What began in
1995, as a small intimate music session, bringing together an eclectic group of
bluegrass musicians, has grown and flourished and this year sees the Guinness
International Bluegrass Festival return to Dunmore East, Co. Waterford for its 18th year.
The free festival
will take place in the picturesque fishing village from August 23rd
to August 26th and the festival organisers are delighted to welcome
back perennial bluegrass favourite, Jack Grace, aka The Martini Cowboy.
Jack Grace and his band will headline an enviable line up of bluegrass
artists for Ireland’s
only free bluegrass music festival and fans of bluegrass, country, rhythm,
roots, new grass and blues are expected to descend on the picturesque fishing
village to enjoy free music events played throughout the village’s pubs and
hotels.
Jack’s style of
music has been described by Time Out New
York as “gritty down home country as it should
be.” Having played with a host of music
legends such as Doc Watson, Junior Brown, Norah Jones and Wayne Hancock, the
legend Jerry Lee Lewis said of him “He’s like that Cash kid, but good!”
According to Mick
Daly, Festival Founder and Organiser, this years festival promises something
for all music lovers. “Headline act Jack
Grace brings his own unique urban style to bluegrass, while there will be the
more traditional bluegrass names featuring at the festival, such as Gypsy
Rebel Rabble, Knotty Pine, Desert Aces and the Mons Wheeler Band.”
“The Jeff
and Vida Band from New Orleans
went down a storm when they performed at the festival back in 2009. We are looking forward to this New Orleans acoustic roots
band performing a repertoire of original material spanning from Appalachian bluegrass
to alternative country.”
“Visitors can
also expect some high energy performances from Galway band Mikey and the Scallywags,
returning for their second year and bringing with them a variety of entertainment
that ranges from gypsy to bluegrass to folk to storytelling”, he added.
Lands End,
a diverse group of young musicians who crossed paths at one of the UK's premier Bluegrass
workshops will make their Dunmore East Bluegrass debut this year.
The band, made up of
members from Cork, Galway, Dublin,
Munich, Liverpool and Canada met at the Sore Fingers
bluegrass workshop in Oxfordshire in April and formed for a one off show.
However the impact they made dictated that they couldn’t possibly stop there
and have been gigging throughout Ireland
and the UK
ever since.
The 18th
Guinnness International Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival kicks off at 7pm on
Thursday, August 23rd at The Spinnaker Bar and Restaurant and will feature bluegrass and blues bands, playing
free gigs in the villages’ pubs, restaurants and hotels.
For more information about the 18th
Guinness International Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival in Co. Waterford visit www.discoverdunmore.com
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