Kathy Kallick Band in Europe, May 2010: update

Thanks to Peter Thompson, who reports:

The Kathy Kallick Band is delighted to be returning to Europe very soon! They've just released a new CD, titled Between the hollow & the high-rise, and will be playing songs and tunes from it - as well as from Kathy's earlier releases with her band and Good Ol' Persons, bluegrass and country classics, and a few surprises. They're looking forward to seeing and playing music for old friends and new ones from 6 May to 22 May 2010.

Band members include:
Kathy Kallick: guitar, vocals
Dan Booth: bass, vocals
Greg Booth: dobro, banjo, vocals
Annie Staninec: fiddle, vocals
plus special guest Martino Coppo: mandolin, vocals [in place of Tom Bekeny as shown on the CD cover]

Information/sound samples on SonicBids
KKB website
'Wildflowers' on YouTube

HOT BLUEGRASS & COOL ORIGINALS!

Thurs. 6 May Tisvildelejecafeen, Tisvildeleje, Denmark
Fri. 7 May Karens Minde Kulturhus, Copenhagen, Denmark
Sat. 8 May Spring Bluegrass Festival, Willisau, Switzerland
Sun. 9 May Offener Treffpunkt, Binningen (near Basel), Switzerland; presented by Bluegrass in Basel
Mon. 10 May Roch’événements, La Roche-sur-Foron, Haute Savoie, France
Tues. 11 May Hotel Gasthof zur Post, Leipheim/Donau, Germany
Wed. 12 May Fritz-Henbler-Haus, Dortmund, Germany
Thurs. 13 May Valthermond, the Netherlands; c/o Barry Deen (e-mail)
Fri. 14 May European World Of Bluegrass Festival, Voorthuizen, the Netherlands
NOTE: KKB members also playing with other bands during the weekend.
Tues. 18 May Hoofddorp, the Netherlands; c/o Pieter Groenveld (e-mail)
Wed. 19 May M.J.C. de Saint Saulve, Saint Saulve, France; TBC
Thurs. 20 May Aubinges, France; c/o François Galland (e-mail)
Fri. 21 May Preaux, France; c/o Etienne Lobry (e-mail)
Sat. 22 May Arleuf, France; c/o François Galland (e-mail)

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

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

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

Sharon is known for her powerful, sensitive vocals, her original songs, and her top-notch band members. On this trip the Sharon Cort Band will include Sean McKerr (Ireland; bass), Tom Corbett (USA; mandolin), and Jean Marie Redon (France; banjo). Fiddler Aaron Till (USA) will join the band for a few dates.

Previous tours by the SCB have included the largest country music festival in France, Country Rendez-Vous at Craponne, and a 2007 national television appearance in Paris on 'Magic TV', with founding members of the classic French band Bluegrass Long Distance. Tour dates at present are:

May 14 EWOB Festival, Voorthuizen, NL
May 16 Stichting Boet'n Deure, Poolshoogte, Bosw, Meelkerlaan 5, Staatsbossen van Oodorn, NL; tel: +0031 (0) 599 850361
May 22 Country Festival TBA Paris, France
May 25 Midleton Folk CLub, McDaid's, Midleton, Co. Cork, Ireland
May 26 Treacy’s, Ballincollig, Co. Cork, Ireland
May 28 Corrigans, Castleblaney, Co. Monaghan, Ireland
June 1 House concert, Lurgan, Co. Armagh, Northern Ireland
June 3 Country & Bluegrass Festival, Montgeron, France
June 4 Country Western Festival, Montigny sur Lioge, France
June 18 Col Des Roches Festival, Hotel Jet d’Eau, Le Col 15 2400 Le Locle, Switzerland; tel. +41 32 931 46 66

Sharon Cort website; MySpace; e-mail

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

Mountain Heart booked for Johnny Keenan Festival, 23-6 Sept. 2010

Mountain Heart at IBMA: Barry Abernathy (banjo) and Jim Van Cleve (fiddle) in foreground

Thanks to Chris Keenan for news of the lineup for this year's Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival at Longford town, Ireland (23-26 September 2010). Mountain Heart are included, from the A list of modern US bluegrass bands.

The schedule (blending Irish traditional, bluegrass, and folk music) includes Rodney Crowell, Iris Dement, Mountain Heart, Brian Kennedy, Gerry O'Connor, Chris Meehan & his Redneck Friends, the Niall Toner Band, We Banjo 3 (featuring Enda Scahill & Leon Hunt), Shaskeen, Rig the Jig, Tupelo, Bending the Strings, and the George Harper Band. Other acts are TBC.

Tickets and weekend passes go on sale at Ticketmaster next week. Information on tickets and weekend passes is also available at the Festival website or by ringing 087-281-7825.

Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival
23-26 September 2010, Longford, Ireland
Celebrating Irish Traditional, American Bluegrass, and Folk Music
ph: 087-281-7825
international: +353-87-281-7825

Advance booking for 8th International Bühl Bluegrass Festival

Thanks to Rüdiger Schmitt of Kleinkunst im Schütte-Keller in 'Bluegrass City Bühl', Germany, for the news that advance bookings of tickets for the 8th International Bühl Bluegrass Festival (14-15 May 2010) can be made online, by telephone (+49 07223/93-1616; weekdays 10:00-13:00 and 15:00-18:00; Saturday 10:00-12:00), or from Kleinkunst im Schütte-Keller. The full Festival programme can be seen here (outside and inside).

Ticket prices are:

Friday 14 May
Advance booking: €16
At the door: €18

Saturday 15 May
Advance booking: €25
At the door: €27

Festival Pass
Advance booking: €38
At the door: €40

Rüdiger Schmitt
Kleinkunst im Schütte-Keller e.V.
Blumenstr. 5
77815 Bühl / Baden

Ticket hotline 07223 / 250076
www.bluegrass-buehl.de
www.schuettekeller.de
schuettekeller@web.de

USA Roots Music News, Apr. 2010

Thanks to Rainer Zellner for the Music Contact agency's April 2010 newsletter for USA folk, roots, acoustic country, and bluegrass music, with the major tours currently scheduled for this year:

UNCLE EARL: Neo-Old-Time All-Girl Band

29 Apr. franz k, 72762 Reutlingen, 20:30
30 Apr. Wodan Halle, 79098 Freiburg, 20:30
1 May Jegelscheune, 90530 Wendelstein, 20:00
2 May KFZ, Marburg, 20:00
3 May Clubheim, 89269 Voehringen-Illerberg
6 May KULT, 97996 Niederstetten, 20:00
7 May Club Bastion, 73230 Kirchheim/T., 21:00
8 May Schweizer Landwirtschaftsmuseum Burgrain, CH-6248 Alberswil (bei Willisau), Switzerland, 20:00
9 May Ev. Kirche, 56335 Neuhäusel, 17:00
10 May Neue Welt, 85049 Ingolstadt, 20:30
11 May Haus International, 87435 Kempten, 20:00
12 May Kulturforum, 90762 Fürth, 20:00
14 May Bürgerhaus, 77815 Bühl, 20:00
15-16 May Karl May Fest, 01445 Radebeul
17 May AmVietheater, 07616 Beulbar (with Fox Tower Bluegrass Band), 19:30
19 May Café Castaneda, 34516 Vöhl-Harbshausen, 20:00
20 May Ratssaal, 28816 Stuhr, 20:00
21 May Tanzschule Schrock-Opitz, 26789 Leer, 20:00
22 May Jazztime Open Air Festival, 31141 Hildesheim, 16:00
23 May Hamawe Roots Festival, B-6760 Virton, Belgium, 20:30

THE WILDERS: Bluegrass meets Rockabilly

29 Sept. Ratssaal, 28816 Stuhr
30 Sept. Kulturfabrik Löseke, 31137 Hildesheim
2 Oct. Country Festival, Grindelwald, Switzerland, 20:30
3 Oct. Four Corners, Untermeitingen, TBC
9 Oct. Albert Einstein Forum, 41564 Kaarst, 20:00
10 Oct. Kulturforum, Lauf, TBC
13 Oct. Reithalle, Offenburg, 20:00
14 Oct. franz k, 72762 Reutlingen, 20:00
15 Oct. Schwarzer Hasen, 88239 Wangen, 20:00
16 Oct. El Lokal, Zurich, Switzerland

2nd BLUEGRASS JAMBOREE! - FESTIVAL OF BLUEGRASS AND AMERICANA MUSIC 2010
Sponsored by byte.fm, Akustik Gitarre, No Fences, Bear Family Records

Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper (USA): Traditional hardcore bluegrass
Jeff and Vida (USA): Acoustic Americana
Shotgun Party (USA): New Western Swing

3 Dec. franz k, 72762 Reutlingen, 20:00
5 Dec. Amerikahaus, 80333 Munich (München)
6 Dec. ParkTheater im Kurhaus Göggingen, 86199 Augsburg
9 Dec. Gut Varrel, 28816 Stuhr
10 Dec. Kulturfabrik Löseke, Hildesheim, 20:00
11 Dec. Theater, Lutherstadt-Eisleben, 18:00
14 Dec. Haus der Kultur, 84478 Waldkraiburg, 20:00
16 Dec. Lokschuppen, 89522 Heidenheim, 20:00
18 Dec. Kammgarn, CH-8200 Schaffhausen, Switzerland

*For your calendar*
14-15 May Bühl 8th Internationales Bühl Bluegrass Festival 2010
13-15 May NL-Voorthuizen The European World of Bluegrass Festival
22-23 May 48268 Greven Greven Grass Bluegrass Festival

Radio
'Hillbilly Boogie' on Free Radio Tübingen can now be heard worldwide on the Web every Friday, 21-23:00; repeated the following Saturday morning (03.00-05.00). Call in: +49 7071 760 204. Tell your friends!

MUSIC CONTACT Rainer Zellner
Roots Music Booking and Production
Saarstrasse 8, D-72070 Tübingen, Germany
+49 (0) 7073 2250; fax +49 (0) 7073 2134; e-mail; twitter: mandomaniac

Production Office: Kirsten Spiegl +49 (0) 7073-913588 (13:30-18:30); e-mail
Website: Press: text and photos; Media downloads

Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three in Europe, Aug.-Sept. 2010

Thanks to the UK organisation FOAOTMAD for the news that the 'urban old-time' band Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three (USA) will be playing thirty-one shows in six European countries from 7 August to 13 September 2010, including the Tønder Festival in Denmark, where the bill will also include Hot Rize and Red Knuckles & the Trail Blazers (USA).

Full details are given on the band's tour schedule. Their website quotes Paul van Gelder, of American Radio in the Netherlands, as saying of their CD Riverboat soul: 'One of the best records I’ve heard since 2008! The sheer joy it reflects overwhelmed me.'

Strakonice Jamboree 2010 programme

Preparing the stage in the castle courtyard, Strakonice 2008 (photo: Lilly Pavlak)

Petr Kulik announces that the programme is now complete for this year's Jamboree (28-29 May 2010) at Strakonice in the Czech Republic - the biggest bluegrass festival in central Europe, presented by the town's cultural centre. Full details of the programme can be seen here.

2nd GrevenGrass Festival, 22-3 May 2010

The GrevenGrass organising team send their latest newsletter, with just over a month left till the Festival reunites the 'bluegrass family' in Greven, north Germany:

We are well prepared for the second GrevenGrass Festival. We engaged a bunch of brilliant musicians and advertised the event even beyond the borders of our region. Now we look forward to the reunion. We like to add some more useful things to the wonderful ambience you had in the camp and in the stage area, to give you some fine Pentecost days.

* Following an advice which Jörg gave us, we will offer 'childcare' for some times, so parents will get some useful time to enjoy the festival.
* We will offer a 'baker’s shop', starting on Friday, where you can order Brötchen, bread, and cake for the next morning.
* Our Top-Service will be cooled bottled beer. You can even buy a complete box of beer at out Camp-Bar. Cheers!
* In the morning (as well as in the later times) you can buy freshly brewed coffee in the special GrevenGrass-Mug.
* Last year somebody asked for tables and benches to be borrowed. If anyone likes such a service, we could organise it - just give us your feedback.

The camp will officially start on Friday; if someone likes to come the day before, please give an advise to Ulli. The sanitary facilities beyond the indoor swimming pool are open during daytime; however, electrical current and water in the camp will be available only as of Friday.

In between the afternoon and evening stage program we will have the 'open stage' again. If you like to perform on the open stage, you are welcome. The open stage is sponsored by the Warstein Brewery; each musician will get a Warstein Pils sixpack. Please inform us in time!

Thomas will charge the 2010 fee for GrevenGrass members using the debit entry. Some of you gave an additional contribution. Thank you for showing solidarity. If you like to give us an extra contribution, here is our bank account:

GrevenGrass e.V.
Kreissparkasse Steinfurt
Kto.-Nr. 72258478
BLZ: 403 510 60

Maybe you like to join the GrevenGrass association or to recommend someone else to join; you can download the application sheet for the membership, available on our homepage. See you at Pentecost! We are counting the days...
_________________________________________________
GrevenGrass Bluegrass Festival 2010 • Pfingsten (Pentecost) 22. + 23.05.2010 • 48268 Greven • Emsstrand •

Happy Easter from the MSQ

Hi, Folks !

HAPPY EASTER by Mideando String Quintet

We'll play at the EWOB Festival in the Netherlands and at La Roche Bluegrass Festival in France... we hope to meet you.

Have a nice spring,

MSQ

8th International Bühl Bluegrass Festival - press conference, 21 Apr. 2010

Thanks to Wolfgang Mark of the press office of the city of Bühl, in Baden, south-west Germany, for the news that a press conference on the 8th International Bühl Bluegrass Festival (14-15 May 2010) will be held at 11.00 a.m. on Wednesday 21 April 2010 in the Rathaus I, Alter Trausaal, Hauptstraße 47, 77815 Bühl.

Hans Striebel, mayor of the city, Wolfgang Jokerst of the Bühl culture department, Walter Fuchs, festival director, and Rüdiger Schmitt of Kleinkunst im Schüttekeller will be present to give all information on the Festival.

If you will be attending as a media representative, or wish to receive the press package, contact Wolfgang Mark at the above address; tel. +49 (0) 72 23) 9 35-2 82, fax -2 89; e-mail. A press release (in German) and copies of the Festival programme (outside and inside) are available.

Bands taking part this year include Uncle Earl (USA), the Midnight Ramblers (USA), G2 Bluegrass Band (S), the Sons of Navarone (BE), and 4 Wheel Drive (BE/D/NL), who will perform both with James Talley (USA) and with Jolanda Peters (NL).

Bluegrass Stuff, Rawhide at Coastline Event, 4-6 June 2010

The lineup for this year's Coastline Bluegrass Music Event in north Wales is headed by two leading bands from continental Europe - Bluegrass Stuff (I) (shown above) and Rawhide (BE). Also on the schedule are Baker's Fabulous Boys, one of the UK's most entertaining bands, together with the Feet First and Wicked Soles troupes of Appalachian cloggers.

The Event also includes extended workshops, an Open Mic, picking sessions (of course), and camping. A full weekend ticket is £38 (camping; £34 without camping); for children under 16 accompanied by a fee-paying adult, admission is free.

This year's Event will be held from Friday 4 June to Sunday 6 June 2010 at Plas Uchaf Farm, near Llandudno Junction, Conwy, north Wales. Full details are on the Coastline Bluegrass Music Event website.

Foghorn Stringband in Europe, April-May 2010

At the end of this month the Foghorn Stringband (USA), leaders of the vigorous old-time music scene in Portland, Oregon, will begin their 'Scotland, Denmark, Sweden and back to Scotland tour!!' (as it appears on their MySpace site).

The tour is anchored at each end by the 30th Shetland Folk Festival (29 April-2 May) and the 27th Orkney Folk Festival (27-30 May). No details of the intervening shows are available at present.

News from Beppe Gambetta

Thanks to Italian guitar wizard Beppe Gambetta for news - sent from Australia, where he will perform at the National Folk Festival, Canberra, and at the Fairbridge Festival, Perth, in early April.

Beppe returns to Italy for the all-star Acoustic Nights in Turin (Torino) and Genoa (Genova), which were announced on the EBB on 21 February. More details are on his website.

In the middle of May he begins two months of touring in Italy, Germany, and the USA, returning to Europe in July for the Rossiglione Folk Festival (23-5 July) and the 18th International Acoustic Guitar Workshop at Ambroz Pod Krvavcem, Slovenia (1-8 August). Twenty-one of the thirty places on the Workshop are already taken. Instructors will include Kathy Chiavola (USA) for vocal training and songwriting.

Beppe will then be touring in Italy in August and September, in the USA in October, and in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland in November-December. A UK tour is being planned for March 2011 - promoters who are interested can contact Loudon Temple of the Brookfield Knights agency by e-mail.

The German record company Acoustic Music Records has just released the Beppe Gambetta collection, a compilation of fifteen tracks from previous albums. It is available directly from the Acoustic Music Records website or at Beppe's concerts.

Full details of Beppe Gambetta's schedule as it stands at present, together with many other items (YouTube favorites; peformances, recordings, and books by other musicians; and his comprehensive list of favourite restaurants in many countries), can be found in his newsletter, which you can read here.

You can also join Beppe on Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Reverbnation, Plaxo, Flatpicking Guitar Network, and Last.fm

Danny Sheerin to showcase at EWOB Festival, 15 May 2010

One of the pleasures of the European World of Bluegrass Festival at Voorthuizen in the Netherlands is seeing familiar faces; another is seeing new acts; and a third is seeing a familiar face in an new setting.

Danny Sheerin (pictured left), singer and guitarist with the Irish band Carmel Sheerin & the Ravens, is scheduled to appear in a band showcase at 17:30 on Saturday 15 May 2010. This is not Danny's first time at the EWOB Festival, as Carmel & the Ravens showcased there in 2005, won the #1 European Bluegrass Band award, and went on to represent Europe at the IBMA's World of Bluegrass in 2006.

Danny has a website of his own under construction. Full details of the EWOB 2010 programme can be seen here.

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.

Steppin’ Stone plays Bühlertal, 17 Apr. 2010

Thanks to Walter Fuchs, organiser of the annual Bühl International Bluegrass Festival, who reports:

The excellent French bluegrass band Steppin’ Stone plays at the Gewölbekeller in Bühlertal, near Bühl/Baden, Germany. Steppin’ Stone is a trio with Jean Paul Distel (guitar, dobro), Pascal Spitz (vocals, guitar, banjo), and Laurence Gondet (vocals, bass).

The concert takes place Saturday 17 April 2010, at 8.00 p.m. Info and tickets: +49-7223-9967-0.

4 Wheel Drive in Ireland, 2-9 Apr. 2010

A fine photo of Jurgen Biller (banjo) and Joost van Es (fiddle) of 4 Wheel Drive is the illustration for a flyer issued by the Ulster American Folk Park at Omagh, Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland.

4 Wheel Drive, with Jolanda Peters (vocals), will be 'in residence' at the Folk Park throughout its Easter Celebrations programme, which will run from 10.00 a.m. on Saturday 3 April to 5.00 p.m. on Tuesday 6 April, under the title 'A Spring Fair Day'. The band are no strangers to the Folk Park, having often played there during previous editions of the annual Appalachian and Bluegrass Music Festival.

In addition, 4 Wheel Drive will be playing several other dates in Ireland (2-9 April); full details are on the Bluegrass Ireland Blog. The tour is coordinated by Andrew Peters of the Bronte Music Club in Rathfriland, Co. Down.

Sophia Johnson at Irish National Guitar Festival

The Irish National Guitar Festival, featuring many genres of music, will be held at Drogheda, Co. Louth, Ireland, from Wednesday 7 April to Sunday 11 April 2010. Among the guitarists taking part is Sophia Johnson (right; photo by Jeff G Photography) of the Toy Hearts bluegrass band (UK): Sophia will be playing twice daily in the Yamaha Clinic slot on the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of the Festival. More details are on the Festival programme.

Also taking part in the Festival will be Tom Hanway & his Bluegrass Pals. Tom (USA; resident in Ireland since 2003) was on banjo with Carmel Sheerin & the Ravens when they received the award of #1 European Bluegrass Band at the EWOB Festival in 2005.

Lineup for 11th Spring Bluegrass Festival, Willisau

Paolo Dettwiler reports:

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

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

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

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

Karl May Festtage 2010

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

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

MC: Herbert Graedtke

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

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

Toy Hearts: March 2010 newsletter

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

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

View the Toy Hearts' March newsletter here.

New CD from Blackjack

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

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

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

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

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

Hickory Project in Europe from July 2010

Thanks to Lilly Pavlak for the news that Hickory Project (USA) will be performing at the 2010 La Roche Bluegrass Festival (28 July-1 August) in La Roche-sur-Foron, Haute Savoie, France, where they will also be teaching at the instrument and band workshops.

Hickory Project will arrive in Europe on 25 July and would welcome the opportunity to perform in Europe before and after the La Roche festival. If you can offer a booking, please contact the Project's mandolinist, Anthony Hannigan, by e-mail.

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.

The Grascals at Albisgütli, 26 Feb. 2010

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

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

The Grascals

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Didmarton announce headline bands from the US

The Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band (photo: Tim Benko)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gerry O'Connor on tour!

Thanks to Chris Keenan for reporting the following:

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

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

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

Bluegrass Jamboree! in Basle - in pictures

Thanks to Paolo Dettwiler for this news:

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

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

Smith & Jones in Europe, Sept.-Oct. 2010

Thanks to FOAOTMAD, the UK old-time music association, for the news that Beverly Smith & Carl Jones (who were part of the first Bluegrass Jamboree! package tour in December 2009) will be playing several dates in England and Wales on either side of the week which they spend teaching at the old-time music camp in Andalusia, Spain (see the EBB for 28 Jan. 2010):

Sept. 2 The Wolf Folk Club, Wolferton, near Kings Lynn
Sept. 3 The Milkmaid, Bury St Edmunds
Sept. 4 The Cellar, London
Sept. 6 Galeri, Caernarfon
Sept. 9 The Trades Club, Hebden Bridge
Sept. 10 The Floor, St Michaels, Tenbury Wells
Sept. 11 Presteigne, Powys
Sept. 15 What's Cookin', London
Sept. 16 The Prom, Bristol
Sept. 17-20 Cornish Bluegrass Festival
Sept. 25-Oct. 2 Old-time week in Andalusia
Oct. 5 Dartford Folk Club, Dartford

Mike Compton and David Grier in Finland, June-July 2010

Thanks to Timo Hannula, artist director of Haapavesi Folk, for the news that Mike Compton (USA) and David Grier (USA) will be at the Festival from 28 June to 4 July 2010, teaching and performing.

Mike Compton is the acknowledged master of mandolin music in the style of Bill Monroe, and David Grier is a three-time winner of the IBMA Guitar Player of the Year award.

Contact Timo Hannula
Haapavesi Folk
Haapaveden Kamariorkesteri
Haapaveden Pikkupelimannit
Lallunniementie 2
86600 Haapavesi
Finland
+358 447591298; +358 84591298; e-mail

Ivor Ottley to move from Ireland to Sweden

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

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

Sue Thompson and the Brandejs Band

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

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

Durango: new Coal Porters CD

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

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

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

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

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

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.

May 2010: Worldwide Month of Bluegrass

The EBMA is now collecting dates of all bluegrass events happening in May 2010, and offers to feature any festivals in or near this period on the back of this year's EWOB Month T-shirt. Please send in information to the EBMA by e-mail.

The 2010 EWOB logotype will be available for download to be used on flyers for your events shortly. As usual, the EBMA will present an information booth at the EWOB Festival in Voorthuizen, the Netherlands (13-15 May 2010), which is organised under the auspices of EBMA by the EWOB Voorthuizen committee.

Bluegrass Jamboree! on World Wide Radio: 17 Jan., 15:05-17:45 (CET)

Rainer Zellner, organiser of the successful Bluegrass Jamboree! package tour, writes:

Hello all,

On Sunday 17 January, Radio WDR3 will broadcast a large part of the show plus interviews recorded 19 December 2009 in Kaarst, Germany. Steep Canyon Rangers, the Toy Hearts, and Beverly Smith & Carl Jones plus a festival finale session with all on stage. Public radio WDR3 covers a large part of Germany via antenna and cable and can also be heard worldwide.

The program is designed for the ambitious music-lover; you can hear classical, jazz, world music, and other exciting genres. It is the first time ever they will present a bluegrass show in an almost two-hour segment and put it right beside those other established styles!

Stream address
Info for the program

Look for Bluegrass Jamboree.

To convince this radio to broadcast bluegrass more, it would be very helpful to contact them after the show via e-mail and let them know you liked it! They will be surprised to receive mails from all over the world, I am sure.

Bluegrass Rules!

Rainer Zellner
MUSIC CONTACT
Roots Music Booking and Production
Saarstrasse 8, D-72070 Tübingen, Germany
+49 (0) 7073 2250; fax +49 (0) 7073 2134; mobile +49 170 2134 999
UStID: DE146940684 (German tax number)
media download
E-mail

Listen to the Bluegrass Jamboree! online
Sunday 17 January 2010, 4.05 p.m.

Kathy Kallick Band in Europe, May 2010

The Kathy Kallick Band bring their brand of 'hot bluegrass & cool originals' to Europe in May 2010. Kathy previously toured Europe four times with the Good Ol' Persons and twice with the Kathy Kallick Band.

Confirmed bookings to date - with (they hope) more to follow - include:
May 7: Copenhagen, Denmark
May 8: Willisau, Switzerland
May 9: Binningen, Switzerland
May 12: Dortmund, Germany
May 13: near Voorthuizen, Netherlands
May 14-15: European World Of Bluegrass
May 18: Hoofddorp, Netherlands
May 20: Vierzon, France

For this tour, Kathy is joined by band members Dan Booth (bass, vocals), Greg Booth (dobro, banjo, vocals), and Annie Staninec (fiddle), plus special guest Helmut Mitteregger (mandolin, vocals).

The band performs Kathy's song 'Wildflowers' on 30 Aug. 2009 here. The band's electronic press kit (with five tracks from their forthcoming album) is here.

Thank you & please don't hesitate to contact me for additional information -
Peter Thompson (e-mail)

Bluegrass events in Germany, 2010

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

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

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

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

Coming events in Norway

Ila Auto

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

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

Who says we need men in bluegrass?

Kent Miller, on behalf of the Swiss Bluegrass Music Association, writes:

We are happy to report that all of the traditional spring/summer/autumn festivals will have a 2010 edition. Willisau (8 May), arguably the biggest and most international of them all, has announced that Kathy Kallick (USA) and Uncle Earl (USA) will be in their line-up this year. They put on a festival with two stages! Who says Switzerland is small? And who says we need men in bluegrass? There are usually supplementary concerts by some of the bands that come down from NL or DE, so stay tuned for those. Visitors should watch our home page for jamming news during the year. Some jams go through the whole summer, some take a little break.

I'm looking forward to a wonderful bluegrass and old-time year in Switzerland and around Europe. We haven't been able to do quite as much as we usually do or would like to with and for bluegrass lately, but life is a process of changes. Go Green Bay Packers! Oh, sorry, wrong hobby. Go Bluegrass!

The bluegrass year ahead in France

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bluegrass in the Netherlands, 2010

Rienk Janssen (with thanks to Adri Richter) reports:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beppe Gambetta in Ireland, 28 Jan.-6 Feb.

World-class acoustic guitarist Beppe Gambetta will be playing seven shows in Ireland at the end of this month and in early February. The complete schedule, as it stands on his website, is as follows:

Jan. 28 Out To Lunch Festival, Black Box, 18-22 Hill Street, Belfast, +44 2890 232403
Jan. 29 Séamus Ennis Cultural Centre, Naul, Fingal, Co. Dublin, +353 1 802 0898
Jan. 31 Colfers Bluegrass and Americana Weekend, Carrig-on-Bannow, Co. Wexford, +353 51 561159
Feb. 1 Kilworth Village Arts Centre, Kilworth, Co. Cork, +353 87 792 1771
Feb. 4 The Crane, Sea Road, Galway, +353 91 587419
Feb. 5-6 Culdaff Inishowen Guitar Festival, McGrory's, Culdaff, Inishowen, Co. Donegal, +353 (0)74 937 9104

Good wishes for 2010

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

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

New website for the Al Ras Festival, Barcelona

Thanks to Lluis Antonio Gomez Martinez for the news that the annual Al Ras Bluegrass and Old-Time Festival at Barcelona, Spain, now has a new website which carries information about the Festival and also about all bluegrass and old-time activity in the Barcelona area.

Readers can register to be informed of any new developments. The website is in Spanish, Catalan, and English. Its mission statement on the home page points out that the main purposes of the festival are to raise public awareness of the music, to bring people together to enjoy it, and to encourage and inform

groups and individuals who play these musical styles in our land, helping them to show their performances and music-making. Al Ras is a meeting place, even once a year, to enjoy all this and both the performer and listener are able to make friends. Guitars, banjos, fiddles, mandolins, dobro, bass, accordions, bagpipes...

Eight Al Ras festivals have been held so far; the ninth will be held on 6 November 2010.

European musical competition in Italy, 2-9 May 2010

The Associazione Musicale Melody of Italy announce that the second edition of their Concorso Musicale Europeo will take place in the city of Filadelfia, in the 'toe' of southern Italy, on 2-9 May 2010.

This music competition is not specifically bluegrass - it is dedicated to the memory of the operatic composer Paolo Serrao (1830-1907), but extends over music in general. The Associazione Musicale Melody is linked to the EBMA's Facebook group, and some readers of the European Bluegrass Blog may benefit from checking out the AMM website.

Bluegrass Jamboree! 2009 - and 2010

Rainer Zellner of the Music Contact agency reports:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GrevenGrass #2 (22-23 May 2010): Christmas news

The GrevenGrass board: Uli Sokoll, Friedhelm Meyer, Thomas Drunkenmölle

The Planning Group of the GrevenGrass Festival sent this message on Christmas Eve. The European Bluegrass Blog team regret its late appearance:

Merry Christmas to all friends of bluegrass music, waiting impatiently for the next GrevenGrass Festival to come! But it is still five months waiting time left, until we meet again at Pentecost. We are 'right in the middle' of our preparations for the 2010 GrevenGrass Festival and are talking to notable musicians, we like to engage. You will find more information on our GrevenGrass homepage after the turn of the year. We all wish you a peaceful Christmas and a happy new year, and we hope the time will speed up a little until Pentecost!

Best regards and we hope to see you again,

Your GrevenGrass Planning Group

GrevenGrass Bluegrass Festival 2010
22-23 May 2010
48268 Greven
Emstrand, Germany

If you are on the GrevenGrass e-mailing list, you will have received as a special Christmas treat a link to a version of 'Silent night/Stille Nacht' sung by Pam Gleba in the Irish language.

News of La Roche Bluegrass Festival 2010

Christopher Howard-Williams and Didier Philippe of the La Roche Bluegrass Festival report:

La Roche Bluegrass Festival (French Alps, July 29 - August 1 2010) is now taking applications to play (in the contest or not). Applications should be sent by January 31, 2010.

To download the application form go to www.larochebluegrass.fr and click on the page "Info for Bands". Information can be found there on the festival, the location and on conditions for playing.

Bradley, Gulley and Fox is so far booked as a headline act. This is Dale Ann Bradley (3 times female vocalist of the year), Steve Gulley of Mountain Heart and Kim Fox of 3 Fox Drive. They are scheduled to be accompanied by Alan Bibey (Mdn) and Joel Fox (Bjo).

Kreni, contest winners in 2009, is also booked.

We are currently in discussions with two more US bands and 2 more European bands.

Thanks,

Christopher Howard-Williams and
Didier Philippe of
La Roche Bluegrass Festival

Bluegrass Jamboree! in Basle, 13 Dec. 2009

Steep Canyon Rangers

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

International Music Festival Conference (IMFCON) Europe, 8-9 April 2010, in Amsterdam

Thanks to Mary Burdette, member of the IBMA and of the organising team of the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival (USA), for forwarding this announcement by the International Music Festival Conference (IMFCON) of its next meeting, to be held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on 8-9 April 2010:

The International Music Festival Summit is inviting the most accomplished music festival executives and directors to share their expertise with a high-level audience of executives eager to launch or expand their own music festival initiatives. Speaker titles include: Executive Director, Festival Director, Managing Director, Artistic Director, Program Director, VP of Programming, President and CEO, Director of Marketing, and Project Manager.

The professionals that are best suited are those individuals who can share real-world experience, discuss trends and issues in depth, and outline best practices. The conference curriculum includes topics addressing funding and sponsorship, programming, operations and management, publicity and public relations, digital technology, and acquisition and distribution. The deadline for submissions is 15 February 2010. For any questions or comments please contact:

Wyatt Royce
Conference Program Manager
International Music Festival Conference
+1-561-277-9452
e-mail

Mary Burdette comments:

A Grey Fox colleague and I attended the 2009 IMFCON in Las Vegas last week. We were very happy with the topics and speakers and even happier with the contacts we developed. I would encourage colleagues (especially European festival people) to attend the next conference coming up in April in Amsterdam! Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I'll be writing an article for the next IBMA newsletter. We really did learn new and exciting things. It was great to think outside the box with other event producers.

Grey Fox was the only bluegrass festival per se at this conference. We made some great connections to the 'outside world' of music festivals. It was a small gathering (about 70 people including speakers) of jazz, jam, eclectic, world and other music festivals. So it was really easy to have access to the speakers and to other participants. Some of the other events included Bonnaroo, High Sierra, Summerfest, New Orleans Jazz Fest, Newport Jazz, etc. I would think that the Amsterdam conference would be a great mix as well.

Contact Mary Burdette by e-mail.