Guildtown gears up for bluegrass festival

Jul 20 2010 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

PERTHSHIRE becomes a nucleus for American roots music over the weekend of July 30-August 1 with two major events within a few miles of each other.

While Perth Concert Hall and Perth Theatre are the main venues for this year’s Southern Fried Festival organised by Horsecross Arts, Bluegrass music enthusiasts will be heading to Guildtown for the 24th annual Guildtown Bluegrass Music Festival hosted by the Scottish Bluegrass Association.

This year’s Bluegrass Festival line-up brings in bands from the USA and Europe. Headliners are Craig Duncan and Friends from the USA.

This five-piece outfit are based in the ‘bluegrass country’ region around Nashville, Tennessee, and play traditional Tennessee and authentic bluegrass music for audiences of all ages.

The group features Duncan on fiddle and mandolin, Billy Smith and Kris Ballinger on guitars, Mark Barnett on banjo and Dale Ballinger on bass,

Bandleader Craig Duncan is a member of the North American Fiddler’s Hall of Fame and Who’s Who in Music and Musicians.

Also appearing at Guildtown are All Bells & Whistles from the Czech Republic, who play in three concerts and lead a workshop, Bluegrass for Improvers, on Saturday morning.

Scottish-based bluegrass exponents appearing at Guildtown include Grassroutes, Goldrush, New Redwing, Dapper McDans, Longway and Ian Mairs.

Guildtown Village Hall is the centre for the Bluegrass activity and in true Festival fashion, campers will be jamming and socialising in the adjacent park.

For more info about the Guildtown Bluegrass Music Festival call 01968 670038 or 07968124582, or go on the website www.scottishbluegrass.com

Southern Fried Festival info and tickets from 01738 621031 and online www.horsecross.co.uk