Bluegrass hits stage with 10 Island bands and two out-of-province bands
Bluegrass Tradition will be one of the featured bands at the Summerside Bluegrass Fall Festival, Nov. 3-5 at the Causeway Bay Inn Convention Centre in Summerside. Band members from back left are Trevor Boutilier, Karen DeCoste, Fraser Martin and Darren Richard (seated). This band is known for performing the traditional bluegrass style of music dating back to 1946 and will be giving four performances during the festival. The Summerside Bluegrass Fall Festival gets underway next Friday, Nov. 3, at the Causeway Bay Convention Centre in Summerside and promises to be a great weekend of entertainment for fans of bluegrass and acoustic music.
Highlighting the festival will be four performances by each of the featured bands. Bluegrass Tradition is from the eastern shore of Nova Scotia, and The SweetGrass Band hails from Roseneath, Ont.
Bluegrass Tradition has been together for 11 years and is well known for performing traditional bluegrass going back to 1946. Its Sunday morning gospel set is a fan favourite. Band members include Trevor Boutilier - mandolin, guitar, vocals; Karen DeCoste - bass, vocals; Fraser Martin - fiddle and vocals and Darren Richard - banjo and vocals.
Bluegrass Tradition has received many awards, including an ECMA album of the year nomination, the Bluegrass and Oldtime Music Society band of the year three times, vocal group of the year four times, gospel performance masters (five wins), female vocalist four times, banjo player four times, mandolin and fiddle masters, entertainer of the year five times and many other nominations, including best bass player, best guitar player and best male vocalist.
The Sweet Grass band has been together for eight years and has been well received at bluegrass festival across southeastern Ontario. Current band members include Ginny McIlmoyle on guitar and vocals and Chief Jimbob Marsden on bass and vocals, John Partridge on banjo, guitar and vocals with Marc Roy on lead guitar, vocals and fiddle. In 2014, they won the Most Promising Group Award at the Central Canadian Bluegrass Awards. McIlmoyle was nominated in the best female singer category in 2015 and 2016.