The 2008 European Bluegrass Band Awards

The weather was almost perfect for the 11th European World of Bluegrass Festival, sponsored by the European Bluegrass Music Association on 1-3 May. Attendance remained at peak level, the little Dutch town of Voorthuizen bursting with bluegrass music for 3 days as bands performed throughout the village, and musicians jammed in every corner of the festival venue. The EWOB 2008 Festival featured 41 wonderful bands from 15 countries, including special USA guests Sally Jones & the Sidewinders, Appalachian Uprising, and Dick Staber & Judith Chasnoff, and EWOB's first groups from Norway (Ile Auto and The Holstein United Bluegrass Boys) and Spain (Lluis Gomez Quartet and Autopista 6).
The EWOB 2008 Festival in the Netherlands is the apex of the 30-day European World of Bluegrass, fostering the growth of bluegrass music in cooperation this year with 195 European festivals and events taking place during the "International Bluegrass Month" of May. The EWOB Festival is a music festival and professional convention with trade show and workshops, and hosts the annual European Bluegrass Band competition. In 2003, EWOB became the only European festival ever to win the International Bluegrass Music Association's prestigious Bluegrass Event of the Year Award.
We are very pleased to announce the winners of the 2008 European Bluegrass Band Awards, chosen by the EWOB 2008 Festival musicians as their reigning champions:
#1 European Bluegrass Band 2008: Acousticure, Hungary
#2 European Bluegrass Band 2008: Petr Brandejs Band, Czech Republic
#3 European Bluegrass Band 2008: Four Wheel Drive, NL/G/B
In addition to the professional band awards, the EWOB Festival audience always elects its own favorite groups from the three days of showcase performances:
#1 Audience Popularity Award, EWOB 2008: Bluegrass Cwrkot, Czech Republic
#2 Audience Popularity Award, EWOB 2008: Blackjack, Czech Republic
#3 Audience Popularity Award, EWOB 2008: Sunny Side, Czech Republic

The #1 European Bluegrass Band 2008, Acousticure, is the first bluegrass band from Hungary to appear at this colorful international gathering, performing at the past 2 European World of Bluegrass Festivals. An energetic 4-piece group of impressive multi-instrumentalists, Acousticure keeps the sound crew hopping with frequent instrument changes. Their young spokesman, mandolin-fiddler-guitarist Zsolt Pinter, has spent enough time in the USA to speak English like a native, and has a remarkable command of bluegrass-country vocals. Acousticure's musical vision playfully fuses bluegrass influences from old-time to newgrass, often incorporating their native Hungarian folk music. (An example of the latter, Kis Kece Lanyom, can be heard on the European World of Bluegrass 2007 CD from Strictly Country Records.) The US bluegrass scene will get a chance to experience Acousticure onstage in Nashville at the International Bluegrass Music Association's (IBMA) World of Bluegrass convention in October 2009, where they will perform as the #1 European Bluegrass Band.
ACOUSTICURE:
Zsolt Pinter: fiddle, guitar, mandolin, vocal
Geza Kremnitzky - mandolin, banjo, vocal
Peter Gyergyadesz - bass, vocal
Andras Toth - guitar, banjo, dobro, mandolin, vocal
Congratulations to all the EWOB 2008 award winners, and many thanks to all the talented musicians who traveled to Holland to share their music at the EWOB 2008 Festival. It was unforgettable.
www.ewob.eu

EWOB events, 29 April-6 May

Contact data and website links are on the EWOB Festival website, where a list of all EWOB events up to 21 June 2008 can be downloaded.

Tues. 29 April
.357 Stringband (USA), Alkmaar, Netherlands
Waterflow (NL/SK), Nijmegen, Netherlands

Wed. 30 April-Fri. 2 May
Music Festival, Bergen, Norway

Wed. 30 April
Waterflow (NL/SK), Nijmegen, Netherlands
.357 Stringband (USA), Venlo, Netherlands
Half a Turn (NL), Heerhugowaard, Netherlands

Thurs. 1 May-Sat. 3 May
EWOB Festival, Voorthuizen, Netherlands

Thurs. 1 May
New Prohibition Band (USA/D), Dortmund, Germany
Infamous Stringdusters (USA), Recklinghausen, Germany
Mideando String Quintet (I), Rome, Italy
.357 Stringband (USA), Terneuzen, Netherlands
Dick Smith-Mike O'Reilly Band (USA/CAN), Old Colwyn, N. Wales, UK
Chris Jones & 4 Wheel Drive (USA/NL), Nieuwkoop, Netherlands

Fri. 2 May
Don Rigsby & Midnight Call (USA), Laufen, Switzerland
Infamous Stringdusters (USA), Sachsenheim, Germany
Streichholz-Schachtel (D), Wippenhausen, Germany,
Mideando String Quintet (I), Padova, Italy
.357 Stringband (USA), Vlissingen, Netherlands
Dick Smith-Mike O'Reilly Band (USA/CAN), Kenilworth, England, UK
Matching Ties (USA/D), Sachsenheim, Germany

Fri. 2 May-Mon. 5 May
Rhythm & Roots Festival, Kilkenny, Ireland

Sat. 3 May
6th Int. Bluegrass Festival, Buehl, Germany
Four Potatoes, Freising, Germany
Matching Ties (USA/D), Diessen, Germany
Hackensaw Boys (USA), Ospel, Netherlands
.357 Stringband (USA), Tilburg, Netherlands
Petr Brandejs Band (CZ), Groningen, Netherlands
Dick Smith-Mike O'Reilly Band (USA/CAN), Greenock, Scotland, UK

Sat. 3-Sun. 4 May
Karl May Festival, Radebeul, Germany

Sun. 4 May
.357 Stringband (USA), Antwerp, Belgium
Hackensaw Boys (USA), Antwerp, Belgium
EWOB Minifestival, Jilove u Prahy, Czech Republic
Don Rigsby & Midnight Call (USA), Oldenburg, Germany
Matching Ties (USA/D), Scheyern, Germany
Infamous Stringdusters (USA), Untermeitingen, Germany

Sun. 4-Tues. 6 May
Boet'n Deure Festival, Odoorn, Netherlands

Mon. 5 May
Poutnici (CZ), Sedlcany, Czech Republic
Eric Brace & Peter Cooper (USA), Leipheim, Germany
Sally Jones & the Sidewinders (USA), Lengerich, Westfalen, Germany
Hackensaw Boys (USA), Hengelo, Netherlands
Alison Krauss & Robert Plant, Birmingham, England, UK
Chatham County Line (USA), Belfast, N. Ireland, UK

Tues. 6 May
Sally Jones & the Sidewinders (USA), Hoofddorp, Netherlands (Hoofddorp Bluegrass Festival)
.357 Stringband (USA), Cologne, Germany
Matching Ties (USA/D), Munich, Germany
Infamous Stringdusters (USA), Ingolstadt, Germany

EBMA General Membership Assembly

The EBMA Board of Directors invites you to the Seventh EBMA General Membership Assembly. As an active member of the EBMA, you have the right to attend the assembly as well as the right to vote, elect, and be elected. As a supporting member, you are welcome to attend the assembly.

EBMA's 7th General Membership Assembly
Thursday 1 May 2008, 18:00–19:00
't Trefpunt, Voorthuizen, the Netherlands

Agenda

1. Welcome
2. Acceptance of last years’ AGM minutes
3. Reports of Activity by EBMA Board of Directors for 2007/2008
4. Acceptance of Financial Report 2007
5. Election of EBMA Board of Directors for 2008/2009
6. Election of Financial Auditors for 2008
7. Acceptance of Budget for 2009
8. Changes to Bylaws
a. Change in §1 'with headquarters in Pratteln, Switzerland' [old] to 'with headquarters at the treasurer's office' [new]
9. EBMA Goals for 2008/2009
10. How YOU can be an active part of EBMA!
11. Questions and Answers

Make sure to attend EBMA's European World of Bluegrass 2008 Festival in Voorthuizen, NL (1-3 May) and also the EBMA Open Meeting on Friday 2 May at 11:00. We look forward to meeting you there!

Sincerely,
Paolo Dettwiler
Chair, EBMA Board of Directors

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.

Rootsinpyhtää Old-Time & Bluegrass Festival, 6-8 June

Images from previous Rootsinpyhtää festivals

Thanks to Matti Lehtola for the news that the 21st Rootsinpyhtää Old-Time & Bluegrass Festival will be held from Friday 6 June to Sunday 8 June at Ruotsinpyhtää, Finland, as part of this year's European World of Bluegrass schedule of events.

Ruotsinpyhtää is about 100 km from Helsinki, near the E18 highway. Location details in English are here. Programme details will be on the festival website; or contact Matti by e-mail.

Orwell Bluegrass Festival, 25-27 April

The Orwell Bluegrass Festival will be held from 19:00 on Friday 25 April to 18:00 on Sunday 27 April 2008 at Hallow Tree Camp Site, Ipswich, Suffolk, UK. The lineup includes:

G2 Bluegrass Band (Sweden; #1 European Bluegrass Band 2007-8)
The Dick Smith & Mike O'Reilly Band (USA/Can.)
Baker's Fabulous Boys
A Band Like Alice
Chris Moreton
Dog House Central
Monroe's Revenge
One Tree Hillbillies
Roots and Galoots
Shake the Roots
Them Old Harvey Boys

plus open mic sessions, workshops for all bluegrass instruments, and Sunday morning gospel sessions. For more info, see the Festival website or e-mail.

Eleventh EWOB Festival, 1-3 May 2008

On May 1, 2 and 3 the eleventh European World of Bluegrass (EWOB) Festival will take place in the Dutch village of Voorthuizen, under the auspices of the European Bluegrass Music Association (EBMA). At least 42 bands from 12 different European countries, and the USA, will perform on stage. Among the guests from the USA this year are singer/songwriter Sally Jones & the Sidewinders, and Dick Staber & Judith Chasnoff.

The Festival also includes a Trade Show, workshops, bluegrass karaoke, the EBMA members' and open meetings, a children's programme with music instruction by professional musicians, and almost unlimited jamming. At the end of the Saturday night concert the title ‘#1 European Bluegrass Band’ will be awarded, based on the voting of all musicians performing at the Festival. The winning band will perform as guests at the annual IBMA convention, Trade Fair, and Fan Fest in the USA.

The full text of the press release, with contact data, is here.

Mastergrass Society at Zoeterwoude, the Netherlands

The MasterGrass Society meets at the Café de Meester, Zuidbuurtseweg 57, 2381 AE Zoeterwoude, the Netherlands. Their first bluegrass jam session of 2008 takes place on Wednesday 9 January at around 9.30 p.m.

Their 10th Midwob Festival will be held on 7 May as part of European World of Bluegrass Month 2008. If you’d like to see again a bluegrass band that has previously played at Midwob, you can ask through the Mastergrass website before 1 March, or at any meeting of the MasterGrass Society at Zoeterwoude. For more details, contact the Mastergrass Society by 'phone (+31 (0)71-5801537) or e-mail.

Deadline for EWOB 2008 showcases: 20 Nov. 2007

Liz Meyer writes on behalf of the EBMA:

The 11th European World of Bluegrass Festival will be held in Voorthuizen, the Netherlands, on 1-2-3 May 2008. The deadline to apply for a showcase at EWOB 2008 is 20 Nov. 2007. Get your application here or here. Send it by post with your CD. Contact info is online. It's good to back up with an e-mail, so we know your package is on the way.

Bluegrass bands from Europe, the USA, and beyond: we want to see your band on the EWOB stage!

Our purpose: We're proud of European bluegrass. From traditional to progressive, we know how good it can be, and we want the rest of the world to find out! We're building a busy bluegrass highway to the USA. The EWOB Festival creates a unique opportunity for the best bluegrass bands from Europe and the USA to play side by side for promoters and press. In ten years, some of our finest moments have been released by Strictly Country Records on ten EWOB CDs: 229 songs performed by 124 European bands have become part of recorded bluegrass history. Thanks to the EWOB CDs, DJs around the world are playing European bluegrass on radio.

The 3-day EWOB Festival is the apex of the month-long European World of Bluegrass, busy weeks of festivals and concerts mostly concentrated in the 'Bluegrass Month' of May. The EWOB Festival is always held in the Netherlands (Holland), and typically features 42 bands, including 4-5 guests from the USA & Canada. Luthiers and music shops sell their goods at our Trade Show. Bluegrass event promoters, music press, radio DJs, musicians, and bluegrass lovers come from around the world to see the bands. In 2003 EBMA's European World of Bluegrass Festival received IBMA's coveted 'Bluegrass Event of the Year' Award.

EWOB stages and CDs have featured Europe's finest bands alongside an impressive array of special guests from the 'Bluegrass Homeland' that has included Dan Paisley & the Southern Grass, John Reischman & the Jaybirds, the Chapmans, the Kate MacKenzie Band, Bill Clifton & Pick of the Crop, Randy Waller & the Country Gentlemen, Chris Jones & the Night Drivers, Laurie Lewis & her Bluegrass Pals, the Claire Lynch Band, Sally Jones & the Sidewinders, Mike Stevens & Raymond McLain, Hickory Project, Liz Meyer with Nugget, Si Kahn, Andy Owens with Druha Trava, Kristen Grainger & Dan Wetzel, the Tammy Fassaert Band, and many more.

But EWOB is much more than a festival! Like IBMA in the United States, EBMA is a trade organization that works hard to equip our bands with professional tools to build their careers. And every year, the musicians who play at EWOB choose our most exciting band to send to Nashville to play at IBMA's World of Bluegrass. Come play your music at EWOB, and cast your vote for European bluegrass!

All are welcome to apply. See you at EWOB 2008!

Award-winning festival starts again on Thursday 1 May 2008

March 2008

At least forty-two bluegrass bands to shine at 11th annual festival

Voorthuizen, the Netherlands – On May 1, 2 and 3 the eleventh European World of Bluegrass Festival will take place in the Dutch village of Voorthuizen. At the festival at least 42 bands from 12 different European countries, and the USA, will perform on stage. Also there will be workshops, a Trade Show, a children’s programme, and of course people can ‘jam’ together to their heart’s desire. In 2003 this festival won the annual award of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) as ‘best event of the year’ – an extraordinary achievement.

From Thursday until Saturday this renowned festival will put bluegrass music in the spotlight. Bands from Western Europe, but also from more exotic countries such as Estonia, the Czech Republic, and Spain will be part of the programme. Different styles of bluegrass will be featured, ranging from the strictly acoustic and traditional to sounds influenced by gospel, modern jazz, or even pop music. Among the guests from the USA this year are singer/songwriter Sally Jones & the Sidewinders, performing contemporary bluegrass music, while Dick Staber & Judith Chasnoff will play more traditional bluegrass. Soon the complete programme will be announced. The schedule is to be found on the Festival website.

The Festival is held under the auspices of the European Bluegrass Music Association (EBMA).

The Festival is known for providing a varied programme. During the workshops, experienced musicians will answer all sorts of questions about instrumental skills, singing techniques, or beginner’s pitfalls. Again this year there will be classes for banjo, mandolin, guitar, fiddle and dobro, for players on any level. And because of its success in previous years, once again the bluegrass karaoke will be featured. Musicians and upcoming talent can demonstrate their skills, while being backed up by a professional band.

At the Trade Show a wide variety of musical instruments, CDs, sheet music, magazines, and bluegrass knick-knacks is offered. For the very young ones there will be a special children’s programme on Thursday and Friday, hosted by professional musicians. The children will receive a hands-on music lesson.

An important element in the European World of Bluegrass Festival is the DIY factor: since many (if not all) visitors bring their own instruments, the festival is also a gathering of a large amount of guitars, banjos, mandolins, fiddles, and double basses. With people jamming and pickin’ in all corners of the festival grounds, it is one of the liveliest events in the Netherlands.

At the end of the Saturday night concert the title ‘European Band of the Year 2008’ will be awarded, based on the voting of all musicians performing at the Festival. The winning band will perform as guests at the annual IBMA convention, Trade Fair, and Fan Fest in the USA. It was at that same convention that the Voorthuizen festival won the ‘Event of the Year’ award in 2003, because of its unique contribution to bluegrass music in Europe.

fact: 11th European World of Bluegrass (EWOB) Festival
date: May 1, 2 & 3, 2008
programme: daily from 12.00h until 1:00h
concerts: daily from 14:00h until 24:00h
venue: ’t Trefpunt, Roelenengweg 25, Voorthuizen, the Netherlands
for more information see the Festival website and EBMA website.

Contact in the Netherlands:
European Bluegrass Music Association
Rienk Janssen
e-mail
Tel.: (+31) (0)599-312663
Fax: (+31) (0)599-313285