UK Bluegrass - news and information about the British bluegrass music scene

Gower festival is go

Admin — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 09:11:48 +0000

The 2010 annual Gower Bluegrass Festival will be held on the weekend of Friday 10th and Saturday 11th of September. Set in the heart of the beautiful Gower Peninsula, this small but friendly festival will be held at the Gower Heritage Centre, Parkmill. Over the past five years, the event has proved very successful and with [...]

Edward is banjo champion

Admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:59:24 +0000

15-year-old Edward Bennett of Penzance has recently returned from the USA with prizes from three youth banjo competitions. Edward has been playing clawhammer banjo for less than 3 years, but won first place at old-time music festivals in Morehead, Kentucky and Clifftop, West Virginia, as well as third place at Galax, Virginia. As old-time music is his [...]

Bluegrass madness this month

Admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:14:10 +0000

September is an action-packed month for British bluegrass fans, with several visiting musicians and bands touring the country. The Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band, The Claire Lynch Band, Amy Gallatin and Stillwaters, Beverly Smith and Carl Jones, Brother Mule and Jack Lawrence are all touring in addition to festival appearances at Didmarton and/or Cornwall. Former Seldom Scene member [...]

Didmarton draws near

Admin — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 08:29:06 +0000

Didmarton Bluegrass Festival takes place next weekend, between September 2nd and 5th. This year’s event boasts a line-up including American headliners The Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band and The Claire Lynch Band, whilst North Carolinian flatpicker Jack Lawrence performs with Richard Plank. There will be the usual array of British bluegrass musicians, along with plenty of old-time [...]

Brother Mule kick off tour

Admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 18:54:41 +0000

Brother Mule start a 7 date tour of Britain on September 11th. The trio, from Minnesota, Idaho and Colorado, play a mix of bluegrass, swing, old-time and acoustic funk. The members - Ben Winship (mandolin), Brian Wicklund (fiddle) and Eric Thorin (bass) - have all been regular visitors to the UK over the past few years [...]

Smith & Jones tour

Admin — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 10:59:51 +0000

Beverly Smith and Carl Jones will be touring the UK in September and October. Beginning on the 2nd September, the old-time duo will play across England and Wales including a spot at the Cornish Bluegrass Festival (17th - 19th). Together they play “just about anything with strings” and bring their “years of experience to the art of [...]

Two holiday events coming up

Admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:13:16 +0000

Two bluegrass events take place on next week’s Bank Holiday Monday, August 30th. Appleby Bluegrass Day will be held in the village of Appleby Magna, Leicestershire, and will feature workshops (for banjo, guitar, mandolin and fiddle), jam sessions and a concert. Bands appearing include Doghouse Central, Bluegrass Revue, Salmagundi and Phantom Horse. The Kentucky to Kent [...]

OCMS and Dave Rawlings Machine tour

Admin — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 10:13:18 +0000

Old Crow Medicine Show tour Europe in September with opening act The Dave Rawlings Machine. The two bands will play at the Open House Festival in Belfast, as well as concerts in Glasgow, Gateshead, Leeds and London. OCMS will play three more gigs without their support band in Bristol, Cardiff and Brighton. They will then tour [...]

Interview: The Dixie Bee-Liners

Admin — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:37:55 +0000

US act The Dixie Bee-Liners play their first concerts in the UK next week, with appearances at Fairport’s Cropredy Convention in Oxfordshire (13th), and at Cold Dog Soup’s alt.bluegrass mini-festival in Reading (14th). We spoke to the band’s singer Brandi Hart about their upcoming visit and the group’s recent release Susanville. Read the interview here. Details of [...]

Bucket Boys return

Admin — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 10:12:14 +0000

Oregon’s Water Tower Bucket Boys return to the UK this month for an extensive tour. The Portland-based band made their British debut last summer. This time they will be here for a month, playing throughout England and Northern Ireland, and will also be appearing on Mark Lamarr’s Radio 2 show. The WTBBs play a hard-driving mix of [...]