Portland, Oregon is home to some mighty fine bands and solo artists, including Richmond Fontaine and Laura Veirs. It was here Courtney Love (a Portland native) met Kurt Cobain. It has become the adopted home of Johnny Marr and ex-Gang of Four bass player Dave Allen. And it is recognised as having one of the funkiest bluegrass scenes outside the Southern states.

After five years on the road, four albums under their collective belt and many international tours, Portland’s Water Tower Bucket Boys are working harder than ever to bring their own particular slant to folk music. The boys have performed on RTÉ, NPR, and BBC. They have shared the stage with Old Crow Medicine Show, Mumford and Sons, Wilco and The Red Stick Ramblers. Their all-original sound is infectious and has spread far and wide, reaching audiences of all ages and walks of life. These young gents got their start busking on street corners in Portland, playing traditional old time and bluegrass. Eventually, they honed their sound as a solid dance band, performing at square dances and bluegrass festivals up and down the west coast.
However, the group wanted to take the music further. Thus, their original sound was born. Loosely rooted in the traditions of old time, bluegrass, punk rock, blues, Cajun, and country, their sonic creations transcend all musical boundaries. Their songs feature tight three-part harmonies and powerful instrumentals. This, combined with the lightning energy of their stage performances, has made them a favourite amongst folk music diehards throughout the US and Europe. Their latest record, last year’s Sole Kitchen, featured 13 original works, with song contributions from each member of the band. The album was recorded by punk legend Mike Herrera of MXPX and Tumbledown at his Monkey Trench Studios in Bremerton, in neighbouring Washington state.
You’ll have a chance next month to make your own minds up as the boys visit our shores for a few shows after their rampage through the UK. Fittingly for a west coast band they start with a performance on our own west coast: the Irish leg of their tour kicks off Thursday March 10 with a night in Monroe’s Tavern Galway. They take to the stage of the Seamus Ennis Centre in Naul, Co. Dublin, where there’s always a receptive audience for bluegrass, the following evening, Friday March 11. On Saturday March 12, they head north-west for the vibey surroundings of the Glens Centre in Manorhamilton, Leitrim; the next day they play an early evening free show in Nancy Blake’s in Limerick. At the minute the last date planned is St. John’s Theatre, Listowel, Wednesday March 16.
Also coming soon to an establishment near you (in fact they’re so eager they’re already out of the blocks) are hot new pups on the block Stephen Young and the Union. They release a single ‘Coke and Rum’ from their forthcoming album Wilderness Machine at the end of February. And they will be making a full-on assault on the country’s venues with the bulk of the tour kicking off in late March. The dates include gigs at Crawdaddy in Dublin on Friday March 25, Dundalk’s Spirit Store on Sunday (27), Wexford’s Backdoor Sessions (28), The Slate in Cork (30), John Daly’s in Mullingar (31), and another Mullingar gig, this one at The Stables the following evening. They’ll be at JJ Harlow’s in Roscommon on Saturday April 2 and the John Hewitt in Belfast on April 4. Potentially breathless after all that non-stop activity they’ll take a few days of a breather before rounding out the tour with dates at Wexford’s Red Chair Sessions on Thursday April 7 and in McCarthy’s Bar in Dingle (8). Anyone expecting to see a singer-songwriter soulfully whispering into a microphone should think again. This will be a fevered, rock ‘n roll affair!
After celebrating a No.1 album, The Further Adventures of…., and a busy year of festivals (V, Oxegen) along with a series of sell-out shows across America, Ireland and the UK, the Saw Doctors partnered with Smyths Toys to raise much needed funds for the St. Vincent De Paul Society over the Xmas period. They raised over €10,000. Having returned from a recent jaunt in the USA, they play Dublin’s Olympia Theatre on Saturday April 2. Don’t fret though. There will be other chances to catch up with the lads around the country as they’ll be playing at the Gathering Festival in Maynooth University on Thursday April 28 and at the Festival of Fires at Uisneach, Co. Westmeath (30). They’ll also be doing a gig at the Park Hotel Charleville on Sunday May 1. June sees them back on the festival circuit when they play the Jamboree Festival at Killinkere, Co. Cavan on Sunday June 5, and the Temple House Festival at Ballymoate, Co. Sligo (11).
Up north, meanwhile, The Belfast American Folk and Roots Club are still beavering away at bringing cool acts to Belfast. They have just announced that they’ll be inviting Devon Sproule to the Black Box for a show on Tuesday June 21, where support will be provided by New Yorker Julia Kent.