The 8th Bristol Bluegrass Festival 2016

Line-up

Heather Bristow and friends

Heather Bristow grew up in North Carolina but has made her home in England for more than a decade now. She released her debut cd of original songs, 'Hope on the Vine', in 2009, tracks from which were finalist entries in the UK Songwriting Contest (UKSC), have been featured on radio programmes around the world and appeared in the top 10 on the Roots Report's UK and US folk charts in the Spring of 2010 based on airplay. Heather has performed at bluegrass and folk festivals throughout England in a variety of line-ups, including Didmarton and Cornish bluegrass festivals, Priddy Folk Festival, Cambridge Folk Club, the Village Pump Weekender (Trowbridge), Folk at the Oak (Corsham) and a variety of venues in the Bath and Bristol area. She has performed with The New Essex Bluegrass Band, Appalachia and Hog Ranch, among others, and was a founding member of The Woodberrys. She currently performs modern and traditional folk, original songs and blues as the duo Two Corbies with her long-time collaborator Colin Sillence and also bluegrass/Amerciana with Sean Hogan of Hog Ranch.

The Ben Somers String Band

The Ben Somers String Band will be playing a mix of Appalachian Old Time and contemporary acoustic music.

The Grass Snakes

The Grass Snakes are a bluegrass band that play an exciting mix of bluegrass classics and other material, using traditional bluegrass instrumentation of Fiddle, Banjo, Guitar, Mandolin, Double Bass and 3/4 part harmony vocal, delivered in the high, lonesome way. They performed live together for the first time in January 2013 to a very enthusiastic crowd. However, none of them is a stranger to appearing in the public arena, as they have over 140 years of gigging experience between them. Experience and influences include Rock and Roll, Jazz, Blues, Cajun, Zydeco, Motown, Soul, Traditional Welsh, English, Irish and American folk, Gospel, Choral and Madrigal Singing and, of course, Bluegrass. This diversity of influences adds a refreshing zest to their take on traditional bluegrass as they also take material from these other musical canvasses and create their own bluegrass landscape.

The Vanguards

The Vanguards are a five-piece traditional bluegrass band, mostly based in London, consisting of Jack Baker on mandolin, Alex Clarke on guitar, Chris Lord on banjo, Laura Nailor on fiddle and Pete Thomas on bass. They take their musical inspiration from the originators of bluegrass music. Instrumentally, they seek to create a sound which blends the mandolin style of Bill Monroe, the banjo style of Ralph Stanley and the old-time style of fiddling which typified early bluegrass recordings and which continues to influence the sound of Dr. Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys into the present day. Their repertoire reflects these musical influences. Their choice of songs strongly favours those written or recorded by The Stanley Brothers and Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys, but they also feature several songs made popular by Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys and Flatt & Scruggs. Their particular passion is exploring and faithfully recreating bluegrass music’s many rarely-heard instrumental compositions, particularly those written by Bill Monroe and Dr. Ralph Stanley.

The Hogranch

Is another of those bands that found their feet at Sore Fingers Week making legendary performances in that high profile event. They have come a long way since then, performing around the Bristol area and at Bluegrass Festivals. Well here they are and you will be glad, as The Hog Ranch play a range of Bluegrass and Americana including some self-penned numbers.

the Jolenes

Meet the Jolenes - London’s favourite all-girl bluegrass band. With harmonies & hairdos evoking a bygone era of vintage glamour and forbidden foundation garments, the Jolenes rustle up a down-home blend of spicy bluegrass and sweet old-time country, with a dash of red hot rockabilly thrown in for good measure. In their signature red frocks, the Jolenes gather round a single microphone in the traditional bluegrass style to deliver songs of love, hate, horses and muleskinners. Add to this hair-raising fiddle, hard-driving banjo, and a foot-stomping rhythm section, and you’ve got yourself some red hot rockin’ bluegrass!

With an awe inspiring live show that is guaranteed to raise the roof, swinging from the most tender , heartfelt paean to the blues, to the highest full throttle barn storming, juke joint boogie stompers, theirs is the show that is wowing the land.

The Kentucky Cow Tippers

Since forming in 2008, the Kentucky Cow Tippers have deservedly earned a reputation as one of the hardest working and most exciting acts on the UK’s acoustic music scene. Their unique approach to bluegrass draws from a deep appreciation of every aspect of the genre: they’ve absorbed everything from traditional Appalachian harmonies and fiddle tunes through to the psych/country-tinged sounds of Old & In the Way and the Seldom Scene, as well as progressive “Newgrass” by the likes of Béla Fleck and Punch Brothers. They incorporate all of these elements, along with folk, pop/rock and jazz influences, into their original material and refreshing renditions of bluegrass classics. Founding members Sam Wear (banjo), Rupert Hughes (guitar) and Evan Davies (mandolin) all hail from the North East, and are responsible, individually and collectively, for penning the group’s original material. In 2014, this core trio was augmented by American fiddler Niles Krieger and jazz bassist Sam Quintana. The result is a driving, energetic quintet that delivers a tight yet spontaneous stage show

Workshops

Banjo

John Breese is our bluegrass banjo teacher. John currently teaches and performs full time after completing his Masters Degree in Music at the University of Southampton. John has many years of experience as a workshop leader and in teaching one-to-one lessons to all ages. Past projects have included running Bristol Bluegrass Day's banjo workshop, organising and teaching in the BBMA tuition tent, acting as a teaching assistant at Sore Fingers Summer School 2011 and working with Young Folk Award finalists, Jaywalkers, in a project bringing Bluegrass music into schools around Gloucestershire. John has been booked to teach at the internationally renowned Sore Fingers Summer School in Easter 2012.

Alongside teaching, John tours internationally with the Coal Porters and performs around the country with various other Bluegrass bands as well as being available for recording sessions.

John graduated from the University of Southampton with a BA (Hons) in 2010 majoring in classical guitar and was awarded the highest mark for performance that year. In 2011 he was presented with the St. Michael's Church Scholarship and gives solo recitals around Hampshire.

Fiddle

Laura Carrivick is the fiddle teacher. Aside from teaching, Laura is a professional musician touring full time all over the UK and abroad with The Carrivick Sisters and also works as a recording session musician. Laura has a grounding in classical violin but became interested in bluegrass at an early age. She has had several years teaching experience, working privately from home, as a teacher in the BBMA tuition tent, and also doing workshops at festivals and in primary schools.

In 2008 Laura won 2nd place in the Rockygrass Fiddle Contest in Colorado and prior to that came first at the Cornish Bluegrass Festival Fiddle Contest. As part of The Carrivick Sisters, she reached the finals of the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards 2010, and before that they won the 2007 South West Buskers Competition. Their music gets frequent airplay, including plays on BBC Radio 2 and they have also been interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.

Guitar

Charlotte is a professional musician and tours internationally with The Carrivick Sisters. She started out teaching herself classical guitar as a child, becoming interested in bluegrass in her early teens. Charlotte is a very precise and soulful clawhammer banjo player, which has been noted in several reviews of The Carrivick Sisters latest CD. Charlotte is also one of the BBMA tuition tent's regular tutors.

As part of The Carrivick Sisters, she reached the finals of the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards 2010, and before that they won the 2007 South West Buskers Competition. Their music gets frequent airplay, including plays on BBC Radio 2 and they have also been interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.

Tickets

Can be purchased from the Folk House. Telephone: 0117 9262987
or through their website: www.bristolfolkhouse.co.uk