Catherine Burke has released a new CD of her own songs titled Exes, Losers and Other Men.
Catherine is a familiar face on the British bluegrass scene and also has strong ties to the world of folk music. The band on the recording includes Jules Bushell of Thunderbridge Bluegrass Boys on bass, Benny Wain on fiddle and Paddy Mathlin on banjo.
The new album features 11 original songs which Catherine says are “heavily influenced by my love of bluegrass and old time music, but also by trad English and all different types of folk music from around the world.”
You can listen to samples at Catherine’s bandcamp site and find out more about her and buy the album at her official website.
Details of the 2012 festival season are starting to emerge.
The first big event of the year looks set to be the Bristol Bluegrass Day on Saturday March 3rd. The event will include workshops and two concerts with performances from A Band Like Alice, Flats and Sharps, Jaywalkers and more.
Dates and links for this and many of the other festivals in 2012 can be found on our calendar.
If you are organising a festival or picking weekend and would like to see it listed on this site, let us know.
Transatlantic Sessions will be touring the nation next month.
The tour kicks off on February 2nd at Glasgow’s Celtic Connections where other artists of interest to bluegrass fans - such as Bela Fleck, Punch Brothers and Cahalen Morrison and Eli West - will also be performing over the next few weeks.
The show will then take in Lerwick, London, Dublin, Gateshead and Birmingham.
The performances will feature some of the top names from traditional and roots music including Jerry Douglas, Tim O’Brien, Russ Barenberg and Dirk Powell.
Dates and links can be found on our calendar pages. General info about the television programme can be found at the BBC website.
A new regular evening for old-time, bluegrass and related Americana music begins this month.
The Little Opry at the Tom Thumb Theatre in Cliftonville, Margate, Kent will have bookable 15 minute open mic slots followed by a headline band.
The opening night is on Saturday January 28th and will be headlined by Cut The Shuffle. The evening begins at 7.30pm and will then be held every other last Saturday in the month.
Punch Brothers release their latest album, Who’s Feeling Young Now?, on February 13th.
The band will be playing several gigs in the UK to promote the new release, with a headline show at London’s Bush Hall on January 18th, and a co-headliner gig with Carolina Chocolate Drops at Celtic Connections, Glasgow on the 20th.
They will also be supporting Amos Lee on several European dates, including Shepherds Bush Empire, London on January 21st. Full info can be found at punchbrothers.com.
The band are giving away one of the songs from the new album as a free download. Movement and Location can be obtained using the widget below.
East Anglian band Them Harvey Boys have released a new album, Lives Lived.
The CD features fourteen original tracks that are the culmination of four years of writing and two years of recording. You can buy the CD from gigs, or as a digital download from Bandcamp where you can also listen to the songs before purchasing.
The band have been playing plenty of live shows to launch the album and you can find out more at their website.
Young north-eastern bluegrass band The Kentucky Cow Tippers release their debut album, Old Iron Horse, later this month.
The album has 12 tracks including some new and original material. A launch concert is being held at The Millstone, Gosforth on December 17th and the recording will be available online the following day.
Minnesota band The Barley Jacks have released their second album, The Lighthouse.
The band are led by Brian Wicklund who is a firm fiddling favourite amongst British bluegrass fans, having taught and toured many times in the UK. Joe Cruz on guitar, Kevin Rowe on bass and Joel Arpin on percussion complete the line up.
The CD has 12 tracks, most of which are originals, and incorporates various forms of roots and jazz music as well as bluegrass itself.
You can hear samples and purchase the CD at CDBaby.com. Find out more about the band at their website and Facebook page.
