The DC Bluegrass Union has announced plans to hold the first-ever DC Bluegrass Festival in Spring 2010.

The announcement and the unveiling of the DC Bluegrass Festival logo was the focal point of the 1st annual DCBU Fundraiser Gala where, following a festive sit-down dinner in the home of Regina and Jim Derzon, fifty people were treated to an intimate acoustic concert by Bill Emerson and the Sweet Dixie Band.

DCBU President and Chairperson Randy Barrett is very clear in his intent ……

“Washington, DC, has a rich, 60-year history of bluegrass music. But it has never had its own festival. We’re going to change that by creating a first-rate event that will help put this town back on the map, musically.”

Founded in 2003, the DCBU is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting bluegrass music in the Washington, D.C. area, which they define as anywhere within a 2-3 hour drive of D.C.

DCBU helps connect new and existing bands with community music resources; broadens the audience for Bluegrass; reaches out to new fans, burgeoning musicians, and potential supporters; promotes and supports a wide range of bluegrass-oriented activites and DCBU events.

Subscribers to Sirius-XM will have a first chance to hear music from the next Doyle Lawson CD, Lonely Street, starting tomorrow (4/1) on Bluegrass Junction.

Doyle joins host Kyle Cantrell at 11:00 a.m. (EDT) to play each of the album’s 12 tracks and talk about the songs.

Lonely Street won’t be released until May 5 on Rounder, and this is likely to be the first broadcast of any music from the CD.

If you miss the show on Wednesday, it will run again on Sunday (4/5) at 11:00 a.m. and on Tuesday (4/7) at 9:00 p.m.

Bluegrass Junction can be found on Sirius track 14 and XM channel 65.

Berklee College of Music has been showing a lot of interest in acoustic, stringed music in the last few years. The formation of the acoustic string principal at the school has led to recruiting forays at IBMA and other bluegrass events. This effort has resulted in many talented bluegrass musicians finding a home at the school.

Now the college is taking their recruiting efforts to Ireland.

Berklee College of Music is investing in Ireland to bring young talent across the Atlantic to its Boston campus. Ireland, though rich in musical heritage, is underrepresented at Berklee, a multicultural melting pot that includes students from more than 70 countries. The college’s means of investment is two-fold: First is Berklee in Dublin, April 13-17, a series of improvisation workshops that allow students to study with Berklee’s world renowned faculty. Second, April 18-19, is a visit by admissions representatives and professors to audition and interview students for scholarships for summer and full-time study at Berklee in Boston.

More information concerning these workshops and auditions can be found in the press release on the Berklee College of Music website.

HT: The Bluegrass Ireland Blog