3rd Bluegrass Jamboree! on Tour EUROPE

„The Future of Bluegrass“
Della Mae (USA) “The Daughters of Bluegrass
Deadly Gentlemen (USA) “Epic Folk & Grasscore”
Cahalen Morrison & Eli West (USA) “Mountain Roots“

As the Bluegrass World celebrates the hundredth birthday of Bill Monroe, the
“father” of bluegrass music, the 3rd „Bluegrass Jamboree – Festival of
Bluegrass & Americana Music“, with three young and innovative artists
performing on this year`s tour, will offer a look into the future of the
genre. Many of the exciting developments in Bluegrass are currently found
outside the regions of its origin in the South East of the United States. In
the same way Bill Monroe and his band invented Bluegrass in the late 1940s
mixing Blues, Jazz, Irish and Scottish folk, Gospel and Spirituals in
Kentucky, his peers and successive generations of players kept experimenting
on developing new aspects and sounds until today. This year the „Jamboree“
artists are all from the northern states of the USA, where the music grows
more freely without sometimes rather conservative limitations of the South.
The sound stays fully authentic and usually only experts may notice the
differences and find out that most of the music is new and does not draw
from the repertoire of sixty years of Bluegrass, although the connection is
still easy to recognize. But be sure – there will also be a good dose of
“Monroe” tribute on the show!

CAHALEN MORRISON and ELI WEST present archaic folk sounds on banjo and other
stringed instruments, played with energy and virtuosity of Bluegrass. There
will be intense spellbinding two-part male vocals along lyrics about
essential life experiences, guiding the audience on a journey through the
musical heights of New Folk, Oldtime and Bluegrass. The two rising stars of
the Seattle Folk scene perform new pieces with the musical sound of today.
Cahalen’s songwriting is inspired by the old songs of a time, when hard work
and the struggle to survive the Depression years in the mountain region of
the Appalachians lead to a musical form that dealt with the existential
aspects of life: themes of landscape, nature, love, sorrow, grief, joy,
death and reverence, deeply spiritual, open and honest. In the course of
history this sometimes-called “White Mans’s Blues” was named oldtime, folk,
country, bluegrass and hillbilly. The “fire” of Cahalen and Eli emerges from
the combination of songwriting with the intensity of the Bluegrass and
beautifully played instruments as well as intense vocals. At age 15 the
(practically incurable) bluegrass virus got Eli, since then he has been
devoted to stringed instruments. His special way of playing the guitar
combines breathtaking solo and rhythm work. He also writes the vocal
arrangements which can be characterized by spirited rhythmic and harmonic
explorations of the style – exactly the artistic freedom that motivated the
musicians of the genre back in the early years of the 20th century – or as
Monroe put it: “create your own music!”

THE DEADLY GENTLEMEN
These banjo-rappers at some of their performances in the South virtually had
to escape from the stage of a traditional Bluegrass Festival, because the
audience did not seem ready for the innovative “rap-grass“-sound of the
band. Amazing, as they further developed Bill Monroe’s idea of Bluegrass:
the mix of old and new: Rap, Jazz, Pop and Rock, New Acoustic Music plus
Bluegrass into something they call „Grasscore and Epic Folk“. The lyrics
sometimes are harsh and violent, but also sweet and romantic and tell about
love and hate and many other timeless topics. The way they combine rhythmic
vocal structures and wild, improvisational instrumental outbursts is simply
revolutionary. “The Bluegrass Police will definitely keep an eye on us”
laughs master Gentleman, banjo wizzard and doctor of molecular biology Greg
Liszt. He joined Bruce Springsteen for productions and on tour, became a
founding member of progressive folk roots band “Crooked Still” and is
considered as one of the few true banjo innovators. His playing is “funky”
and expands traditional three-finger picking into a four-finger style with
exciting rhythmic elements along powerful melodic lines.

DELLA MAE, or in other words five of the best female Bluegrass musicians and
performers of the North East together in one “supergroup“. They do not think
much of the rather softly played softer modern Bluegrass style, but favour a
more speedy and rough version of this kind of music. As huge fans of the
40`s and 50`s sound of the wild men of that era, the five women combine a
strong drive, powerful harmonies and modern songwriting to a contemporary
and intensive style of Bluegrass, which they will perform for the first time
in Europe at all. Celia Woodsmith’s powerful voice is influenced by various
styles of music from Bluegrass, Country and Soul over to Blues and even
Folk. Through her impressive play of the rhythm guitar on stage she`s the
connective part between the different members of this ambitious band. Kimber
Ludiker plays the fiddle: when she was three years old her grandfather
taught her the first fiddle lessons and today by the beginning of her 20s
she already has been awarded Grand National Fiddle Champion twice. She is
considered as one of the central artists of her generation and in her
furious play of the extraordinary five-string fiddle she mixes elements of
Bluegrass, Oldtime and Western Swing.
Courtney Hartman provides the Flat Pick Solo Guitar, an instrument which
first in the 1960`s became an equal part of the Bluegrass-ensemble besides
mandolin, fiddle and banjo and is more often played by men. For her virtuoso
solos she regularly gains standing ovations from enthusiastic audiences.
Today besides her band activities she is taking classes in “serious” music
at the well-respected Berklee College of Music in Boston, a region where
currently the most exciting developments in Bluegrass music in the USA are
taking place. Jenny Lyn Gardner is a master of the Bluegrass Mandolin: As
the band’s “snare drum“ she is responsible for the typical Bluegrass
off-beat rhythm. In traditional Bluegrass there is no percussion itself, so
this part is taken over by the other instruments together. During the band`s
performances it is always an exciting moment listening to Jenny Lyn`s vivid
solos. Amanda Kowalski plays the acoustic String Bass. A true and living
legend at the string bass, she has played in extraordinary projects together
with banjo explorers Tony Trischka, Bela Fleck or Abigail Washburn, only to
name a few of the great names she has performed with over the years. Her
musical journey lead Amanda, who was born in the Hillbilly State of West
Virginia, to the “Grand Ole Opry“ in Nashville as well as to Sidney`s famous
opera house where she played highly respected shows.

3. Bluegrass Jamboree! – Festival of Bluegrass and Americana Music

01.12.2011 77654 Offenburg Reithalle 20:00
02.12.2011 72762 Reutlingen franz k 20:00
03.12.2011 CH-8200 Schaffhausen Kammgarn 20:00 Switzerland
04.12.2011 80333 München Amerikahaus 20:00
05.12.2011 88212 Ravensburg Zehntscheuer 20:00
06.12.2011 87435 Kempten Haus International 20:00
07.12.2011 91154 Roth Kulturfabrik 20:00
08.12.2011 84478 Waldkraiburg Haus der Kultur 20:00
09.12.2011 53121 Bonn Harmonie 19:30
10.12.2011 63303 Dreieich Bürgerhaus Sprendlingen 20:00
11.12.2011 06295 Lutherstadt-Eisleben Landesbühne 18:00
12.12.2011 CZ-Prag OREA Hotel Pyramida 19:30 Czech Republic
13.12.2011 34127 Kassel Schlachthof 20:00
14.12.2011 99817 Eisenach Alte Mälzerei 20:00
15.12.2011 44137 Dortmund Domicil 20:00
16.12.2011 31137 Hildesheim Kulturfabrik Löseke 20:00
17.12.2011 28816 Stuhr Gutsscheune Varrel 20:00
18.12.2011 41564 Kaarst Albert Einstein Forum 20:00

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