Big Easy band brings bluegrass to town

RENOWNED Pat Flory, the quintessential elder-statesman in the New Orleans old-time-country and bluegrass scene, is a founding member of the Sweet Olive String Band.

Some old time country and bluegrass is coming straight from New Orleans to Matt Molloy’s on Tuesday, July 25. The Louisiana-based Sweet Olive String Band is stopping off in Westport as part of a tour of The UK and Ireland, with special guest, local musician Tim Rogers, to play fiddle on the night.
Formed in 2012, the Sweet Olive String Band creates music that harkens back to an authentic and rarely heard sound from those early Grand Ole Opry days that conjures up the early pioneers of the genre like Hank Williams, early Bill Monroe and the Stanley brothers.
Founders Mike Kerwin and Pat Flory are talented multi-instrumentalists who swap between acoustic guitars, mandolins, steel guitars and stand-up bass, and specialize in the high lonesome harmonies first made famous by the bluegrass and country brother duets of the 1940s and ’50s. They will be joined on this trip by fellow multi-instrumentalist Jeff Burke – formerly of Westport veterans Jeff & Vida fame – who will pitch in on banjo, guitar, and mandolin.
Pat Flory is the quintessential elder-statesman in the New Orleans old-time-country and bluegrass scene. The 69 year old has been keeping the flame of bluegrass and country music alive in the city for over four decades. His deep love and expert execution of the genre come from a life steeped in exploring, playing and preserving country music in southeast Louisiana.
Pat was a mentor to Bela Fleck and spent a good deal of time performing with Bill C Malone, the historian and writer of Country Music USA – one of the definitive histories of country music in the US. His stellar instrumental work and vocal performances give the listener a glimpse back in time to a sound that in some ways has been lost in modern country and bluegrass music.
Mike Kerwin has been a successful singer songwriter and acoustic musician for over 20 years in New Orleans. His original compositions have received widespread praise in the city and beyond since the release of his solo album Rowboat. A sought-after sideman on stand-up bass and guitar, he has performed with some of New Orleans best known roots acts, including The Jeff & Vida Band, Johnny Sansone, Ingrid Lucia and others.
Mike’s passion for acoustic bluegrass and country music has seen him emerge as one of New orleans most active performers, preservers, and champions of the style in a city largely dominated by jazz and blues. That passion led him to Pat Flory and the formation of the Sweet Olive String Band, where he blends his own instrumental and vocal talents with Flory’s to create their authentic and compelling sound. Their show also features a number of Kerwin’s original compositions which feel right at home in the style.
Jeff Burke, co founder of The Jeff & Vida Band, has been collaborating with both Kerwin and Flory on and off for the last 20 years. A move to Nashville in 2005 took Burke away from New Orleans, but he has returned often for musical collaborations with the Sweet Olive founders. Burke’s move to Nashville allowed him to immerse himself in that city’s pulsing bluegrass and country scene and to spend time picking with and learning from some of the best-known talent in the business.
His deep love of bluegrass led him to begin teaching in 2013 and, in addition to becoming a sought after sideman in ‘Music City’, he has become a well-respected bluegrass instructor, leading group classes, workshops and lessons in Nashville and at festivals around the country.
Long-time Louisburgh resident Tim Rogers (originally from New England, US) is well known on the local scene as a member of the popular Clew Bay Critters and as a talented fiddle, banjo and mandolin player.

The Sweet Olive Stringband will perform in Matt Molloy’s Yard Bar on Tuesday, July 25. Doors open 8pm;
admission, €10.