Thanks to our friends at ukbluegrass.com, I discovered an interesting new band, The Scoville Units.

Their music is a clever mix of Celtic and bluegrass influences, played by a group of talented musicians with an adventurous musical spirit. The band consists of Rex Preston on mandolin, Leon Hunt on banjo, Gina Griffin on fiddle and vocals, Ed Boyd on guitar, and Josh Clark on bodhran, and cajon (hand drums).

They are working on their debut CD now, but you can get a taste of their sound in this video clip recorded last month.

I will certainly be interested in learning more about these folks and hearing that CD when it is released next year. More videos are available on YouTube.

Our friends at ukbluegrass are looking forward to the appearance of one of the hottest new groups in bluegrass today, Cadillac Sky, at this year’s Didmartin Bluegrass Festival at the end of the month. The 20th iteration of this event takes place between August 29th and 31st at Kemble Airfield, near Cirencester, and will feature a line-up of bands from the USA, Europe and Great Britain.

Headliners this year are Texas five-piece Cadillac Sky, who released their second album, Gravity’s Our Enemy, on August 19. ukbluegrass spoke to the band’s singer and mandolin player Bryan Simpson about the new record and their upcoming visit to England.

In addition, there are appearances at the Didmartin festival by Growling Old Men (USA), and UK groups New Essex Bluegrass Band, Thunderbridge Bluegrass Boys, Down County Boys, Rabbi John and more. There is a full band listing and schedule at the festival’s website.

The full interview can found here.

Our friends at ukbluegrass.com have been following the success of The Carrivick Sisters as they compete on the Upstaged show on BBC. The program is a talent show with such odd twists as having contestants perform for hours in a glass box.

The sisters are 18 year old twins from South Devon in England who perform as a duo. Charlotte plays guitar and mandolin with Laura on fiddle and resonator guitar. Both of them sing as well.

They have performed at major events in the UK, and the European World of Bluegrass convention in Netherlands. Their latest CD,  Better Than 6 Cakes, features primarily original material they have written. Audio samples can be found on their MySpace page.

Read the posts about these young ladies and their Upstaged exploits at ukbluegrass.com. You can also find a lengthy (two part) interview there with mandolin master Mike Marshall.

Congratulations to our friends at ukbluegrass.com! They have just completed their first year online promoting British Bluegrass, and are celebrating with a giveaway for their UK readers.

Prizes are drawn from recent releases from a number of prominent bluegrass Brits (Howard Burton, Papa Truck, Daily Planet and Thunderbridge Bluegrass Boys) plus the limited edition edition ukbluegrass teddy bear shown above.

To enter, you must register online at ukbluegrass.com, and be a legal resident of the United Kingdom.

Happy Birthday to you…