What's EWOB anyway?
SOME HISTORY ABOUT EWOB
For over forty years, Europeans in all parts of the Continent have been playing bluegrass music. Individual countries have produced many individual musicians, bands, and luthiers to match US standards, and American artists are increasingly coming to this bluegrass-friendly environment. Concerts and festivals take place throughout the year. Since the mid 90s, with the encouragement of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), some major steps have been taken towards a unified European scene.
In the mid 90s, a European Bluegrass Network was formed and annual meetings started a closer networking between bluegrass activitsts in Europe. The idea of a European month of bluegrass (corresponding to IBMA's call for May being the Worldwide Month of Bluegrass Music) and a festival came up in 1997 and an organising body in the Netherlands was charged to start the festival. Since 1998 the European World of Bluegrass (EWOB) month has been held every May, comprising over 100 concerts and festivals throughout Europe. The highlight has since then been the EWOB Festival in Voorthuizen, the Netherlands, which showcases European bluegrass talent as well as presenting US guests and was organised by a local committee.
In 2001 the European Bluegrass Music Association (EBMA) was formed out of the European Bluegrass Network as a coordinating body, with membership, a board of directors, a magazine (BLUEGRASS EUROPE), and a website (www.ebma.org).
The EWOB month has since then been coordinated by EBMA, while the Festival, which in 2003 won the IBMA award for Bluegrass Event of the Year, is held under the auspices of the EBMA (and not organised or hosted by EBMA).
For further information, contact the EBMA, Holeerain 29, CH-4102 Binningen, Switzerland, e-mail