Bluegrass Festivals -- Reiterating this great resource for Bluegrass (and some country/Americana) festivals in Europe

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

I just want to underscore the valuable calendar of festivals and other gigs across Europe on the European Blugrass Music Association Web site.

The founding members of the EBMA festival network are the biggies:

• EWOB European World Of Bluegrass, Voorthuizen, Netherland
• La Roche Bluegrass Festival, La Roche-sur-Foron, France
• Banjo Jamboree, Caslav, Czech Republic
• Didmarton Bluegrass Festival, Kemble Gloucestershire, Great Britain
• International Buehl Bluegrass Festival, Buehl, Germany
• Risor Bluegrass Festival, Risor, Norway
• Jamboree, Strakonice, Czech Republic
• Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival, Longford, Ireland
• Big Bear Festival, Zuidlaren, Netherland
• Munich Bluegrass Festival, Munich, Germany
• Bluegrass Meeting Birkenried, Birkenried, Germany
• International Bluegrass & Acoustic Music Festival, Abaliget, Hungary
• Appalachian & Bluegrass Festival Omagh, Ireland 

But there are dozens of other smaller and lesser known festival all over the continent, Ireland and Britain.

European Bluegrass -- Survey to help organize new EBMA magazine

The European Bluegrass Music Association has launched a survey to help it revamp its magazine Bluegrass Europe.

The new magazine is set to launch in April.

Meanwile, the EBMA web site is constantly being expanded, and the European Bluegrass blog provides a continuing flow of information, including gig dates, festivals, band profiles and other material.

European Bluegrass Summit in February

The EBMA reports that there will be a "European Bluegrass Summit" in Buehl, Germany in Feburary. Doubtlessly, my friend Walter Fuchs, a country music fan/DJ, expert and author, is involved -- he founded an annual bluegrass festival in Buehl, and has been tireless in promoting the music.

Get the details by clicking HERE.

The stated aims are:

* To provide an opportunity for a wide audience of up to forty participants to meet face to face, bond, and get to know each other,

* To highlight some of the issues affecting the promotion of bluegrass music in Europe,

* To explore the issues facing different countries and different cultures in Europe,

* To motivate people to work together more closely and to communicate more effectively.

There's a steering committee -- but it seems a little odd that there are no Czechs on it, given that there is more bluegrass per capita in the Czech Republic than just about anywhere else....