Introduction

BLUE GRASS BOOGIEMEN

‘HIGH-ENERGY BLUEGRASS AT ITS FINEST’ (Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine, USA)

Bluegrass from the Netherlands?

Bluegrass. 1751. Being any of several American grasses of the Poa genus and having a bluish cast, earlier called Dutch grass (1671).
(Source: ‘I hear America talking; an illustrated history of American words and phrases’ by Stuard Berg Flexner)

We are the Blue Grass Boogiemen from Holland. We’ve been playing bluegrass (and as the Hillbilly Boogiemen vintage country and rockabilly as well) professionally since 1990. Our line up consists of mandolin, banjo, guitar, upright bass and fiddle and we play and sing using an omni-directional microphone.

Our show has proved to be very successful all over Europe. For instance in Ireland where we won the “Waterford Crystal Bowl” for “Most popular band” at the “Guinness International Bluegrass Festival”, but also in England, France, Germany and Switzerland where we played some major roots-, bluegrass-, rock’n’roll-, americana- and countryfestivals. And of course also here in our native Holland where we won the “Silver Fiddle Award” and for the 8th time the “Gram Parsons Award” both for “Best acoustic country/bluegrass band” and once beat Alison Krauss to the number one spot in the “Strictly Country” charts. When we played at the “European World of Bluegrass”- festival in Voorthuizen, Holland, we were voted “Most popular band”. So the style experts already agree that we’re doing a fine job, but what sets us apart from other bluegrass acts is the fact that we’ve also played quite a few pop- and (alternative) rockclubs and festivals, sharing the stages with acts as diverse as Iggy Pop to Status Quo, bringing bluegrass to totally new audiences. For an impression, here’s a link to a recent performance at the launchparty of one of Holland’s biggest festivals ‘Lowlands’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dATcO0DA_rU

Our show has also proved very succesful in America, were we’ve toured 7 times so far. We shared the stage with some of the greats of country- and bluegrassmusic (such as Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, the Osborne Brothers, Jim and Jesse) and also backed up Chris Hillman and Rose Maddox. Fiddler Byron Berline once wrote: “Your band was singled out as one of our ‘don’t miss’, ‘please have them back’ and ‘we love them’ groups…” after we appeared at his international bluegrass festival in Guthrie, Oklahoma, for the first time. Since then we’ve played his festival many times. Even the Washington Post did an article on us which wrote: “…the Boogiemen mimicked American music icons with absolute accuracy and joy…” and “Mandolinist Arnold Lasseur did Bill Monroe proud…” after we played in Arlington, Virginia.

About our recorded work the leading magazine in the world of bluegrass music “Bluegrass Unlimited” wrote: “The music featured in ‘Whose afraid of the Boogiemen’ is high-energy bluegrass at its finest and establishes this remarkable band as a truly international phenomenon” about our third CD. About our first CD: “This is a highly entertaining band that comfortably handles a range of music with flair, taste and energy. Readers would be well advised to catch this band when they come through town. It should be a great show” and about our second CD: “Gosh, this is what the music world’s been missing, isn’t it?…When I first played this album, which is an immensely entertaining collection, I thought I was listening to some unusually talented country-bluegrass band from Ohio or Michigan or some such place”.

But no, we’re not from Ohio or Michigan or some such place, we’re from Holland alright. Holland, Europe that is! However we’re willing to travel to where ever you’d want us to play. So make your event truly international, contact us and book “…one of the most hard-hitting, versatile and entertaining bands on any continent…” as “Bluegrass Europe” magazine put it.