Rotterdam Bluegrass Festival: Slocan Ramblers, Kody Norris Show & Henhouse Prowlers and many more

This weekend it's time for the annual Rotterdam Bluegrass Festival. A live music experience for the whole family with three stages and a jam area, workshops, theatre, stands offering mouthwatering street food, thirst quenching drinks, comic books and much more. This year - again at Noordplein, Rotterdam - a choice of the finest (bluegrass) artists are planned to take the stage.

Slocan Ramblers
Get ready to welcome another fantastic Canadian bluegrass group: The Slocan Ramblers. Like The Lonesome Ace Stringband, they succeed in bringing together equal measures of tradition, innovation, virtuosity and flair in their work, both in songwriting and performing. Their most recent album ‘Up The Hill And Through The Fog’ shows the full breadth and diversity of influences on their music, as well as the fact that they haven’t lost sight of their roots – the gritty bluegrass scene flourishing in Toronto’s concert halls and pubs. While it’s a great disc, it’s onstage where the energy and dynamism in their work all really comes alive. Last year they were named Ensemble of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. 

The Kody Norris Show
Pure bluegrass, as traditional as its founding fathers and simply incredible, that's The Kody Norris Show. Nothing suprising there, as the namegiver of the band shares his birthday with bluegrass banjo legend Earl Scruggs. The Kody Norris Show, completed by Kody's other half Mary Rachel Nalley on fiddle, banjo player Josiah Tyree and Charlie Lowman on bass, is a tribute to the musical tradition of Bill Monroe, the showmanship of Jimmy Martin, the legendary performances at The Grand Ole Opry and a dash of Vaudeville theater. Of course, high level musicianship - together with some solos - is the focus, but humor and beautiful, colorful stage outfits also are a part of the total package of entertainment that is The Kody Norris Show. Their performances are impressive, entertaining and downright spectacular, on all fronts. This gig will be epic, because this will be the first time The Kody Norris Show will perform on this continent. Bluegrass history will soon be written here, and obviously you'll want to be there!

Henhouse Prowlers
When an American band releases an album titled "Live From Kyrgyzstan," one thing is sure: this is one groundbreaking band. The foursome is mounting the stage some 200 times a year and has already toured more than 25 different countries. Yes, including Kyrgyzstan. The group's need to go off the beaten path is also reflected musically. The Henhouse Prowlers are known for their exceptional traditional bluegrass, in which they incorporate musical aspects from the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. They ooze class, quality, resourcefulness and virtuosity. The main mission of the Chicago-based quartet is to teach people something and to inspire them, using the universal language called music. For good reason, they call themselves Bluegrass Ambassadors, and it's under that name that they build bridges between different cultures with educational programs, workshops and, of course, their music. The charming band has built up a solid reputation in their nearly twenty years of existence with their elegant songwriting, catchy melodies and instrumental virtuosity, embedded in uptempo drives and mid-tempo grooves and their exhilarating performance. Rotterdam is definitely preparing for another visit from these extraordinary bluegrass globetrotters.