New Acoustic Gallery concerts, 2009

Ana Vidovic: not a bluegrass guitar, but...

Oliver Waitze of the New Acoustic Gallery, Solingen, Germany, announces the Gallery's programme of concerts for the coming year:

08.03.2009: Ana Vidovic, superstar of the classical guitar! VV €30; AK €35
30.03.2009: The Krüger Brothers Band! VV €30; AK €35
02.06.2009: Joscho Stephan Trio & Richard Smith; VV €20; AK €25
31.10.2009: Duo (Trio) Vibracao featuring Max Schaaf; VV €18; AK €22
06.12.2009: Beppe Gambetta; VV €18; AK €22

Full details of performers are on the New Acoustic Gallery website.

The NAG's first Mandolin Festival is planned for the end of August/ early September 2009. More details will follow. For reservations and more info, telephone Oliver Waitze at +49 (0)212/2474007. Early reservations are advisable, as only 75 seats are available for each concert.

Happy 30th birthday, COP!

Left to right: Petr Slama, Martin Fridrich, Vlada Ptacek, Jrka Vopava, Zdenek Fik, Misa Leicht, Robert Krestan, Samson Lenk, Jarda Sterba, Pepa Malina

Thanks to Lilly Pavlak for photos and a report on the concert that marked the thirtieth anniversary of Czech bluegrass band COP, held on 8 November 2008 in the historic Lucerna concert hall in Prague, which has seats for 1,200. Over 1,500 people attended the show, which included band members past and present, and special guests.

COP were formed in 1978 in Pilsen, and had a powerful influence in spreading bluegrass with their spontaneous live shows and Czech lyrics. A recording of the concert will be released on CD early in 2009, together with a reissue of the CD of their fifteenth-anniversary concert. Lilly's full report, with more details and more photos, will appear in Bluegrass Europe.


The Lucerna

Beppe Gambetta in Belgium, 30 Nov. 2008

Bluegrass in Belgium reports:

Everyone present at the Sawmill Road concert in Toogenblik [17 November] will agree we had a wonderful evening. This reminded us of the good old days at Toogenblik in the 90s. We look forward to the next gig in Toogenblik !

Another nice place, 't Ey in Belsele (Sint Niklaas), will have the great Italian bluegrass guitar picker/singer/entertainer Beppe Gambetta.

Sunday 30/11/2008 at 16:00
't Ey
Koutermolenstraat 6b
9111 Belsele (Sint-Niklaas)

G2 live in concert: Stockholm, 17 Dec. 2008

G2 Bluegrass Band (Sweden), #1 European Bluegrass Band 2007, will perform in concert at the Boulevard Theatre, Götgatan 73, Stockholm, Sweden, on 17 December, beginning at 19:30.

Tickets can be bought at the Boulevard's ticket office (open 12:00-18:00 daily) or through Ticnet, or reserved by 'phone (theatre 08-642 98 00; Ticnet 077-170 70 70). For anyone who can't get to Stockholm: videos of live shows by G2 can be seen on the band's MySpace site.

Thomas Bailey: dates in Europe

Thomas Bailey from Virginia, multi-instrumental master of '21st-century old-time music', will be in Europe during the next ten days to play a few dates. At the Fourth Vilnius Bluegrass Festival in Lithuania, he is headlining the Friday night show (21 Nov.) and presenting an old-time fiddle workshop on Saturday afternoon (22 Nov.).

In the following week he will play two dates in Paris: as solo singer with guitar on Tuesday 25 Nov. in the Café Les Trois Arts; and as fiddler in an evening of string band music on Friday 28 Nov. at the Café Toc-Toques, with Ilan Moss of the Old Timey Messengers (banjo) and Cory Seznic of the Groanbox Boys (guitar).

Thomas Bailey, who toured Scandinavia in autumn 2007 with the Forge Mountain Diggers and has since been playing with the Freighthoppers, will be touring the UK in spring 2009. He also has a MySpace site.

21 Nov.: 4th Vilnius Bluegrass Festival, Vilnius, Lithuania, concert, 20:00

22 Nov.: 4th Vilnius Bluegrass Festival, Vilnius, Lithuania, old-time fiddle workshop, 12:00

25 Nov.: Les Trois Arts, 21 rue des Rigoles, Bellville, 75020 Paris, Ile-de-France 21:00; M° Jourdain; €5

28 Nov.: Toc-Tocques Café, 109 Boulevard Charonne, 75011 Paris, Ile-de-France; 20:00

Gold Heart tour in the UK, Apr.-May 2009

News was posted on the European Bluegrass Blog on 7 November of US bands who will be touring in 2009 under the auspices of the Scottish Bluegrass Association. The following dates are announced for the Gold Heart Bluegrass Band from Virginia:

Fri. 24 Apr.: Heart of England Bluegrass Venue, Kenilworth; +44 (0)2476 312258
Sat. 25 Apr.: Jumpin Hot Club, Live Theatre, Newcastle; +44 (0)191 2321232
Sun. 26 Apr.: Comfort Hotel, Nottingham; +44 (0)1159 120080
Mon. 27 Apr.: Zebra Club, Maidstone; +44 (0)1622 744481
Tues. 28 Apr.: Montrose Folk Club, Links Hotel, Montrose; +44 (0)1674 830658
Wed. 29 Apr.: SBA, Regal Theatre, Bathgate; +44 (0)1506 433634
Thurs. 30 Apr.: Wildwood Flower Mountain Music, South Molton; +44 (0)1237 472083
Fri. 1 May: Tacchi Morris Arts Centre, Taunton; +44 (0)1823 414141
Sat. 2 May: Bluegrass Plus Club, Croydon; +44 (0)1737 551191
Sun. 3 May: University Arms, Sheffield; +44 (0)1298 871645

Contact John Sheldon through the Scottish Bluegrass Association website, by phone (+44 (0)1968670038), or by e-mail.

Spencer Bohren concert at New Acoustic Gallery, 9 Nov.

The New Acoustic Gallery in Solingen, Germany, hosts its next concert on Sunday 9 November at 20:00, when Spencer Bohren (USA) plays there in the second of twelve dates in his current Roots Music Tour of Germany. His repertoire is drawn from blues, folk, gospel, country, and rock 'with a shot of Voodoo', and performed on his acoustic Gibson guitar and 1930s lap steel. He has recorded five albums on Valve Records, and has been described as 'the best solo act in the business' by the Tucson Blues Society, and as 'one of us' by John Lee Hooker.

The concert is a cooperation between 'Die Provinz lebt!', Valve Records, and the New Acoustic Gallery. Tickets are €12 at the door, €10 booked in advance.

Oliver Waitze
New Acoustic Gallery
Neuenhofer Str. 122
42657 Solingen (Höhscheid)
Tel.: +49 0212/2474007

Roberto dalla Vecchia: CD and concert news

Roberto Dalla Vecchia ('Flatpicking Guitar with Italian Gusto') has been working on his new CD Unknown legends, due for release on 28 November 2008. It celebrates, in Roberto's words, 'all the people around the world working hard everyday to make this world a better place. They will never make the news and they don't really care about that.'

Other musicians on the CD are Stefano Versolato (upright bass), Henrich Novak (dobro), Paolo Bressan (whistles and bombo), and Giovanni Costantini (cello). Photos from the recording studio can be seen here, and all the tracks can be heard here. Roberto will be doing workshops about the CD in the next few months, talking about the whole process of recording an acoustic guitar CD: choice of tunes, arrangements, recording studio set up, etc.

You can practice your Italian on an interview with Roberto on the popular blog 'Vicenza Popolare'. Roberto's free tab page will soon be updated, and he invites requests for tunes to be tabbed.

His concert and workshop schedule is as follows:

Sat. 20 Dec. 2008: Teatro Sociale, Cittadella (PD), Italy: concert 21:00

Fri. 9 Jan. 2009: Akustik Gitarre Forum, Hallein, Austria; concert

Fri. 23 Jan. and Sat. 24 Jan. 2009: Soldiers' Theatre, Vicenza, Italy; concert 19:30 (both nights)

Sat. 31 Jan. 2009: UnpluGGed Chitarre, Milan, Italy; workshop

Sat. 28 Mar. 2009: 5 vicenzAcustica, Vicenza, Italy

Mon. 6 Apr.-Sat. 11 Apr. 2009: 24th Acoustic Music International Workshop, Virton, Belgium

Roberto's link of the month is of special interest to guitar players in Europe as it offers a digital subscription to the magazine for about half the price of a hard-copy subscription, without postage problems, etc.; also the link includes downloadable instructional books and 'backup tracks' as audio mp3 files.

Drop Roberto a line or sign the Message Board when you call at his website.

Sawmill Road in Belgium, 17 November 2008

Following the post on the European Bluegrass Blog on 19 October, Bluegrass in Belgium reports that Sawmill Road (USA), the new band of veteran musicians from California, will be playing their only Belgian concert on 17 November 2008.

The concert will be in the Toogenblik, rue Cortenbach 11, 1130 Haren (near Vilvoorde), Brussels - 'easy to get to and the cosiest place for listening to a concert.' Entrance fee: 10 euro at the door, 8 euro for the 20 first reservations by e-mail. Bluegrass in Belgium says: 'Don't miss this rare opportunity to hear a great professional bluegrass band.'

New Acoustic Gallery Newsletter, October 2008

The Duo (Trio) Vibracao will hold a CD presentation concert on 25 October 2008 in the Forum Produktdesign, Solingen, Germany. Their CD A jazzy note, released during the summer, has been getting a very good reaction and a lot of airplay.

On 24-6 October 2008 Jesper Rübner will give a Mandolin Weekend Workshop on themes including bluegrass, fiddle tunes, and improvisation, for all levels of players. Numbers attending are limited to fifteen, and enrolment for the course costs €175, which includes an evening concert on 25 October with the Trio Vibracao (Jesper Rübner, Oliver Waitze, Max Schaaf).

Spencer Bohren will also be giving a concert on 9 November 2008 (VVk €10, AK €12). For more info, contact

Oliver Waitze
New Acoustic Gallery
Neuenhofer Str. 122
42657 Solingen
Germany
Tel.: +49 (0)212/2474007
e-mail

Kruger Brothers to be touring Europe in 2009

Philip Zanon, the Kruger Brothers' long-time manager, sound-engineer etc, reports:

Double Time Music recording artists The Kruger Brothers are going to be touring in Europe from March 18 through April 10, 2009. The Kruger Brothers are a acoustic virtuoso trio that originally lived in Switzerland. They were introduced to the US audience at MerleFest 1997 and have been on extensive and successful tours in the USA since then. In 2003 they re-located to North Carolina and have won an Award of Excellence of the National Endowment for the Arts for Banjoist Jens Kruger's symphonic piece 'Music From The Spring'.

On this tour the Kruger Brothers will be performing their original composition as a trio (Banjo, Guitar, Bass). For a recent report, please read the latest article of Travis Tackett of the bluegrassjournal.com where the Kruger Brothers performed at the Deering Banjo Showcase at the 2008 IBMA World of Bluegrass in Nashville TN.

For the upcoming Euro Tour, the dates that have been booked so far are:
March 21 - Erstfeld, Switzerland
March 28 - West Yorkshire, UK
April 1 - Bern, Switzerland
April 5 - Zurich, Switzerland
April 7 - Prag, CZ

The tour details will be published as soon as tour booking is complete. Ticket sales should go online at the end of October-early November 2008.

We are now booking dates in between these anchor dates. Interested promoters or venues please contact Philip Zanon for details.

Sincerley,
Philip Zanon
_______________________________
Double Time Music, Inc.
6137 Statesville Rd.
North Wilkesboro, NC 28659
Phone +1 336 262 6900
Fax +1 336 667 3960
E-mail philip.zanon@doubletimemusic.com

The Lovell Sisters in Basel, 10 Sept.

Thanks again to Lilly Pavlak for a report and photos of a show in the current tour of Europe by the Lovell Sisters. Other dates in the tour were shown on the European Bluegrass Blog on 8 August. Lilly writes:

On their three-weeks-long European trip, after visiting Norway, Germany, Holland, and Belgium, they played last Wednesday (10 Sept.) the only Swiss concert, in Basel. The concert was the best-visited event there till now, as the first in the row of fall concerts series organised by Angelika Torrie.

The band showed us an innovative mixture of bluegrass, country, contemporary bluegrass and newgrass, and a lot of their own materials. The girls, Jessica (fiddle), Megan (dobro), and Rebecca (mandolin, banjo, and guitar), enchanted everybody with their sweet harmonies. Everybody was very impressed with the band's great vocal and instrumental work. It was one of the best concerts of this season.

The band travel with the girls' parents and their five-year-old little brother and they went from here to go back to Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and finally back to Norway. We wish them a safe trip! And hope to see them in Europe again soon.

Pierre Bensusan concert at New Acoustic Gallery, 26 Sept.

The multi-award-winning acoustic guitar virtuoso Pierre Bensusan will give a concert performance at 20:00 on Friday 26 September 2008 in the New Acoustic Gallery, Solingen, Germany, followed by a two-day workshop at the Gallery (27-8 September). For concert tickets (€25) and further info, contact:

Oliver Waitze
New Acoustic Gallery
Neuenhofer. Str. 122
42657 Solingen
Tel.: +49 (0)212/2474007
e-mail

This year Pierre Bensusan received the Best World Music Guitar Player award in the Guitar Player Magazine Readers' Choice Awards. He is also opening the Guinness International Clonakilty Guitar Festival (18-21 September) at Clonakilty, Co. Cork, Ireland, with a concert at 21:00 on Thursday 18 September at De Barra's, Clonakilty.

MasterGrass Society at Zoeterwoude: today!

Thanks to Dee Hallett of the British Bluegrass Music Association for the news that the MasterGrass Society meets at Café de Meester, Zuidbuurtseweg 57, 2381 AE Zoeterwoude, the Netherlands, on Wednesday 10 September to celebrate fifteen years in operation. There will be a special programme, featuring the quartet Lazy Tater who play bluegrass, swing, folk, Irish, old-time, blues, traditional pieces, and original compositions.

The band consists of Ronnie Snippe (vocals and jet ear), Geert van Schoonderwoerd (banjo), Jan Pals (vocals, mandolin, and other instruments) and Beppie Gasman (vocals and bass). The free show is scheduled to begin at 20.30, with doors open at 20.00. Bring your instruments!

A feature on Lazy Tater (with photo) is in the current issue of Strictly Country magazine.

Emmylou Harris in Europe, 9-27 Sept. 2008

Emmylou Harris, a good friend to bluegrass music for decades and a headliner at last year's IBMA Fan Fest, will make a three-week tour of Europe next month. The tour schedule includes:

Tues. 9th Sept. Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Scotland
Wed. 10th: City Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Fri. 12th: National Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
Sat. 13th: Bridgwater Hall, Manchester, England
Sun. 14th: Hammersmith, London, England
Tues. 16th: Tempodrom, Berlin, Germany
Wed. 17th: Philharmonie, Munich, Germany
Thurs. 18th: KKL Beethoven, Stuttgart, Germany
Sun. 21st: Sentrum Scene, Oslo, Norway
Mon. 22nd: Cirkus, Stockholm, Sweden
Tues. 23rd: Falkoner Theatre, Copenhagen, Denmark
Thurs. 25th: Beaux Arts, Brussels, Belgium
Fri. 26th: Cultureel Centrum de Oosterpoort, Groningen, the Netherlands
Sat. 27th: Carre Theatre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Links for booking tickets are on the tour schedule page of the Emmylou Harris website.

Hungry Hill in Ireland and Britain, 21 Aug.-29 Sept.

Coinciding with the release of their new album Ride, contemporary Canadian bluegrass band Hungry Hill announce their first ever tour of Ireland and Britain this summer.

With a focus on original writing and featuring five seasoned musicians including acclaimed banjo-player Ross Nickerson, Hungry Hill create a fresh sound while staying true to the roots of bluegrass and old-tyme music. Lush vocal harmonies resonate from singers around one microphone, in the traditional acoustic setting of old-tyme music.

'After hearing their sophomore disc, Ride, this critic has no problem declaring Hungry Hill the best bluegrass band in Canada' (Barry Hammond, Penguin Eggs 2007)

Aug. 21-4: 14th Guinness International Bluegrass Festival, Dunmore East, Co. Waterford, IRL
Aug. 26: Kilworth Arts Centre, Kilworth, Co. Cork, IRL
Aug. 28: Ardhowen Theatre, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, NI
Aug. 31: De Barra’s Folk Club, Clonakilty, Co. Cork, IRL
Sept. 2: St John’s Theatre, Listowel, Co. Kerry, IRL
Sept. 3: Tom Malone’s Marketplace Pub, Milltown Malbay, Co. Clare, IRL
Sept. 5-7: Appalachian & Bluegrass Music Festival, Ulster American Folk Park, Omagh, Co. Tyrone, NI
Sept. 11: Galway Americana Festival, the Crane Bar, Galway, IRL
Sept. 12: The Seamus Ennis Centre, The Naul, Co. Dublin, IRL
Sept. 13: The Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely, Co. Wicklow, IRL
Sept. 14: Colfers Pub, Carraig-on-Bannow, Co. Wexford, IRL
Sept. 18: Jumpin’ Hot Club, Newcastle on Tyne, England
Sept. 19: Cambria Arts Centre, Tregaron, Wales
Sept. 20-22: Cornish Bluegrass Association Festival, Newquay, England
Sept. 25-8: Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival, Longford Town, Co. Longford, IRL
Sept. 26: Clifden Community Arts Festival, Connemara, Co. Galway, IRL
Sept. 29: The Cherry Tree, Walkinstown, Dublin, IRL

The official Hungry Hill press release can be seen here. More information is on the band's website and MySpace site. Media contact: e-mail.

Highlights of EWOB Month 2008: part 4

Text and photos by Lilly Pavlak


The Infamous Stringdusters at Strakonice

Saturday [at the Jamboree, Strakonice] started at 10.30 a.m. with Bluegrass Session #8 in the Castle yard. Czech bands Wejlet, Goodwill, Lunackove, Sunny Side, Minaret, Album, Wyrton, Petr Brandejs Band, then one of the Slovak bluegrass pioneer bands, Krok, CZ/USA Giant Mountain Boys, Rawhide from Belgium, and finally the Infamous Stringdusters gave the audience a sample of what they could expect in the evening... It was very hot and everybody was seeking for some shadow. The afternoon program started at 4 p.m. with the best of what the Czech scene can offer.


Kreni

The young band Kreni, Monogram, Eliska & Friends, Blue Gate, Blue Ground, Peter Kus & Famy, Druha Miza Vojty Zichy, Meantime (SK), Vabank Unit, and finally Rawhide from Belgium with their great show. Of course the highlight was the Infamous Stringdusters. They were touring Europe for five weeks, visiting five different countries, but that concert in Strakonice was for sure the best of the whole tour. Most people were just speechless; many of them - mostly musicians and even the MC from the stage - said the Stringdusters were the best band they’ve ever seen live in their life. Pure success pure! And the boys played and sang like gods!

It was I think the first time on this festival without rain, there were showers and thunderstorms everywhere, but the bad weather did not dare to disturb the beautiful music.


Jamboree audience

Sunday morning (1 June), my German friend Big Herbert, who was the driver for the whole tour, offered me a ride with them to Bratislava in Slovakia for their last concert. That night the band Meantime opened for them. The Infamous Stringdusters were so good, beyond all description, and everybody loved them. At the end they held a jam session with their Slovak friends Meantime.


The Stringdusters and Meantime jamming on stage in Bratislava

What a great conclusion of a fantastic tour. And what a great end to the most beautiful European Bluegrass Month of May.

Lilly Pavlak

Bülach, Switzerland, 15 June 2008


Lilly and the Stringdusters

Valerie Smith tour begins, 20 July

The tour of England, Ireland, and Germany by Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike begins on Sunday 20 July. Full details are on the band's MySpace site. Rainer Zellner of the Music Contact agency says:

Since my first tour with VS&LP in 2002, I have had the pleasure to work with this professional high-class band. In musicianship and entertainment quality they can hold up with the best in the genre.They never leave the stage without enthusiastic calls for encores and standing ovations. Through their consistent returning to Europe they built a dedicated audience for themselves and were a strong force in helping to introduce bluegrass music as a musical form on a high level.

Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike consists of lead singer and bandleader Valerie Smith, Becky Buller (vocal, fiddle, clawhammer banjo, guitar, and as a principal songwriter in the group), Bobby Davis (bass and fiddle), Chad Graves (resophonic guitar, vocals), and Eric Lambert (guitar, mandolin).

Happy summer from Wells Fargo & the Nightingale

Wells Fargo & the Nightingale wish you all a happy and beautiful summer full of bluegrass.

Live in Bolzano, Italy:
Friday 18 July at 22:00 in the Stadio - Laives Val di Fiemme (Bolzano)
Saturday 19 July at 22:00 in the Aur-Ora Piccolo Teatro Via Stazione 45 Ora (Bolzano)

For more info, visit the band's website or MySpace site.

Highlights of EWOB Month 2008: part 3

Text and photos by Lilly Pavlak; Lilly's account of Tony Trischka's tour with Druha Trava continues -


The last gig was an opening concert for the Festival Jamboree in Strakonice, Thursday night. It took place in a beautiful old castle yard. Czech band Blackjack opened the evening, followed by Slavek Hanzlik & Groovy Lix. Slavek’s Czech band consists of the Jahoda brothers from band Monogram, Jarda on banjo and Zdenek on mandolin, the youngest Malina brother Josef on fiddle, and Pavel Peroutka, bass player of the band Relief. They played Slavek’s beautiful music.


Slavek Hanzlik

Robert Krestan of Druha Trava started with some songs of Bob Dylan from his last album, Dylanovky. For 'Farewell Angelina' he invited Tony to join them on the stage. They played together Dylan’s 'Nashville Skyline Rag', and from then on it was a firework display of banjo music. Many encores followed. It was almost midnight and Tony had to leave at 4 a.m. to catch his flight back to the States. The tour was so incredibly successful, he is already thinking of coming back to the Czech Republic in August...



Friday: the festival continued with a Celtic afternoon on the castle yard. The main program in the evening took place in the summer theatre, with the bands Flash Back, Sem Tam, Grasscountry Drive, Blanket, Country Cocktail, Poutnici, and Cop. The headliners were Pavel Bobek, an old country star with Robert Krestan and Malina Band (3rd edition of Lubos Malina Band).


Rawhide with Lilly

Saturday headliners the Infamous Stringdusters (USA) and Rawhide from Belgium arrived in the late afternoon and were part of the countless jam sessions till the dawn.


The Stringdusters jamming with Czech and Slovak musicians

To be concluded

Bluegrass in the Alps, 25 July-3 August

A reminder that the Bluegrass in the Alps festival, including concert performances and instrument workshops given by the Lonesome Road Band (USA) will be held from 25 July to 3 August 2008.

Registration is still open. More details are given on the festival website and on the European Bluegrass Blog posts of 2 June and 29 June.

Forum Lesachtal
Lexer Werner
Strajach 11
A-9651 St Jakob/Lesachtal
Austria
e-mail

Highlights of EWOB Month 2008: part 2

Text and photos by Lilly Pavlak

Just in three more days I was already heading to the Czech Republic to join Tony Trischka & Druha Trava on their tour. Tony’s last time in the Czech Republic was twelve years ago, in Prague for the fifth anniversary of Druha Trava. He came with the reunion of the band Breakfast Special in 1996. Their friendship began in 1988. Skyline played on their European tour, also the biggest Czechoslovakian festival Porta in Pilsen, in front of 30,000.


Tony with Lubos Malina

Robert Krestan and Lubos Malina performed there with their former band Poutnici, and they became friends, since. Tony always has always been their hero and mentor. Tony can look back at his Czech roots, because his great-grandfather was born there. So after twelve long years he was now able to play in the Czech Republic again.

They performed four concerts and two festivals between 23 and 30 May. From the first moment on their musician collaborations was just brilliant. After not even two hours of rehearsing they performed their first concert together. The excellent Grasscountry Drive band opened this little outdoor event for them and the area was filled up to the last seat. ‘Double Banjo’ with Lubos Malina worked out perfectly, and the rest of the band held their own. The audience was just enthusiastic.

[Colloquial English has devalued 'just' and 'enthusiastic'. A good dictionary will give the full force of Lilly's point here - RH]


Druha Trava & Tony Trischka at Lochotin, Pilsen

Next day we drove to Pilsen to Festival Lochotin after twenty years. The area was a large amphitheatre, the same as at Porta in 1988. Although it was very well visited, an audience of 30,000 will never ever be possible there again. But they received frenetic applause.


Katka Garcia, Emil Formanek, Robert Krestan, Tony

On Sunday they played at a City festival in Teplice. This time Lubos Malina’s second band, Garcia, opened for them. This is a formation around incredible female singer Katka Garcia, playing mostly Celtic music.


On stage at Teplice

Also the Prague concert in Club Mlejn was sold out. Lot of people was standing along the walls. It was the longest concert on the tour and nobody would expect that the musicians rehearsed for the first time just four days ago.


Tony & Druha Trava at Club Mlejn, Prague

Many encores followed. So Tony showed us some solo work, double banjos, duet mandolin-banjo with Robert Krestan, and so on. One of the most beautiful was 'Esher’s waltz' with Lubos playing tarogato, a strange east European woodwind instrument.

The next concert was in my hometown, Brno. Again hopelessly sold out. People standing everywhere and more than fifty were sent home from the box office.

(To be continued)

Highlights of EWOB Month 2008: part 1

Text and photos by Lilly Pavlak

After returning from the EBMA’s EWOB Festival in Holland, I visited the 9th Annual Spring Festival Willisau in Switzerland on 17 May. This perfectly organized Swiss festival took place in a big barn in the farmer museum at Burgrain, near Lucerne. There were five performing bands playing two sets, one in the afternoon, one in the evening: the Swiss old-time Big Stone, the Czech band Blackjack (who won the #2 Audience Popularity Award at this year’s EWOB Festival),


Blackjack (CZ) at Willisau

the Americans Sally Jones & the Sidewinders (for a couple of songs also with the help of Chris Jones),


Sally Jones & the Sidewinders with Chris Jones

and the Infamous Stringdusters (of whom more later), and finally the young Swedish G2 Bluegrass Band, voted in Holland as the #1 European Bluegrass Band 2007.


G2 Bluegrass Band (Sweden)

The program could not be any better. Several hundred visitors to the sold-out event went home richer for a great musical experience.

(To be continued)


Aaron Till (fiddle), Chris Jones, Sally Jones

Lonesome Road Band in Austria, July-Aug.

J. Larry Keith of the Lonesome Road Band writes:

Greetings to everyone in the European bluegrass community! I have visited your web-page this morning and was pleasantly surprised by the amount of activity of bands performing. The Lonesome Road Band is scheduled to arrive in Austria on 26 July (with some luck from US Air) and can't wait to perform there! We were so welcomed by our Austrian friends last year that we immediately started to plan our 2008 before we returned to the United States. This year's plan has been coordinated with great help from Werner Lexer. A series of workshops and concerts will start on 28 July [see the EBB post of 2 June] and concerts by Lonesome Road to follow.

Some conflicts within our band has forced us to change the line-up this year and we will introduce Brandon Couch on mandolin/vocals to the European bluegrass family. He is a talented young man from South Carolina, USA, and has agreed to fill in for our friend Paul Eaton for this season. Paul will be back with us in September. We would love the opportunity to meet bluegrass fans and have a chance to share our music and friendship with ya'. Looking forward to seeing you all!

For information or contact in Austria,please e-mail Bernd Scheumann. This family will have our complete itinerary and booking information. All the best from our families!

Mideando String Quintet: news

Upcoming gigs for the Mideando String Quintet include:

6 July: Vesuona, Venice, Italy
17 July: Piazza dei Martiri, Belluno, Italy
19 July: Acustica Unplugged Festival, S. Dona' di Piave, Venice, Italy
24 July: Piazza del Sindacato, Cadoneghe, Padova, Italy
25 July: Giardini di Torre, Ponte di Brenta, Padova, Italy
3 August: The MSQ are special guests at the Festival Europeen de Bluegrass Music, La Roche-sur-Foron, France
30 September: Trento, Italy
18 October: Altaforum, Campodarsego, Italy

website
MySpace site

Jimmy Bowen & Santa Fe at the Turfschip: only a few seats left!

Cor Sanne of CMS Productions reports:

We hebben nog slechts 10 tot 12 plaatsen over. Reserveert u snel indien u dit exclusieve optreden graag wilt bijwonen!

We have only 10 to 12 seats left to sell. Make reservations fastest in case you want to be a part of this exclusive performance!

For details of the show, see the European Bluegrass Blog for 5 June.

Jimmy Bowen & Santa Fe at the Turfschip, 9 July

Cor & Greet Sanne of CMS Productions announce that Jimmy Bowen & Santa Fe, based in Nashville, will play an exclusive European concert on Wednesday 9 July in the Turfschip, Zuideinde 15, in Nieuwkoop, the Netherlands.

Jimmy Bowen (mandolin, lead vocals), from North Carolina, played from 1988 to 1995 with the world-famous Charlie Waller & the Country Gentlemen, and later with David Parmley & Continental Divide before forming his own group at the end of the 1990s. A high point in their career has been playing for the US president at the White House in Washington.

Rick Briggs (banjo, vocals), also from North Carolina, has been playing music since he was 13, with bands including those of Dale Ann Bradley and Connie Smith. Bobby Nicholas (lead guitar, vocals), from Canada, now lives in the USA, and has played guitar for Terri Clark and Patty Loveless. Blake Bowen (electric bass), Jimmy's son, has been a member of Santa Fe since the band began. Ollie O'Shea (fiddle) is no stranger to country, bluegrass, western swing, or Americana. He has also played with Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale, and in Greg Cahill's Chow Dogs band which toured Europe a few years ago.

Doors open at the Turfschip on 9 July at 19.15 hrs. The show begins at 20.00, with two sets of 45 minutes. Admission €15. Only 90 seats are available, so tickets should be reserved by e-mail. Intimate and extremely cosy concerts at this venue only! Great sound system. CDs available during intermission and after the show.

Bluegrass in the Alps, 25 July–3 August

Lonesome Road Band at Lesachtal Valley in 2007

From 25 July to 3 August the association 'Forum Lesachtal' hosts the first Lesachtal Valley festival Bluegrass in the Alps. The valley is located in the very south of Austria, at the interface of Germanic, Slavic, and Romanic cultural areas. Therefore it is predestined for interacting of different people, cultures, and musical styles.

Bluegrass in the Alps offers a fascinating punch of workshops and concerts with the American top bluegrass ensemble Lonesome Road Band. The famous guitar player John Keith attended Dolly Parton for four years in the US. Banjo player Charles Wood, award-winning national banjo champion, was already a guest of David Letterman.

Bluegrass workshops:

Workshop banjo/country music/bluegrass – theory and exercises – with banjo champion Charles Wood, North Carolina, USA
Workshop guitar/country music/bluegrass – theory and exercises – with star guitarist John Keith, North Carolina, USA

Workshop from Monday 28 July to Sunday 3 August: €240
Workshop from Friday 1 August to Sunday 3 August: €140

The workshops take place at Volksmusik-Akademie in Liesing/Lesachtal, respectively at 9-12 a. m. and 2-5 p.m.

Pay participation fee (from Austria): Account number: 16.386
Bank code number: 39364 (Raiffeisenbank Kötschach-Mauthen)

Pay participation fee (from abroad): IBAN: AT 18 3936 4000 001 6386
BIC: RZKTAT2K364 (Raiffeisenbank Kötschach-Mauthen)

Accommodation:
Single room bed and breakfast: €25 per day and person
Double room bed and breakfast: €20 per day and person
Lunch or dinner: €9 per meal and person

Applications: E-mail to Forum Lesachtal. Applications are valid with the assignment of the participation fee. No refunding of the participation fee!

Saturday 2nd August, 8.00 p.m.
Concert by the US bluegrass ensemble Lonesome Road Band

Contact and information:
Werner Lexer
Strajach 11
9951 St Jakob
Austria
Tel.: +43 664 28 30 282
e-mail

This information can be read in German here, or in both English and German on the festival website.

Iris DeMent in Ireland, 22-26 July

Not strictly bluegrass, but Iris DeMent's concert schedule shows the following concert dates in Ireland in late July - no other shows by her outside the US are listed:

Tues. 22 July: Button Factory, Dublin

Wed. 23: Spring & Airbrake, Belfast

Thurs. 24: Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny

Sat. 26: Campbell's Tavern, Cloughanover, Headford, Co. Galway

Among the other dates on her schedule is the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival (October) in San Francisco - its organiser, Warren Hellman, received an IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award in 2007.

News from the New Acoustic Gallery

Duo Vibracao's CD A jazzy note will be released on Peter Finger's label Acoustic Music Records on 20 June 2008. It includes swing manouche, jazz, choro, and new acoustic music. The Duo consists of Oliver Waitze (acoustic guitars) and Jesper Rübner-Petersen (mandolin), with Max Schaaf of the Joschua Stephan Trio as special guest on acoustic bass.

You can preorder now (€18 inc. P & P) from Oliver Waitze by e-mail or telephone: +49 0212/2474007.


After three years Pierre Bensusan returns to the New Acoustic Gallery with a concert (€25) on 26 September followed by a two-day workshop (€195) on 27-8 September. Only 75 tickets are available for the concert, so advance booking is recommended.

Other workshops at the NAG include a workshop on fingerstyle blues and jazz by Felix Schell (5-6 September) and a weekend mandolin workshop by Jesper Rübner (24-26 October). For more info, contact:

Oliver Waitze
New Acoustic Gallery
Neuenhofer Str. 122
42657 Solingen
+49 0212/2474007
e-mail

Don Rigsby & Midnight Call in Europe, 2-4 May

Karl Heinz Siber of Muff Musik-Management sends a reminder of the shows by Don Rigsby & Midnight Call in their brief tour in Europe next week:

Fri. 2 May: Kulturzentrum Altes Schlachthuus, Laufen, Switzerland

Sat. 3 May: 6th International Bühl Bluegrass Festival, Bühl (Baden), Germany

Sun. 4 May: Oldenburgisches Staatstheater, Oldenburg, Germany

Thanks to Karl for the following bios of members of Midnight Call:

Patrick McAvinue (fiddle): Young, fresh, inspiring, talented, stubborn, spirited, and gifted are all adjectives that describe the bluegrass fiddler, Patrick McAvinue. Since he began his journey learning the fiddle, he has participated in many fiddling competitions. He has been honored with the title of Delaware State Fiddling Champion. The first band Patrick played with was the Salem Bottom Boys when he was at a very young age of twelve. Since then he has moved on to play with numerous bands from Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

Robert Maynard (acoustic bass): ... is also a recording engineer for River Track Studios. He has a great ear for arrangements and can always be called upon to assist with the recording process. Prior to joining Midnight Call, Maynard played bass for the celebrated gospel group 5 For the Gospel for two years. His timing is rock solid, but even more important, his character is impeccable.

Dale Vanderpool (banjo): ... has been playing banjo on the bluegrass circuit for years. His familiar face and picking style has graced the stages throughout the US and Canada with such artists as Melvin Goins, Larry Stephenson, Karl Shifflett, and Rock County. Though noted for his Osborne-Crowe-influenced banjo style, Dale is a fantastic part singer, which he demonstrates with Midnight Call every show. From time to time, he even picks the guitar too! A man of many talents indeed.

Clyde Marshall (guitar): ... has been playing music since he was seven years old. He was born into a deeply religious family with a preaching father and a mother who could play. In fact, nearly all of his siblings play and sing too! He formed his first groups with banjo-picking Brother Dennis and has rarely been absent from the stage since. Marshall plays guitar, mandolin, and banjo and sings all parts. His first playing job was with South Salyer and the Brown Mountain Boys. He played for many years with Don Stanley and Middle Creek, Clyde Bowling and the Southern Bluegrass Boys and most recently with Lost N’ Lonesome. His talents and easy manner are a most welcome addition to Midnight Call.

Chris Jones and Four Wheel Drive at the Turfschip, 1 May

Cor and Greet Sanne of CMS Productions announce that Chris Jones (USA) will perform in concert on 1 May at 20:30 in Turfschip, Zuideinde 15, in Nieuwkoop, Holland. Tickets (€12.50 each) can be reserved via the CMS e-mail address.

As well as being a fine singer and guitarist, Chris won the IBMA Song of the Year Award last October with his song 'Fork in the road'. On the programme with him at the Turfschip will be the Netherlands' own Four Wheel Drive, featuring master fiddler Joost van Es, whose set will include material from their new CD, Another town.

Chris is also scheduled to play at Zugenhaus 562, Teufen, Switzerland, on 15 and 16 May at 19:00.

Bluegrass stars at the Club Mlejn, Prague

Jens Kruger and Joel Lansberg on the Prucha stand after the concert in Prague on 15 March

Lilly Pavlak reports that the Club Mlejn Stodulky (the Mill) in Prague, Czech Republic, is building a big reputation for bluegrass concerts. On 1 March Hickory Project from Pennsylvania played there for a packed house, supported by the Czech band Monogram, who joined them for a finale that featured four fiddles on stage, including Jirka Kralik and his American friend Lee Bidfood.


The four-fiddle jam on 1 March

On 15 March, at the invitation of Jaroslav Prucha, the Kruger Brothers played to another packed house at the Mlejn, performing music from their latest CD, The suite, as well as older material, for hundreds of enthusiastic fans. Prucha Instruments have just celebrated thirty years in production.

Lilly also reports that Tony Trischka & Druha Trava will be playing together at the Mlejn in May as part of a tour. Full dates are:

23rd: Dehylov, Lodenice, 19:30
24th: Plzen, Festival Lochotin 2008, 18:30
25th: Teplice, Otevirani lazenske sezony, 19:30
27th: Praha, KD Mlejn, 20:00
28th Brno, KD Musilka, 19:30
29th Strakonice, Festival Jamboree, 22:00

Read Lilly's full report here.

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.

Waterflow - Perfect match for trouble

Waterflow (NL/SK) are proud to announce the release of their first full-length CD, Perfect match for trouble. You can:

- listen to the music on the band's website or MySpace site;
- buy the CD at one of their concerts (€10);
- order it via e-mail; or
- ask for a free CD for promotional purposes (booking or press).

Loes van Schaijk, lead singer with Waterflow, adds:

I'd like to ask all of you who have MySpace webpages to befriend us. MySpace is a great way to get in touch with other musicians, and it would be great if we could check out each other's music before we meet in person (for example, at the EWOB festival). And last but not least, here's a list of the concerts we have lined up so far. If you're in the neighbourhood, be sure to stop by!

Sat. 28 Mar.: Blue Velvet Night, CD release party, Pezinok (Slovakia)
Sun. 27 Apr.: Café Cambrinus, Horst (the Netherlands)
Tues. 29 Apr.: Café Camelot, Nijmegen (the Netherlands)
Wed. 30 Apr.: Queen's Day Market, Den Bosch (the Netherlands)
Wed. 30 Apr.: Stadsbrouwerij De Hemel, Nijmegen (the Netherlands)
Sat. 3 May: European World of Bluegrass Festival, Voorthuizen (the Netherlands)
Fri. 25 July: Bohunice fest, Jaslovske Bohunice (Slovakia)
Sat. 26 July: Bluegrass fest Pisek, Pisek (Czech Republic)
11 Oct.: Bluegrassfest Bratislava, Bratislava (Slovakia)

We hope to see you somewhere this year, and don't hesitate to keep us up to date about your own musical activities. Warm greetings,

Loes van Schaijk
Muldersweg 195
6532 WZ Nijmegen
06-14362134

Waterflow's bio sheet can be seen here.

Roberto dalla Vecchia: news

Roberto Dalla Vecchia ('Flatpicking Guitar with Italian Gusto') has relaunched his website with new design and new content. Suggestions for further improvements are welcome!

All Roberto's CDs and tab books can now be bought online in the US via Marv's Music website, run by Marv Sobolesky. And his Grateful CD can now be bought in MP3 format via CDBaby.com as one zip download including the MP3s (suitable for any MP3 player) and a JPG of the album art, for $9.95. His upcoming concerts and workshops include:

Mon. 24-Sat. 29 Mar.: Flatpicking guitar workshop (which still has one vacancy), 23rd International Workshop of Acoustic Music, Virton, Belgium.

Fri. 4 Apr.: vicenzAcustica 4, with special guests Paolo Bonfanti and Chris Newman in concert, Astra Theatre, Vicenza, Italy; 21:00. +39 0444 505183. Tickets €14.00 in advance, €16.00 at the door.

Fri. 23-Sat. 24 May: 11th International Acoustic Guitar Meeting, Fortezza Firmafede, Sarzana (La Spezia), Italy; includes Roberto in concert, 21:00 on Friday, and the Italian Flatpickers Convention on Saturday.

Fri. 30 May-Mon. 2 June: Acoustic Guitar Workshop 4, Recoaro T., Italy, +39 0444 505183. For all levels of players; two vacancies still available.

New CD from the Coal Porters: sold out!

Kentucky-born Sid Griffin and his London-based band the Coal Porters have released their latest album, Turn the water on, boy!, featuring former Byrds member (and longtime pillar of the West Coast bluegrass scene) Chris Hillman. It is now available in stores and through Amazon.

The Coal Porters, who claim to be the first alt.bluegrass band, will launch the album at a free party in London on Wednesday 2 April. Full details are on Sid's website.

That was our original post of 6 March. Sid Griffin now reports that the first pressing of 2,200 copies is completely sold out.