Lovin' you on CD Baby and YouTube

Lilly Drumeva writes from Bulgaria:

Dear friends,

My new album Lovin’you is now available on the internet through CD Baby.

You may watch a video on YouTube of the song 'If I needed you', duet with Jakub Racek (CZ).

Lilly Drumeva
Lilly of the West
e-mail
M: +359 888 660 990

Kudos for Acousticure

Congratulations to Acousticure from Hungary, current #1 European Bluegrass Band, whose CD Bluegrass van (Gryllus Records GCD 073) has been reviewed in the March 2010 issue of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine. The reviewer, Bill Conger, writes:

This acoustic quartet demonstrates the worldwide influence of bluegrass music. Labeled a Hungarian bluegrass band, I really would not have known these guys were from across the pond... tight vocals and superb chops... make this album a must have for your collection.

Another European reference in the same issue of BU: David McCarty's article on Chuck Ogsbury of Ome Banjos mentions the 'eighty-year-old Swedish woodworker' in Ogsbury's home town of Louisville, KY, who helped him get started in building banjos. Perhaps Swedish bluegrassers should identify and commemorate this craftsman as a Bluegrass Pioneer?

Lineup for 11th Spring Bluegrass Festival, Willisau

Paolo Dettwiler reports:

The talent committee of the Spring Bluegrass Festival in Willisau, Switzerland, have announced the lineup for their 11th edition on 8 May 2010.

The festival takes place on two stages and presents a colourful variety of musical styles focusing on bluegrass music.

Uncle Earl (USA)
Kathy Kallick Band (USA)
Red Grass (CAN)
Sacred Sounds of Grass (D)
Bluegrass Cwrkot (CZ)
Viper Central (CAN)
MoonRise (CH)

For further information, see the festival website or contact me directly by e-mail.

Karl May Festtage 2010

Thanks to the organisers of the 19th Karl May Festtage (14-16 May 2010) in Radebeul, Germany, for the news that this year's event includes a Bluegrass and Country Festival, with Uncle Earl (left) at the head of the lineup. The schedule includes:

Sat./Sun. Uncle Earl (USA)
Sat./Sun. Wade Fernandez (USA)
Sat./Sun. Zydeco Annie & Swamp Cats (D)
Sat. Jimmy Bozeman & the Lazy Pigs (USA, CZ, D)
Sat. The Road Brothers (D)

MC: Herbert Graedtke

For more information, see the Karl May Festtage website and/or contact

Amt für Kultur und Tourismus
Altkötzschenbroda 21
01445 Radebeul
Tel: +49 (0)351 8311 624 bzw. 0176 9697 8258
Fax: +49 (0)351 8311633

Toy Hearts: March 2010 newsletter

Thanks to Sophia Johnson of the Toy Hearts (UK) for the four-page March 2010 issue of the band's magazine-format, fully illustrated newsletter, which includes the big news that their third album, Femme fatale, is scheduled for release in June 2010 with distribution from a record label. The Toy Hearts will be touring in the UK and Europe during the summer in connection with the new album before their next trip to the US.

Other features include the band's endorsement of BlueChip picks (also featured in the March 2010 issue of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine); Hannah's new Collings mandolin; and many photos from the Bluegrass Jamboree tour in December, and from the Femme fatale recording sessions. The list of forthcoming appearances on page 4 includes the Picnic Festival at Namur, Belgium (3-5 September 2010).

View the Toy Hearts' March newsletter here.

New CD from Blackjack

Blackjack at Bühl, 6 Feb. 2010, during the 2nd European Bluegrass Summit (photo: Lilly Pavlak)

Thanks to Ondra Plucha for the news that Blackjack (CZ) will begin recording a new CD next week for release at the beginning of May. It will be available at the EWOB Festival 2010 in Voorthuizen, NL.

The album features the lineup (Ondra Plucha, guitar; Martin Kubec, banjo; Slavek Podhrasky, mandolin; Richard Podhrasky, bass) which Blackjack have kept for ten years, plus Ondra Kozak on fiddle. Ondra, who plays guitar with Kreni and the Petr Brandejs Band, took part in Blackjack's previous CD and has became a steady guest of the band. Karel Zacal (dobro player of Kreni and also producer of Coner resonator guitars) plays dobro on some cuts. The material of the recording is based on forgotten songs from 1950s bluegrass, as usual with Blackjack. Along with previous recordings, it will be available at Blackjack's live shows or from their website.

Blackjack will perform this year at the EWOB Festival in Voorthuizen, NL on 14 May (they received an Audience Popularity Award there last year); at the Banjo Jamboree festival in Caslav, CZ, on 18-19 June; at the Appalachian & Bluegrass Music Festival, Omagh, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland on 3-5 September; and hopefully as well for the first time at the La Roche Bluegrass Festival in France on 29 July-1 August.

Contact: Ondra Plucha
Vaclava Trojana 1483/3
104 00 Praha 10
Czech Republic
e-mail
Website | MySpace

Bluegrass in the Netherlands

Rienk Janssen reports:

The 17th Annual Picking Party on 16 January in Leiden was a great success. Pictures are to be found here, here, and here. On YouTube you can find some video fragments.

In Valthermond, on 27 March, there will be another picking party, called Northern Picking, with a lot of sessions, and possibly a banjo workshop by Bruno van Hoek.

The weekend of 20-22 August the third 'Ins Blaue Hinein' instructional program will be held in the German Eifel mountains, hosted by Paul van Vlodrop, Peter Broekhuijsen, Bruno van Hoek and Elly Beurskens. E-mail: Paul van Vlodrop, Elly Beurskens.

The Stroatklinkers will go for a short tour to England in May.

Danilo Cartia Band at Auditorium Due Pini, 11 Mar. 2010

The Danilo Cartia Band (I), led by banjoist Danilo Cartia, will be playing at 9.00 p.m. on Thursday 11 March in the Auditorium Due Pini, Via Zandonai, in north-west Rome. Admission: €10.

The Auditorium Due Pini presents a varied musical programme - other acts listed in the poster (left) are in the fields of flamenco, tango, mariachi, and the music of Simon & Garfunkel.

Danilo Cartia: Website
MySpace
Facebook: Danilo Cartia
e-mail
ph. / fax +39 06 8273332
mob. +39 339 6908450

EWOB Festival programme now online

The main stage programme for this year's European World of Bluegrass (EWOB) Festival (13-15 May 2010) at 't Trefpunt, Voorthuizen, the Netherlands, can now be seen on the EWOB Festival website.

Thirty-six bands from thirteen European countries will be performing, together with two acts from Canada and four from the USA. The evening concerts on the three successive days of the Festival will be closed by Hungry Hill (Canada), the Kathy Kallick Band (USA; see photo above), and Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa (USA).

Businesses already registered to take part in the Trade Show section of the Festival include Boetzkes Snaarinstrumenten, Martin’s Musikkiste, the New Acoustic Gallery, Prucha Bluegrass Instruments, Runesson Handmade Guitars, Strictly Country, and Wim van de Weg's Used and Vintage Instruments. The workshop schedule and other events at 't Trefpunt will be announced shortly.

4 Wheel Drive at Toogenblik, 5 Mar. 2010

Bluegrass in Belgium announces:

Don't miss Four Wheel Drive in concert at Toogenblik this Friday.
Four Wheel Drive is one of Europe's top bluegrass bands.
And Toogenblik is the greatest place to enjoy acoustic music.

Friday 5 March at 20:30
Toogenblik
Cortenbachstraat 11
1130 Haren-Brussel
Belgium

The Grascals at Albisgütli, 26 Feb. 2010

Thanks to Lilly Pavlak for taking these and other photos at the 26th International Country Music Festival at the Schützenhaus Albisgütli, Zurich, Switzerland, during the concert on Friday 26 Feb. 2010 - the first of two special Bluegrass Nights, headlined by the Grascals (USA), during the 38-day festival. On 27 Feb. the supporting band was the Bluegrass Family (CH).

The Challenge, a young band from Switzerland; other photos of the show are on their website

The Grascals

More photos by Lilly can be seen here, including individual shots of the Grascals.

Danilo Cartia band in Rome, 11 Mar. 2010

The Danilo Cartia Band will be playing on Thursday 11 March 2010 at the Auditorium Due Pini, Via Zandonai 2, Rome (Vigna Clara)

For forthcoming appearances by the Danilo Cartia Band, see the EBB post of 16 Feb. Danilo Cartia and Rome Bluegrass Jam are also presenting the concert by Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum on 16 Mar.

Danilo Cartia: Website
MySpace
Facebook: Danilo Cartia
e-mail
ph. / fax +39 06 8273332
mob. +39 339 6908450

Bordergrass - a new festival in England, 30 Apr.-1 May

Thanks to FOAOTMAD, the UK old-time music association, for passing on this news:

Sue Edwards of UK Autoharps informs of a new music festival: the 2010 Bordergrass Music Festival, held Friday 30 April-Saturday 1 May. This is at Hopelands Hall in the village of Weobley, Herefordshire, famous for its picturesque setting, and the centre of the ‘Black and White’ villages in the area.

There are evening concerts both days, and also free workshops on the Saturday afternoon with Mike Fenton, who is bringing 35 autoharps for new players to try. There are also workshops from Sarah McQuaid on DADGAD (Irish) Guitar and Old Time Band from the New Prohibition Band.

The Friday concert line up is the New Essex Bluegrass Band, Sarah McQuaid, the New Prohibition Band, Mike Fenton, and the Toy Hearts. The Saturday concert is the same lineup apart from the Toy Hearts, but also includes Hilary James & Simon Mayor [see photo above], and the Carrivick Sisters.

Details re camping and caravans, ticket prices, etc., are on this website, or phone +44 (0)1544 327936.

This new festival is a varied one, a blend of old-time, bluegrass, and folk, with a great lineup for the concerts, so do have a look at the website for full information.

Didmarton announce headline bands from the US

The Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band (photo: Tim Benko)

Thanks to the organisers of the Didmarton Bluegrass Festival in England, for this news:

The 2010 festival is scheduled for 2-5 September, at the usual location, Kemble Airfield, and will feature the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band (Jody Stecher, Keith Little, and Paul Knight), the Claire Lynch Band, and Jack Lawrence, all from the US.

The UK lineup is no less prestigious with local heroes Bill Smarme & the Business, the Scoville Units, Salmagundi, the Thunderbridge Bluegrass Boys, the Slowdown Boys, and a lot more to be confirmed.

Concerts will take place on two stages, with the main stage programme starting on Friday at lunchtime. The festival is also in negotiations with a top folk act for a separately billed concert on the evening of Thursday 2 September.

All the usual activities - dance, instrumental seminars, tuition tent - will be on the programme and we have placed our order for sunshine!

Tickets are on sale and a booking form is available on the website, where you can also keep up with the latest news.

Please also consider joining our festival forum if you want to make suggestions and comments about the event, it's your event too! There's a link on the website.

Details of the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band can be seen here.

Rome Bluegrass Jam, Sun. 28 Feb. 2010

The Danilo Cartia Band announces that the next 'Rome Bluegrass Jam'/'Bluegrass Jam Roma' will be held on Sunday 28 Feb. 2010 from 22:00 in the Cantine Blues, Via della Batteria Nomentana 66/68, Rome, Italy. Admission free.

'Rome Bluegrass Jam' is the country music event in Rome that brings together the best country and folk musicians around the capital, to make this kind of music and its history more widely known.

For forthcoming appearances by the Danilo Cartia Band, see the EBB post of 16 Feb..

Danilo Cartia: Website
MySpace
Facebook: Danilo Cartia
e-mail
ph. / fax +39 06 8273332
mob. +39 339 6908450

Lilly of the West joined by famous Irish musicians to celebrate St Patrick’s Day in Sofia, Bulgaria

Lilly of the West will perform at the Sofia City Art Gallery on 16 March, joined by Paul O'Shaughnessy (fiddle) and Larry Egan (accordion) as special guests from Ireland. Paul O’Shaughnessy has been a member of the legendary folk band Altan for several years. Larry Egan is featured on the acclaimed Kitchen recordings.

Lilly of the West will feature Lilly Drumeva (vocal, guitar, fiddle); Yasen Vasilev (guitar); Svoboda Bozduganova (upright bass); Michail Shishkov (piano, dobro guitar).

The concert is part of the Sofia Municipality Chamber Concert series. For further information please see Upcoming Events on the Irish Embassy website or contact Lilly Drumeva by e-mail. Lilly's original announcement (with band photo and St Patrick's Day decorations) can be read here.

Red Wine Bluegrass Party # 2 on 19-20 March 2010

Martino Coppo, lead singer and mandolinist of Red Wine (Italy), writes:

Dear Friends,

Attached please find all the information for 'The Red Wine Bluegrass Party #2', which will take place at Teatro della Gioventù in Genoa (Genova), Friday 19 and Saturday 20 March, 9.00 p.m., with special guests from San Francisco Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum!

Take a look at the newly designed website -

Ticket sales: online and

Theater and booking office hours
(from Tuesday to Saturday 4.30-7.00 p.m.
Sunday 3.00-6.30 p.m. and during shows)
Via Cesarea 16, 16121 Genoa
P +39 010 8936326
F +39 010 5848721
e-mail

We'll wait you there!

Martino

Red Wine Website
Facebook
MySpace

Krüger Brothers at the New Acoustic Gallery, 31 Mar. 2010

The famous Krüger Brothers return to the New Acoustic Gallery at Solingen on Wednesday 31 March 2010 for the only German concert in their forthcoming European tour, bringing with them their brand new CD and a percussionist.

Please note that only seventy (70) seats are available at the NAG; first come, first served... To book tickets (€30 in advance, €35 at the door), telephone Oliver Waitze at +49 0212/2474007.

New Acoustic Gallery
Neuenhofer Str. 122
42657 Solingen, Germany
e-mail

This concert replaces the Bratislava show for 31 Mar. which was announced on the EBB on 9 February.

Bluegrass Jamboree! in Basle - in pictures

Thanks to Paolo Dettwiler for this news:

The website of regional bluegrass association 'Bluegrass in Basel' has been updated to include a nice gallery of photos, taken by Beat Schmid of Switzerland, of the Bluegrass Jamboree 2009 festivities which took in place in Basel on Sunday 13 December 2009 - the only show in Switzerland of Rainer Zellner's tour. Tentative plans are to have the Jamboree back in December 2010. And here's the link.

Sample photo above: mandolin climax at the finale, with Hannah Johnson (UK), Rainer Zellner, Carl Jones (USA), Mike Guggino (USA)

Danilo Cartia Band schedule, Feb.-Mar. 2010

The Danilo Cartia Band (Italy), led by banjoist Danilo Cartia, will be playing at 22:00 on 18 Feb. 2010 at the Cantine Blues, Via della Batteria Nomentana, 66/68 Rome. Admission free. Info: 349/6694810.

Other upcoming dates on the band's schedule include:

26 Feb. Teatro Spaziozero, Via delle Regioni, 10 Cisterna di Latina (LT), 21:00
28 Feb. Bluegrass Jam, Cantine Blues, Via della Batteria Nomentana, 66/68, Rome, 22:00. Info: 349/6694810
11 Mar. Auditorium 'Due Pini', Via Zandonai, 2 Rome, 21:00
21 Mar. Bibenda Cafè, Via Appia sud, 28 - Km 42900, Velletri, 22:00
27 Mar. The Stage Pub, Via degli Olmetti, Formello (RM), 22:00
28 Mar. Bluegrass Jam, Cantine Blues, Via della Batteria Nomentana, 66/68 Rome, 22:00

Danilo Cartia website
MySpace
Facebook
ph. / fax +39 06 8273332
mob. +39 339 6908450

New banjo DVD from Jens Kruger

As announced today on the Bluegrass Blog, Homespun Tapes have just released a new banjo instruction method, Jens Kruger’s banjo method for beginners, subtitled An easy and joyful way to start picking. Homespun says:

His is a completely different approach to learning to play the banjo: it’s liberating, inspiring, and will allow anyone to make music in minutes.

This is available from Homespun as a DVD or by direct download, and also from Amazon.

The Kruger Brothers will also be touring Europe in late March 2010. According to their schedule page (where more details are given), the dates are as follows:

Sat. 20 Mar. Eagle Music Shop Event, West Yorkshire, UK
Wed. 24 Mar. Tell Schauspielhaus, Altdorf UR, Switzerland
Fri. 26 Mar. Stadtcasino, Basel, Switzerland
Sat. 27 Mar. Yehudi Menuhin Forum, Bern, Switzerland
Sun. 28 Mar. Tonhalle, Kammermusiksaal, Zürich, Switzerland
Tues. 30 Mar. Prague, CZ; details TBA
Wed. 31 Mar. Bratislava, Slovakia; details TBA

Sons of Navarone UK tour February 2010

Richard F Thompson of the BBMA forwards this news:

You are invited to an evening of bluegrass music with the Sons of Navarone, one of Europe’s top bands.

This Belgium-based bluegrass band have been in existence since 2001 and since then they have successfully taken part and left their mark in many parts of the European music scene. These guys stand for WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get). Well played acoustic bluegrass music, with outstanding close harmony singing that has become their trademark.

The tour starts off with a private concert at RAF Headley Court – the Armed Forces Medical Rehabilitation Centre - and then moves on to:

Tues. 16 Feb. Sutton Scotney Village Hall, Winchester, Hampshire
Wed. 17 Feb. The Castle Inn, Swansea Road, Pontlliw, Swansea
Thurs. 18 Feb. The Grove Inn, Back Row, David Street, Leeds
Fri. 19 Feb. Wellington Arts Centre, Eight Acre Lane, Wellington, Somerset (with Thunderbridge Bluegrass Boys)

The Sons put on a great show with their interactive rapport with the audience and their onstage humour keeps the audience sharp and on the edge of their seats. As well as traditional and contemporary bluegrass, the SONS also perform songs from other musical genres but giving them their own special bluegrass arrangements.

Full details on the Sons' website.

Unique Americana fusion band planning 2011 European tour

Thanks to Adrian Trbovich of the Turbo Pro Project for this information about an upcoming tour next year.


The Turbo Pro Project, a cutting-edge act that features a banjo player and DJ, is planning a 2011 tour of Switzerland, Germany, and possibly France. They are open to festivals, house concerts, and other venues. Solicitations are welcome from venues and promoters. For more information visit the Project website.

All inquiries can be submitted to Adrian by e-mail.

Ivor Ottley to move from Ireland to Sweden

Ace fiddler Ivor Ottley - originally from England but resident in western Ireland for the past seven years - is expected to move from Ireland to Sweden in the near future. His last performance in Ireland is likely to be in two weeks' time, as a member of Gone to Grass (see photo; Ivor is on the extreme left), during the Kinvara Area Music Collective's annual Mardi Gras celebration, which this year will take place on Saturday 13 February at the Kinvara Community Centre, Co. Galway.

Thanks to Pete Lamb (organiser of the Galway Americana Festival) for this news. Pete is in the centre of the above photo.

Sue Thompson and the Brandejs Band

A unique band put together (so far) just for this summer is called Sue Thompson and the Brandejs Band. The Band consists of a guitarist and vocalist (and a vocal teacher!) Sue Thompson (USA), Petr and Pavel Brandejs (banjo, bass), and a multi-instrumentalist, Ondra Kozák (all CZ).

The group is now accepting dates for the period of May–July 2010. So far they are booked at the Banjo Jamboree (the Czech Republic) and Risor Bluegrass Workshop and Festival in Norway. For booking and more info, contact Petr Brandejs by e-mail.

Durango: new Coal Porters CD

The Coal Porters (UK), who claim to be the world’s first alternative bluegrass band, launched their latest album, Durango (Prima Records, distributed in the UK by Proper and in the USA by Burnside) with a party at the Arts Theatre Club, in London’s West End, on 25 January.

Durango is the Coal Porters’ ninth album – although the band’s been through a number of incarnations since it was formed in Los Angeles back in the late 'eighties. The new album was recorded in the southern Colorado town bearing the same name and was produced by the legendary Ed Stasium, who has worked with the Ramones, Talking Heads, Gladys Knight, and Mick Jagger.

Naturally, their set was almost completely made up from tracks on the new album, with the foot-stomping 'Roadkill breakdown', the very moving 'Permanent twilight' and 'No more chains' being highlights among their own original material along with a cover of the Undertones’ 'Teenage kicks'.

Currently the Coal Porters are Sid Griffin (mandolin, harmonica, autoharp and vocals), Neil Robert Herd (guitar, sporran and vocals), Andrew Stafford (bass), Carly Frey (fiddle), and Dick Smith (banjo).

Among other dates on their schedule, the Coal Porters will head the bill at this year's Westport Folk & Bluegrass Festival in Ireland at the end of June.

UK concert for Haiti earthquake relief

The Sutton Acoustic Music Club in southern England announces a concert to raise funds for relief in Haiti. Half the programme will be bluegrass, and prominent bands and musicians from the British bluegrass scene will take part.

The concert will be held in the Good Shepherd Hall, Station Approach, Tadworth, Surrey, on Sunday 28 February 2010. The lineup is:

A Band like Alice (Bluegrass) TBC
The Andy Smythe Band (Folk and Americana)
Biggin Hillbillies (Bluegrass)
Monroe's Revenge (Bluegrass) TBC
Acoustic Astronauts (Americana)
International Men of Mystery (South American and Folk)
The Grasshoppers (Bluegrass and Americana)
Butt of Lewis (Folk)

Also featured are Bob Winquist (fiddle) & Mike Aston (mandolin), Geoff Chapman (singer/ guitarist), and Fr Michael Elfred (guitar), priest in charge of the church.

The concert begins at 7.00 p.m. and continues to 11.00 p.m. Admission is £10 on the door; donation boxes are also available, and there will be a raffle. All collections and ticketing are arranged by the church. For further info, contact Mike of the Acoustic Astronauts (+44 (0)7545326534).

Thanks to Richard F. Thompson of the BBMA for forwarding this news.

Belgium: concerts and other news

Les Impertinents (photo: Véronique Marchand)

Bluegrass in Belgium reports:

Dear friends

The Sons of Navarone give a free concert in Tervuren on Sunday 31 January at 20:00. The number of seats is limited, so you only get in by making a reservation by e-mail.

The Sons will also do a five-day tour in the UK in February. Details on their website. It seems the Sons are in great shape (except for one who has the 'flu and sounds more like a Snot of Navarone). They are on the cover of British Bluegrass News and will also be on the cover of the next issue of Bluegrass Europe magazine.

Belgium celebrates the arrival of a new bluegrassy band! Les Impertinents - with all except one member of the legendary Gold Rush.

Two American and one Dutch bluegrass bands are visiting Belgium soon: the Grascals, Hayseed Dixie, and 4 Wheel Drive. Check all details on the calendar of Bluegrass in Belgium.

'If I needed you': video clip

Hi all,

Below is a link to the clip of 'If I needed you' from my new album [see the EBB post of 21 Jan.]: 'If I needed you'

Kind regards,

Lilly Drumeva
Lilly of the West
e-mail
M: +359 888 660 990
website

Thanks to Richard F. Thompson of the BBMA for the news that issue #37 (Oct. 2009) of Vagabond, an English-language monthly publication, includes an article by Ani Ivanova about Lilly Drumeva and bluegrass in Bulgaria. It can be read here.

Uncle Earl / Fox Tower concert, 17 May 2010

Thanks to Andy Glandt (D) for the news that the Fox Tower Bluegrass Band have organised the following concert:

Monday 17 May 2010
Uncle Earl (USA) & Fox Tower Bluegrass Band (D)
AmVieh-Theater, 07616 Beulbar, Germany (near Jena), 7.30 p.m.

This concert can be added to the list of Uncle Earl tour dates previously shown on the European Bluegrass Blog.

Lovin' you - now out

Lilly Drumeva reports from Bulgaria:

My new album Lovin’ you is out now. It was recorded in two countries – Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, with Monogram and Lilly of the West. It will be available through CD Baby on my new website very soon. There you may hear sound clips, get photos and more info. A video to the song 'If I needed you' (with Jakub Racek) will be featured there soon. In the meantime, please write to me with your address, for a copy of the new album. I have attached some info.

All the best,

Lilly Drumeva
Lilly of the West
e-mail
M: +359 888 660 990

Read full details of the new album Lovin' you here.

Boogiemen's new CD: Hits of Hank Williams

The Blue Grass Boogiemen (NL) are releasing on the CRS (Continental) label a new album, Hits of Hank Williams, originally commissioned by Starsound. The Boogiemen announce:

... Ever since we started playing together, Hank's songs have been an integral part of our repertoire... to say the least, we love his music, on and off stage, and we're convinced... that the world can never have too many albums with Hank's songs, whether they're well-known hits or not.

Hits of Hank Williams can be bought through PayPal on the Boogiemen's website, and there is a special New Year internet price of €12.50. Read more about the album here; reviews can be read here.

Bonne Année y'all!

From Blue Railroad Train (F):

Bienvenue 2010! et nous souhaitons à tous nos chers amis une Bonne Année pleine de bonnes choses et surtout de la Musique!

Blue Railroad Train: Jean-Marie Redon, Sharon Lombardi, James Field, Thierry Lecoq

Welcome 2010! and we wish all our good friends a Happy New Year full of great things and especially Music!

Bluegrass events in Germany, 2010

Michael Zumstein reports that the German festival season begins with the 8th International Bluegrass Festival (14-15 May) in Bühl, with its international lineup including Uncle Earl (USA) (above). Bühl is followed closely by the second Greven Grass Festival (22-23 May), and two months later by the second Munich Bluegrass Festival (9-11 July).

Michael's own band Blue Side of Town (founded 1992) are now recording a new CD for release in March; it will include the title song 'Blue side of town', written by band member Niels Kaiser and Elke Sachsenmaier.

Also in southern Germany, the Wodan Halle in Freiburg will be presenting some fine music including the French Cajun band Le Clou (12 Mar.) and Uncle Earl (30 Apr.). And the Black Forest Bluegrass Jam, first held in autumn 2009, attracts lots of musicians from the French/Swiss/German border, forming a melting point for bluegrass and acoustic music in the area. More info here.

Other dates played by Uncle Earl in Europe - nearly all of which are in Germany - can be seen here. Also in Germany, there will be a European first-timer: the Gibson Brothers perform uniquely in Oldenburg on Sunday 11 April (see the EBB for 3 January).

Coming events in Norway

Ila Auto

Dagfinn Pedersen, EBMA board member, reports from the Norwegian Bluegrass Music Association that no fewer than five bands are currently about to release, or are working on, new CDs. The hard-working Ila Auto, whose debut CD won the Norwegian Best Country Album 2006 award, will release their third CD - predominantly original material, all in Norwegian - on 18 January, on the Universal Records label, with full national TV and radio promotion package.

Risør Bluegrass Festival (15-17 July 2010) is receiving the first significant financial support from central or local authorities in its nine years of existence. The festival website will soon open for enrolment in the workshop (for all bluegrass instruments, plus harmony singing and clawhammer banjo). EBMA members travelling to Risør from outside Norway will be eligible for a 50% discount. Dagfinn's full report, which will appear in the next Bluegrass Europe, can also be read here.

New from Denmark

Spencer Sorenson reports on behalf of Bluegrass Music Denmark (BMD):

Bluegrass Music in Denmark has just completed a successful year, in which ten concerts were presented in Copenhagen. Highlights of the year were the visits of Special Consensus (USA) in October and our annual multi-concert, or Bluegrass Night. This year there were three groups – Bluegrass Boulevard from Denmark, an overdue reunion with Monogram from the Czech Republic, and the first-time visit of the Sons of Navarone. Through the year we had bands from the US, Sweden, and Czech Republic as well as some of our local Danish bands.

Our spring program is in place, and we are presenting concerts by Cold Mountain Band from Sweden; G-Runs 'n Roses from the Czech Republic; John Lowell and John Moore from the USA; Grassride from Sweden; Bluedolls, a new band from Denmark; Kathy Kallick from the USA; and a double concert with Special Blend and the Copenhagen Mountain Boys.

Danish bluegrass was well represented at the IBMA Congress in Nashville this fall, as a group of about a half dozen took the trip across the Atlantic. All came home very pleased with the trip and ready to enjoy more bluegrass. They recommend a trip to IBMA for all bluegrass fans.

Our new website (in Danish) has improved communications with our members, and proved to be a popular addition to our services.

Contact Spencer Sorenson by e-mail.

New moves for Bononia Grass

Thanks to Luca Bartolini for this news from award-winning Italian band Bononia Grass:

First of all we’ve changed our lineup, again, since last January. We are very happy because Maria Grazia Branca joined our band. This is a sort of welcome back to bluegrass! She played for about twelve years with Red Wine touring the most important festivals around Europe and US, but since 2002 she was out of the bluegrass scene. She is the best choice for Bononia: she is a wonderful player and her experience and enthusiasm can really make the difference; it’s amazing, for me, to share some music with her again! She is playing with us since September and so we started focusing on our next CD. Grazia gave us an extra-shift working on this project!

The recording will take place in the next weeks and we will try to do something really different; we will have some original songs penned by Paolo Ercoli (our Dobro player) and also something from the old-time tradition. We try to change a little direction working on our own sound, always keeping in mind the traditional sound. It’s a big challenge for us!

We have a brand new website. We decide to redesign again the site! We hope to count a lot of visitors!

We have a Face Book profile and a Face Book fan page; please feel free to join us and leave a message, we will be more than happy to answer you and share all the news we may have!

Speaking about spring and summer, we are in contact with some festivals. We all hope to be able to give some news about our gigs in the next weeks!


Gian Luca Naldi (banjo, vocals), Paolo Ercoli (dobro, vocals), Giovanni Stefanini (mandolin, lead vocal), Luca Bartolini (guitar, vocals), Maria Grazia Branca (double bass, vocals)

The bluegrass year ahead in France

Christopher Howard-Williams of the France Bluegrass Musique Association reports:

I start by wishing you all a very happy new year. Let's hope bluegrass in general, and the European scene in particular, enjoy a prosperous and fruitful year. I will see some of you at Bühl.

The south-west region of France, around Toulouse-Bordeaux, has become very active recently with a new association created in 2009 called 'Bluegrass en Gascogne', based in Mirande (home of an important country music festival). They are organising their second bluegrass jam weekend on 30-31 January near Rodez, hosted in the home of a musician who can sleep ten guests. For more information on this meet and on the association, please e-mail Georges Baret.

In the same region a new bluegrass band called Mama Dalton and the Bluegrass Boys is playing a gig near Toulouse on 15 January. I say 'new', but one of the musicians played with Spasmodic Bluegrass Convulsion, famous for being the driving force behind the Toulouse Bluegrass Festival in the early 1980s.

Meanwhile, don't forget if you are in Paris to visit the Saturday afternoon jams at AEGC. These take place every Saturday during school term time in the west of Paris at Garennes-Colombes.

The line-up for the Craponne Country Rendezvous is complete and includes three excellent bluegrass acts: the Grascals, Bradley, Gulley, and Fox, and the Quebe Sisters. Craponne is France's other major country music festival, hosting almost exclusively US bands (mainly from Texas). The festival is always one week before La Roche Bluegrass Festival, always showcases some good bluegrass, and has a fine campsite where FBMA squat a large area. The two festivals enjoy a special relationship and have brought bands over on exclusive partnerships for the past three years (Hickory Project, 3 Fox Drive, Carrie Hassler & Hard Rain) and again in 2010 (Bradley, Gulley, Fox). You may like to take in both festivals with a week's holiday in between (a three-hour drive): Craponne 23-25 July; La Roche 29 July-1 August.

France Bluegrass Musique Association
+33 450 03 42 04
(Mobile) +33 647 714 435
E-mail Christopher Howard-Williams
145 rue de la Croix
F - 74800 La Roche-sur-Foron

Bluegrass in the Netherlands, 2010

Rienk Janssen (with thanks to Adri Richter) reports:

On 16 January Leiden's Annual Picky Party will be held, organized by Adri Richter and Geert van Schoonderwoerd den Bezemer. This is an invitation only event, but it does not hurt if anybody who would like to go there contacts Adri by e-mail to see if there is still room...

Apart from the abundant jam sessions, there will be stage shows by the Lovables, Except-2, Lucy & the Man, Robert Allen Trio, Babes in the Grass, André Hendriks, New Lowland, Emmy & the Bluegrass Pals, Lazy Tater, Rocks & Ivy, Cajun Craze, Bont & Bluegrass, Heavy Clay, Whiskey Rose, and Brock & his Bluegrass Bunch.

Dolly, I Beg Your Pardon has a program of workshops and concerts for schools, elementary as well as high-school level.

Peter de Moor has renamed his Fiddle Tunes website, with a cool search option to browse through (up to now) 2,600 tunes.

The Northern Picking Party in Valthermond will be held on 27 March (invitation only; e-mail).

On Sunday 6 June this year's Boet'n Deure Muzikale Landdag will take place in Odoorn. Bands who would like to perform can apply by e-mail.

The 28th edition of the Big Bear Festival in Zuidlaren will be on 24 May - for more info e-mail Rienk Janssen.

Lovin' you - new album from Lilly Drumeva

Lilly Drumeva has released a new album entitled Lovin' you, featuring Monogram (CZ) and Lilly of the West (BG). It contains fifteen tracks of traditional bluegrass, country, and swing; among them two duets with Monogram's singer/guitarist Jakub Racek. A video to the song 'If I needed you' will be posted shortly on YouTube.

A new website is being designed to launch the new album. Lovin' you will be soon available through cdbaby. Samples of tracks from the new album can be heard on MySpace, till the physical CD is out.

Good wishes for 2010

Thanks to the Petr Brandejs Band for the above New Year's greeting. 'We'll concentrate on children' is a good New Year resolution for all bands.

Messages of goodwill also received during the holiday season include greetings from Christopher Howard-Williams and Didier Philippe of the La Roche Bluegrass Festival; Joel B. Espesset of Kehl, Germany; Lluís Gómez of Barcelona, Spain; Nugget and New West of Vienna, Austria; the Toy Hearts of Birmingham, England; Luca Bartolini of Genoa, Italy; and Monika and Eberhard Finke of Germany. In recognition of the support given by the International Bluegrass Music Museum (IBMM) to bluegrass outside the USA, here's a photo of Monika and Eberhard with Gabrielle Gray, IBMM director.

Roots Experience

Thanks to Olaf Gläsmer, the Grassroot Philosopher, for his good wishes for the festive season and the new year. Olaf also reports:

I hope to see y'all at least when I'm on the road with my new project, Roots Experience [photo above], playing an exciting blend of traditional bluegrass music. As blatant as this self-advertisement may seem, I'd be pleased to answer all booking and related questions.

Contact Olaf by e-mail.

Bluegrass Jamboree! 2009 - and 2010

Rainer Zellner of the Music Contact agency reports:

The first tour of the annual 'Bluegrass Jamboree! - Festival of Bluegrass and Americana Music' is over!

December: 15 shows in 16 days: enthusiastic audiences applauded wildly and never let the musicians go before at least four encores were played. The theaters, concert halls, and art centers held between eighty and 450 people, mostly new to bluegrass. And they have been won over!

Everybody was thrilled by the program that featured the archaic old-time and early golden era of country music sounds presented by Beverly Smith & Carl Jones. Quite a few eyebrows were raised when the bluegrass girls [of the Toy Hearts] from Birmingham, England, entered the stage for their unique mix of grassy originals and a new hybrid called Gypsy Grass! Headlining were the Steep Canyon Rangers, who impressed not only the bluegrass novices with their tight and powerful appearance, great vocals, hot instrumental breaks and catchy songwriting. The festival finale session [photo above] brought all eleven musicians back with some mandolin licks added by promoter and MC Rainer Zellner.

The crowd had a great time and everybody joined in when the final song 'Will the circle be unbroken' rounded out the evenings. For all fluent in German there is a tour blog with some fotos, a flickr photo set will be up soon too, and there is already some footage on YouTube.

Radio WDR3 will broadcast two hours of the show, including interviews, on 17 January, 20:05-22:00. I am sure you can listen online.

The edition 2010 will be booked very soon and will tour in December again. We would definitely like to expand to other European countries.

A tour blog in English for 4-11 December is on the Toy Hearts website.

'Randy Kohrs with G2': 2010 tour of Europe UPDATE

Randy Kohrs

Multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, record producer, and engineer Randy Kohrs (USA) and the G2 Bluegrass Band (Sweden), #1 European Bluegrass Band 2007, will tour Europe together in May 2010, with Randy Kohrs as main lead vocalist and dobro player, and his regular fiddler Ashley Brown also part of the ensemble. In June, G2 will leave Europe to tour in the USA till October.

Jim Lauderdale and Randy Kohrs won a Grammy award for the album Bluegrass diaries in 2008, and are nominated for the 2010 Grammy awards. Untapped routes, the second album by G2, will be released worldwide in 2010.

The full press release on the tour can be seen here. Please note that the tour will be in May, and not in April as stated in the release. To book Randy Kohrs and G2, contact Tobias Strömberg by e-mail or 'phone +46 (0)7022 94505.

Bluegrass Jamboree! in Basle, 13 Dec. 2009

Steep Canyon Rangers

Thanks to Lilly Pavlak for news and photos of Rainer Zellner's Bluegrass Jamboree! Festival of Bluegrass & Americana Music 2009 at Basle (the standard English spelling), Switzerland, on 13 December, presented by Bluegrass in Basel (the standard German spelling).

Rainer's Music Contact agency created the first travelling festival in central Europe: three bands, a tour bus with driver, and a soundman, on a sixteen-day tour. The Basle concert, at 5.00 p.m. in the Halle QuerFeld, was the only one outside Germany. The old-time duo Beverly Smith & Carl Jones (USA),


with fiddle, banjo, guitars, and mandolin, opened the first set, followed by the British bluegrass/swing band Toy Hearts,

Toy Hearts: Sophia Johnson, Hannah Johnson, Steve Amadeo, Stewart Johnson

and finally by the award-winning Steep Canyon Rangers (USA), who took the audience by storm.

The final onstage jam: promoter Rainer Zellner (centre, at back of stage) joins in on mandolin

Guitar player Luca Bartolini (right), formerly with Red Wine and now with Bononia Grass, who came all the way from Genoa for the show, was invited to take part in the finale.

26th Annual 'Celebration in Blue', Jablonec (CZ), 14 Nov. 2009

Thanks to Lilly Pavlak for photos and a report on a long-established Czech festival, 'Posviceni v Modrem' (Celebration in Blue), which she had never had a chance to visit till a month ago, when the 26th Posviceni v Modrem was held at Jablonec in the Czech republic. Seven fine bands competed for the traditional prize of a roast goose, and the results were:

#1 Sunnyside

#2 Blackjack

#3 Kreni

The other bands taking part were Handl, Bluegate, G-Runs 'n' Roses, and Funny Grass - and as the three winning bands had to leave early for other gigs, the roast goose was shared between these four remaining bands. Read Lilly's full report here. Thanks to Lilly for the corrected caption to the photo below.

Radim Duda (left) and Jaroslav Handlir, festival organiser for the last twenty years, enjoy the remains of the roast goose

More photos from the festival can be seen here.

Mismountain Boys December newsletter

In the latest newsletter from the Mismountain Boys of Bergamo, Italy, you can read a review of their latest CD, Spaghetti Western Cafe, by Fabrizio Poggi from Folk Bulletin magazine; buy the mp3 of their single 'Jingle Bells (Suna Campanèll)' with a donation to the Red Cross; see photos from their Eurobrasserie live concert on 14 November; and check on their upcoming shows.

The Mismountain Boys are Roberto 'The Hook' Braiato (mandolin, guitar, background vocals), Remo 'Mr Cadillac' Ceriotti (5-string banjo, dobro), Franco 'The Captain' Fanizzi (guitar, lead vocals), Fabio 'Cowboy Smile' Bestetti (upright bass, background vocals), Italo 'Babayou' Gualandris (accordion, vocals), Isabella 'Belle Starr' Saradini (vocals, guitar, and Tista 'West Point Records' Rota (drums and percussion).

The band are also on Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube.