Rawhide (Belgium) awarded honor at European World of Bluegrass

Congratulations to the Belgian band Rawhide, which received the 2013 "Liz Meyer-European Innovation of Bluegrass Music Award" at the European World of Bluegrass festival and trade show (EWOB) May 9-10-11..

The European Bluegrass Blog reports:

The most active band throughout the history of EWOB -- having performed in Voorthuizen every year since 1998 -- Rawhide was selected as the winner of this year's Liz Meyer European Innovation of Bluegrass Music Award in recognition of their long-running success in bringing bluegrass music to a broader audience. 

In its 35-year history, the band has developed its own unmistakable and immediately recognizable sound, and has become an undeniable presence and driving force in the European bluegrass scene.The members of Rawhide have combined their vocal and instrumental proficiency, their love of traditional bluegrass and their expertise in numerous other musical genres with imagination, creativity and humor, to create a unique sound and stage show that has extended the borders of bluegrass music in Europe.

Liz Meyer, a singer-songwriter, died in 2011 at the age of 59 after a decade-long battle with cancer. Liz, an American who had lived in the Netherlands for a quarter of a century, was a leading figure in the European bluegrass scene and a major organizer and promoter for the EWOB.

Bluegrass -- EWOB is on

 Czech band All Bells and Whistles, playing in Prague, March 2009. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

By Ruth Ellen Gruber

The annual European World of Bluegrass - EWOB -- festival and trade fair is on in Holland, and once again I was not able to arrange my time (or, let's face it, funding) so that I could attend!

Score of bands are taking part, from France, Germany, Czech Republic, The Netherlands, Hungary, Britain, Sweden, and on and on and on.... A fascinating and revealing chart on the EWOB web site demonstrates the Czech dominance of the European bluegrass scene -- the chart gives a country by country breakdown of performers for all EWOB festivals. See the full performance program for this year's event  HERE

See the workshop program HERE

Moreover EWOB's Trade Show showcases bluegrass-related merchants selling bluegrass instruments such as banjos, guitars, mandolins, dobros, and fiddles; acoustic instrument accessories, EWOB CDs and EWOB Festival t-shirts, bluegrass instructional materials and DVDs, bluegrass magazines, and more. Web sites for some of the exhibitors can be found HERE.

Bluegrass -- EWOB Program is now online

 Bluegrass jam session at European bluegrass festival in La Roche, France, 2009. Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

The program for the annual European World of Bluegrass festival and trade fair is now online. EWOB takes place May 13-15in Voorthuizen, Netherlands. More than 40 bands, jam sessions, merchandise, books, CD, workshops....It is a focal point of International Bluegrass Month -- May.

I wrote about this last year in an article in the IHT/NYTimes web site about bluegrass in Europe:

In Europe, dozens of bluegrass concerts, festivals, workshops and jam sessions take place throughout the year. Homegrown bands take center stage, but American musicians also often tour. And local bluegrass associations, Web sites, blogs and publications promote the music and chronicle events. Scotland, the Czech Republic, Norway and other locations have even had bluegrass programs in public schools.

The scene is small but intensely active, said Dennis Schut, a Dutch musician who has been involved in bluegrass since the 1970s. “I see it as a sort of religion or something,” he said. “You get addicted to bluegrass. The first time you hear it, you’re hooked.”

Bluegrass -- EWOB report

The European World of Bluegrass has come and gone (last weekend) and, as I reported earlier, I was unable to attend because of other commitments...

But -- you can see pictures and a report at the EWOB web site and also at the EBMA blog.

Organizers say there was perfect weather and record attendance this year.

Winners of the band competition and fan vote were:

#1 European Bluegrass Band 2009:
1. Downtown Ramblers, Sweden (www.downtownramblers.com)
2. G-Runs ‘n Roses, Czech Republic (www.g-runs.com)
3. Kreni, Czech Republic (www.sweb.cz/bgkreni)

Audience Popularity Award 2009
1. Blackjack, CZ (www.blackjackband.cz)
2. Bluegrass Stuff, Italy (www.bluegrass.it)
3. Sunny Side, Czech Republic (www.sunnyside.cz)

I've heard most of these bands perform at other festivals and have interviewed some of their musicians. As usual, the Czech bands demonstrated -- with their popularity, prowess (and sheer number, I guess) -- how deeply rooted bluegrass is in CZ.

Here's a picture of Sunny Side in action -- at the Caslav Banjo Jamboree a couple years ago:

Photo (c) Ruth Ellen Gruber

Karl May Magazine Jubilee

I need a way to clone myself....Because of other commitments, I had to miss three festivals I would have loved to have attended this weekend -- this year's annual Karl May Fest in Radebeul, Germany, the European World of Bluegrass, in Holland, and the Acoustic Music Festival in Sarzana, Italy (this year dedicated to Woody Guthrie.) Oh yes, the International Country Music Festival at Belmont University, where I spoke last year, also takes place this weekend, and I'm not there either.

I had a great time at the Karl May Fest last year, and also in 2005, and I wrote about it on this blog. As part of this year's festivities, the magazine Karl May & Co, which is dedicated to all things Karl May, celebrated its 25th anniversary. Congratulations! Click HERE to see my other blog posts and photos on the Magazine, the Festival and other Karl May related info.

Next weekend I'm going to miss even more festivals -- the annual Trucker and Country Festival in Geiselwind, Germany and the Jamboree folk and bluegrass festival at Strakonice, CZ.

There's just too much!

Bluegrass -- EWOB coming up

I've received in the (physical) mail the special magazine put out with details of the upcoming European World of Bluegrass, to be held in Voorthuizen, NL May 21-23.

Except for the advertising of bands, instrument makers, festivals and other whatnot found in the magazine pages (as well as some of the other bits and pieces of detail) most of the information -- and more -- is up online at the EWOB web site.

It's a huge program and the central point of European observance of May as worldwide bluegrass month. Dozens of bands are on the lineup.

Visit Europe's premier bluegrass event, the European World of Bluegrass Festival in the Netherlands. The EWOB Festival is an unforgettable experience for musicians and audience alike! For 3 fun-filled days, you'll see Europe's most exciting bluegrass groups compete for the European Bluegrass Band Awards, performing alongside the finest touring American artists. The #1 European Bluegrass Band wins a chance to perform in Nashville, Tennessee!

We come from many different countries, but we speak one common language: BLUEGRASS! Geographic, political, and cultural borders fall away as we join together to celebrate our love for bluegrass music, and meet new friends from faraway lands. Maybe world peace can start with a banjo intro.

Bring your friends, your family, your guitars, banjos, mandolins, dobros, basses, and fiddles, and join in the fun! See you in May at EWOB 2009!

Bluegrass: New EWOB web site

The European World of Bluegrass has launched a new web site with information and links pertaining to the 2009 EWOB Festival, to be held May 21-23, 2009 in the Netherlands.

On the site there will be updated information on festival arrangement. Also, you can hear clips from all 48 tracks on new the 10 years of European World of Bluegrass double CD. There's also a photo gallery from past festivals, with interactive space.