The 2nd annual SpringGrass Bluegrass Festival takes place over 19th-21st May 2023 and will feature concerts, workshops and picking/jam sessions throughout the weekend.  After a hugely successful inaugural event last year, Trad Music Trust are delighted to present another weekend of outstanding bluegrass/americana music.

Friday 19th May 2023

Good Guy Hank
From the harmonious Heartlands of Scotland and the musical metropolis of Melbourne, Australia, Good Guy Hank bring all of the heartbreak, joy and everything in-between with blistering bluegrass country guitar, lightning mandolin, virtuoso fiddle playing and three part harmonies galore! Influences range from Hank Williams, Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe to Gram Parsons, Gillian Welsh, Drive by Truckers and many more.

Good Guy Hank are:
Guitar & Vocals: Theo Barnard of Scotland's much lauded hell-raising band of bluegrass desperados Wire & Wool.
Fiddle, Mandolin & Vocals: Pepita Emmerichs of Australian indie-pop sensations Oh Pep!
Guitar & Vocals: Donny McElligott of Scottish Americana outfit The New Madrids

The Fountaineers
The Fountaineers is the inevitable collaboration of four individuals living in Glasgow, slowly drawn together through its dedicated Old Time music community. Blending vocal harmonies with buoyant musical improvisation, they are an entertaining outfit to discover through live performance.

An admiration for the innovation of bluegrass and acoustic string band music has seen Michael Wright (guitar), Callum Morton-Teng (mandolin), Jeri Foreman (fiddle) and Rob Hart (banjo) bring traditional classics and contemporary explorations of this music to festivals across UK and Europe including Didmarton Bluegrass Festival, Arisaig Americana Festival, Omagh Bluegrass Festival (England, Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively) and, notably, made their European debut at La Roche Bluegrass Festival, France.

In 2022 they released their debut EP, a 5-track loveletter to traditional bluegrass classics, recorded and printed in Scotland.

Since their participation in the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Official Showcase 2021, the band has continued to maintain a connection to the global Bluegrass community. Earlier this year the  band were covered in Bluegrass Today, and further elevated their status as Scottish-based Bluegrass ambassadors.

"Top-notch instrumental and vocal work."
- H. Gowen, British Bluegrass Music Association, No. 98.

"They are in fact the product of Glasgow's vibrant music scene."
- L. Zimmerman, BluegrassToday

Saturday 20th May 2023

Quick (Scotland)
‘Quick’ are a self-described 'newgrass' band based in Glasgow, Scotland. Quick’s first live performance was at Glasgow’s Celtic Connections festival where they were named winners of the Danny Kyle Open Stage 2016. The band have played a number of high profile shows, including Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall, headlining King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, the BBC’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Country to Country Festival.

Their long awaited single release of “Never Heard a Voice Like Yours Before” in July 2019 was met with an excellent reception and was selected as BBC Radio Scotland’s ‘Single of the Week’.

"...incorporating progressive and intricate concepts played through traditional acoustic instrumentation paired with a heartbeat of honest lyrics and the cleanest of harmonies.” - The Skinny Magazine

“...music of such breath-halting grace that it demands your attention...” - The National Newspaper

“Simply Beautiful” - Grant Stott, BBC Radio Scotland

“An unarguable spine-buzzing delight. Hynes and Mckie's intricate textures weaving around paired with the kind of male female harmony that makes you wonder at the capacity of the human voice to create beauty." - The National

"They're able to hold the room to a stand still with their beautiful harmonies and tightly picked instruments" - GIGsoup

"If you're into perfect harmonies and beautiful songwriting then this is basically the band you have been searching for your whole life" - FCK Yes

Facebook: www.facebook.com/QuickMusicOfficial/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@quickofficial7350

Mairs Family Band (Duo)
Since the 1980’s Alan and Louise Mairs have been playing, performing and composing their own special brand of bluegrass and country music. They have entertained audiences all over the British Isles, appeared on radio and television, toured in the USA and Canada and recorded three albums with the Mairs Family band. 

The duo features close harmony vocals sympathetically accompanied mainly on guitar and dobro. Alan’s influences range from Appalachian fiddle tunes to the high lonesome sound of classic bluegrass and country music. Louise takes inspiration from the great American singer songwriters and the current trends in dobro picking. Together, they create a unique sound which is both captivating and entertaining. 

Louise and Alan are keen promoters of live music, hosting the successful AcousticCafeNights@The Granary every month in Strathaven. Since March 2022, their love of bluegrass and acoustic music has launched them into the world of broadcasting, presenting their radio show, Bluegrass&Beyond on Avondale Radio.

Facebook: The Mairs Family Band (facebook.com)

Fritillaries
Fritillaries is the original project of folk/Americana songwriter Hannah Pawson, a Bristol-based musician playing original songs on guitar and banjo. Her recent songs have their hands in the soil and take a compassionate look at the shadowy parts of ourselves. Fritillaries have been played on BBC Radio 6, BBC Radio 2, featured extensively in Folk Radio UK, reviewed by RNR magazine and Americana UK, nominated by FATEA in their best debut album category, were in receipt of the Drake YolanDa award 2022 and have been premiered on Ditty TV.

Fritillaries (Official Website): https://fritillaries.uk/
Facebook: Fritillaries | Facebook