The weather was almost perfect for the 11th European World of Bluegrass
Festival,
sponsored by the European Bluegrass Music Association on 1-3 May. Attendance
remained at peak level, the little Dutch town of Voorthuizen bursting with
bluegrass music for 3 days as bands performed throughout the village, and musicians
jammed in every corner of the festival venue. The EWOB 2008 Festival featured
41 wonderful bands from 15 countries, including special USA guests Sally Jones & the
Sidewinders, Appalachian Uprising, and Dick Staber & Judith Chasnoff, and
EWOB's first groups from Norway (Ile Auto and the Holstein United Bluegrass
Boys) and Spain (Lluis Gomez Quartet and Autopista 6).
The EWOB 2008 Festival in the Netherlands is the apex of the 30-day European
World of Bluegrass, fostering the growth of bluegrass music in cooperation this
year with 195 European festivals and events taking place during the "International
Bluegrass Month" of May. The EWOB Festival is a music festival and professional
convention with trade show and workshops, and hosts the annual European Bluegrass
Band competition. In 2003, EWOB became the only European festival ever to win
the International Bluegrass Music Association's prestigious Bluegrass Event of
the Year Award. www.ewob.eu
We are very pleased to announce the winners of the 2008 European Bluegrass Band
Awards, chosen by the EWOB 2008 Festival musicians as their reigning champions:
#2 European Bluegrass Band 2008: PETR BRANDEJS BAND (Czech Republic)
#3 European Bluegrass Band 2008: 4-WHEEL DRIVE (The Netherlands)
In addition to the professional band awards, the EWOB Festival audience always
elects its own favorite groups from the three days of showcase performances:
#2 Audience Popularity Award, EWOB 2008: BLACKJACK (Czech Republic)
#3 Audience Popularity Award, EWOB 2008: SUNNY SIDE (Czech Republic)
The #1 European Bluegrass Band 2008, Acousticure, is the first bluegrass band
from Hungary to appear at this colorful international gathering, performing at
the past 2 European World of Bluegrass Festivals. An energetic 4-piece group
of impressive multi,-instrumentalists, Acousticure keeps the sound crew hopping
with frequent instrument changes. Their young spokesman, mandolin-fiddler-guitarist
Zsolt Pinter, has spent enough time in the USA to speak English like a native,
and has a remarkable command of bluegrass-country vocals. Acousticure's musical
vision playfully fuses bluegrass influences from old-time to newgrass, often
incorporating their native Hungarian folk music. (An example of the latter, Kis
Kece Lanyom, can be heard on the European World of Bluegrass 2007 CD from Strictly
Country Records, on CD Baby.) The US bluegrass scene will get a chance to experience
Acousticure onstage in Nashville at the International Bluegrass Music Association's
(IBMA) World of Bluegrass convention in October 2009, where they will perform
as the #1 European Bluegrass Band.
ACOUSTICURE:
Zsolt Pinter: fiddle, guitar, mandolin, vocal
Geza Kremnitzky - mandolin, banjo, vocal
Peter Gyergyadesz - bass, vocal
Andras Toth - guitar, banjo, dobro, mandolin, vocal
Congratulations to all the EWOB 2008 award winners, and many thanks to all the
talented musicians who traveled to Holland to share their music at the EWOB 2008
Festival. It was unforgettable. www.ewob.eu.
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