Radio playlists

Kabel 87.5 MHz - Omroep Venray - Ether 90.2 MHz:
Peelgrass Country Programme playlist 2648 (25 Apr. 2010)
PeelGrass is now also broadcast on Huissentv (the Netherlands). The programme supports the European World of Bluegrass Festival.

Radio Vrolek, 107.7 MHz; local cable 105.5 MHz; Information TV-channel 2:
Country Music Round-up playlists, Tues. 19.00-20.00, Sat. 12.00-13.00

Radio Free FM Ulm, UKW 102.6:
Americana playlists* 321 (5 Apr. 2010) and 322 (12 Apr. 2010)
Antistatic Country Time playlist 22 Feb. 2010

* Programmes in this series are broadcast live on Radio Free FM and Countrymusic24.com and will be repeated on Countrymusic24.com on Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. (European Continental time) in future, instead of Tuesdays at 5.30 p.m. as heretofore.
Antistatic Country Time can be heard on Radio Free FM's live streaming Digital Audio Lounge.

EWOB Festival featured in Bluegrass Music Profiles and Moonshiner

The current (March-April 2010) issue of the US magazine Bluegrass Music Profiles includes a 'Promoter profile' on the European World of Bluegrass Festival at Voorthuizen, the Netherlands. This article, written by Don Kissil (formerly editor/publisher of Pickin' magazine, USA), will also be appearing in translation in the venerable Japanese bluegrass publication Moonshiner this spring.

This year's event will be the thirteenth EWOB Festival, and the twelfth held at 't Trefpunt, Voorthuizen. The Festival website includes a new press release, issued yesterday (22 March 2010), which gives full details of EWOB 2010 and can be read here.

Liz Meyer - latest health report

Liz Meyer, powerful singer/songwriter and one of the main moving forces behind the European World of Bluegrass (EWOB) Festival, has had major health problems during the last year. Her husband Pieter Groenveld sends this report from the centre where Liz is receiving treatment for cancer:

Liz has set her first steps this week, using a walker. Coming Sunday is her birthday, exactly nine months after arriving in the clinic here in Bad Aibling, Bavaria. We hope she can be moved to a rehab centre before too long, and that she will be home some time this spring. In the meantime she spends a lot of time and energy on the EWOB site and is communicating with lots of musicians and the EWOB committee on a daily basis.

The European Bluegrass Blog, on behalf of the EBMA and the bluegrass community throughout Europe, sends heartfelt good wishes for Liz's continued improvement and her eventual complete recovery.

EWOB Festival programme now online

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

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

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

1st Inishowen International Guitar Festival, 5-7 Feb. 2010

The schedule for Beppe Gambetta's forthcoming tour in Ireland, as given by the European Bluegrass Blog on 4 January, has now been supplemented and updated. Full details can be seen on the Old Flattop website of Nigel Martyn, organiser of the tour.

Beppe Gambetta's final shows in the tour will be as part of the 1st Inishowen International Guitar Festival at Culdaff, Co. Donegal, Ireland (5-7 February), where he will be the leading bluegrass exponent among many prominent guitarists from Ireland, the rest of Europe, and the USA.

Nigel Martyn is also organising a tour in Ireland during the 'EWOB period' by Uncle Monk (USA), a progressive old-time duo formed by Tommy Ramone and Claudia Tienan. More details are on the Old Flattop website and on the Bluegrass Ireland Blog for 21 January.

Deadline for EWOB 2010 applications

If your band wants to play at the 13th EWOB Festival (13-15 May 2010) at Voorthuizen, the Netherlands, but has not yet sent in an application - there is still time!

The deadline for applying has been moved to 1 December 2009. Go to the Band Application page of the EWOB Festival website, where you will find all the necessary information and can download the printable PDF application form.

As soon as possible, you should also send from the Band Application page a notification that you are applying. Your application package, when posted, should be postmarked not later than 1 December.

EWOB Festival 2010: Time to apply!

The Steering Committee of the European World of Bluegrass Festival, the only European festival ever to win the IBMA's prestigious Bluegrass Event of the Year Award, announces:

TIME TO APPLY!
Festival Dates: MAY 13-14-15, 2010
Application Dates: SEPTEMBER 20-NOVEMBER 20, 2009

BLUEGRASS BANDS FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD:

Join us at the EWOB Festival 2010 in Voorthuizen, the Netherlands. It's time to apply for your band's EWOB 2010 showcase! Applications are online RIGHT NOW here. Don't miss your chance to be part of this unique event.

The European World of Bluegrass Festival is one of the world's coolest festivals!
* Featuring 42 bands in 3 fun-filled days
* Including a few special guest artists from the USA and Canada
* European Bluegrass Band Awards competition
* Winners are chosen BY THE MUSICIANS!
* #1 European Bluegrass Band goes to Nashville to play at IBMA World of Bluegrass one year later
* Be part of EWOB's famous workshop program
* Bands get to play for many festival and concert promoters
* Music press from the USA and Europe
* Bluegrass radio DJs/
Link to view more details!!!

#1 European Bluegrass Band 2009:
Downtown Ramblers (Sweden)

EWOB will send the Downtown Ramblers to Nashville to IBMA's World of Bluegrass in 2010.

Rienk Janssen, one of the EWOB Festival's founders, retired from EWOB in July. The EWOB Steering Committee thanks him for his years of service to the EWOB Festival.

The Steering Committee has been restructured to include 7 people, rather than 5, and the many tasks involved in planning and organizing the annual festival have been redelegated. The new info is on the Contact page of the EWOB Festival website, so you can find the right person to contact on various issues.

For more details and news, read the full text of the EWOB Steering Committee's release here.

Suzanne and Jim

Suzanne and Jim at the Big Bear Festival 2007

Suzanne and Jim (USA), who toured in Europe during EWOB month 2007, send greetings to their friends in Europe, and hope to come over in 2010. As regards summer 2009, Suzanne says:

We will be teaching at a summer camp at McDaniel College in Maryland - Common Ground on the Hill (this is our second year on staff). Jim will be teaching beginning clawhammer banjo, I will teach clogging, and then together we have a class - Old-time song repertory (Uncle Dave, Carter Family, Charlie Poole) with a day spent on Bluegrass duet (Jim and Jesse, Don Reno and Red Smiley, Ralph and Carter). Lots of fun and a lot of work on our part... it really makes one stretch and grow (and I mean that in a good way; usually when someone says it's a growth experience, it translates to some type of pain or a wart!)

In addition to their fine website, which indicates the wide range of programmes they offer for different occasions, Suzanne and Jim now keep a blog. Contact them through their website's contact page.

And the winners are....

Breaking News:
Congratulations to all the winners of 12th EWOB Festival in Voorthuizen, The Netherlands, namely:
#1 European Bluegrass Band 2009:
1. Downtown Ramblers, Sweden (www.downtownramblers.com)
2. G-Runs ‘n Roses, Czech Republic (www.g-runs.com)
3. Kreni, Czech Republic (www.sweb.cz/bgkreni)

Audience Popularity Award 2009
1. Blackjack, CZ (www.blackjackband.cz)
2. Bluegrass Stuff, Italy (www.bluegrass.it)
3. Sunny Side, Czech Republic (www.sunnyside.cz)

More information to follow shortly.

To musicians at EWOB 2009: VOTE!

The organising committee of the European World of Bluegrass Festival at Voorthuizen, the Netherlands, sends this important message to the musicians playing at this year's Festival:

Besides playing a great show, what is the most important thing you can do at EWOB?

VOTE! It is up to YOU to choose the #1 European Bluegrass Band 2009!

The European Bluegrass Band Awards are the only major music awards decided BY THE MUSICIANS - not by a regional audience or a jury of 'experts'. It is one of the things that makes the EWOB Festival really special - this is an event entirely for the musicians. YOU are the experts on European bluegrass. No one else should decide the winners in a competition like this. Musicians should own the future of their music and decide its direction.

Non-European musicians at the EWOB Festival are also asked to share in the voting in the European Bluegrass Band Awards. The committee continues:

You are not voting 'against' anyone - you are voting for European bluegrass to have a strong champion again this year, and it is a vote of pride! The band you choose as #1 European Bluegrass Band will represent European bluegrass to the rest of the world for one year, and will go to Nashville to play at IBMA's World of Bluegrass the following year. Make sure it is a band that makes you proud!

Full details are on the EWOB Festival website at Band/Musician FAQs and European Bluegrass Band Award FAQs. The full text of the committee's message is here.

SCR and SCR

Yesterday the original Bluegrass Blog added a post entitled 'Steve Martin and SCR in LA'.

No, it doesn't mean that Strictly Country Records, major sponsors of the EWOB Festival, are opening up a new California operation; nor does it mean that Pieter Groenveld is at last taking his rightful place as a world-class comic actor.

'SCR' on the Bluegrass Blog stands for the Steep Canyon Rangers of North Carolina, who were on the cover of Bluegrass Europe #66 earlier this year, and will be part of the Bluegrass Jamboree travelling festival, organised by Rainer Zellner's Music Contact Agency, in December 2009. Read the whole story here.

EWOB website updates

Liz Meyer reports on updates to the EWOB Festival website:

Check out the new piece on the home page (bottom center): Bluegrass in the Family, today's update. Hope you like it. Please take the time to sign our Guestbook while you're at it! Thanks!


Bluegrass in the family: Bluegrass Stuff (Italy), with Icaro Gatti (son of mandolinist Massimo Gatti) on bass

Other recent updates include Festival Info: Program, Workshops, Trade Show, Lodging; EWOB Month 2009, and, of course, News, which you can also access from the headlines on the home page (Announcements). More soon.

Warm regards,
Liz

PS: Thanks to the wonderful Thirsty Lizards for website work and lightning-quick assistance. What a great team to work with!

Spring releases from Strictly Country

Strictly Country Records announce their spring releases: the new CD Rollin' along: live in Holland by Jonathan Edwards, with twenty tracks; and The storm by Liz Meyer, accompanied by Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Emmylou Harris, Stuart Duncan, Ron Block, Rob Ickes, Glen Duncan, Byron House, Kenny Malone, Mark Johnson, and Shad Cobb.

Both albums can be sampled on CD Baby. Please contact SCR by e-mail to buy direct from the label, or for DJ and press copies.


Strictly Country Records is a major supporter of the EWOB Festival.

Top albums of 2008 include 10 years of EWOB

Liz Meyer reports:

We're pleased to announce that 10 years of EWOB [Strictly Country Records SCR-66] made the Top 10 Albums of 2008 on the Folk Radio Chart, representing radio airplay on Folk & Bluegrass radio shows. (The chart is international but is concentrated mostly in the USA and Canada.)

These DJs, who select from a wide range of folk and bluegrass albums, not only recognise the historical and cultural significance of this release, but report being surprised and delighted by the high level of musicianship and the quality of the recordings. In fact, 10 years of EWOB is the ONLY bluegrass album to make the Top 10!

For the top 123 albums on the Folk Radio Chart, see this list on the EWOB Festival website. The five most-played tracks from 10 years of EWOB are:

1) Fragment, 'Fields of gold'
2) Rawhide, 'The typewriter'
3) Liz Meyer with Nugget, 'I've got a feelin''
4) Claire Lynch Band, 'A little further in the hole'
5) The Chapmans, 'Cold and lonely'

Bononia Grass stars on OurStage

Paolo Ercoli (right) at the EWOB 2008 dobro workshop

Paolo Ercoli of Bononia Grass (Italy) reports that the band has had great success on OurStage in 2008. In the latest OurStage bluegrass charts, Bononia Grass have the Top Tracks, and rank among the Most Played, Most Fan Favourite, and Top Fan Clubs.

In November they won first place (among 454 entries) for Video Live Performances with their song 'Moundsville Pen', which put them on the charts for Top Videos and Most Played.

In the December charts they were again on Top Videos and Most Played; won the #3 spot with their video of 'Clinch Mountain Backstep'; and won the #1 spot in the Bluegrass category - among 71 entries from all over the world - with 'In the gravel yard'.

Paolo also took part in the dobro workshop at EWOB 2008 (see photo above) and presented a dobro workshop at the 20th North Wales Bluegrass Festival, where Bononia Grass were performing along with their friends Special Consensus (USA).

The Special Consensus will begin another tour of Ireland and Britain next week.

An invitation from the EWOB Festival

Liz Meyer reports:

Dear Friends,

CONGRATULATIONS! Your brand-new EWOB Festival website has just been launched and it's online! You'll recognise the lovely artwork at the top, but the whole website is new, with lots of terrific new features.

Welcome to the European World of Bluegrass!

LISTEN TO THE MUSIC! You can hear clips from the 10 years of European World of Bluegrass double CD - all 48 tracks! Read review quotes, and find all the info you need in our Festival Info and FAQ pages. Visit our Photo Gallery and add your comments and info. Help us identify the people in the photos! Send us your favorite EWOB photos and stories. Become an EWOB Festival Volunteer - or Sponsor!


TALK TO US! We have lots of great ideas for the website, and we hope you'll e-mail us with your suggestions and requests. This website is for you! Let us know what you'd like to see. (And please let us know if anything doesn't work perfectly!) Sign our Guestbook!

TELL YOUR FRIENDS! It's time to visit www.ewob.eu, open the music player, and discover European bluegrass! Most of all, you'll want to join our EWOB mailing list to keep up with important EWOB news and info!

Visit the new EWOB Festival website now!

SPECIAL HOLIDAY OFFER!


In 2008, Strictly Country Records' beautiful double CD, 10 years of European World of Bluegrass, shot straight to #1 on the Folk Radio charts in the USA and Canada! The music world got its first taste of European bluegrass - and they love it!

Here's a special low price for a 2-hour bluegrass tour of Europe that you'll enjoy for years from the comfort of your easy chair. 10 years of EWOB is the perfect gift for anyone who enjoys bluegrass music - a banjo-laden ramble through such exotic lands as the Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Sweden, and Slovenia, along with some of your favorite American touring artists. (Hear audio clips, read CD info and review quotes on our new EWOB website!)

SPECIAL HOLIDAY OFFER: Until 1 January, buy one double CD (10 years of European World of Bluegrass) at regular price, and get 30% off + free shipping on each additional CD. This offer is good only by direct e-mail.

Listen to music now!

EUROPEAN WORLD OF BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL 2009 (21-22-23 May):

Band applications for the EWOB Festival 2009 are just closing (1 Dec.). Our Program Committee will be very busy listening to all the demos in the coming weeks! Bands selected to perform at EWOB 2009 will be contacted in late January, and we'll announce the program as soon as it is finalised.

Our thanks to the Thirsty Lizards for their terrific work on the website!

Discover European bluegrass! The adventure begins here.

Warm regards,
Liz Meyer

10 years of European World of Bluegrass (2-CD set):
'The language of Bluegrass transcends borders on this collection. For your introduction into the European World of Bluegrass, this is the place to start your world tour!' ~ Folkwax, USA

EWOB website better than ever

Thanks to Liz Meyer for welcome news:

Congratulations! Your new EWOB website is online! Please let your friends know it's time to visit the site, and ask them to sign the Guestbook.

The new site looks good, works beautifully, and has music, slideshows, and information on all aspects of the Festival, past and present - you can sign up as a sponsor, a performer, a trade show exhibitor, an advertiser, or a volunteer helper; check the list of all the bands who have performed at Voorthuizen, or the list of all EWOB events throughout Europe this year; listen to tracks from the acclaimed 2-CD 10 years of EWOB compilation by Strictly Country Records; and much more.

The site has been designed and engineered by the Thirsty Lizards team (USA), who specialise in music-related sites - previous customers include the prestigious Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival. (As TSGWebPlus, they also handle business websites in general.)

Apply now for EWOB Festival 2009, 21-23 May

Liz Meyer writes:

*Your band can perform for festival bookers, agents, concert promoters, radio DJs, and music press from all over Europe! (And a wonderful bluegrass audience too!)
*Your band can compete for the European Bluegrass Band Awards! 'You gotta be in it to win it!'
*You can vote for the winning bands! Remember, only the musicians playing at the EWOB Festival vote for these awards!
*The #1 European Bluegrass Band goes to Nashville to showcase at IBMA the following October!
*You can cast a vote of pride in European bluegrass!

Join us at the European World of Bluegrass Festival 2009! Band applications are on the EWOB Festival website. And we will launch a brand-new, fantastic festival website in a few days, too!

EWOB 2009 will be the 12th European World of Bluegrass Festival; will be held in Voorthuizen, the Netherlands; and is organized under the auspices of the European Bluegrass Music Association. The European World of Bluegrass Festival is the only European festival ever to be honored with the IBMA Bluegrass Event of the Year Award.

************

Have you heard our wonderful double CD? Did you know that European bluegrass hit #1 on the Folk Radio charts in the USA this spring? 10 years of European World of Bluegrass is a great way to tell your friends about EWOB and the wonderful music there: let them hear the best of ten years of EWOB Festival recordings! They won't want to miss the EWOB Festival!

And it's a great way to support European bluegrass! For American bands: a thriving European bluegrass scene creates a strong market for touring US bluegrass bands and companies that would like to come over and earn some Euros! We're all in this together. And you should hear what your fellow bluegrassers are up to on the other side of the puddle!

Read more:

10 YEARS OF EUROPEAN WORLD OF BLUEGRASS (SCR-66):
America and Europe join hands: 48 bands ~ 15 lands
Produced by Liz Meyer for Strictly Country Records
The #1 CD on Folk Radio in the USA & Canada: April 2008
Available through CD Baby

'The festival to end all festivals, on an outstanding 2-disc set' ~ Maria Morgan Davis, Lonesome Road Review & Bluegrass Now

'This remarkable collection adds a significant new chapter to bluegrass history, and a wealth of excellent music in many styles. 10 years of European World of Bluegrass is certainly destined to become to European bluegrass what Will the circle be unbroken is to American bluegrass. This vision is clearly shared by radio and press' ~ Hilary Bean, Roots & Sprouts, Germany

'A fabulous collection showcasing incredible talent and commitment to traditional bluegrass. The most pleasant surprise is the high level of musicianship evident in the European bands. These musicians have done their homework and they clearly demonstrate a remarkable ability to understand and play the subtle fundamentals of a complex music born so many miles from their home' ~ Bob Mitchell, Louisville Music News, Kentucky, 5-star review; Best of Bluegrass, Radio Bluegrass International

'The compilation is nothing short of awesome, mixing the European and American bluegrass families to give the world this most complete taste of the bluegrass genre' ~ R.W. Shamy, TwangCast Media, Georgetown, Texas

'Maybe world peace can start with a banjo intro' ~ Liz Meyer

Strictly Country Records/ Strictly Music
PO Box 628
2130 AP Hoofddorp
The Netherlands
e-mail

Carmel Sheerin & the Ravens: new CD

Carmel Sheerin & the Ravens (Ireland), who won the title of #1 European Bluegrass Band at the EBMA's EWOB Festival 2005, will launch their second album, Here with you, in the Loft, Cooney’s Hotel, Ballymahon, Co. Longford, on Monday 1 September.

They will be joined by some of Ireland’s top musical acts, including Simon Casey and Declan Nerney, as well as Northern Exposure - a three-piece bluegrass band from Lurgan, Co. Armagh, of which the Ravens' fine banjo player, Jonathan Toman, is a member. The appearance of Simon Casey and Declan Nerney shows the high regard for the Sheerins on the Irish musical scene.

The new album includes seven songs by Dessie and Danny Sheerin, and a further song co-written by Danny & renowned American artist Tim O’Brien, who provides backing vocal on this song and has added it to his own latest album. The band have already been invited to perform in Nashville in 2009, and hope to promote their new album at festivals in Ireland, England, Scotland, and Holland next summer.

10 years of EWOB on air in the US: update!

Liz Meyer reports that Larry Roberts, presenter of 'Down Home' on The Globe Radio, 91.1-FM, Goshen, Indiana, devoted the whole of his two-hour programme on Tuesday 29 July to the Strictly Country Records double CD 10 years of European World of Bluegrass, broadcast at 7.00-9.00 p.m. EST (1.00-3.00 a.m. Western Europe Time).

Peter Thompson of San Francisco, California, presenter of the 'Bluegrass Signal' show, will repeat his one-hour 10 years of European World of Bluegrass CD feature every day next week (3-8 August) on WAMU's Bluegrass Country radio, which can be heard here.

Full times of broadcast, quotes from reviews, and more details are in Liz's complete release, which can be read here.

EWOB Festival 2009: dates

The Twelfth European World of Bluegrass Festival will take place on 21-22-23 May 2009 at 't Trefpunt, Voorthuizen, the Netherlands.

Remember: you read the dates here first on the EBMA's European Bluegrass Blog!

Sirius about European bluegrass

Liz Meyer reports:

Two of our recent houseguests were Nashville musicians who both host bluegrass programs on Sirius Satellite Radio, here for the European World of Bluegrass 2008. They told us that Sirius Bluegrass was programming a track every hour from the 10 years of European World of Bluegrass CD throughout the month of May. We'd like to say thanks to Sirius for that great airplay, and to Rounder for their generous community spirit, reflected by their mailing our 10 years of EWOB CD to bluegrass and Americana radio in the USA. This tremendous support means a lot to so many musicians.

10 years of European World of Bluegrass
(SCR-66/ 2-CD set)
America and Europe join hands.
48 BANDS ~ 15 LANDS
CDs available from CD Baby

'If Bill Monroe were alive he would be very proud of you' (Dan Crary)

Strictly Country Records/ Strictly Music
PO Box 628
2130 AP Hoofddorp
The Netherlands

Cajun Company CD release in Amsterdam

The Cajun Company, multi-award-winning Cajun band based in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, are releasing their new CD, La prairie ronde, produced by Dirk Powell. The release party will be held at the Paradiso, Amsterdam, on Sunday 1 June. Doors open 15.00, concert at 16.00. Admission €10. Full details and audio samples are on the band's website.

The band consists of Bas van der Poll (Cajun accordion, lead vocals), Pauline Groenendijk (lead fiddle, harmony vocals), Monique Neuteboom (acoustic guitar, harmony vocals), and Herman van Rijn (rhythm instruments, vocals). Monique has taken part in many EBMA EWOB Festivals as a member of the Inlaw Sisters and as an MC.

The 2008 European Bluegrass Band Awards

Acousticure receive their award as #1 European Bluegrass Band; with Ronald Groot, festival committee chairman (left) and Angelika Torrie, EBMA board of directors (right). Photo by Lilly Pavlak

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

"10 Years of European World of Bluegrass" is #1 on FOLK RADIO for airplay in April 2008

Liz Meyer of Strictly Country Records and EWOB reports "European bluegrass is making its mark! Our new double CD, "10 YEARS OF EUROPEAN WORLD OF BLUEGRASS" is #1 on FOLK RADIO for airplay in April 2008! The 3 songs listed are the tracks most played, but many tracks from this remarkable album have been getting airplay. The album features 48 bands from 15 lands, including the #1 European Bluegrass Bands, 15 guest artists from the USA and Canada, and 33 of Europe's finest. Most of the radio programs reporting their playlists here are located in the USA and Canada, but a handful of Australian DJs report, as well as Israel, New Zealand, and Germany.
We'll be sending more news on the heels of this report, because the European World of Bluegrass 2008 Festival has just ended, and we are preparing the press release to let you know the winners! And the 10 YEARS OF EWOB CD has just received its first press review, from the Louisville Music News in Kentucky - a "5-star" review from bluegrass writer and DJ Bob Mitchell!"
View complete list here...
Strictly Country Records/ Strictly Music
PO Box 628, 2130 AP Hoofddorp
The Netherlands
TEL: +31-297-347-101
www.strictlycountryrecords.com

New look for the EWOB Festival website

On 1 April the European World of Bluegrass (EWOB) Festival relaunched its website, with a splendid new design by Fresh Pixel of the Netherlands. The home page header appears above.

But it's not just a pretty face. The website has more features and more information - including a complete list of EWOB events all over Europe - and does a better job than ever of presenting European bluegrass to the world. Visit it, and sign the guest book!

EWOB CDs get warm welcome

Liz Meyer of Stricly Country Records reports that Bob Mitchell, respected music critic and radio presenter in Louisville, KY, has given the new 2-CD set 10 years of European World of Bluegrass (SCR-66) a warm welcome: '... it is fabulous! You should feel very proud - you can be sure it will get a lot of air play.'

The CD European World of Bluegrass 2007 (SCR-65) has been reviewed in the new issue of Bluegrass Now magazine by David Dees, who concludes:

When someone begins to worry about the future of bluegrass, they should play this CD. And there are two very good reasons for American bluegrass bands to listen to this disc: 1) to discover some very good new songs, and 2) to hear how good their competition has become!

Read the full review here. Info on all the EWOB CDs is here. Liz sums up with reference to 10 years:

We finally have the perfect vehicle to show the world that European bands can play really great bluegrass!

10 years of EWOB on internet radio

Peter Thompson, who hosts the 'Bluegrass Signal' show for KALW radio in San Francisco, has prepared a tribute to European bluegrass for Bluegrass Country on WAMU 88.5, the station that has broadcast bluegrass in the Washington, DC, area for over forty years.

Peter has recorded a show made up of seventeen cuts from the new double-CD compilation on Strictly Country Records, 10 years of European World of Bluegrass (SCR-66).

His choice includes seven winners of the #1 European Bluegrass Band award, and comprises (in playing order) the Petr Brandejs Band, Monogram, Kreni, Relief, Fragment, Meantime, Four Wheel Drive, Nugget, Liz Meyer, Fifty Fingers, Red Wine, the Mideando String Quartet, Bononia Grass, Carmel Sheerin & the Ravens, the Stroatkliners, Footprints, and the Looping Brothers.

The show will be broadcast by Bluegrass Country on the five consecutive days ending on 1 May, the first day of the EWOB Festival. Times shown are US Eastern Standard Time; the 30 April broadcast is likely to be easiest for European listeners to hear:

Sun. 27 Apr. 10.00 p.m.
Mon. 28 Apr. 7.00 p.m.
Tues. 29 Apr. 1.00 a.m.
Wed. 30 Apr. 6.00 a.m.
Thurs. 1 May 8.00 p.m.

Peter will broadcast more cuts from 10 years of EWOB on KALW radio.

10 Years of European World Of Bluegrass

Strictly Country Records are proud to announce the release of SCR-66, 10 years of European World of Bluegrass, produced by singer-songwriter Liz Meyer. With over two hours playing time, this two-CD compilation captures highlights from the first decade of the European World of Bluegrass (EWOB), recorded live at the annual EWOB Festival and other EWOB events. Complementing the ten prior EWOB CDs, it includes previously unreleased tracks, and all material has been specially remastered.

10 years of European World of Bluegrass features 48 bands from 15 countries, including the #1 European Bluegrass Bands and a selection of Europe’s finest, alongside 15 special guests from the USA and Canada. The full press release, including tributes by Jon Weisberger and Dan Crary, is here. Contact:

Strictly Country Records/Strictly Music
PO Box 628, 2130 AP Hoofddorp, the Netherlands
Tel: (from USA 011-)+31-297-347-101
Fax: (from USA 011-)+31-297-347-488
E-mail Pieter Groenveld, Liz Meyer

European Bluegrass Directory 2008/2009

Paolo Dettwiler, chairman of the EBMA, reports:

The EBMA is currently working on the next issue of the well known and widely used European Bluegrass Directory, the seventh, heavily updated edition for 2008/2009.

For the second time we will be giving the European Bluegrass Directory away for free in order to reach a lot more people; much like a phone directory. It will be officially presented on 1-3 May 2008 at EBMA’s EWOB Festival 2008 in Voorthuizen, the Netherlands.

That is why we are looking for advertisements – an ad makes sure you will be in the mind of bluegrass people in Europe and around the world for the next two years. Our prices are reasonable (and haven’t changed for over ten years):

full page – €150
half-page – €80
quarter page – €50

Our deadline is 5 April 2008 – the earlier the better. Even if you can’t or don’t want to have an ad, perhaps you can help us with finding new advertisers. Many thanks!

Paolo Dettwiler (e-mail)

Dan Crary on 10 years of EWOB project

Strictly Country Records has received the following message from guitar maestro Dan Crary:

Congratulations to the EWOB and the European bluegrass bands and fans for their great success in bringing bluegrass music into full bloom in Europe. If Bill Monroe were alive, he would be very proud of you.

Bluegrass music itself is richer because our European colleagues play and perform the music with great skill and inspiration. Your 10 years of EWOB CD is a magnificent project. The great mix of European and touring American artists shows that our music is international, intercultural, and powerful. In a world where it seems everyone is disagreeing or arguing, the 10 years of EWOB project is a beautiful document to show that our music brings us together across oceans and issues.

************

SCR adds:

If you share our European World of Bluegrass vision and would like to be a sponsor, please contact Pieter Groenveld at Strictly Country Records/ Strictly Music by e-mail. There's NO MINIMUM contribution to be a sponsor. MONDAY night, JAN 28 (USA time) is the final print deadline to add your name to this historic double CD.

G2 on Swedish TV

The Bluegrass Blog reports that G2, the current #1 European Bluegrass Band, performed and were interviewed on Monday 21 January on 'Nyhetsmorgon' (The Morning Show), the highest rated morning television program in Sweden, broadcast on the TV4 national channel.

They played 'What would I say' and 'Where the tall grass grows' from their debut CD, Where the tall grass grows. The publicity section at their label Cosmos Records arranged the appearance on 'Nyhetsmorgon' - a major coup for a young band. Video clips can be found on the TV4 website.

10 years of EWOB: update

Updating the EBB post of 31 December 2007: the print deadline for 10 years of EWOB, the new compilation from Strictly Country Records/Strictly Music, the Netherlands, is now 20 January.

The 2-CD set has forty-eight tracks by thirty-four of the best European bands, plus fourteen US/Canadian guests. For those who already have the annual EWOB CDs, please note: ten songs on 10 years of EWOB have never appeared on previous EWOB CDs, and all tracks have been remastered for improved sound.

The full text of the SCR release is here.

Be part of bluegrass history

Pieter Groenveld and Liz Meyer of Strictly Country Records /Strictly Music, the Netherlands, have a New Year's request for all friends of European bluegrass: Become part of bluegrass history by sponsoring the new SCR compilation, 10 years of EWOB.

The double album consists of tracks by fourteen US & Canadian guests and thirty-four of Europe’s finest, including all the #1 European Bluegrass Bands from 1999 onwards, recorded at the annual European World of Bluegrass Festival. The Festival helps to nurture bluegrass bands and events all over Europe, generates tour possibilities for US bands, and - through the annual EWOB CDs - helps European bands to get airplay in the homeland of bluegrass music. Pieter points out:

The EWOB CDs are the biggest commitment Liz and I have made to giving something back that can make a difference in the music world... This double album, 10 years of EWOB, is our most significant contribution yet, and will be an important vehicle for a whole generation of bands from a continent with a wealth of great musicians. The promotional value of the 10 years of EWOB compilation for European bluegrass and EWOB will outweigh the first ten years of EWOB CDs combined.

The full text of the SCR release is here. Contributions are welcome at any time, but your name can be added to the 10 years of EWOB CD booklet only until 20 January 2008. Later sponsors can be listed in the EWOB 2008 CD booklet. Contact Pieter by e-mail or at

SCR Productions
PO Box 628
2130 AP Hoofddorp
The Netherlands
Tel. +31 (0)297 347 101
Fax +31 (0)297 347 488

Vilnius Bluegrass 2007: 16-17 November

The city of Vilnius, Lithuania, hosts its third bluegrass festival on Friday and Saturday, 16 and 17 November 2007. Sponsors include the public organization Muzikonas, the EWOB Association, the Country Saloon club, and Vilnius City Hall.

Bluegrass is still very new in Lithuania, and the festival aims to make it more widely known and played among professional musicians, young people, and a wider audience. The impetus for Vilnius Bluegrass began some years ago when Lithuanian musicians took part in the European World of Bluegrass Festival in Voorthuizen, the Netherlands. Algirdas Klova, art director of the Vilnius festival, has since been honoured as a Pioneer of European Bluegrass.

The festival consists of two public concerts on 16 and 17 November 2007; open workshops for 5-string banjo, guitar, dobro, mandolin, and singing, taught by well-known bluegrass musicians from the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Lithuania, and other countries; and jam sessions after the concerts, involving all the musicians.

The project initiator and manager is Jūratė Klovienė (Jūnė). For more information, see the Country Saloon website or contact Algirdas Klova: tel. + 370 5 2124424; mobile +370 680 84399; e-mail.
Country Saloon e-mail

EBMA board meets at Omagh

The EBMA Board met on 1 and 2 September at the 16th Annual Appalachian & Bluegrass Music Festival in Omagh, Northern Ireland to discuss the short- and long-range future of the organisation. The discussion led to new insights and a positive outlook on the future.

Prospective new board members present included Richard Hurst (Northern Ireland) and Dagfinn Pedersen (Norway). Martino Coppo (Italy) will also be proposed for membership of the EBMA board at the elections at next year's Annual General Membership Assembly (1 May 2008).

Mideando String Quintet at IBMA

The Mideando String Quintet, #1 European Bluegrass Band 2006, from Padua, Italy, will represent the EBMA and the European World of Bluegrass (EWOB) Festival during the Trade Show at IBMA's World of Bluegrass 2007 in Nashville.

The MSQ comprises Riccardo Targhetta (lead vocal, percussion), Fabiano Guidi Colombi (steel-string & classical guitars, vocal), Mirko Zanzarin (electric bass, fretless bass, vocal), Alessandro Chiarelli (violin, vocal), and Stefano Santangelo (mandolin, octave mandolin, mandocello, harmonica, vocal).

The band's latest CD, Tutte le direzioni, will be unveiled during IBMA's World of Bluegrass 2007. They can be contacted at the EBMA-EWOB + Strictly Country Records booth (table #30) at the Trade Show in the Convention Center. In addition to other appearances during the week, they will be playing the following after-hours showcases:

Tues. 2 Oct. (night): 12.15 a.m., International Suite, Convention Center, Room 201; sponsored by EBMA.

Tues. 2 Oct. (night): 1.30 a.m., Bronzewound Showcase, Convention Center, Room 107; sponsored by Darwin Davidson, Bronzewound Bluegrass, WERU-FM, Blue Hill, Maine.

Wed. 3 Oct. (night): 12.15 a.m., International Suite, Convention Center, Room 201; sponsored by EBMA.

Liz Meyer says:

Mideando String Quintet is far from typical of our European bluegrass bands. The fact that European musicians selected one of our most avant-garde groups to represent them at IBMA this year speaks volumes for the admiration and respect that Mideando has won from their colleagues for their high standards of musicianship and engaging showmanship. We hope the World of Bluegrass will give them a warm welcome!

Read Liz's full press release here.