Sharon Cort Band: 'Kiss the Banjo' tour in Europe, May-June 2010

The Sharon Cort Band on an earlier tour: Bill Keith, Jeff Wisor, Sharon, Ernie Sykes, and Butch Baldassari in Basel (photo: Lilly Pavlak)

The Sharon Cort Band will begin their 'Kiss the Banjo' tour with their first appearance as guest artists at the European World of Bluegrass Festival (13-15 May 2010) in Voorthuizen, NL. They follow this with over a month of shows in France, Switzerland, Ireland, and elsewhere in Europe.

Sharon is known for her powerful, sensitive vocals, her original songs, and her top-notch band members. Previous tours by the SCB have included the largest country music festival in France, Country Rendez-Vous at Craponne, and a 2007 national television appearance in Paris on 'Magic TV', with founding members of the classic French band Bluegrass Long Distance. Preliminary dates for the present tour are:

May 14 EWOB, Voorthuizen NL
May 16 Stichting Boet'n Deure, Poolshoogte, Bosw, Meelkerlaan 5, Staatsbossen van Oodorn, NL; tel: +0031 (0) 599 850361
May 22 Country Festival TBA Paris, France May 25-31 Ireland dates TBD
June 3 Country & Bluegrass Festival, Montgeron, France
June 4 Country Western Festival, Montigny sur Lioge, France
June 18 Col Des Roches Festival, Hotel Jet d’Eau, Le Col 15 2400 Le Locle, Switzerland; tel. +41 32 931 46 66

Sharon Cort website; MySpace; e-mail

Read the full press release on the tour here. For further information, contact
Terry Harkleroad, Mitero Entertainment, +1-888-301-3529; e-mail.

Jens Krüger banjo workshop. 28 Mar. 2010

Thanks to Paolo Dettwiler for the news that during the forthcoming European tour by the Krüger Brothers, banjo maestro Jens Krüger will give a banjo workshop at the Stiftung zur Palme, Hochstrasse 31-33, 8330 Pfäffikon ZH, about 30 km east of Zurich, Switzerland.

The workshop will be held on Sunday 28 March from 10:00 to 14:00, and will cover the development of arrangements and solos, instrument set-up, timing, speed, backup techniques, banjo styles, and music theory for the bluegrass and country player.

Admission costs 90 Swiss francs. Non-banjo-players are welcome! For more information contact Hans Looser by telephone (+41 (0)79 359 24 03) or e-mail.

Tony Furtado plays in England, Sat. 10 Apr. 2010

Graham Buckley informs us that after his session teaching at Sore Fingers Week (5-9 April), Tony Furtado (USA) (left) will be performing his only UK gig on this visit at the Verge, Cheshire Ring, 72 Manchester Road, Hyde, Cheshire SK14 2BJ, on Saturday 10 April at 8.30 p.m.

Tickets at £10 are available from the venue or on Ticketline. Door price is £12. Tony played this venue in November last year and wished to do a repeat gig there. Enquiries: telephone +44 07802 293 854/0161 368 8769, or e-mail Graham Buckley.

Wayward Drifters in Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany, 18-28 Mar. 2010

Thanks to Rienk Janssen for the news that J.B. Beverley & the Wayward Drifters (USA) will be playing in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany this month on the dates listed below. The touring band consists of J.B. Beverley (acoustic guitar, lead vocals), Dan 'BanjerDan' Mazer (banjo, dobro, mandolin, backing vocals), and Johnny Lawless (upright bass).

Dan Mazer would also be glad to be able to borrow or rent a banjo from a Netherlands musician, for use on the tour. He adds: I recall that one of the pickers there... has Ben Eldridge's old Stelling Staghorn. It would be fun to play that banjo on a tour! Contact Dan via e-mail.

18 Mar. Thea Tielemans, Molenstraat 7, 5427 PV Boekel, Netherlands; 0492 324103; 8.00 p.m.
19 Mar. Stichting Paradiso, Weteringschans 6, 1017 SG Amsterdam, Netherlands 020 6268790; 8.00 p.m.
20 Mar. Koninklijke Harmoniezaal St Cecilia, Kerkstraat 27, 3560 Lummen, Belgium; 0479 32 95 91; 8.00 p.m.
21 Mar. Gemeenschapscentrum De Kriekelaar, Gallait 86, 1030 Brussels (Schaerbeek), Belgium; 02 245 75 22; noon
21 Mar. Ace Café Rumst (MySpace), Hollebeekstraat 4, 2840 Rumst, Belgium; 477 582 261; 7.30 p.m.
22 Mar. Antik-Cafe-Bistro, 17 Heyenheimer Weg, 61200 Wölfersheim, Germany; +49 60360982276; 9.00 p.m.
23 Mar. Den Eik, Singel 35, 2275 Gierle, Belgium; 014 55 32 22; 9.00 p.m.
24 Mar. Burgerweeshuis (MySpace), Bagijnenstraat 9, 7411 PT Deventer, Netherlands; 0570 619198; 9.30 p.m.
25 Mar. Dynamo, Catharinaplein 21, 5611 DE Eindhoven, Netherlands; 040 2393110; 9.00 p.m.
26 Mar. 013 Popcentrum, Veemarktstraat 44, 5038 CV Tilburg, Netherlands; 013 4609500; 9.30 p.m.
27 Mar. Stichting Metropool (with Tommy Ebben and the Small Town Villians), Wemenstraat 38, 7551 EZ Hengelo Ov, Netherlands; 0548 544422; 8.00 p.m.
28 Mar. Den Bromfiets (The Motorcycle Café), Harentstraat 51, Bonheiden 282, Belgium; 015 33 14 39; 1.00 p.m.
28 Mar. Bacchus Café, Rozendaal 2, 2440 Geel, Belgium; 014 58 34 83; 8.00 p.m.

Gerry O'Connor on tour!

Thanks to Chris Keenan for reporting the following:

BANJO TOUR! Hailed by the Wall Street Journal as 'the best ever banjoist in the history of Irish music', Gerry O'Connor will be on tour beginning March, in support of his most recent recording, High up - low down. The new CD features Gerry's unique treatment of Irish traditional music, American bluegrass, and ground-breaking new compositions.

Gerry's tour begins on Tues. 2 March at Whelan's in Dublin. Performing with him at Whelan's will be well renowned guitarist Tim Edey. Tickets €22. Doors open 8.00 p.m. Not to be missed!

The above photo shows Gerry O'Connor (standing, centre) in the finale of the 2008 Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival in Longford, Ireland; other banjoists visible are Barney McKenna (godfather of Irish tenor-banjo playing), Peter Wernick, and Bill Whelan of the Rough Deal String Band. Chris Keenan, who founded and organises the festival, was among those taking part in the recent European Bluegrass Summit.

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

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.

The banjo: from Africa to America and back

Thanks to Veit Doehler of Banjoree for this news of a broadcast on 31 January on the origins, history, and future of the banjo:

Liebe Banjoisten und deren Freunde,

wir sind gerade von einem treuen BANJOREE – Teilnehmer aus Hamburg auf diese Sendung aufmerksam gemacht worden: „Von Afrika nach Amerika und zurück, Die Odyssee des Banjos von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart, Von Christoph Wagner“ am Sonntag, 31.01.2010 · 15:05 Uhr

Das klingt alles sehr vielversprechend und spannend und soll euch deshalb auch nicht vorenthalten werden. Banjo-Features im Radio gibt’s ja selten genug.

Beste Grüße in den wahrscheinlich ebenfalls viel zu eisigen Rest der BANJOREE-Welt.

Tony Trischka School of Banjo online

The Tony Trischka School of Banjo makes it possible for pickers anywhere in the world to register ($60 for three months) for online lessons at beginning, intermediate, or advanced level from one of the greatest living banjoists. The student body now includes pickers from England, Germany, Spain, and Australia.

The website already has over 160 video lessons, and more are being added - clawhammer lessons from Bob Carlin are coming soon. In addition, a student can get personal banjo instruction by sending Tony Trischka a video via the site and receiving his response.

The many features of the site are well worth checking out. A YouTube video taken at IBMA's World of Bluegrass 2009 includes a lot of good music: the 'blazing Czech player' mentioned is Martin Fridrich of COP (CZ). Thanks to Lilly Pavlak for forwarding news of the TTSB.

Banjo Roots

The UK old-time music organisation FOAOTMAD draws attention to Banjo Roots, a MySpace site set up by the Banjo Roots Network, hosted by Shlomo Pestcoe and Greg C. Adams as one of a series of linked sites that explore the earliest phases of banjo development from the roots in West Africa.

Banjo Roots is already a useful reference work for early banjo history, and the Network is intended to assist future cooperation among researchers. The MySpace site includes a video shot by the late Theo Lissenberg, formerly bass player and lead singer with 4 Wheel Drive, at the 1992 Tennessee Banjo Institute. This video was edited by the Swedish banjo historian Ulf Jagfors, and can also be seen on Ulf Jagfors's YouTube channel.

More banjo revolutionaries

Recent additions to Tom Nechville's Picasa web album of 'Famous Revolutionaries with Nechvilles' include these photos: above, Lluís Gómez (E), Leon Hunt (GB), and Tim Carter (USA), taken backstage at the Longford Arms Hotel, main concert venue of the 2009 Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival in Longford, Ireland; and right, Tom Hanway (USA, but now resident for several years in Longford). For developments on Tom's new MySpace site, see the Bluegrass Ireland Blog.

The Ralph Stanley Story

The long awaited autobiography by Ralph Stanley "Man of Constant Sorrow: My Life and Times" officially goes on sale October 15. Ralph wrote his life story with the help of music journalist/author Eddie Dean.

At age 82, Ralph Stanley has traveled millions of miles ..and probably met just as many people. He doesn't recall every moment in his life or in his 60+ years of performing in this book, but what Dr. Ralph does recall and share with us is the truth, and not always a comfortable truth.

His story takes the reader on a long, long personal journey. To me, it seemed like more than just one lifetime. In addition to the crazy life this pioneering musician has endured, you will also learn about the man himself. Ralph admits that he has kept a lifetime of personal history to himself; most of his inner thoughts and experiences from previous interviewers and authors. Ralph's friends have known that he has wanted to tell his story, the story of his brother Carter, his music life and family history for as many years as he can remember. Well, he has told it all now and it's one amazing history.

This is a must read for young and old musicians, fans of country music, friends of the Stanley family and basically anyone who enjoys a first-hand account of cultural history. From a dark hollow in the mountains of southwestern Virginia to Nashville, to Europe and back, this book is full of surprises, pranks and heartfelt emotional revelations straight from the source of someone who has lived bluegrass music history...Mr. Ralph Stanley.

A complete review appears in the next issue of Bluegrass Europe magazine.

Available before October 15 at Ralph's concerts, or on the Internet via a simple Google search.

MAN OF CONSTANT SORROW: My Life and Times
by Dr. Ralph Stanley with Eddie Dean

Gotham Books October 15, 2009 $27.50 ISBN: 9781592404254

Photos and video from new Scottish festival

The first Moniaive Michaelmas Bluegrass Festival was held on 25-27 September 2009 at Moniaive in southern Scotland (see the EBB post for 28 September). The lineup was headed by Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa (USA), with four Scots bands, two groups from Northern Ireland, and L.Bow Grease from Germany. Photos and video footage of the event can now be seen on the website of the Dangem Bluegrass Banjo company of Northern Ireland.

The Scottish Bluegrass Association has announced the dates and lineup for its 24th Annual Guildtown Bluegrass Music Festival, to be held on 30 July-1 August 2010. Details are on the Events page of the SBA website.

Bluegrass progress in Portugal

Andre Lentilhas reports:

Finally bluegrass is starting to appear in Portugal. Next Friday, 16 October, there will be a banjo workshop held by Stephen Kierniesky in Lisbon. I never heard of this banjo player, but what is good is that finally there's a banjo workshop in Portugal.

Also my band [Stonebones & Bad Spaghetti] is getting some attention - not much, but enough, as we're scheduled to play at some FNAC shops on 24, 25 and 31 October. You can check it out on MySpace. The audio is not very good but the video recordings are alright, I reckon.

Finally, my newsletter about bluegrass, which I started when Tony Trischka came to Portugal, last February, is getting more and more subscriptions.

EBB note: Stephen Kierniesky's playing can be heard on YouTube.

Nechville Banjo Summit at WOB 2009

Nechville Musical Products announces a Banjo Summit Reception to be held as part of the IBMA World of Bluegrass in Nashville. The event takes place in Room 1809 of the Renaissance Hotel on 1 October from 2.00 to 4.00 p.m. There will be refreshments, discussions, product sampling and of course, jamming! We at Nechville hope to see you all there!

_____________________________

Al Price, Nechville Musical Products
(253)670-3208
e-mail
SKYPE: alpricebanjo

Béla Fleck & the Flecktones in Europe, 3-6 Nov. 2009

Béla Fleck & the Flecktones will be playing a brief European tour at the beginning of November 2009, with two dates in Ireland and two in Spain.

In addition to the show in Dublin on Wednesday 4 November shown on their website, they will be playing the previous night (Tuesday 3 November) in the University Concert Hall, Limerick, according to fliers distributed at the Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival this weekend. For further info on this show, ring 087-281-7825; box office 061-331549.

After the Dublin show, the band will travel to Spain to play in Barcelona (5 November) and Cartagena (6 November). For more details, see their website.

Fingerstyle tenor banjo workshop at Irish festival

Mirek Patek and Earl Scruggs at the Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival in 2004

Mirek Patek (CZ) has been a regular attender at the annual Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival in Longford, Ireland, where he has been easily noticeable with his white-topped cap and his finger-picked tenor banjo.

At this year's Johnny Keenan festival (24-27 September), Mirek was taking part for the first time as an instructor, giving workshops in his unique style. For more details and examples of Mirek's finger-picking technique on tenor banjo, consult his website or his YouTube channel. How did he come to develop it? The answer is here.

Lluís Gómez: Famous Revolutionary

Lluís Gómez of Spain (above) is one of the 'Famous Revolutionaries with Nechvilles' whose pictures appear on a Picasa web album set up by Tom Nechville of Nechville Musical Products, who was in Europe during June-July 2009.

Lluís also appears in the summer 2009 issue of the Nechville News among six 'Nechville players around the world' - the others are Lubos Malina of Druha Trava (CZ), Leon Hunt (GB), Andy Glandt (D), Jean-Marie Redon (F), and Hiro Arita of Japan.

Lluís Gómez will be leading the Barcelona Bluegrass Band in the Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival, held from 24 to 27 September in Longford town, Ireland.

Casey Joe Abair & Hunter Robertson: new CD

Hunter Robertson (USA), whose appearances in Europe during 2009 included the major festivals at Voorthuizen and La Roche, reports:

I'm pleased to announce the release of a new album: Casey Joe Abair & Hunter Robertson, If you want to go to sleep, go to bed (Yodel-Ay-Hee 074), an album of old-timey banjo-and-fiddle duets. It comprises seventeen traditional songs and tunes, learnt from a variety of sources - mainly musicians long gone.

Samples and more information on the album are here. It is available from CDBaby and Menzies Stringed Instruments and shortly from County Sales and Elderly Instruments, and will soon be available through iTunes, Rhapsody, Amazon, eMusic and other purveyors of fine mp3s as well.

Joan Pau Cumellas & Lluís Gómez on YouTube

Thanks to Lluís Gómez for this link to a short video on YouTube of himself (banjo) and Joan Pau Cumellas (harmonica) playing the Irish traditional tune 'Ward's jig'. This is the latest of twenty-six videos on Lluís's YouTube channel, where other videos include his playing with UK banjoists Leon Hunt, John Dowling, and Richard Collins.

Sore Fingers Weekend teacher - and his banjo

Bill Whelan of the Rough Deal String Band (IRL) will be teaching the old-time banjo course at the Sore Fingers October Weekend (see the EBB post of 26 August). Bill is Ireland's premier clawhammer-banjo player.

In the above photo he is playing a custom-made banjo by Johannes Bonefaas, born in the Netherlands and now living in Sweden after many years in Denmark. Johannes' banjos, based on the design of Dobson banjos from the 1880s, have been described by Richie Stearns (US) as 'Best modern made banjos in da world'. Full details of them can be seen here.

Win a Goodtime banjo at the Omagh festival!

Once again the Dangem company will be supplying a Deering Goodtime 2 in a free draw at the Appalachian and Bluegrass Music Festival (4-6 Sept. 2009) at Omagh, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland - a chance to win an American-built banjo by one of the leading banjo companies. Derek Lockhart, owner of Dangem, says:

This is our opportunity to support the largest bluegrass festival outside North America. Richard Hurst and his team at the Omagh Folk Park put a lot of work into this Appalachian and Bluegrass Music Festival every year and we like to support their efforts.

The all-maple Deering Goodtime is the only American-made beginner’s banjo. The Goodtime 2 is a resonator banjo with 3-ply rim, new peghead style and walnut inlays, and six-year warranty, and comes in a custom box. Full specifications and photos of the Goodtime range can be seen here.

Have a banjo holiday in Co. Clare, Ireland

Bill Forster, a banjo player with over thirty years' experience of teaching and playing bluegrass music in Britain, the US, and elsewhere, moved to Co. Clare, Ireland, a year ago. Bill now offers banjo-players the chance to improve their playing among the beautiful scenery and many amenities of East Clare, which is also one of the most noted centres for Irish traditional music.

The area is easily accessible either via Shannon airport (half an hour's drive away) or via the ferry routes to Dublin (approx. three hours' drive). Local accommodation is plentiful, and a list can be provided if required.

Bill can cater for group and individual lessons and any ability level. Lessons can be tailored to specific requirements as required, and the cost to the individual student will be reduced in larger groups. More details and some typical Clare scenery can be seen here.

Contact Bill Forster
Uggoon
Tulla
County Clare, Ireland
Tel: 0656831604 (from Ireland); +353 656831604 (from outside Ireland)
e-mail

Jens Kruger demonstrates new Deering banjo

Jens Kruger of the Kruger Brothers demonstrates the restyled Sierra model banjo by Deering in a ten-minute video on the Deering website, which can also be seen on the Bluegrass Blog.

The new version of the Sierra incorporates new tuners and, most noticeably, a new fingerboard inlay design. It remains the lowest priced of Deering's tone-ring banjos, and one of the best bargains in new professional-quality instruments.

Banjo workshops in Belgium and France

The 24th annual acoustic music classes held in Virton, Belgium, got under way with everyone in good spirits. For the seventh consecutive year, Jean-Marie Redon led the banjo workshop. This year saw a fine crop of dedicated students who put on a fault-free recital to mark the completion of classes. As for their instruments, there was a Fender, two Odes, a Kapek, a Stelling, an Ida, a Goldtone, a Coufleau, a Washburn, a Framus, and two Celtics. And here's a photo of the same in the company of their happy owners.


[EBB editor's note: the photo below is added for readers who prefer not to know what banjo players look like.]


Preparations are already under way for the 25th edition of Virton, which will indeed be special. For more information, visit this link.

No sooner had he returned from Belgium than Jean-Marie set to organizing a workshop for his banjo students with the great Alan Munde. La Grange Rouge [in La Chapelle Naude], an association devoted to all forms of traditional music, had invited Alan, Byron Berline, and Jim Hurst to give a master class and concert on Easter week-end.

Paris banjo workshop: Alan Munde in yellow hoodie

Alan wanted to spend a few days in Paris with his charming wife Kitty, and Jean-Marie saw an opportunity to expose his students to one of the masters of bluegrass banjo. The workshop took place at the Maison des Jeunes et de la Culture in Ris-Orangis, near Paris, with over a dozen participants. James Field, who plays guitar in Jean-Marie's bluegrass band, Blue Railroad Train, provided rhythm backup during Alan Munde's demonstrations.

More information and photos are on the Redon-Lombardi.fr and ActionBanjo.fr websites.

Nechville at the NAG

Oliver Waitze of the New Acoustic Gallery in Solingen, Germany, reports that Tom Nechville (left) of Nechville Musical Products (USA) will be giving a FREE workshop on setting up banjos at the Gallery on Wednesday 17 June, beginning at 18:30. Bring your banjos to be set up by an expert!

For further info, 'phone Oliver Waitze at +49 0212/2474007. An outline schedule of Tom Nechville's engagements in Europe can be found on the European Bluegrass Blog for 21 May.

Munich Banjo Camp instructor - and his new banjo

The American Made Banjo Co. of Stoneham, Mass., USA, announces that Charles Wood (USA) - who will be one of the instructors at the 3rd Annual Banjo Camp in Munich, Germany (8-11 October 2009) - is now one of their featured artists.

Charles Wood has won the titles of Georgia State Banjo Champion (1992), Merlefest Banjo Champion (1998), Winfield National Banjo Champion (1999, 2006), Renofest SC State Banjo Champion (2004), Rockygrass Banjo Champion (2005), and Ossipee Valley Maine Banjo Champion (2007).

His banjo (see photo), built by Robin Smith and set up by Charlie Cushman, is a custom-built Tiger Maple New Generation Style 11 Series 5 String Kel Kroydon® Banjo, with hand-picked presentation maple wood, a 20-hole Dannick tone ring, nickel-plated hardware, and a radiused fingerboard. The American Made Banjo Co. will be delighted to sell a similar banjo ($3,499). For more information & availability call or write Tom Mirisola or Charles Wood.

Tom Nechville in Europe, June-July 2009

Tom Nechville of Nechville Musical Products reports:

Hello, I'd like to outline my upcoming Europe trip because I might be near you, and maybe we can meet! Here is my tentative schedule:

June 15 Frankfurt
June 16 The Foxtower Evening Jam in Jena, Germany, with Andy Glandt and friends
June 17 New Acoustic Gallery, Solingen, Germany
June 18 Hamburg area
June 19 Netherlands
June 20-21 Belgium
June 22 Paris, R. & F. Charle Music Shop
June 23-28 Strasbourg, daughter's wedding
June 30 5.00 p.m. Banjo workshop, Musikhaus Saitensprung, Schaffhaussen, Switzerland: a set-up and info workshop
July 2 12.00-1.30: Banjo demo and workshop, Eagle Music Shop, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England
July 3-5 North Wales Bluegrass Festival, Conwy
July 6-9 South France
July 9-14 Basque country and Barcelona, Spain, with Lluis Gomez

You can e-mail me or visit our calendar for more details. Feel free to call if I don't reply promptly: office +1 952-888-9710, cell +1 612-275-6602.

Banjo entry in Portuguese on Wikipedia

Erio Meili, originally from Switzerland but now president of the São Paulo Bluegrass Music Association in São Paulo, Brazil, reports:

A visitor of our website from the Rio Grande do Sul state (South Brazil) has informed me last week that he has initiated a Wikipedia page in Portuguese for the 5-string banjo ('banjo 5 cordas'), and he invited me to join the effort for additional input on this fabulous global encyclopedia scenario.

One of the features he started is a list with 19 banjo-pickers from Brazil and showing only 2 pickers from USA (Earl Scruggs and Bela Fleck). So for this 'underrated' US banjo picking statement I have today inserted immediately Steve Martin, taking advantage of his current media exposure with his new Rounder CD The Crow.

I have also added 3 additional 5-string book references (Earl Scruggs, Tom Hanway, John Bullard) to his initial four books referenced (Wernick-Trischka, Nickerson, Sandberg, Siminoff). So this is just the beginning, wait for more!

We are getting quite some good traffic on our website from visitors all around (15,000 monthly page views, 60% from Brazil, 40% from abroad)

Cheers,
Erio Meili
São Paulo Bluegrass Music Association
South American Bluegrass Network
Alameda Rouxinol, 601
Barueri - SP
Brazil
zip 06428-010

New CD from Andy Glandt: help save rock art

Andy Glandt (D) reports that his new CD Murujuga has been released, with 14 original songs and tunes, mostly about Australia. 'Murujuga' is the Aboriginal name of the Burrup Peninsula in north-western Western Australia. Andy explains:

This CD supports, specifically, the fight to save the over 30,000-year-old stone engravings (petroglyphs) on the Burrup Peninsula. These are threatened by the settlements of companies wishing to mine for gas and plutonium. About a quarter of them has been already destroyed. For this reason a portion of the proceeds raised from the sale of this CD will be donated to FARA (Friends of Australian Rock Art). To get more information go to the FARA campaign website.

To get more information on the CD or to listen to some sound files, please go to my website and then to the section 'CDs & Books'. You can also order the CD at the German version of Amazon. Or just contact me.

Best wishes and please help to save the petroglyphs,

Andy Glandt
Musician and songwriter
Lady Sou & the Singing Banjoman (YouTube)
YouTube (Singing Banjoman)
Author
+49-3641-331001; +49-172-941-3523

Update 19 May: Andy (who is learning clawhammer banjo and will tour Mexico with his banjo in October) reports that a video of one of the songs from the new album can be seen on YouTube.

Greens go bluegrass

Thanks to Rainer Zellner, of Roots Music Booking and Production in Tübingen, Germany, for news of the Green Party TV promotion for the forthcoming elections to the European Parliament (4 June).

The video shows the collapse of a small American family home, initiating the collapse - like rows of dominos - of banks, businesses, currencies, etc. all over the world. But the soundtrack is bluegrass! See the video here.

New 2-CD banjo compilation by Gérard de Smaele

Thanks to Gérard de Smaele (Belgium) for news of his latest project, issued by Frémaux & Associés: the compilation Banjo 1901-1956: an American five-string history (FA5179).

The set consists of forty tracks on two CDs, beginning with 'classical' banjo recordings by eight of the leading players of the early twentieth century, including Farland, Van Eps, Ossman, and Oakley (an Englishman). The next twenty-four tracks are from old-time Southern musicians - Dock Boggs, Charlie Poole, Dave Macon, and many others. Then there are four tracks by pioneers of the bluegrass style (Earl Scruggs, Ralph Stanley, Rudy Lyle) and three by Pete Seeger. The last track is Wade Ward's fine 1939 version of 'Old Joe Clark'.

Banjo 1901-1956: an American five-string history will be in the shops from Monday 20 April and is also available from La Librairie Sonore and Audio Archives.

Kruger Brothers in Prague, 7 Apr. 2009

Monogram

Thanks to Lilly Pavlak for a report and photos of the final show in the recent European tour by the Kruger Brothers, which was presented by banjo-maker Jarda Prucha in the Novodvorska cultural centre in Prague on 7 April. The show was opened by Monogram.

Lilly points out that the Krugers have had friends and fans in the Czech Republic for a long time. Jens Kruger (left) was the first member of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys from outside North America. When the brothers began touring in the USA, they found that the audiences there loved the Krugers' own music. They moved to the US seven years ago and are now based in North Carolina.

Jens Kruger helped to design the top range of Deering banjos, made by Greg and Janet Deering (right), and played a Deering for most of the concert. However, at the end he switched to a Prucha banjo to play the final encore, 'Orange Blossom Special'. Read Lilly's full report here.

Jarda Prucha supplies one of his banjos for the final encore

More banjo action at Eagle Music

On 13 April the European Bluegrass Blog mentioned the concert given in March by the Kruger Brothers at Steve Noon's Eagle Music shop in Yorkshire, England - which is the world's #1 seller of Deering banjos.

Another distinguished and innovative US banjo company will be represented there this summer when Tom Nechville of Nechville Musical Products arrives on 2 July. It is hoped to arrange a workshop and demonstration of Nechville instruments for all banjo players who may be present.

Lilly of the West with Radim Zenkl and Lubos Malina

Lilly Drumeva and her band Lilly of the West continued a busy spring schedule with shows at the Tea House, Sofia, Bulgaria on St Patrick’s day, 17 March 2009, and the following day on SKAT TV.

For both concerts they were joined by special guests from the Czech Republic: mandolin virtuoso Radim Zenkl, who has been living in California for twenty years, and a longtime friend, master banjoist Lubos Malina. Both have a passion for Bulgarian folk music and its instruments, such as the kaval flute.

The band - Lilly (guitar), Yasen Vassilev (guitar), Ivan Penchev (fiddle), Borislav Bojadjiev (percussion) - and their two guests presented a mixture of bluegrass, country, Irish, and Bulgarian folk music. Highlights included two Bulgarian songs in unusual rhythms (7/8 and 11/16). The musicians are planning a repertoire of bluegrass with Bulgarian rhythms. A fuller report with photos is here.

Eddie Adcock on Radio Netherlands Worldwide

The European Bluegrass Blog mentioned in September 2008 the surgery which banjo-player and 'Father of Newgrass' Eddie Adcock was then undergoing to enable him to continue playing.

Thanks to Richard Thompson on the original Bluegrass Blog for the news that an eight- or nine-minute interview with Eddie by Jonathan Groubert can be heard online on Radio Netherlands Worldwide. The interview focuses on the illness, which affected Eddie for fifteen years before surgery, and on the difference made by the treatment. Memories of his experiences with the Country Gentlemen are also shared.

An appeal from Johnny Butten

Johnny Butten, the English banjo-player now resident in the USA who holds the Guinness Book of Records title of Fastest Banjo Player in the World, has launched an appeal on Banjo Hangout.

Johnny approached Don Bryant of North Carolina to build a banjo neck for him, and found that Don's son Josh Bryant had suffered grave injuries in a car crash, and was hospitalised with major complications. In consequence, Johnny and his wife Sammy are heading a campaign to rally support for Josh and the Bryant family, including sending cards, letters, and other tangible support such as CDs and promo material.

Johnny will also be raising funds by means of a sponsored 'endurance pick', and is planning a benefit concert. Full details can be seen here. Johnny and Sammy Butten can be contacted by 'phone (+1-218-962-3229) or e-mail.

Banjo chords on iPhone

Thanks to Charles Dumont for news of a new application that is available for the iPhone: a collection of 700 banjo chords in open G tuning, for only $1.99. Chords in other tunings are said to be in preparation.

The news is also posted on the Banjo Hangout forum by a contributor who says: 'Just search for BanjoChords in the App Store.'

Ireland's first Banjo Camp: a great success

Camp attenders on Sunday 1 March (John Dowling with black-headed banjo)

Thanks to Derek Lockhart of Dangem Bluegrass, who reports on Ireland's first banjo camp, held last weekend at Corrs Corner Hotel, Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland:

The Camp was attended by twenty-two keen banjo devotees in the end; we only should have had twenty, but bad math on my part... We also had a waiting list of seventeen people waiting in the wings.


The Camp itself was a outstanding success. John Dowling is not only a master of playing the banjo but the master of teaching the banjo; I think everyone involved benefited from his patience and skill as a tutor. The Broken String Band entertained us - the students plus invited guests made up of friends and family and those who unfortunately we could not accommodate this time round. It is safe to say that - all things being equal - we will be running Dangem Banjo Camp 2010.

For a taste of the atmosphere at the Camp, see 'Duelling Banjo' played by John Dowling and the Broken String Band on YouTube.

3rd Munich Banjo Camp nearly sold out!

Adiaha Bürkmiller reports that the 3rd Munich Banjo-Jam-Camp (to be held on 9-11 October 2009 near Lake Chiemsee) is already nearly sold out.

Over 30 enrolments have been received from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and Denmark for instruction by Rüdiger Helbig (D), Ned Luberecki (USA), Charles Wood (USA), and John Dowling (UK). Classes will have 8-10 students each, so anyone wishing to attend should visit the website and sign on as soon as possible.

The camp offers two-and-a-half days of intensive learning, jamming and socialising with students from all over Europe and instructors from all over the world. This year the camp has been newly opened to flatpicking guitarists. The weekend will include a jamming night (Friday evening in the camp) and a bluegrass concert at the Theaterfabrik Traunreut with Rüdiger Helbig, his band Huckleberry 5, and all the other banjo instructors on one stage.

Contact Adiaha Bürkmiller
website; e-mail
cell-phone: +49-176-23640702

Adiaha's full press release, with photos, can be seen here.

Braille-friendly banjo tab

Tangier Sound is a blog run by Pat and Patrick Costello (USA), who also produce books including The how and the Tao of old time banjo and A book of five strings, and sell Somerset County banjos.

Patrick Costello has recently posted banjo tablature that can be used by visually-impaired players, at the request of Ruud from the Netherlands; other contributors include Ytske from Sweden. These developments have also been noted on BoingBoing, one of the most popular blogs.

Dangem Banjo Camp in Northern Ireland, 27 Feb.-1 Mar. 2009

John Dowling among leprechauns

'Forty-eight hours of total banjo immersion... Spend a weekend away from the toil and cares of everyday life, with nothing to do but learn about the 5-string banjo from world-famous teacher John Dowling, play, jam, and possibly even sleep!'

That's what is waiting for attenders at the Dangem Banjo Camp 2009 (5-string Scruggs style), to be held from Friday 27 Feb. to Sunday 1 Mar. 2009 in Corrs Corner Hotel, Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Dangem Bluegrass and Deering Banjos will bring John Dowling to Northern Ireland for the first time ever. From Cornwall, UK, John took up the banjo at the age of 12, and in 2002 he was sponsored by the ACLAIM (Acoustically Live And Inclusive Music) organisation to enter the prestigious National Bluegrass Banjo Championship at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas, USA. He won the first prize, a very large trophy, and a new banjo worth $4,500. John is the first European ever to have won this award.

John was an experienced teacher before he won the award, and in the BBC1 TV series ‘Play it again’, he helped to prepare comedian Frank Skinner to enter the Winfield banjo contest. He was also a teacher at the 2nd Munich Banjo Camp in November 2008.

Costs for the weekend are:

Tuition only: £100.00
Single room B&B for the weekend and full tuition: £240.00
Twin room B&B for the weekend and full tuition for two persons sharing: £350.00 Total
Twin room B&B for the weekend and full tuition for one person with non-playing partner sharing: £280.00 Total

An application form with full details can be found here. Deposits (details on the application form) should be sent by cheque payable to Derek Lockhart, 101 Belfast Road, Magheralin, Craigavon, Co. Armagh, BT67 0RP, Northern Ireland. Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Deposits should be received no later than 6 Feb. For more info, call Derek (07802364846) or e-mail.

Nechville's New Year Extravaganza Sale

Tom Nechville of Nechville Musical Products, who has brought his innovative instruments, accessories, and know-how to Europe many times, sends the season's greetings, together with news of recent developments and great deals on new instruments. Tom says:

Take note of our specials on electronic gear, and miscellaneous merchandise, including banjo pickups, armrests, and bridges. I even have a couple of nice Northwoods guitars left.

* New lightweight tone ring options
* New model - Athena
* Nechville right- or left-hand neck on a Vintage pot - using the Flux Capacitor
* New open-back, block-wood-body Hybrid banjo
* List of holiday specials - sale extended!
* Northwoods guitars - solid spruce tops, bone nut and saddle, super nice sounding and playing for $250.
* Electric banjo in stock
* Gr-33 Synth Controller

Call now: sales office +1-253-670-3208; shop +1-952-888-9710, +1-612-275-6602

Enrol in Sore Fingers Old Time classes!

John Herrmann (picture from Old Time Herald magazine)

The organisers of Sore Fingers Summer Schools have appealed to Old Time players to rally and book for Sore Fingers Week 2009 (13-17 Apr. 2009):

We have Joe Newberry teaching banjo and John Herrmann teaching fiddle, but only three students booked across both courses.

We know it’s got nothing to do with the recession since the bluegrass courses are booking at just below the normal rate. A little slower, but that was to be expected this year with all that's been going on.

Our cutoff is early January, when we book flights and totally commit to bringing a tutor over to teach. At this point, we will make a huge loss on these two courses unless we can attract at least thirteen students for each class. If it was always your intention to book, please let us know at the earliest opportunity.

This appeal has been necessary every year. We are seriously reviewing the viability of the Old Time classes and whether we should run them under a totally new format which didn’t involve flying a tutor in from the US. Sore Fingers will always have Old Time represented in some form or other and we have had some very loyal support over the past years which we feel we are indebted to. So there would be an alternative, but not in the current format.

If anyone out there has any suggestions or ideas about this, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us [e-mail]; we run these things for you, not us!

2nd Munich Banjo Camp - a resounding success!

Seated behind the white music stand (l-r): John Dowling, Rüdiger Helbig, and Adiaha Bürkmiller

The 2nd Munich Banjo Camp (7-9 November 2008) was a great success, with nearly thirty attenders from Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland. Instructors Rüdiger Helbig (D) and John Dowling (UK) provided an intense and varied learning programme, adjusted to suit all levels of experience and ability. The weekend culminated in a full participant concert, resulting in what may have been Germany’s largest bluegrass band.

As a result of two years' success and increasing demand, a larger and more convenient venue is planned for the 3rd MBC (fall 2009) - at Lake Chiemsee in a music seminar hotel, with learning, practice, jamming, food, drink, and sleep all under one roof. Tuition in other bluegrass instruments may also be included. For more information, contact:

Adiaha Bürkmiller
Munich Banjo Camp
e-mail
Phone: +49-176-23 64 07 02

A full article on the second MBC, with more photos, will appear in German in the February/March issue of Bluegrass Buehne, and in English in the April/May issue of Bluegrass Europe.

Banjo Newsletter: 35 years of achievement

Nancy Nitchie and her son Donald accept the Distinguished Achievement Award, with Tony Trischka (left), who gave the introductory address.

The most important periodical for banjo players was founded by Hub Nitchie and his wife Nancy in 1973 as The Monthly Newsletter: The 5-String Banjo, renamed Banjo Newsletter in February 1974. After Hub passed away in October 1992, his son Donald took over as editor, with Nancy as business manager; later their other son, Spencer, joined her. Together they started work on the Maryland Banjo Academy in 1997.


Maryland Banjo Academy

At the IBMA's World of Bluegrass 2008 in Nashville, Banjo Newsletter received a Distinguished Achievement Award at the Special Awards Luncheon. Thanks to Lilly Pavlak for these photos. Lilly recalls:

Nancy and Hub are (were) about my oldest bluegrass friends. I met them at the Bean Blossom festival in 1976, and then again in Carlisle at the Banjo Jamboree in Canada later on. They brought me with their car back to New York for my flight to Europe.

At that time Spencer was a little boy. I can still remember Hub shawed his hair and used some kind of spray to color his head green, so he looked like the green cover of his magazine. Nancy and Donald are still my good friends.


Lilly Pavlak and Nancy Nitchie (with Strictly Country magazine) outside the IBMA trade show stand at World of Bluegrass 2008

Tom Hanway signed to worldwide distribution deal

American bluegrass composer, banjoist, and guitarist Tom Hanway, now living in Ireland, has hit a major milestone by signing a worldwide distribution deal with Digital Revolution Entertainment for his three releases, originally on Joyous Gard Records. All music from Tom Hanway, Bucket of bees (13 tracks), Tom Hanway & Blue Horizon (15 tracks), and Tom Hanway & Vassar Clements, The Badbelly project (14 tracks) will be available as digital downloads in the following formats: (1) as entire albums, (2) a la carte - 42 songs, and (3) as ringtones. Amazon, Napster, Rhapsody, Lala, eMusic were the first to offer MP3 downloads (on 11/11/2008), with iTunes, Nokia, Liquid, MEdia Net, PassAlong, Puretracks, SNOCAP, SpiralFrog, and more online music stores to follow.

Tom Hanway, Bucket of bees, featuring Sam Bush, Vassar Clements, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, David Grier, and Tony Trischka, was recorded in New York City and Nashville, Tennessee, produced by Tony Trischka, Larry Cohen, and Tom Hanway. Tom Hanway & Blue Horizon, featuring Vassar Clements, Mark Schatz, and Roy Huskey, Jr., was recorded in Nashville, produced by Tom Hanway and engineered by Bil VornDick. Tom Hanway & Vassar Clements, The Badbelly project, featuring Larry Campbell and Lucy Kaplansky, was recorded in the Bronx, New York, co-produced by Lincoln Schleifer and Tom Hanway.

In Ireland and throughout the world, Tom Hanway’s three albums (42 songs) can now be purchased at this Amazon link, or visit Tom Hanway’s website and search under 'Music Stores'.

Europe challenged on banjo speed record

In response to yesterday's mention of Johnny Butten (UK) as world's fastest banjo player, Erio Meili (originally of Switzerland, but now head of the Sao Paulo Bluegrass Music Association in Brazil and leader of the South American Bluegrass Network), reports:

Howdy folks,

Here comes our Southern challenge for a new record for world fastest banjo player, pre-qualified in the Livro da Guineia (Guineia Book) and hopefully running now for Guinness. Check it out on YouTube. The tune is 'Sunday', home-made and faster than Johnny Butten's 'Duelling banjos'. For our alternative duelling banjos spot, watch our 'Titanic deviation medley' here.

And only last week, all we had to worry about was that the world might be destroyed by the Large Hadron Collider...

Nechville on the move

A message from Tom Nechville, banjo-player, -maker, and innovator:

Hello, my dear European friends,

I am going to be at the Cornish Bluegrass Association Bluegrass Festival next week in Newquay, England; then I'll be at the Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival in Longford, Ireland. I hope to see a few of you at those events. I have several new banjo ideas to show you and more things are coming in the near future. Please visit my website for recent news.

I am writing now to plant seeds for next summer. My daughter Leslie is getting married in France to a nice guy named Lionel Schmitt. Jane and I hope to combine some music business and fun with the trip. I want to remind you that I like to play, and I do banjo workshops. I teach banjo playing styles, and also teach banjo setup, design, and construction. Maybe we could put on a demonstration together or team up to do a special event sometime next July or August. Let's stay in touch.

I bet you would know someone who is interested in my new lightweight banjos. The example shown is one of many new configurations that I am experimenting with, and I am looking for your opinions. If you or anyone you know is interested in something unique and special from Nechville, or you are interested in becoming an associated player/rep., I'l like to talk to you. Special direct pricing is available on my newest series of custom banjo ideas. You can contact me directly, or contact one of my associates listed here for more information.

Richard Webster or Leon Hunt in UK
Oliver Waitze at New Acoustic Gallery in Solingen, Germany
Lluis Gomez in Barcelona, Spain
Marco Centemeri

10th Sunny Mountain Bluegrass Festival, 6 Sept. 2008

Posters and photos from ten Sunny Mountain festivals

Thanks again to Lilly Pavlak for a report and photos of the tenth Sunny Mountain Bluegrass Festival, organised by the Swiss band Sunny Mountain Grass at Stettfurt, Switzerland, in a new venue: a big barn near the Lommis castle. Lilly adds:

We were very happy for the nice shelter, because it was raining most of the time... Although the weather was really terrible, the festival was very well attended.

Four bands took part, each playing one set in the afternoon and one in the evening: the Swiss old-time band Big Stone; a new Swiss formation, Bluegraze, who made a big impression with their two female singers; the Sunny Mountain Grass themselves; and finally the Slovak formation Meantime, well known for their appearances at last year's IBMA Fan Fest and the EBMA's EWOB Festival.

Between the two halves of the festival the banjo, its history, and its different styles, were demonstrated, and a jam on stage brought the successful event to a close.


The final jam

Eddie Adcock - Bionic Banjo-Player

Preparing for surgery

Eddie Adcock - 'Father of Newgrass', one of the most influential banjo-players in bluegrass history, and member of the 'classic' Country Gentlemen and of many Halls of Fame - has embarked on a course of Deep Brain Stimulation surgery at Vanderbilt Medical Center, Nashville, TN. The aim is to eliminate hand tremor, which has affected his playing and writing in the last few years. The method involves implanting electrodes in the brain while the patient is conscious and playing.

The process is painful, but Eddie is in good spirits and will get a post-op check-up before fine tuning of the system in early October. He is the first person to receive this treatment at Vanderbilt, other than sufferers from Parkinson's disease.

2nd Munich Banjo-Camp, 7-9 November 2008

John Dowling sees a way ahead for the banjo

Adiaha Bürkmiller reports:

The 1st Munich Banjo-Camp took place in November 2007 with Rüdiger Helbig (D) and Ross Nickerson (USA). It was a great success and all students loved to find such a camp in Europe.

This year's 2nd Munich Banjo-Camp will take place from 7 to 9 November 2008 (it's already a three-day-camp). As we already have twenty-four sign-ups and think to get over thirty-five banjo-students for this year's camp, we have recruited Rüdiger Helbig again, John Dowling (GB), and Charles Wood (USA). For next year we are in contact with Alan Munde, Jens Kruger, and Bill Keith! The feedback that I've got during the last month tell me that the people are very thankful for this kind of offer in the bluegrass scene of Europe.

To register for the Münchner Banjo-Camp, or for more info, contact:

Adiaha Bürkmiller
Organisation
Steinbach 29
D-84567 Perach am Inn
Tel: 0176-23 64 07 02
e-mail

New Howard Burton CD

Howard Burton, a British bluegrass banjo player and singer residing in the UK, has played in bands in the UK for many years, and has also had mini-tours of the USA and Europe.

Howard's first solo CD release, Britain by bluegrass, includes some of the best bluegrass musicians and singers in the UK: Bob Winquist (fiddle), Beth Holland (bass), Lucy Holland (rhythm mandolin), Paul Hill (guitar), Dan Norton (lead mandolin), and Ross Mitson (lead and harmony vocals). The twelve tracks include a mix of traditional and progressive bluegrass as well as a couple of originals. MP3s, a review, and more info are on the website. The CD can be bought online for £8.00 sterling with free postage in the UK.

Johnny Butten: news

Johnny Butten, English-born multi-instrumentalist now resident in the USA, will bring out his new swing-flavoured bluegrass album Solo in mid July. On it he plays all the instruments - banjo, upright bass, fiddle, mandolin, and guitar. Sample tracks can be heard on his MySpace page. Solo will be available through many online outlets, including CD Baby, iTunes, Napster and Amazon.com, and will be available for order through various stores worldwide.

Also for release in mid July is the first of Johnny's Pick it right series - a beginner bluegrass banjo instructional DVD, including tablature booklet and onscreen graphics/chord charts never used in any previous banjo DVD. Other DVDs in the Pick it right series include Intermediate 1, 2, 3, and 4, advanced picking techniques, riffs and licks, speed picking, and a 1 hour DVD on banjo assembly and set-up with detailed video and graphics! These will be released throughout the summer and early fall.

Johnny Butten remains the official last holder of the World's Fastest Banjo Player title, according to the Guinness organisation. However, Guinness are now revising the rules to allow more precise comparison between players, and a rematch between Johnny and the previous record holder is possible.

Johnny's new band includes Joe Smart (guitar), a winner of the Winfield flatpicking competition, and Craig Mozley (bass); the position of mandolin player is still open.

As well as endorsing Kel Kroydon banjos, Johnny now endorses Schatten instrument pickups. They make pickups (and preamps) for many instruments, especially all bluegrass instruments, and have supplied him with their latest BJ-02 Pro Model. After a four-week trial period, he finds it superior to any other pickup he has used: 'Easy installation, well hidden, aesthetically pleasing, excellent volume control, and superior tone... I can't wait to try Schatten on my fiddle and guitar!'

An article on Johnny and his activities is in preparation for High Plains Reader, a magazine covering the mid-western USA.

2nd Munich Banjo-Camp

Adiaha Bürkmiller from Munich reminds us that the 2nd Munich Banjo-Camp takes place 7th to 9th November 2008. The 5-String-Intensive-weekend's teachers are Rüdiger Helbig (GER) and John Dowling (GB).

There are only a few places available still, so if you want to participate, you have to act quickly!

Further information may be found on www.banjocamp.de or by phone +49.176.23 64 07 02 (Adiaha Bürkmiller).

Take care of those hands

The Bluegrass Blog today carries a post entitled 'Why banjo and extreme sports don’t mix'. It's based on the hard experience of Jens Koch, banjo-player for the G2 Bluegrass Band (Sweden). Jens broke his left wrist badly while snowboarding three years ago, and the process of recovery was long and painful. Read the details on the Bluegrass Blog.

G2, who won the title of #1 European Bluegrass Band at the EWOB Festival 2007, will represent Europe this year at the IBMA's World of Bluegrass.

Nechville News: the Spanish connection

Nechville Musical Products reports that the spring issue of Nechville News is now available for download. Banjo tablatures by Lluís Gómez (SP) have been a regular feature of Nechville News for some time now, and in this issue the tab is of the Russ Barenberg tune 'Magic foot'.

Nechville are present, as always, at MerleFest this year (24-27 April 2008). Lluís Gómez and his Quartet will be appearing at the EWOB Festival at Voorthuizen, the Netherlands (1-3 May). A full list of shows by the Quartet is on their MySpace site.

Fastest banjo player moves to the US

On Thursday 27 March Johnny Butten, current holder of the World's Fastest Banjo Player title from the Guinness Book of Records, moved with his family and household from England to Hawley, Minneapolis, USA, with a visa that enables him to perform in the US for the next three years.

Signed with the Bitzer Agency in Minneapolis, Johnny is assembling a country band and a bluegrass band around his own multi-instrumental talents, and will be available as a sideman and session man, as well as songwriting and recording instructional DVDs. His move to the US, where Sim Daley is already established as a mandolin-maker and banjo-picker, gives south-west England a strong presence in the home of Bluegrass.

Johnny Butten won the World’s Fastest Banjo Player title by playing 'Duelling banjos' at 260 bpm at the Cornish Bluegrass Association Festival, Newquay, Cornwall, UK, on 15 September 2007. This year's CBA Festival is on 19-21 September.

Banjo workshop in Belgium

Sharon Lombardi of Blue Railroad Train reports:

This year, between 24 and 29 March 2008, the Acoustic Music International Workshop was held in Virton, Belgium, for the 23rd year.

As usual, this workshop was entirely devoted to acoustic instruments, such as guitar, fiddle, double-bass and harmonica. As far as the bluegrass part was concerned, we came close to a full bluegrass band. Not only could you attend Roberto Dalla Vecchia’s guitar workshop, Jean-Marie Redon’s banjo workshop, or Jesper Rübner-Petersen’s mandolin workshop, but also the brand-new resophonic guitar workshop, taught by Henrich Novak.

Almost one hundred and thirty students came from all over Europe and even the United States and spent a week attending workshops, concerts and even jamming. It was the seventh year that Jean-Marie Redon led the banjo workshop. It was so popular that it was full only a few days after registration had started.

The next workshop is scheduled for the first week of April 2009 and you can register from January 2009. Follow this link.


In the top photo, Jean-Marie Redon is to the right of centre, in light jacket. The lower photo is included for those who prefer banjo players to remain anonymous.

Second Münchner Banjo Camp, 7-9 Nov.

After the success of the first Camp last year, the Second Münchner Banjo Camp will be presented in November 2008 at Carl-Duisberg-Straße 2a, 82208 Unterhaching b. München. The teachers will be Rüdiger Helbig (D) and John Dowling (GB).

Students can take a three-day course (€270), beginning on Friday 7 November with an intensive afternoon class with Rüdiger Helbig, or a two-day course (€180) on Saturday and Sunday, 8-9 November. The camp includes a concert on Saturday night by Rüdiger Helbig & Huckleberry 5 in the Weyhalla near Munich. For further details see the Camp website or contact Adiaha Bürkmiller, tel. 0176-23 64 07 02; e-mail.

Bill Evans and Megan Lynch in Europe, 14-28 March

Bill Evans and Megan Lynch will be teaching banjo and fiddle respectively at the annual Sore Fingers Week in England from 24 to 28 March. They will also be playing as a duo on two dates in Ireland (14, 15 March), three in England (16, 17, 20 March), and two in Scotland (21, 22 March). Full details are on their joint MySpace site.

Kruger Brothers tour begins in UK, 8 March

Eagle Music in Huddersfield, England, who presented a 'Deering Weekend' in 2007, will have a return visit from Greg and Janet Deering to promote Deering Banjos on Saturday 8 March.

This is part of a day-long workshop/concert event. The highlights are the Kruger Brothers, appearing in the first show of their European tour. The Deering Celebration Weekend takes place at Eagle Music’s own North Light Gallery, and tickets and further information are available from Eagle’s website. Thanks to UKBluegrass.com for this news.

Other dates in the tour include:

Mon. 10 Mar.: Solingen, Germany; concert at New Acoustic Gallery
Tues. 11 Mar.: Solingen, Germany; concert at New Acoustic Gallery
Wed. 12 Mar.: Bern, Switzerland; concert at the Konservatorium
Sun. 16 Mar.: Zurich, Switzerland; concert in Kammermusiksaal, Tonhalle
Tues. 18 Mar.: Prague, Czech Republic; concert

Englishman breaks record with American Made Banjo

The January 2008 issue of the American Made Banjo Co. announces that on 15 September 2007 Johnny Butten of Taunton, Somerset, England, won the title of 'fastest banjo player', awarded by the Guinness Book of Records, using a Kel Kroydon Style 10 banjo, made for him by the American Made Banjo Co.

He played 'Duelling banjos' at a speed of 260 beats per minute (bpm) at the 4th Cornish Bluegrass Association Bluegrass Festival, Hendra Holiday Park, Newquay, Cornwall, UK, breaking the previous US-held record of 210 bpm.

Johnny will be seen at the 23rd Annual Joe Val Bluegrass Festival on 15-17 February 2008 at the Sheraton Hotel Framingham, Framingham, MA. For more about him, see here or his website.

Praise for European musicians at IBMA

Casey Henry writes about this year's IBMA's World of Bluegrass in the November 2007 issue of Banjo Newsletter, and has some nice things to say about three European bands who performed there. One is the current #1 European Bluegrass Band, G2 (Sweden); another is her old friends Red Wine (Italy).

Casey has most to say about Red Wine's compatriots and G2's predecessors as #1 - 'a hilariously great band called the Mideando String Quintet... their show was incredibly entertaining. They have a sly sense of humor and can pull off outrageous stunts.'

And about London-born Sam Morrow, banjo-player with the Dixie Bee-Liners, Casey's judgment is: 'Outside of Steve Sparkman, Sam is the best Stanley player I've heard.'

Irish banjo-player for San Francisco

Photo by Ronnie Norton

Bill Whelan, clawhammer-banjo player in Dublin's highly regarded Rough Deal String Band will be playing at the 9th Annual San Francisco Bluegrass and Old-Time Festival (SFBOTF) on 1-9 February 2008.

A six-page interview with Bill by R. D. Lunceford appears in the October 2007 issue of Banjo Newsletter. Among many other things, Bill speaks highly of his banjo made by Johannes Bonefaas, originally from the Netherlands and now living in Denmark.