Folk and bluegrass fest returns

Ciara Moynihan

This year’s Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival will take place on the weekend of June 9-11, when music lovers and musicians will once again flock to the town to play and hear top-class folk and blues in ten different venues scattered throughout Westport.
The programme – the festival’s 17th – will feature the usual mix of concerts, pub gigs, open sessions, workshops, square dances, a gospel hour and a record fair, as well as few new additions, such as a pop-up shop for music accessories and bluegrass book corner.
The lineup will include 15 acts – seven from the US, one from the UK, one from the Czech Republic, one ‘pan European’ act and four Irish acts.
Among those on the bill are bluegrass sensations The Kody Norris Show, the fantastic Bill and the Belles and one of the most exciting bluegrass band from the west coast of the US – Fog Holler. Old-time fiddle maestro Austin Derryberry will perform with his wife Courtney and guitarist Greg Reish, while Irish singer and fiddle player Niamh Dunne of Beoga fame will also be putting in a performance.
The Kody Norris Show thrives in their own style – variously described as retro, hillbilly, bluegrass or rockabilly. Deeply rooted in North American folk music, Kody Norris has crafted a performance that harkens back and tips a hat to the traditions created by Bill Monroe, Jimmy Martin’s showmanship, the Stanley Brothers’ harmonies, performances of the Grand Ole Opry and a bit of Vaudeville. Top-notch picking is centre stage, but humour and visual flash are part of the entertaining package. Always clad in colourful, tailored suits adorned with rhinestones, ties, classic hats and ornate boots, the band earns its moniker as a ‘show’. The brand is traditional, clean cut, acoustic – and always entertaining.
Johnson City, Tennessee-based Bill and the Belles are known for combining a string-band format with their signature harmonies, candid songwriting, and pop sensibilities. Their delightfully deadpan new album, ‘Happy Again’, is full of life, humour, and tongue-in-cheek explorations of love and loss. Bill and the Belles is Kris Truelsen on guitar, fiddler Kalia Yeagle, banjo/banjo-uke player Aidan VanSuetendael and bassist Andrew Small.
Based in Portland, Oregon, Fog Holler features keening brother duo harmonies, rollicking banjo, sassy guitar, bowed bass, and ripping fiddle. Fog Holler breathes fresh life into well worn forms like the murder ballad and the power waltz while paying homage to their classic country and bluegrass forbears by modernising their familiar frameworks. Fog Holler’s captivating tunes and coordinated outfits never fail to win over longtime bluegrass fans and newcomers alike.
Austin and Courtney Derryberry perform old-time fiddle tunes and traditional southern American music. Austin is a high energy entertainer who enjoys hot tunes and fast lyrics. Courtney adds tight and unique harmonies, solid backup guitar, and rhythmic flatfoot dancing. An accomplished singer and a performer in his own right, Dr Reish plays guitar, banjo, mandolin, ukulele, fiddle, bajo sexto, jarana jarocha, guitarra de son, and other stringed instruments.
Lastly, after Beoga’s six albums, a shortlist for a Grammy and numerous international tours, Niamh Dunne is no stranger to reaching a wider international audience. A chance encounter with Ed Sheeran, Foy Vance and Johnny McDaid led to Boega co-writing Ed’s massive hit ‘Galway Girl’ and ‘Nancy Mulligan’ from his album Divide. They also performed as Ed Sheeran’s only special guest on his headlining Glastonbury 2017 performance and supported him on his record-breaking Irish stadium tour in 2018.
Dunne’s influences are rooted in traditional Irish and folk, but she has been at the forefront of pushing the boundaries of the tradition to explore new ground and pave the way for contemporary Irish music.
Other acts on the lineup include the Demolition String Band (US); Julie Langan, Declan Askin and Freda Hatton with special guest Brendan Butler (Ireland); the Lluis Gomez Quartet (Europe); Melody Walker and Jacob Groopman (US); Lunch Special (UK); The Rustic Robots (Czech Republic); Tim Rogers (Mayo) and of course, The Rockytop String Band (Mayo).
Many of the events are free to the public, but tickets for the main concerts and workshops are now available via the festival’s website, www.westportfolkbluegrass.com.