In the little town of La Roche Sur Foron, located in the beautiful French Alps, in mid-July took place a Bluegrass Festival of the European Bluegrass Association with the participation of more than 30 bands from all over Europe and also the USA. I had the honor to be a part of the American band Field and Thompson, which consisted of duo James Field and Sue Thompson, Percy Copley and Alice Coleman from England, and me from Slovakia.
The festival was traditionally very well organized and it lived practically across the whole town, which is a major tourist destination. In addition to the festival organizers also arrange a bluegrass workshop, which lasts four days and this year were the lectors there members of the American group Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen along with Sue Thompson and James Field.
Part of the whole event is a competition of European bluegrass bands. This year deservedly won East-West, a group whose membership is also my colleague from Fragment – Ondra Kozak. This way, congratulations to them from the heart! The second was a Czech band Handl and the third place won 0039 – the Italian band, which dobroist is a good friend of mine, former student and owner of my first Scheerhorna no. 047, Paolo Ercoli.
If you wish to learn a bit more about this significant event, to see more pictures from the festival, and feel its atmosphere, here is the link:
La Roche Bluegrass Festival
