Hello blog reading friends, Maria here. I’m just back from a couple of weeks enjoying great bluegrass music at several festivals around the UK, including Didmarton Bluegrass Festival in Gloucestershire, Gower Bluegrass in south Wales and Cornish Bluegrass Festival near Newquay. These are all wonderful events packed with enjoyable stuff including band performances, workshops and the ever present jam sessions so prevalent on the bluegrass scene. I really enjoyed catching up with friends from across the country (and beyond!) and getting involved in singing songs and playing tunes together. I also saw some wonderful performances on stage from a whole raft of bands including Growling Old Men (USA), Harpeth Rising (USA), Four Wheel Drive (Germany) and many great UK bands including Jaywalkers and the Hot Rock Pilgrims.

After that injection of bluegrass and collaboration I’m fired up for the next set of True North gigs, and we have a number of events coming up over the coming weeks. First up, tomorrow Sat 26th September, we have our double bill music & pictures event with Andy Leader of Made in Holmfirth. Andy is a local walking guide and landscape photographer and will be showing us some stunning images in his Catch the Light presentation, as well as live Americana/folk music from us. This event was inspired by the ongoing Bear Hunting walking festival in Kirklees and I’ve even written a new song to fit in with the theme of walking and our glorious Yorkshire countryside! Advance tickets are £7.50 from Holmfirth Tourist Info or online here (10% booking fee at WGT). £9 on the door.

http://www.wegottickets.com/event/328287

In early October we will be playing at The Globe Inn in Glossop, supporting the above mentioned Harpeth Rising from Kentucky. They are a hugely virtuosic folk/classical/bluegrass trio who went down a storm at the Cornish Bluegrass bash last weekend. The week after that we have our own gig at one of our favourite pubs, The Grove in Huddersfield, and later in October we’ll be playing an intimate evening at the Grape Room, a “pop up” wine bar in Honley. More details on all of those soon!