A most enjoyable day... the concert featured Shoot the Breeze making their debut as a
band: intricate instrumentals played well, plus the vocal delights of Jer. They were
followed by a great set from The Hog Ranch who somehow managed to fit in performing
between organising duties and running the PA. We followed the interval, and the show
was closed by a rousing and energetic set from the Thunderbridge Bluegrass Band.
The day was well-attended, which bodes well for the future of this event. Many thanks
to all the organisers for inviting us.
There is more information on this event at the
Street Legal web site. Thanks
to Mike Green for inviting us. This was originally scheduled for Jan 10, but was cancelled
due to the terrible weather.
20-21/Nov/2009
Vilnius Bluegrass Festival, Lithuania
We met the organiser of this festival, Algirdas Klova,
at La Roche in August, and he invited us to play in Vilnius. The festival is based in
Vilnius Town Hall for concerts and workshops plus some more informal sessions in Bobos,
a bar that oozes character.
We got to play three songs Friday night in prime time TV on the top Lithuanian show, which is
a cross between the X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing and the White Heather Club. The show features
villages competing in traditional dance, song and music, and although Bluegrass was a little distant
from the music they played, they had lots of fiddle players, so Greg felt right at home. You can
still see the show (if it is not visible above) by going
here for the next few months. You can find us at about 20, then 43 minutes into the show, then finally at
1 hr, 11 minutes. The whole show is around 2 hours!
We played a concert at the town hall on Saturday night, with NEBB doing the first half and Peter Rowan
playing the second. We also backed Peter Rowan for a couple of songs at the end.
We would very much like to thank Algirdas and his team for making us so welcome and for looking
after us so well.
8/Nov/2009
2:30-6pm
Bluegrass Canal Boat Trip
Back on the 9/Sep/2006 we played at the Slough Canal Boat Festival where we met
Vicky on her canal boat. In her words:
Come and listen to one of the best bluegrass bands in the country while
cruising down the Grand Union Canal on one of the most amazing barges in
the country, Elsdale II.
The New Essex Bluegrass band perform traditional bluegrass at its best,
chill out to their music while supporting the work of Elsdale the West
London Floating Classroom. Tickets sales go toward the boats educational
outreach to schools and community groups.
Boat departs from Packet Boat Marina, Packet Boat Lane, Cowley nr Uxbridge
UB8 2JJ. Booking is essential as places are limited. Tickets 10 pounds pre-purchased
12 pounds if bought on the day.
Contact Vicky Tustian on 07545 924 868 or
email her by clicking here
Elsdale is special as she is the only one of her
kind on the canal. She is one of the biggest boats you will see operating
on the canal and completely electrically powered, so no noisey engine or
diesel fumes. She takes thousands of children onto the canal every year to
learn about their industrial heritage and local wildlife.
The name comes from the first floating classroom commissioned by the Rev.
Elsdale about 70 years ago to follow the working boats and provide an
education for the bargees children who didn't have the opportunity to
attend school.
4/Oct/2009
An hour of... Bluegrass at St. Peter's Church, Duxford. 5.00 pm
We played as part of a series of concerts organised to support the upkeep of the
church and in aid of other charities. This was very much a home gig for Greg as
he and his wife Hazel are associated with the Duxford Saturday Workshop, and we
knew a very large proportion of the audience.
Here you can see us the last time we all played at Corwall, with Dixon Smith on banjo.
I'll replace the picture when I have one from the weekend.
This was a great way to finish off the festival season for us, and the weather was also
very kind. It is always nice to be here as the organisers make you feel very welcome,
and being put up in a caravan is a treat for our old bones. It was especially nice to
finish off the weekend with the Gospel session; however, it made it even sadder to leave
for the long drive back home.
This year we were running a one hour workshop on the use of a single microphone. This came
about because Audio Technica had provided an AT4033a microphone (the same model that we use)
as a raffle prize in order to help raise money to sponsor young people to attend
SFSS. Paul
talked about our approach; you can read more about this here.
Each year, this festival improves, and we would warmly recommend it to all bluegrass fans and
also to lovers of accoustic music.
Each year this festival holds a competition for the EWOB Bluegrass band of the year.
This year, out of 60 applicants, 12 bands were selected to take part in the competition
and I am delighted to say that we were one of the 12. We were thrilled to be placed
second in the competition, behind Kreni. As soon as we find a little time and collect
up a few more photos we will write up our experiences of a very pleasant trip.
To whet your appetites, here is picture of the stage with a small section of the
local scenery behind it.
We would like to thank all the kind folks who sat out in the very hot afternoon sun to
encourage us when we were performing. We'd also like to thank
TWS Engineering for their
very generous sponsorship (some of you may know their connections with the
Orwell Bluegrass Festival
which we enjoyed so much earlier this year).
Once more it was a pleasure to travel to Conwy and play for the North Wales Bluegrass
Festival. Despite threats of rain we had great weather, in fact some would say it
was too hot... it was certainly too hot for Grahame on Friday night. In the middle
of our set first his leg gave way, then his hand cramped up! Fortunately, he was just
about able to continue... he was then fed a diet of bananas the next day to make sure
he had plenty of potassium, and seemed right as rain for the rest of the weekend.
We have been sent a couple of DVDs of our performances by Eric and Sheila Rein who also
very kindly sent us DVDs of our sets at Orwell. These have proved very useful in our
practice for the La Roche Bluegrass Festival as we can see and hear what we need to
work on. We may even post some of the songs somewhere once we've figured out the
technology!
23/May/2009
Private function (Oddfellows Annual Conference in Eastbourne)
An interesting day at the seaside. We were playing in the Floral Hall,
which is a very fine example of its type. We also had a walk along the
prom to visit one of the few remaining piers in England that are solid
enough for the public to be let loose upon. It even has a camera obscura
(not operating when we climbed up to it) an the end of the pier.
We were delighted to be asked back to the third Orwell Bluegrass Festival. The festival lineup included
lots of our mates (Chris Moreton, Home Territory, Kitty Hawks, Monroes Revenge, Hope Mountain Band,
Chill Until Blue, Thunderbridge Bluegrass Boys, Longway...), the weather was glorious, the facilities
excellent with splendid camping, hot showers, hot food all day and great picking.
Sadly, Hazel, who normally wields the camera was not with us on this trip, so you are spared piccies
of the new Essex on stage. However, I did take a few and cannot resist showing you what Grahame looks
like out of his band uniform (so to speak).
We really enjoyed playing our sets on Friday and Saturday evening (thanks to John Wirtz and
Dave for a superb job on the sound desk), but the highlight for me was the Gospel session
on Sunday morning (see photo above for some of the audience). We played one number to set the
ball rolling, then we were treated to song after song of brilliant stuff. The variety of
material was superb, and the quality was even better. The session ran for 90 minutes, but it
seemed to be over in a flash. Many thanks to everyone who came.
Apart from the main stage, there was the opportunity for scratch bands to play around an open
(single) microphone in the bar area and the standard was wonderful. The buildings on the site
also provide five or six
separate rooms for picking in the evenings so there was space for sessions of different characters
without any acoustic interference.
The Orwell Bluegrass festival has now run for three years, and each year the organisation,
facilities, bands, picking and weather have been great. Each year the attendance has gone
up; all this festival needs to be truly great is more support from the Bluegrass fans.
Congratulations to Chris and Ralph; we're already looking forward to next year.
We set off with some trepidation for this gig - there having been several days of snow and it was
snowing quite heavily in Cambridge and Essex early in the day. However, Tom Travis had assured us
that the weather was fine in Sunny Stockport, so we girded our loins and set off. The worst bit
was picking up Terry in Kettering... he lives at the bottom of a fairly deep hollow and we needed
several people pushing to get us out! However, we had a warm welcome at the club, which made up
for the journey, and it was good to hear Tom and his band open up the evening with a set of
Bluegrass classics.
His band is full of accomplished musicians, and we were treated to a spirited set of Irish
reels on mandolin and 5-string. Michael Giverin (mandolin) is part of the Jaywalkers who made
the finals of the 2009 Young Folk Musician of the Year.
It is always a treat to play to an attentive audience; Tom and his team have established a
great club and deserve the support they get. Greg would like to put out a special word of thanks
to the sound guy, as Hazel says that the fiddle sound (maybe not the notes) was perfect.
For those of you who think that the life of a bluegrass musician is glamorous, Hazel and Greg
got home to Cambridge at 4 a.m. after driving through temperatures of -11 degrees Centigrade!
Paul, Mike and Grahame, being sane, were delighted to stay overnight with Tom.
Congratulations are due to Phill Morley and his team for putting on a really entertaining and
instructive day of bluegrass. The concert by The Special
Consensus was stunning; we were delighted to be part of it. Dave Bresnen did an excellent
job as sound man and MC - how does he twiddle the knobs and talk from the stage at the same time?
We'd like to thank the folks who sent us nice emails about our performance - it gives us a warm
glow in these cold January days. Let's all look forward to the next bash in Steeple Morden.
Mike Green asked us to be the
featured band at this annual event, and it proved a great way to start the year with
lots of picking before the concert started. Mike Green prevailed on Greg to join him
and Dave Tricker on stage - this time with 10 minutes to prepare (it was 2 minutes the last time
they all played together) - Greg hopes he didn't ruin their set. Mike Green sent us a couple
of pictures from the day.
As Grahame had been away in Florida for a few weeks it was good to get back playing
together as a band. It was cold outside but there was a warm and friendly atmosphere
intside. Congratulations to Mike and his team for organising such an enjoyable day.
We're all looking forward to
seeing everyone at Steeple Morden next weekend.
Ian Tofte (behind the banjo in the picture above) and Paul Smith are to be congratulated on
running their second Bluegrass Fun Day
in Cranfield Village Hall. The place was buzzing from early morning until the end of the concert.
Despite the miserablish weather, there was a good turnout and every available space in the hall
resonated to the sound of bluegrass and good cheer.
The concert in the evening was got off to a great start by various scratch bands that Ian
whipped together - some had as much as 2 minutes to practice (if we are to believe
Greg Wright). As you can see, there was quite a contingent from the East of England.
We had a lot of fun picking with folks during the day and playing along in the slow jam
and then got to play to a very attentive audience in the evening. A most enjoyable day.
The Five Bells is a really friendly, old-fashioned, village pub with pub games, cards, bar
billiards, pool, books to read, food and open all day. Just the sort of place you'd hope to
stumble on if you needed a break on a journey; even better if it is your local. This was
a nice gig for us, and let us limber up for Cranfield on the following day. One of the locals
was celebrating his 69th birthday, and had made a huge vat of curry - there was lots left for
us at the end. The cool Father Christmas... don't ask.
We all really enjoyed ourselves at both the afternoon workshop and the evening concert where
we were well supported by the Grumpy Old Men and the Workshop Fiddlers. This was a home gig for
Greg, who has been a member of the Duxford Saturday Workshop for more than 30 years and is
one of their Trustees. Greg's day (probably year) was made when a younger member of the audience
asked him for an autograph...
20/Sep/2008
Private function: Well, OK, it was Grahame's 60th birthday party, a select gathering of solely the
invited... and what an amazing collection of people. There were the glitteratti of bluegrass (not us),
magnificent motorbikers, DElvis was in the building, and so was a lovely lady with a great voice. We got
our set over with early on and then enjoyed the rest of the evening. We also got to meet Grahame's
family, who it must be said, are all a lot better-looking than him. Rather than bore you with more
pictures of the band in white shirts, here is one of the cake!
Grahame obviously comes from a very talented family as this cake was made by one of his relatives. The
detail is amazing... can anyone identify the tune that the tab written around the outside represents? No
prizes, but you will get a mention here as a banjo anorak of the first order.
Well, here we are at Didmarton once more! Fantastic to see all the old faces (not to mention quite a
few young ones) again for the annual jamboree. This year we got to open the Saturday night
concert on the main stage. We wondered if everyone would be having their tea as it was quite
an early start. We shouldn't have worried; there was a full tent and a very supportive audience
(we had no idea that Grahame has so many friends!)
It was a treat and a pleasure to play.
There were many highlights for us this year, but
perhaps the most amazing, at least for me, was when Paul decided that the time had come for him
to consider his future and attend Bill Smarme's workshop on Sunday morning. This was
basically a conversion course to Rock music and how to be a Rock Star for bluegrass musicians.
I am incredibly grateful to Pat & Ron Keedy who sent me some stills and a fabulous video of
the finale where the students got to demonstrate their new-found skills. I have compressed it down to 9 MB
(click here to see it) and here are a couple
of stills to give you the flavour of the performance. I will forever see Paul in a new light.
We can only hope that now he has found his true path, his old Martin guitars will be found a good
home.
As ever, many thanks to John and Moira Wirtz and the huge team of hard-working helpers for making this
festival such a great occasion. I'm already looking forward to next year.
12/Jul/2008
Family Fun Day in aid of Finchingfield Guildhall Restoration, 4pm The Red Lion, Finchingfield, Essex.
This year, the band performed as a trio as both Grahame and Greg (who was hearbroken
not to be there) had prior engagements. We have all cleared our diaries for next year!
This was the first gig for our new banjo player, Grahame Turner. It is great for us to have permanent
banjo player again (and many thanks to Greg Wright and Kenny Baker for helping us out in the interim).
Grahame is well-known to bluegrass afficionados in the region and we are delighted that he has agreed
to join us. It would seem that the hardest thing for him to cope with in the band is the sartorial style. See the
members page for a photograph of him in his natural state.
7/Jun/2008
Private function, Finchingfield, Essex.
29/Mar/2008
The Red Lion, Finchingfield
Another home fixture for Paul and Mike. An interesting evening, featuring an attempt on the largest number
of people per square metre of pub space ever recorded, an enthusiastic family party, an amazingly good drag act,
and a bluegrass band.
Despite having played here a couple of times before, we were invited back!
The Kings Head is turning into a bit of a bluegrass venue, as there is now not only a series
of concerts here, but also a pick (last Tuesday of the month). It hasn't yet achieved the
fame of The Station Inn, Nashville, but Michelina and Richard are working on it.
We didn't featuring Dixon on banjo, this time, as he is now living in California and has got himself
a new band, so we are all looking forward to hearing what that is like. Our old mate, Kenny Baker, was to
have played banjo for us, but he has had a nasty fall, and broken his leg. I'm sure everyone who knows
Kenny will wish him a speedy recovery. Greg Wright was prevailed on to stand behind the banjo
for this, and for the next few gigs.
20072006
Last updated: Monday, 8th March, 2010, GPS
There were many highlights for us this year, but
perhaps the most amazing, at least for me, was when Paul decided that the time had come for him
to consider his future and attend Bill Smarme's workshop on Sunday morning. This was
basically a conversion course to Rock music and how to be a Rock Star for bluegrass musicians.
I am incredibly grateful to Pat & Ron Keedy who sent me some stills and a fabulous video of
the finale where the students got to demonstrate their new-found skills. I have compressed it down to 9 MB
