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NASHVILLE BLUEGRASS BAND (USA)
With two Grammy awards, two Entertainer of the Year honors from the International Bluegrass Music Association, and four wins as IBMA's Vocal Group of the Year, Nashville Bluegrass Band is no stranger to acclaim from both critics and fans alike.
In 2002, Pat Enright became one of the voices of the Soggy Bottom Boys, in the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? Alan O'Bryant, Mike Compton and Stuart Duncan also appeared on the film's soundtrack, and NBB began performing as a core element of the "Down From the Mountain" tour. In 2003, Stuart Duncan's fiddling was featured throughout the soundtrack of Cold Mountain and, again, NBB was an integral part of the "Great High Mountain" tour, which featured the music from both movies. The band celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2004, with the release of their Grammy nominated album Twenty Year Blues. |
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GUY CLARK (USA)
Texas songwriting legend Guy Clark doesn't merely compose songs; he projects images and characters with the kind of hands-on care and respect of a literary master. His songs have been recorded by Johnny Cash, Vince Gill, Ricky Scaggs, etc. Songs such as LA Freeway and Desperados waiting for a train may arguably be said to have set the tone for a musical revolution that was first known as progressive country. |
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FOUR MEN & A DOG (Ireland)
Four Men & a Dog made a name for themselves with their eclectic and vivacious blend of traditional Irish music with a wide spectrum of other genres, including rap, Southern rock, jazz, blues, bluegrass, polka, country swing, and even salsa. Featuring the brilliant fiddle/banjo playing of Cathal Hayden and Gerry
O'Connor, Four Men and a Dog are one of the most exciting live bands to emerge from the Irish shores. |
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DERVISH (Ireland)
Dervish are one of the most respected acts of modern time in World/Roots music worldwide. From the Great Wall of China to packed auditoriums in the Holy Land and more recently being the first Irish band to perform at the greatest music festival in the world, "Rock in Rio" on front of an estimate audience of two hundred
and forty thousand people, Dervish have come a long way in seventeen years. Dervish concert performances are a myriad of tones and moods ranging from high energy tunes, to beautifully measured songs, from charming lyrics of life and love, to inspiring melodies that lift audiences from their seats. All the elements are drawn together by Cathy Jordans masterful stage-presence. Her interaction with the audience draws people into the music in a way very few performers can achieve. |
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TIM O'BRIEN (USA)
Tim has been described as a song sponge. Songs collect and abide in his world as comfortably as family
heirlooms. They come from around the world, particularly the American South and Ireland. They morph into new ideas and new songs that update old truths about the human condition. Founding member of the legendary band, Hot Rize, Tim is a multi IBMA and Grammy award winner, most recently 2006 IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year and IBMA Song of the Year, and 2006 Grammy winning Best Traditional Folk Album of the year (Fiddlers Green). |
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ENDA SCAHILL & PAUL BROCK (Ireland)
Enda Scahill comes from a very musical family from Corofin in East Galway and has long established himself as one of the finest exponents of traditional Irish banjo playing. Paul Brock has been at the forefront of button accordion playing for many years and is a multiple All-Ireland champion. |
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ARTY McGLYNN (Ireland)
Guitar wiz Arty is one of the most sought after musicians in Ireland, playing and recording with the likes of Christy Moore, Paul Brady, Donal Lunny and Liam O'Flynn. He has played as a member of such prestigious groups as Planxty, Patrick Street, De Danann and the Van Morrison Band. In 1990 Arty, along with his fiddle-playing wife Nollaig Casey, was awarded the Belfast Telegraph Entertainment Media and Arts Award for excellence in the field of Folk Music. |
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GERRY O'CONNOR (Ireland)
Gerry O'Connor has brought the banjo to places no other player had tread before. He has travelled the world - physically and musically - experimenting with everything from Irish to bluegrass to African and Asian, and back to Irish. Both as a soloist and as a member of the highly acclaimed Four Men and a Dog, Gerry has truly traced the banjo's journey through the world of music. |
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BRENDAN O'REGAN (Ireland)
Multi instrumentalist and composer Brendan has worked on more than 38 instrumental albums crossing all genres, with acts such as, De Dannan, Waterboys, Mary Black, Dolores Keane, John Prine, Townes Van Zandt, and produced numerous others. Bouzouki wiz Brendan will be performing in concert with Gerry O'Connor. |
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UNWANTED (Ireland)
Returning to the Banjo Festival due to popular demand, Unwanted are a dynamic trio featuring Cathy Jordan of Dervish, with multi-instrumentalist Seamie O'Dowd, and one of the music world's most respected mouth organ players Rick Epping. |
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CARTER BROTHERS BAND (USA)
Intrepid world travelers...bringers of brief moments of happiness...blood relatives of The Carter Family...creators of their own brand of "groovinappalacianfolkrockfunkedupbluegrassgypsybluesmusic". Returning this year with their full band in tow, Tim and Danny Carter have become favoured performers of many Irish venues... |
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NIAMH PARSONS (Ireland)
Niamh Parsons has come to be known as one of the most distinctive voices in Irish music. Her voice has drawn comparisons to such venerated singers as Dolores Keane, June Tabor and Sandy Denny. The great Scottish balladeer Archie Fisher said of Niamh, "a songstress like her comes along once or twice in a generation." |
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RANCH HOUSE FAVORITES (Netherlands)
While contemporary country music seems to be dominated by the linedance-craze, true Americana still exists... it's called the RANCH HOUSE FAVORITES. Formed in 1992 and influenced by the great western swing bands of the 1940's and 1950's, this 5-piece outfit strives to achieve a sound that is at once authentic and timeless. if you're in the mood for a sentimental journey to the days when legendary artists like singing cowboy Roy Rogers, hillbilly troubadours Hank Williams and Ernest Tubb, Bill Monroe and king of western swing Bob Wills painted the American musical landscape, it's about time you checked out this rockin' Dutch band. All dressed up in their western-style suits with matching ten-gallon hats and razor-sharp cowboyboots, they really know how to get your place rocking with their soul-stirrin' tearjerkers, hard-boppin' breakdowns and breath-takin' harmonies. |
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NIALL TONER BAND (Ireland)
Niall Toner, Clem O'Brien and Dick Gladney have been performing and writing together now for the past six years. During this time they have recorded and released two all-original, all-acoustic CDs.
Niall's songs have been recorded by Albert Lee, Bill Wyman, The Special Consensus and most notably by the Nashville Bluegrass Band. Niall also presents the Roots Freeway on RTE Radio One every Tuesday evening, bringing a wide range of Bluegrass, Old Time Traditional and contemporary singer-songwriters and blues singers to a wide audience.
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JEFF & VIDA BAND (USA)
Performing original material spanning from Appalachian bluegrass to alternative country. Their live performances showcase Vida's powerful voice, Jeff's superb picking on mandolin, guitar and banjo, Mike Kerwin's slap-you-in-the-face bass playing and tight well arranged harmonies. With ballads that sound like they could have been written fifty years ago and raucous barnstorming numbers that keep your feet tapping their live shows are exciting and unique, full of humor, good music and unforgettable songs. |
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ROUGH DEAL STRING BAND (Ireland)
The music they play came from many sources, but they all come from the band's love of and passion for old-time stringband music. |
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SEAN WARD (Ireland)
Sean hails from County Leitrim, the son of well respected fiddlers John and Maggie Ward. Sean plays a healthy mix of old Irish traditional tunes and American traditional and bluegrass. He will perform in concert on the Market Square during the festival. |
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DAMARIS WOODS (Ireland)
Damaris is recognised as one of the foremost banjo players in the country, having won many accolades after her appearance on the Late Late Show as part of a Banjo Extravaganza with Barney McKenna, Gerry O'Connor, and Cathal Hayden. Her exceptional style of playing and her trademark triplets has other musicians striving to replicate it and a number of DJs have recreated her compositions in their mixes. Damaris will tutor workshops and perform in concert on the Market Square during the festival. |
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LLUIS GOMEZ QUARTET (Spain)
Lluis Gomez Quartet....featuring Lluis Gomez on 5-string banjo, Ricky Araiza on guitar, Joan Pau Comellas on harmonica & Maribel Sanchez on upright bass. Bluegrass music, from the Catalan region of Spain! |
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