26th Guildtown Bluegrass Festival, 20-23 July 2012

L-r: Scott Walker, Emory Lester, Kene Hyatt, Wayne Taylor

The Scottish Bluegrass Association announces that the lineup at its 26th Guildtown Bluegrass Music Festival (20-23 July 2012) in Guildtown, Perthshire, Scotland, will be headed by Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa (USA) and Rough and Rocky Road (CZ).

Also performing will be Goldrush, Home Made Jam, Dapper McDans, Blue Horyzon, New Redwing, Little Giants, Kentucky Cow Tippers, and John Weighell & Co. Full details, including online ticket purchase facilities, are on the SBA website.

L-r: Henrich Novak, Martin Vitasek, Eric Banik, Zdenek Roh, Vlado Krizan

Irish festival gains Arts Council support

The organising team of the 6th Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival in Co. Mayo, in the west of Ireland, held the official launch party on Friday 25 May in McGing's pub, Westport. The full house were treated to music by Mayo's top bluegrass band, the Rocky Top String Band (below), who have played every Westport festival so far and will open this year's event (29 June-1 July) with a show at the Clew Bay Hotel. The full festival programme includes two North American bands and the acclaimed Thunderbridge Bluegrass Boys from Britain.

The festival enjoys the generous sponsorship of local businesses and venues, of the local government authorities in Mayo and Westport, of Discover Ireland, and - this year - the national Arts Council. More details are on the Bluegrass Ireland Blog.

Radio playlists

Kabel 87.5 MHz - Omroep Venray - Ether 90.2 MHz:
Peelgrass Country Programme 2970 (27 May 2012)
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, Tues. 19.00-20.00, Sat. 12.00-13.00

Radio Free FM Ulm, UKW 102.6:
Americana* playlists 430, 431, 432 (7, 14, 21 May 2012)
Antistatic Country Time, 30 Apr. 2012
* Programmes in this series are broadcast live on Radio Free FM and Countrymusic24.com and are repeated on Countrymusic24.com on Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. (European Continental time).
Antistatic Country Time can be heard on Radio Free FM's live streaming Digital Audio Lounge.

Butler's Boudoir Bluegrass, 24 May 2012, UK Country Radio (Facebook)
Lynne Butler's Eurograss, week commencing 21 May 2012, on Bluegrass Planet Earth at 9.00 p.m. British time, 4.00 p.m. EST

Playlists and links to streaming radio for the Swiss Bluegrass Music Association's radio show are on the SBMA website.

Coolradio 1, Ingolstadt: Hillbilly Gasthaus, 2 May 2012, 8.00-11.00 p.m. (live every Wednesday; repeated on Sundays at the same times)

'Criffel Creek' playlist (3 June 2012), Alive Community Radio (107.3 FM), Dumfries, Scotland; broadcast 10.00 a.m.-12 noon on alternate Sundays

Greenheart Country playlist 223 (week 18, 2012), Country Gazette (NL)

Peter Rowan in Europe, September and November 2012

Peter Rowan (photo: Tim Benko)

Thanks to Al Evers of A Train Entertainment for the news that Peter Rowan will be playing solo dates in England and Ireland in August/September 2012, as follows:

Wed. 29 Aug. The Old Queen's Head, 44 Essex Road, Angel, London N1 8LN, England (presented by Green Note)
Sat. 1 Sept. Didmarton Bluegrass Festival, Cotswold Airport, Gloucestershire GL7 6BQ, England
Mon. 3 Sept. Whelan's, Dublin 2, Ireland
Tues. 4 Sept. Village Arts Centre, Kilworth, Co. Cork, Ireland
Wed. 5 Sept. Leap Castle, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, Ireland
Thurs. 6 Sept. Crane Bar, Galway city, Ireland

Peter Rowan will be returning to Europe two months later for more shows in Italy and the Czech Republic, in distinguished European company:

With Red Wine (I):
Thurs. 15 Nov. La Maison Musique, Turin (Torino), Italy
Fri. 16 Nov. Bluegrass Party, Teatro Modena, Genoa (Genova), Italy
Sun. 18 Nov. Trezzo d'Adda, near Milan (Milano), Italy

With Druha Trava (CZ)
Wed. 21, Thurs. 22 Nov. Two shows confirmed; details TBA

A full bio of Peter Rowan can be downloaded from his website.

Twisted Timber release Freeride of our lives

Twisted Timber, based in Prague (CZ), came together as a band in 2009 and won the #3 European Bluegrass Band award at the 2011 European World of Bluegrass Festival. They will be playing tomorrow morning (26 May 2012) at the Jamboree in Strakonice. Thanks to the band for this news:

We're pleased to announce that our first album, Freeride of our lives, is set to be released in two weeks. This project was recorded in February and March of this year. It consists of fourteen original songs, dating back two years. The most recent... song was written between studio sessions :-). We hope you enjoy this project as much as we did creating it.

The album will be available at performances in two weeks. The album will also be available online shortly thereafter (please stay tuned for details). Matt will be bringing copies to the US for sale in July. We hope to see you out on the road this summer!

Twisted Timber: Petr Šolc (double bass), Matt Whitten (guitar), Zuzka Lišková (mandolin), Pavel Bařina (banjo), Jan Bartošek (fiddle)

News from Lynne Butler

Lynne Butler (UK) sends the playlists for this week's shows in her 'Butler's Boudoir Bluegrass' and 'Lynne Butler’s Eurograss' series (see the EBB's separate 'Radio playlists' post). Lynne adds:

Welcome to this week's playlists/newsletter and I hope you are all well and enjoying some wonderful weather for a change. Apologies for the lack of newsletters lately but it's been very busy for me and I can't do it all! Rest assured that you are all, without exception, getting played regularly. The good news is that I have resumed the two separate shows each week on both stations, so that means the rotation of airplay for all of you is doubled :) ...

Also, if any of you have any news and events you wish people to know about, please feel free to e-mail me so that I can include them in this newsletter; and also please do get in touch with the radio station to put your dates up on the gig guide.

Lynne's e-mail newsletters contain much more information, including bluegrass events and bands of Continental Europe - such as the forthcoming tour in Britain by the Sons of Navarone (B).

The new #1 European Bluegrass Band receive their award

Thanks to Gretha Dijkstra for these (and more) photos of the new #1 European Bluegrass Band, Goodwill (CZ), receiving their award at the climax of the European World of Bluegrass Festival last weekend at Voorthuizen, the Netherlands.

In the spotlights: Petr Ježek (guitar), Zdeněk Dokoupil (dobro), Robin Tomáš (banjo), Tomáš Lasek (bass)

The screen shows the #1 winners

Ronald Groot, chairman of the EWOB board, presents the award to the band

Bluegrass Europe #84: deadline 10 June 2012

The editorial team of Bluegrass Europe, the official EBMA magazine, wish to remind all bluegrass bands and bluegrass event producers in Europe to send in not later than 10 June 2012 all dates for public gigs and concerts between 15 July and 30 November 2012 for inclusion in BE #84 (July-Sept 2012). The same deadline applies to all concert news, reviews, reports, and other material for this issue.

Dates should be sent in the Excel format downloadable here or from the 'BE Dates' page of the EBMA website. Completed entries can then be sent to the BE editorial office by e-mail.

Bluegrass Europe regularly carries Europe's leading Bluegrass Concert and Festival Calendar and the European Bluegrass Guide. The editor-in-chief, Angelika Torrie, adds:

If you don't get Bluegrass Europe in your mail, but you would like to, please consider a subscription at only €25/yr. Get it online here. We also have some space available for advertisements...

And please check out EBMA's website - we have many things bands could be interested in. For example, if you are an active member of EBMA, you are entitled to a free listing in every issue of Bluegrass Europe in EBMA's Bluegrass Guide, and the same goes for the respective section on our homepage.

European Bluegrass Music Association (EBMA)
Postal address: European Bluegrass Music Association
Holeerain 29, CH-4102 Binningen, Switzerland
e-mail
Bluegrass Europe on Facebook

Tickets on sale for 11th Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival, 20-23 Sept. 2012

In its latest e-newsletter, the Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival, a founder member of the EBMA Festival Network, announces a stellar lineup for the 11th annual event, to take place 20-23 September 2012 in its new home of Tullamore, Co. Offaly, Ireland. The weekend will consist of street & pub sessions & jams, nightly seated concerts, masterclass workshops (various instruments, styles & all levels), free outdoor concerts, local craft displays, a busking competition, and the late-night Festival Club. Top international artists appearing include:

Suzy Bogguss (USA), Paul Brady, Blue Highway (USA), Don Rigsby & Charlie Sizemore (USA), George Harper (USA), Mundy, Gerry 'Banjo' O'Connor, Beoga, Electric Ceili, We Banjo 3 (feat. Enda Scahill), Niall Toner, Chris Meehan & his Redneck Friends, the Barcelona Bluegrass Band (Spain), Bending the Strings, and Blackjack (Czech Republic).

Tickets and weekend passes are now on sale. Further details - including online booking and details of accommodation in the Tullamore area - are here and on the Festival website.
E-mail; 'phone +353 (0)87-281-7825.

Blue Frets at Four Green Fields in Rome, 24 May 2012

Banjoist, guitarist, singer, and bandleader Danilo Cartia reports that the acoustic quartet Blue Frets (Danilo, guitar, vocals; Marie Keane, vocals; Michele Anselmi, dobro, harmonica, vocals; and Andrea Moneta, bass, vocals) will be playing on Thursday 24 May from 9.00 p.m. at the Four Green Fields, Via Costantino Morin 68, Rome, Italy. Admission is free.

Danilo Cartia website, MySpace, Facebook: Danilo Cartia; e-mail
ph. / fax +39 06 8273332
mob. +39 339 6908450

New developments in the BBMA

John Wirtz (left), present chairman of the British Bluegrass Music Association (BBMA) reports:

Banjo player John Breese has been elected chairman, and he takes over at the end of my official term in September 2012.

Mo Jackson (Kitty Hawks and former production manager of FOAOTMAD’s Old Time News) is the new production manager for British Bluegrass News.

Gary Payne of A Band Like Alice, Home Territory, and numerous other bands over the years, has been awarded the Jan Jerrold Award for his contribution to bluegrass music.

There will be extended coverage of these items and happenings on the British bluegrass scene in the forthcoming summer issue of the British Bluegrass News, available by joining the British Bluegrass Music Association.  For details, go to the BBMA website and check the membership page.

The Liz Meyer European Innovation of Bluegrass Music Award

The board responsible for organising and presenting the annual European World of Bluegrass Festival has instituted a new award - the Liz Meyer European Innovation of Bluegrass Music Award - to be presented each year, in addition to the European Bluegrass Band Award (based on the votes of musicians) and Audience Popularity Award (based on audience votes).

The first presentation of the new award was made last night (19 May 2012) to the Louvat Bros of Belgium, who had played on the Thursday night concert. The text of the award, as reproduced below, can be seen on their website.

Liz Meyer (1952-2011) was widely regarded as an accomplished musician and singer-songwriter, and always a great support to other musicians in her field.

In the earlier part of her career, Liz was best known for her innovative songwriting and for performing and recording with a succession of legendary musicians, including Bela Fleck, Emmylou Harris, Sam Bush, and Jerry Douglas.

But beyond her own musical pursuits, Liz’s career is also typified by her generosity towards other musicians. Always willing and able to offer practical advice and creative outlets to aspiring musicians, she helped numerous European bluegrass artists to set and achieve new goals within their art form.

Liz’s own songwriting and musical arrangements stem from a broad range of influences. Likewise, her name is often cited by European bands as an inspiration for implementing aspects of their musical heritage into their songs in a way that is at once tasteful and innovative.

This award was devised both to honor Liz’s memory and to encourage promising musicians to bring their music to a broader audience. The European World of Bluegrass Board is proud to present this year’s Liz Meyer European Innovation of Bluegrass Music Award to the Louvat Bros.

The Louvat Bros, first recipients of the new award

EWOB 2012 - winners and winners and winners

Angelika Torrie, EBMA board member, reports:

EWOB 2012 is past already. Here are some first highlights:

Welcome back Louvat Bros! (Louvat Bros live at EWOB; photo by Hans Kelderhuis)

The Louvat Bros won the Liz Meyer European Innovation of Bluegrass Music Award 2012 at the European World of Bluegrass Festival in Voorthuizen, the Netherlands. This award, which rewards the most innovative European band in bluegrass music, is given in memory of Liz Meyer, who always encouraged promising and creative musicians throughout her career.

Thanks to Dagfinn Pedersen who texted us results of the annual EWOB awards late at night:

European Bluegrass Band 2012:
#1 Goodwill (CZ)
#2 East-West (CZ)
#3 (ties) Jaywalkers (UK), Rawhide (BE), and Sunny Side (CZ)

Audience Popularity Award 2012:
#1 G-Runs 'n Roses (CZ)
#2 Sunny Side (CZ)
#3 The Old Time Hayride (GE/NL)

Pictures will follow as soon as we get some; please send yours as an attachment to blogebma.news@blogger.com, giving your name and e-mail address on top of the message. Thanks!

Kristin Andreassen in Europe

Kristin Andreassen (USA; formerly of Uncle Earl) announces:

I'm in France! This month I'm on tour with Jeffrey Lewis & the Junkyard (playing keys & fiddle & singing in his band). Jeff is one of my favorite songwriters and he also draws really cool comics and art. Here's a cool Polaroid [above] from yesterday's festival in Lyons.

Sat. 19 May: Lyons (Lyon), France – Festival Nuits Sonores
Sun. 20 May: Bordeaux, France – El Chincho
Mon. 21 May: Toulouse, France – Le Saint Des Seins
Tues. 22 May: Marseilles (Marseille), France – La Machine à Coudre
Wed. 23 May: Genoa (Genova), Italy – La Claque Theater
Thurs. 24 May: Lausanne, Switzerland – Le Bourg
Fri. 25 May: St Gallen, Switzerland – Palace
Sat. 26 May: Ticino, Switzerland – Gwenstival
Sun. 27 May: Vittorio Veneto, Italy – Bianconiglio
Mon. 28 May: Rome, Italy – Locanda Atlantide
Tues. 29 May: Turin (Torino), Italy – Spazio211
Wed. 30 May: Zurich, Switzerland – El Lokal
Thurs. 31 May: Freiburg, Germany – Swamp Bar
Sat. 2 June: London, UK – Field Day Festival

Yesterday I went for a jog around this field [above right] of mustard greens in Dijon. How perfect is that? (World's prettiest Comfort Inn can be seen in the background).

Ferretti, Koch, Krüger in BU tributes to Earl Scruggs

The May 2012 issue of Bluegrass Unlimited magazine carries a special commemorative feature marking the passing of Earl Scruggs, with a major obituary and assessment by Pete Wernick.

Among more than thirty other musicians - predominantly prominent banjo players - who contribute personal memories of Earl and his effect on their lives are Silvio Ferretti (above right) of Red Wine (I), Jens Koch (left) of G2 (S), and Jens Krüger (below) of the Krüger Brothers (CH/USA).

Photo: Lilly Pavlak