Tickets out now for Marsden Americana & Bluegrass Day on 22nd June

Exciting news for 2024 – we’re putting the final touches to our one-day mini fest, taking place at Marsden Mechanics in Marsden near Huddersfield on Saturday 22nd June 2024. We’ll have performances from some of the finest folk-roots artists from both sides of the Atlantic, and we’re making plans for a couple of participatory workshops too! It’s going to be absolutely fantastic. Read on for more info about all the performers, and book your tickets now!

Marsden Americana & Bluegrass Day ticket link

Jake Blount Trio (USA)

We are very excited to announce our headline artist, Jake Blount! Jake is a rising star of American roots music, a talented banjoist, fiddle player and powerful singer. He’ll be performing with his trio which also features double bass ace Nelson Williams and gifted multi-instrumentalist Gus Tritsch. Jake was featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series in 2023, was nominated for Artist of the Year at Folk Alliance’s 2023 International Folk Music Awards, and won the Steve Martin Banjo Prize in 2020. He is an authority on the early folk music of Black Americans, and he has received huge acclaim for his 2022 album The New Faith, which features innovative new arrangements of traditional songs, including Black spirituals and Blues. It received glowing reviews from Rolling Stone, The Guardian and more, and was featured extensively on BBC Radio Two’s Folk Show. Jake has performed and collaborated with roots music luminaries including Kaia Kater, George Jackson, Tatiana Hargreaves, Rhiannon Giddens and the Kronos Quartet. We previously hosted Jake’s band for Meltham and Sheffield gigs in 2022, and they were simply outstanding. This is American roots music of the highest possible calibre!

Golden Shoals (USA)

We are delighted to announce USA duo Golden Shoals as part of our line-up. They blend old time Appalachian traditions with fine original songwriting and excellent musicianship on acoustic guitar, fiddle and banjo. Since forming their duo in 2013, Amy Alvey and Mark Kilianski have taken their blend of footstomping traditional tunes and memorable original songs around the world. Formerly known as Hoot & Holler (changing their name in 2020 to avoid confusion with a similarly named band) they got a storming reception from our local audiences in Meltham and Sheffield at two gigs back in 2019. Golden Shoals have released several albums and have a fun and lively stage presence to complement their impressive musicianship and vocal harmonies. They combine influences from bluegrass, folk, Americana, Cajun, and old time country music in a highly entertaining brew, and we’re really looking forward to welcoming them back to Yorkshire in 2024.

Jaywalkers (UK)

Jaywalkers are one of the most talented, entertaining bands on the UK’s acoustic roots scene, drawing on influences including folk, bluegrass, jazz and country music. Since reaching the finals of the BBC Young Folk Awards back in 2008, they have toured regularly across the UK and Europe, honing their craft and releasing four superb albums and one EP to date. Mandolin maestro Mike Giverin is also the chief songwriter, and an absolute virtuoso on his instrument. In Jay Bradberry the band has a truly sensational lead singer and fiddle player, and double bassist Lucille Williams is one of the best around, breaking out impressive slap bass alongside rock solid timing, taste and tone. Jaywalkers have performed for our local series before, back in 2016 and 2018 and they also played for a couple of our livestreamed specials during the pandemic. We are delighted to welcome them back in person.

Cara Luft (Canada)

Canadian singer-songwriter Cara Luft is known for her work with The Small Glories and The Wailin’ Jennys as well as her solo career. A talented guitarist and banjoist, the JUNO award winner has a well-deserved reputation as one of Canadian folk music’s finest live performers, with an engaging, down-home style. A co-founder of folk trio The Wailin’ Jennys, after leaving that band in 2004 Cara toured solo across North America and Europe, and released several albums. She formed The Small Glories with fellow Canadian JD Edwards and over the the last decade, the duo has toured regularly around the world. They released two albums and an EP, and won Folk Alliance International’s 2020 Folk Artist of the Year Award. Born into a folk singing family, Cara has been steeped in traditional music almost from birth, but she’s always shown a desire to fearlessly stretch style and genre boundaries too. With The Small Glories’ on hiatus in 2024, Cara is hitting the road solo, in search of new musical adventures and collaborations. , and we’re delighted that she will be bringing her musical and personal magic to our mini fest.

Book your tickets now! Marsden Americana & Bluegrass Day ticket link

We would like to acknowledge the valuable Project Grants funding support from Arts Council England which has helped to fund our entire 2023-24 local live music series, including concerts, community outreach workshops and this upcoming one day festival. We also want to thank our sponsors for their contributions: our generous series sponsor Dark Woods Coffee, and our event co-sponsors, Eagle Music Shop and the British Bluegrass Music Association. We’ll be sharing more information about them very soon!