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GI4RSI > EVENT 02.09.00 03:07l 98 Lines 5701 Bytes #-9425 (0) @ WW
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Subj: More on the Blue Grass Festival...................
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Sent: 000831/2309Z 27270@GB7TED.#63.GBR.EU [Lisburn] $:27270-GB7TED
From: GI4RSI@GB7TED.#63.GBR.EU
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THE Appalachian and Bluegrass Music Festival will take place at the Ulster
American Folk Park from Friday 8th - Sunday lOth September this year.
Set against the atmospheric backdrop of traditional American stone and log
buildings, some of the biggest names in Bluegrass music from America and Europe
will leave audiences spell-bound.
Bluegrass music is a fusion of many musical styles, including Irish fiddle
playing, known to early frontier settlers. Bluegrass takes its name from the
blues haze which settles at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, making
the grass seem blue.
With top acts from U.S.A., Holland and beyond, the Bluegrass Bands are sure to
set feet tapping, hands clapping and spirits soaring high.
The festival is one of the finest venues for Bluegrass Music and this is the
largest musical event of its kind in Ireland. It is now in its ninth year and
going from strength to strength.
The event receives generous sponsorship from the Mellon Country Inn (main
sponsors of the event). Price, Waterhouse, Cooper, LEDU, Heritage Lottery Fund,
Omagh District Council and ABSA, which allows the museum to seek out some of
the best Bluegrass bands in Europe and U.S.A. This year's festival line up has
now been established and bookings are open for the best in Bluegrass this year.
The stars will excite and delight with their foot-stompin music and lightning
fancy footwork on the dance floor. There will be evening concerts on the Friday
and Saturday nights and "Bluegrass in the Park" on Saturday and Sunday
afternoons. Last year the event attracted over 4,500 visitors for one of the
most exciting hoedowns ever seen.
Watch out for some huge acts from America. They include, Laurie Lewis and her
Bluegrass Pals, Bruce Molsky and Auldridge, Bennett and Gaudreau. Artists from
Europe will add their own special
magic with Blackjack, The Foxtower Bluegrass Band, Broken Ankles Cloggers and
the Hillbilly Boogiemen. There will also be a wide range of homegrown local
talent in the form of Appalachian Strings, The Rough Deal String Band, Knotty
Pine and Birddog.
Laurie Lewis promises to be a huge crowd puller. When James Brown sang "It's a
man's world" he could have been referring to Bluegrass music. Since the moment
Bill Monroe started this music in 1945 Bluegrass has been a man's game. Laurie
Lewis is a shining example of the way in which women can complement male acts.
She has mastered the substance, subtlety and drive of Bluegrass, but has not
bound herself to the music's sharp limits.
Lewis is now one of the most respected musicians in Bluegrass. Her songs
combine passion and sheer craft in a way that is rarely heard. She was
nominated for a grammy in the Traditional Folk category and has twice won the
Female vocalist of the year from the International Bluegrass Music Association
[IBMA].
Bruce Molsky is truly the master of fiddle, guitar, banjo and song and is one
of the most influential old time fiddlers around. His high spirited music melds
the archaic mountain sounds of Appalachia, the power of blues and the rhythmic
intricacies of traditional African music. Indeed he combines precision and
abandon so perfectly that it raises the hairs on the back of your neck. His
solo recording Lost Boy received great praise and a new CD `Poor Man's
Troubles' has just been released.
Another American group currently attracting a huge following are Aludridge,
Bennett and Gaudreau. They promise to deliver a blend of modern and
traditional. This group provides complex, stellar vocals, highly polished
arrangements and handpicked songs written by band members and some of the best
songwriters in the folk and bluegrass genres today.
It's Boogietime with the Hillbilly music men at this year's festival. Standing
knee deep in
Blues in their hearts and Rockabilly fire in their souls, these guys have music
fever that's sure to catch you. The group has toured throughout Europe and has
won several awards. Visitors to last year's festival will be delighted to see
the return of the group who pump raw energy into their instruments while
singing their hearts out. The Hillbilly Boogiemen will make you feel like
you're in some roadside honkytonk, some forty years ago.
From Germany, the Foxtower Bluegrass Band presents music at its best. As well
as playing traditional Bluegrass they will also include adaptations from other
musical fields such as rock, jazz and swing. The band hails from the former
East Germany. In 1998 they successfully took part in the European world of
Bluegrass festival and have toured through Minnesota, Texas, Arkansas and
Indiana. They have just released their "My Soul" CD.
Blackjack is sure to play a winning card at the festival. This group consists
of four talented Bluegrass artists: Gary Payne who played with Del Robinson
among others, Sheryl Payne, Rod Jackson, whose earthy leads and solid harmonies
make him one of the U.K.'s foremost bluegrass vocalists and Pat Francis who has
worked his way through every stringed instrument in the catalogue.
The Broken Ankles Cloggers were formed in 1986 and are still one of the
tightest, fastest and most electrifying groups around today. They remain one of
the most respected groups on the circuit today with performances that delight
and inspire both audiences and experienced cloggers alike. With their
thundering routines they are sure to raise the roof.
The Appalachian and Bluegrass Music Festival at The Folk Park is sheer magic,
not to be missed. Festival programmes and further information on the event can
be had by phoning Martin McIvor on 02882 256330.
73 - Kenny, GI4RSI @ GB7TED
Message timed: 00:03 on 01 Sep 2000
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