There’s always a temptation to keep it to oneself when one is aware of a little gem of a festival like Westport Folk & Bluegrass, but spread the word one must! As proud ‘friends of the Festival’ this year, Lonesome Highway enjoyed a three day feast of top class old time, bluegrass and folk music from Europe and the US, all located within a few minutes walk within the centre of the ‘boutique destination’, the small town of Westport in Co Mayo. Somehow, this festival manages to programme a mainly free series of performances and sessions in various venues around the town, and only the three main evening performances had a paid ticket.
SLO County Stumblers (named after San Luis Obispo County in California, where they now call home) brought their progressive hard driving old time music to the main stage in the Town Hall theatre on the first night. Based on the string band tradition of the 20s and 30s, perfect for barn dancing, they also hosted a fun Square Dance in the Clew Bay Hotel, where locals got their first taste of that Southern US tradition. The fiddle-banjo transatlantic duo of Gabrielle Macrae and Barry Southern (The Horsenecks) also wowed the main stage with their traditional American roots music, some original songs and some standards, all performed with faultless musicianship and soulful harmonies.
Ireland was represented by several acts. Brendan Butler is a well know bluegrass mandolin player and singer from Cork. He was joined by his son Louis on guitar (one to watch), and the father-son harmonies were exquisite, along with their well chosen selection of old time, bluegrass and country standards and a few originals, enhanced by their high lonesome vocals. At one performance, they were joined by Tim Rogers (a Vermonter who has made his home in Ireland for many years and is also a member of the organising committee) on fiddle, and Freda Hatton (another local member of the committee, and an accomplished Irish traditional musician) on Irish harp! Also from Cork came the Long Way Home duo, comprising Kylie Kay Anderson (from the US) and Owen Schinkel (from the Netherlands). Their blend of mandolin and fiddle old time music was a good fit for the festival, and they played a full part in the many sessions, and were spotted attending the mandolin workshop conducted by Dan Beimborn (US) who flew in from London especially for the event.
The CornMaiz String Band brought their Appalachian tunes, dance and lore from Eastern Kentucky. Band leader Carla Gover is also a superb educator in Appalachian culture, and her flat footing demonstrations were especially popular. She also took part in Footworks and Fiddles, a workshop in both Irish and Appalachian dance styles, with Bernadette Nic Gabhann. Germany’s Johnny & The Yuahoos were a revelation, with their serious bluegrass chops and progressive approach to the music. Most of all, they were great fun, and I look forward to see their return again soon.
The StillHouse Junkies from Colorado were as dynamic live performers as I had anticipated from their recordings, and it was obvious why they were named IBMA Momentum Band of the Year in 2021. Despite being jet lagged, they too threw themselves headlong into the sessions, as well as battling a poor sound system in one of their pub gigs. But the Saturday night theatre concert allowed them to shine as they deserved. The highlight among highlights was the Chicago band, The Henhouse Prowlers, who are also Bluegrass Ambassadors with the US State Dept and have played all over the world. Led by banjo player and charismatic founder, Ben Wright, the besuited four piece cut a dash both musically and visually, all weekend, culminating in their Main Stage performance on Saturday night.
The Folk component of the festival was rounded off by the superb pairing of old friends, Tony Reidy and Seamie O’Dowd, who treated their rapt audience to two hours of song swapping and storytelling on the Sunday night.
In addition to the aforementioned, Lonesome Highway unfortunately missed several band performances, including local stalwarts The Clew Bay Critters, The Jumper Cables (CZ), Yonder Boys (Germany), as well as the always popular Gospel Hour in the beautiful Holy Trinity church.
Many thanks to Uri, Sarah, Tim and Freda for their hard work in yet again producing a welcoming and musically excellent event. Roll on 2023!
Report by Eilís Boland