are thrilled that Jack is back! He is undoubtedly a firm favourite at the Dunmore Festival.'

Jack’s style of music has been described by Time Out New York as 'gritty down-home country as it should be'. Having played with a host of music legends such as Doc Watson, Junior Brown, Norah Jones and Wayne Hancock, the legend Jerry Lee Lewis said of him: 'He’s like that Cash kid, but good!'

Mick Daly added: 'The Jack Grace Band brings a unique New York Urban style to bluegrass and is definitely not to be missed, particularly as it will be literally on our doorstep this summer.'

Another endorsement of the long-running festival is the continued support of Guinness. The company recently confirmed that it will continue to sponsor the festival in 2012. According to Mick Daly, 'Having such long standing and loyal supporters as Guinness is a huge vote of confidence in the Bluegrass Festival and what we have achieved so far.'

The full line up for the 18th Guinness International Dunmore East Festival will be announced in June. It is expected that local hostelries will play host to over fifty free gigs throughout the festival weekend with local, national, and international bands playing a variety of traditional and contemporary bluegrass music.

For more information about the 18th Guinness International Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival in Co. Waterford, visit its webpage.

Dangem: final Get-Together before summer break

Thanks to Derek Lockhart of Dangem Bluegrass in Craigavon, Co. Armagh, who sends word that the last monthly Dangem Bluegrass Get-Together of the current season will be on this coming Saturday, 26 May 2012, at 9.30-10.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon.

As usual, the venue is the Lagan Valley Island Civic Centre in Lisburn, Co. Antrim, BT27 4RL. Derek adds:

This is the last session; we will be taking a break for summer giving us some time off so we can all visit some of the fantastic bluegrass festivals. Howard [Walker] and Richard [Leeman] will not be with us as they have Down and Out commitments; so no beginner’s lesson this time round, but please come along and join in.

See everything on the Dangem e-newsletter. Derek is also on Facebook.

Tickets now on sale for 11th Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival

In its latest e-newsletter, the Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival announces a stellar lineup for the 11th annual event, to take place 20-23 September 2012 in its new home of Tullamore, Co. Offaly.

The weekend will consist of street & pub sessions & jams, nightly seated concerts, masterclass workshops (various instruments, styles & all levels), free outdoor concerts, local craft displays, a busking competition, and the late-night Festival Club. Top international artists appearing include:

Suzy Bogguss (USA), Paul Brady, Blue Highway (USA), Don Rigsby & Charlie Sizemore (USA), George Harper (USA), Mundy, Gerry 'Banjo' O'Connor, Beoga, Electric Ceili, We Banjo 3 (feat. Enda Scahill), Niall Toner, Chris Meehan & his Redneck Friends, the Barcelona Bluegrass Band (Spain), Bending the Strings, and Blackjack (Czech Republic).

Tickets and weekend passes are now on sale. Further details - including online booking and accommodation in the Tullamore area - are here and on the Festival website.
E-mail; 'phone +353 (0)87-281-7825.

Events at the Séamus Ennis Centre, Naul, May-June 2012

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 23 June 2012 can be seen here. BIB readers should note the show by the Curtis Blackwell Bluegrass Band (USA) on 23 June.

The Centre is now also issuing an e-newsletter; on the present one, you can see events in the present week and up to 10 June.

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.

EWOB 2012 awards

The Louvat Bros on stage at EWOB with their award (photo from the EWOB website)

The European Bluegrass Blog announces the following winners of awards at the 15th European World of Bluegrass (EWOB) Festival, held on 17-19 May 2012 in Voorthuizen, the Netherlands. The results show the continuing strength of the Czech bluegrass scene; Irish audiences will note the appearance of Sunny Side, well known here, in both main categories.

European Bluegrass Band 2012:
#1 Goodwill (CZ)
#2 East-West (CZ)
#3 (ties) Jaywalkers (GB), Rawhide (B), and Sunny Side (CZ)

 Audience Popularity Award 2012:
#1 G-Runs 'n Roses (CZ)
#2 Sunny Side (CZ)
#3 The Old Time Hayride (D/NL)

A new award was instituted this year - the Liz Meyer European Innovation of Bluegrass Music Award. This award, which rewards innovation in European bluegrass music, is given in memory of Liz Meyer (1952-2011), a driving spirit behind the EWOB Festival, who always encouraged promising and creative musicians throughout her career. The first presentation of the new award was to the Louvat Bros of Belgium.

Not bluegrass, but...

... the centenary of Woody Guthrie's birth falls on 14 July this year. To mark the occasion, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings will release the new box set Woody at 100: the Woody Guthrie centennial collection on 10 July. For a special pre-sale, including an instant album download and to hear a previously unreleased Woody song, visit this link.

Woody Guthrie's son Arlo Guthrie (above) will celebrate, through his own talents as a musician, writer, and entertainer, the immeasurable contributions of his father to American folk music. His 'Here comes the Kid' tour begins in Ireland at the end of August 2012. Thanks to Nigel Martyn whose Old Flattop agency sends this schedule for the Irish section of the tour.

Fri. 31st Aug.: Damer Court Hotel, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary
Sat. 1st Sept.: Colfer's, Carrig-on-Bannow, Co. Wexford
Sun. 2nd: Town Hall Theatre, Galway city
Wed. 5th: Kilworth Arts Centre, Kilworth, Co. Cork
Thurs. 6th: The Pavilion, Cork city
Fri. 7th: Dolan’s Warehouse, Limerick city
Sat. 8th: St James's Church, Dingle, Co. Kerry
Mon. 10th: The Market House, Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare
Thurs. 13th: Black Box, Belfast
Fri. 14th: Black Box, Belfast (tentative)
Sat. 15th: McGrory’s, Culdaff, Co. Donegal
Sun. 16th: Hawk's Well Theatre, Sligo town
Wed. 19th: The Button Factory, Dublin city

Nigel Martyn, 23 Lowwood Park, Belfast BT15 4BB
Tel. +44 (0)28 90 580 793; mobile +44 (0)7545 020938
Skype name : nigelmartyn

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Otis Gibbs (USA), another singer/ songwriter who is also a political activist, toured Ireland in 2009 and got a standing ovation at the Open House Festival in Belfast. The Open House team, under the new strategy of a 'festival lineup all year long', is presenting him again in Belfast on 24 June 2012. He will then play four further dates in Ireland before the end of June, continuing his tour in Britain, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. Full details of the Belfast show, including online ticket booking facilities, are on the latest Open House e-newsletter. Details of the other shows can be seen on his tour schedule.

More tributes to Earl Scruggs

Earl Scruggs, Clem O'Brien, Josh Graves; Kentucky, 1997

Tim Carter, well known in Ireland for his appearances with his brother Danny and their Carter Brothers Band (USA), has composed a moving tribute to the late Father of Bluegrass Banjo with 'A waltz for Earl' - not just a beautiful composition in itself, but accompanied by a four-and-a-half-minute video compiled from evocative photos of Earl from childhood to his last years. You can hear it and see the video on Bluegrass Today.

Also on Bluegrass Today: details of a tribute album with twelve Scruggs classics played by a constellation of superb banjoists, due for release by Rounder on 5 June. As a foretaste, you can hear Ron Block's version of 'Foggy Mountain Special'.

Furnace Mountain in Ulster, 7-10 June 2012

Furnace Mountain: Morgan Morrison (bouzouki, guitar, vocals), Aimee Curl (bass, vocals), Dave Van Deventer (fiddle, vocals), Danny Knicely (mandolin)

On 26 Sept. 2011 the BIB carried advance notice that a tour was being planned for 2012 in these islands by the Virginia-based neo-old-time band Furnace Mountain (USA), who had received great critical acclaim from their 2011 appearance at the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow.

Thanks to Eilis Boland for forwarding details of the shows arranged in Ireland (for those in Scotland, England, and Wales, see the band's tour schedule). The dates - all in Ulster, and under the auspices of the Moving on Music agency, 'Promoting diverse music in Northern Ireland' - are as follows:

Thurs. 7th June: The Playhouse, Derry city; tickets £11/£8 (conc.) from 028 7126 8027 and the Playhouse; show 8.00 p.m.

Fri. 8th: Island Arts Centre, Lisburn, Co. Antrim; tickets £12/£10 (conc.) from 028 9250 9254 and the Centre; show 8.00 p.m.

Sat. 9th: Strule Arts Centre, Omagh, Co. Tyrone; tickets £12 from 028 8224 7831 and the Centre; show 8.30 p.m.

Sun. 10th: Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast; tickets £12/£8 (conc.) from CAC Box Office (028 9024 2338) or online from the Centre; doors 8.00 p.m.

More details are on the Moving on Music e-newsletter.

Durable publicity

Fiddlin' Tim Hawkins has returned from the Baltimore Fiddle Fair with a metal lapel-type button on the sling of his fiddle case, carrying the Fiddle Fair logo, as seen in this year's poster (left). We commend this idea to other festival organisers as a form of advertisement for their events that is both more durable and more versatile than instrument case stickers.

IBMA's World of Bluegrass moves to North Carolina for 2013-15

The central event of the bluegrass year, IBMA's World of Bluegrass, incorporating business conference, trade show, awards show, and Fan Fest, will be held for at least the next three years (2013-15) in Raleigh, North Carolina. By all accounts the facilities in Raleigh are excellent and the city highly supportive. A major point for those attending WOB is that costs should be much lower than in Nashville, TN, where the event has been held since 2005. Read the IBMA's announcement here.

North Carolina is of course a state of great importance in the history of bluegrass and old-time music. A commentator has suggested that the IBMA headquarters might also move to Raleigh, but there seems no logical need for this to happen for the sake of one week out of the year - during the eight years that WOB was held in Louisville, KY, the IBMA office stayed in its earlier location of Owensboro, KY, till the move to Tennessee. Nashville, as a music industry centre, is an obvious location for the IBMA HQ, and unless office costs become crucial it can be expected to remain there.

Douglas Flint Dillard, 6 Mar. 1937-16 May 2012

Thanks to Roger Ryan, who forwards from Mike Scott in Tennessee the sad news, on the VVN/Music website, that Douglas Flint 'Doug' Dillard died last night at the age of 75. He was highly influential both as a banjo-player and as a member of the Dillards, a band perhaps better attuned than any other at the time to the new audience for bluegrass that came from the folk music 'revival'. Older BIB readers may recall a performance by the Dillards in Dublin thirty or more years ago.

The picture, which heads Doug's own website, shows him with his characteristic smile and his Gibson Granada. He recalled that the first time he heard Earl Scruggs was on the car radio while he was driving: the effect was such that he drove into a ditch and had to be towed out. 'Scruggs pegs' were later installed on his banjo by Earl himself. More details are on VVN/Music, on his own bio page, and on Bluegrass Today.

Northern Belles at the Red Room, 19 May 2012

Janet Holmes and Colin Henry

Thanks to Sharon Loughrin of the Red Room in Cookstown, Co. Tyrone (Ireland's premier house concert venue for acoustic music), who sends

... just a quick one to let you know of our next house concert this Saturday night (19th). We are hosting the first concert by Northern Belles, a collaboration of Janet Holmes, Janet Dowd, and Oonagh Derby, who will be accompanied by Colin Henry, Ivan Muirhead, Mervyn Dowd, and Cormac O'Kane. It's a great lineup: each of the three girls has performed in her own right in the Red Room previously, and combined with such great musicians on banjo, dobro, guitar, piano, and cajón, it's sure to be a fantastic musical experience.

As always, all are welcome; contact me on 07747120659 for more details.

Launch event for love:livemusic today

As announced on the BIB on 24 Feb. 2012, love:live music, Ireland's contribution to the National Music Day movement, will be held on 21 June, with over 200 free musical events at present scheduled in locations throughout the country - an increase of some 25% on 2011. Opera, samba, percussion, and other genres will be featured as well as eighty events presented by Comhaltas Ceoltoirí Eireann.

A launch for the campaign is being held today (16 May) in Moore St., Dublin, with a speech by Jimmy Deenihan TD, minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, and musicians from the Royal Irish Academy of Music. Full details are on love:live music's website and Facebook pages.

Two Time Polka: shows in May

Ray Barron of Two Time Polka sends word of the band's imminent shows:

Fri. 18th: The Blue Haven Bar, Pearse St., Kinsale, Co. Cork. Kickoff 10.00 p.m. Adm. free. Tel. 021 4772209

Sat. 26th: The Brewery Tap, Tullamore, Co. Offaly. Kickoff 10.00 p.m. Adm. free. Tel. 057 9321131

Sun. 27th: The Brewery Tap, Tullamore, Co. Offaly. Kickoff 4.00 p.m. Adm. free. Tel. 057 9321131

Regards and thanks,
Ray and TTP

I Draw Slow album for release on Pinecastle

Redhills, the second CD by I Draw Slow, will be reissued on 7 Aug. 2012 by the prominent US bluegrass label Pinecastle Records, as the first result of the band's joining the distinguished Pinecastle artist roster.

Customers who pre-order Redhills from the Pinecastle website will also receive a free digital copy, delivered on the release date, and will receive the single 'Goldmine' instantly after their purchase. Read the full details on the latest Pinecastle e-newsletter.

€100,000 worth of guitars stolen in Dublin 12

The crime.ie website reports that over €100,000 worth of guitars was stolen last night from Jimi’s Music Store in Ballymount Drive, Walkinstown, Dublin 12.

A complete list of the stolen instruments and gear is on the crime.ie web page, most of them with serial numbers. Almost all the items are Gibson, Fender, or Epiphone electrics, but the thieves may not be fussy about who they try to sell them to; so if you are offered any of the guitars on the list, please get in touch with your local Garda station or contact the confidential line on 1800 666111.

Curtis Blackwell Bluegrass Band on tour in Ireland, 13-24 June 2012

(L-r) Chuck Nation (fiddle), Jim Pankey (banjo), Curtis Blackwell (guitar), Susan Nation (bass)

Thanks to Nigel Martyn and his Old Flattop agency for the complete updated schedule of the tour next month by the Curtis Blackwell Bluegrass Band (USA; above), a solid traditional bluegrass band with impeccable credentials. Curtis followed Peter Rowan as guitar player with Bill Monroe & the Blue Grass Boys, and is a member of the Atlanta Country & Bluegrass Music Hall Of Fame. He has led a band since his late teens. In 2010 he was ranked as a Bluegrass Legend by the International Bluegrass Music Museum (IBMM). The Curtis Blackwell Bluegrass Band will be playing the following dates here:

Wed. 13th June: Black Box, Belfast, 028 90 244400
Thurs. 14th: Barry's, Grange, Co. Sligo, 071 917 3111
Fri. 15th: The Crane Bar, Galway city, 091 587419
Sat. 16th: Áras Éanna, Inis Óirr, Aran Islands, 099 75150
Sun. 17th: Colfer's Pub, Carrig on Bannow, Co. Wexford, 051 561159
Mon. 18th: Village Arts Centre, Kilworth, Co. Cork, 087 792 1771
Tues. 19th: (day off)
Wed. 20th: St John's Theatre, Listowel, Co. Kerry, 068 22566
Thurs. 21st: Mill Bar, Sixmilebridge, Co. Clare, 086 846 4509
Fri. 22nd: Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray, Co. Wicklow, 01 272 4030
Sat. 23rd: Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre, Naul, Co. Dublin, 01 802 0898
Sun. 24th: Roe Valley Arts Centre, Limavady, Co. Londonderry, 028 777 60650

A recent news item on the tour, by James Gabehart on Bluegrass Today, can be read here.

Bluegrass Slow Jam at Walton's, Dublin, 18 May 2012

Thanks to Paddy Kiernan (left) for a reminder that the next monthly Bluegrass Slow Jam will be held this Friday (18 May), from 6.30 to 8.00 p.m., at Walton's New School of Music on George's St., Dublin 2. All the information and repertoire can be found on the Jam's web page. Dates for the jam as scheduled at present are all on the BIB calendar.

Paddy's current ten-week 'Introduction to 5-string banjo' course in the School runs till 21 June. It will be followed by a five-week summer course (5 July-2 August). Full details for the course are here.

Paddy also sends a reminder that having appeared at the Baltimore Fiddle Fair over the past weekend, Tim O'Brien (USA) is playing tomorrow night in Dublin, and indeed has two other shows scheduled in Ireland this week. The full list on his tour schedule is:

Tues. 15th: Button Factory, Dublin 2
Wed. 16th: Kenny's Bar, Lahinch, Co. Clare
Thurs. 17th: Leap Castle, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary

Bass repair in east Leinster needed

Bassist Konrad Liddy (seen on the left in his 'Ex-Kon' Prison Love configuration; he is also bass player with I Draw Slow) finds that his hard-working upright bass has developed a crack that needs attention - ideally from a luthier in the west of Co. Wicklow or the east of Co. Kildare.

The BIB's contacts in that area have been unable so far to find someone for the job. If you are (or know of) someone who is qualified to do it, please contact Konrad by e-mail.

Prison Love with Johanna Divine, Odessa Club, Dublin; Fri. 18 May 2012

Thanks to Mark O'Mahony of Prison Love for this news:

Friends and Felons,

We are delighted to announce a double-header gig with Louisiana’s finest country and roots singer, Johanna Divine. Expect kickin' country tunes combining elements of swamp pop, Americana, and roots rock with a sultry Southern voice. You can't beat that!

'An instant Americana classic' (No Depression)
'Absolutely superb' ('Whispering' Bob Harris)
'Lovely and impressive' (Time Out, New York)

Prison Love will kick things off at 8.30 with Johanna taking over at 9.45. All welcome to stay for the DJ afterwards from 11.30.

Johanna Divine with Prison Love
Odessa Club, Dame Court, Dublin 2
Fri. 18 May
Doors 8.00 p.m. €10

Gonna be a great night...

BRMB support STFU in Newbridge, 12 May 2012

Thanks to Mark Flynn of the BRMB for this news:

The Blood Red Mountain Band are very proud to be supporting the Southern Tenant Folk Union (GB) in the Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge, Co. Kildare, tomorrow night, Saturday 12 May. Doors are at 8.00 p.m. and costs €15. See the Riverbank website for more details.

NB: among those details is the information that tickets are only €5 if bought today, 'Fiver Friday'; so contact the centre ASAP.

The voice of the Foghorn is heard in the land

As BIB readers will be aware, the Foghorn Stringband from Portland, OR, are now touring in this island; this weekend they are down in Baltimore, Co. Cork, for the Fiddle Fair. You can also follow their experiences in print: they are contributing blog posts on their tour to the Prescription Bluegrass Blog back home. Read an instalment here.

The Cabin Sessions: Dundrum, Dublin, 31 May 2012

Latest news of the Cabin Sessions, 'Acoustic Music at its Finest', at Uncle Tom's Cabin (not far from Dundrum Luas station in the city direction); Gerry Fitzpatrick announces:

Date for your diaries! Thursday 31 May (on your way home from the polling station!) The McGrane Family, Cathy McEvoy (fiddle), Con Butler (bass), and Gerry Fitzpatrick (dobro).

Special guests: Tom Horan (folk/country), Jo Ryan (folk), Andrew Basquille (singer/songwriter); and the Asylum Creek Boys (bluegrass: Cathal Cusack, guitar; Richard Hawkins, banjo; Martin McWhorter, mandolin). 9.30-11.30 p.m. Admission FREE.

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 and singers.