Marsden Americana & Bluegrass Day

True North Music is delighted to present Marsden Americana & Bluegrass Day, a midsummer extravaganza of Americana, bluegrass, folk and roots, with performances from exceptional acoustic artists from both sides of the Atlantic. There will also be participatory workshops in singing and step dance (included in the ticket price). Read on for more details on our stellar line-up! Marsden Mechanics is a historic community venue in the heart of the West Yorkshire village of Marsden, 8 miles from Huddersfield and set in picturesque Pennine scenery. There will be a licensed bar at the event and there are numerous food and drink options in the village centre, just steps from the venue. Event is expected to run 2pm to 10.30pm approx - running order will be shared nearer the time. For more information about the artists, venue and event, please visit truenorthmusic.co.uk

JAKE BLOUNT TRIO (USA)
Jake Blount is a rising star on the American roots music scene, a talented multi-instrumentalist and powerful, soulful singer. Jake is also an expert on the early folk music of Black Americans, and he won the Steve Martin Banjo Prize in 2020. In 2023 Jake performed on NPR’s hugely popular Tiny Desk concert series, and he was nominated for Artist of the Year at the 2023 International Folk Music Awards. Jake received massive acclaim for his 2022 album The New Faith (part of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings’ African-American Legacy Series). It received glowing reviews from Rolling Stone, The Guardian, The Telegraph and more, and sees Jake exploring new sounds and tones, incorporating electric guitar and percussion alongside banjo and fiddle. Jake is a sensational and mesmerising live performer, and will be appearing with his trio, featuring double bass ace Nelson Williams and gifted young multi-instrumentalist Gus Tritsch. We are absolutely thrilled to announce Jake Blount as our headliner!

JAYWALKERS (UK)
Jaywalkers are one of the classiest live acts on the UK’s acoustic roots scene, drawing on influences including folk, bluegrass, jazz and country music. They have cemented their place as one of the most talented, entertaining bands around, since reaching the finals of the BBC Young Folk Awards back in 2008. The trio has toured regularly across the UK and Europe, releasing four superb albums and one EP to date. Mandolin maestro Mike Giverin is also the chief songwriter, and the band’s fine originals stand proudly alongside some footstomping bluegrass tunes and superb interpretations of country classics. 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. Based in Cheshire, Jaywalkers have performed for our series before in 2016 and 2018, and we’re delighted to have them back as part of this amazing roots music line-up.

GOLDEN SHOALS (USA)
USA duo Golden Shoals blend old time Appalachian traditions with fine original songwriting, glorious vocal harmonies and exceptional musicianship on acoustic guitar, fiddle and banjo. They combine bluegrass, old time Americana, folk, Cajun and country roots, in a fabulously entertaining brew. Since forming their duo in 2013, Amy Alvey and Mark Kilianski have taken their music around the world, and have released several albums. They have toured extensively across the USA, Canada, Australia, Germany and the UK, and performed at festivals including Americanafest in Nashville and Northern Ireland’s Omagh Bluegrass Festival. Formerly known as Hoot & Holler (changing their name in 2020 to avoid confusion with a similarly named band), Mark and Amy wowed our local audiences at gigs in both Meltham and Sheffield back in 2019. We can’t wait to welcome them back to our stage!

CARA LUFT (Canada)
Canadian singer, guitarist and banjoist Cara Luft is a JUNO award winner and renowned songwriter. A co-founder of popular trio The Wailin’ Jennys, after leaving that band in 2004 Cara toured widely as a solo performer, and released several acclaimed solo albums. In 2012 she started performing with fellow Canadian singer-songwriter JD Edwards, and they have toured and recorded as The Small Glories for the last decade. The duo released two albums and won Folk Alliance International’s Folk Artist of the Year Award in 2020. With The Small Glories on hiatus, Cara is hitting the road solo in search of new adventures and collaborations. A skilled guitarist and banjo picker, powerful singer and charming performer, Cara is a welcome addition to our line-up.

In addition to the performances we are planning to host two participatory workshops - singing and step dance – note that these will be included in the day ticket. Award-winning Canadian singer, songwriter and musician Cara Luft will be leading a HARMONY SINGING workshop, and Sara Marshall-Rose (one of the UK's finest Appalachian flatfooting dancers) will be leading a STEP DANCE workshop. These will be fun workshops and hopefully lots of you will want to have a go and join in! We'll announce the full running order of workshops and performances closer to the event date.

This event is part of True North Music's 2023-24 live music series, supported by National Lottery Project Grants funding from Arts Council England.

IMPORTANT NOTE – the event line-up is subject to change and cannot be guaranteed. The promoter reserves the right to alter or vary the programme of the event without being obliged to refund or exchange tickets. In the event of any of the published artists being unable to perform, True North Music will do our utmost to substitute another high quality musical artist.