Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike in Germany, July

The European tour of Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike opens on 5 July with the Tanz- und Folk-Fest (TFF) in Rudolstadt. Karl Heinz Siber of Muff Musik-Management reports:

This is Germany's major folk festival, with an expected attendance of 20,000 or more over the four days (5-8 July). Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike will perform on the first day of the festival, Thursday 5 July, sharing the stage with the Crooked Jades and Hayseed Dixie, both from the US. The whole evening will be audio-recorded for later transmission over various German radio networks. I am personally sure that the band will get great audience response at the TFF, as they always do.

Even though the schedule shows nothing for Wednesday 11 July, there is some musical activity planned for that day. Valerie and the band will visit a school in Bühl on that morning and do an instructional session with several classes in attendance. This is part of an effort of the city of Bühl, and the makers of the Bühl International BG Festival to bring more local, and especially young, people into the orbit of bluegrass music, and to make the younger generation aware of this music. We hope that this will lead, in the longer term, to some more young people picking up a bluegrass instrument.

Thurs. 5 July: Tanz- und Folkfest, Rudolstadt

Fri. 6 July, 8 p.m.: Altes Amtsgericht, Boeblingen

Sat. 7 July, 8 p.m. Pfleghofsaal, Langenau

Mon. 9 July, 7 p.m.: Stadtfest, Neudrossenfeld b. Bayreuth

Tues. 10 July, 8 p.m.: Schloss Fachsenfeld, Aalen

Wed. 11 July (see above)

Thurs. 12 July, 8.30 p.m.: Rattlesnake Saloon, Munich

Fri. 13 July, 7 p.m.: Burg Streichenberg, Gemmingen

For further information contact Muff Musik-Management.

Dates for the band's subsequent tour in the UK can be seen here. The UK tour is sponsored by Maverick, the UK magazine for country and roots music.