bands on the main stage in 2023

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  • THURSDAY AUGUST 3
  • FRIDAY AUGUST 4
  • SATURDAY AUGUST 5
  • SUNDAY AUGUST 6
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DAMN TALL BUILDINGS (USA)
This New York trio is starting to make a serious name for themselves…
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This Brooklyn (NY) based band learned their craft busking and today their sound still radiates the raw energy of a ragtag crew of music students playing in the street. But anchoring that energy is their instrumental chops, their strong songwriting, and their varied influences that stretch beyond bluegrass, even beyond American roots music altogether. Whether sharing lead vocals and instrumental solos or blending their voices into loose, joyous harmony, the three members of Damn Tall Buildings blend elements of bluegrass, blues, roots-rock and vintage swing to create a captivating, high-energy sound. With 3 albums to their name and several major festivals on their CV, they are already established as one of the new exciting bands from these last few years. 
Avery Ballotta - Fiddle, Vocals
Max Capistran - Guitar, Banjo, Vocals
Sasha Dubyk - Bass, Vocals
damntallbuildings.com
BLUEGRASS STUFF (ITA)
​The 1st ever winners of the La Roche band contest are back with a new sound…
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This Italian band has been playing and performing since 1977, winning more awards in Europe than any other band. They have explored every style of Bluegrass and have opened for, or performed with, many major acts from both sides of the Atlantic.
In 2013 they released an all traditional album (The Old Bridge) and then released “Bluegrass Vision” during the pandemic, a hommage to the greatest US songwriters with a more contemporary sound.
After winning the 1st band contest in 2006, we are pleased to welcome them back presenting the music from these two different styles.
Massimo Gatti - mandolin & vocals
Luca Bartolini - guitar & Lead Vocals
Francesco Mioli - banjo & Lead Tenor Vocals
Massimiliano Ghirardelli - Upright Bass
SILÈNE & THE DREAMCATCHERS (FRA)
One of the stand out acts of the Covid 2021 festival...
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Silène is a multi-instrumentalist with a passion for all styles of acoustic music and energised by a long stay in Ireland early in her career. 
With this group of excellent musicians they travel through all areas of acoustic and Americana styles from Bluegrass all the way to groovy pop.
Silène Gayaud - Guitar, Ukelele, Bodhran, Lead Vocals;
Glenn Arzel - Mandolin, Guitar;
Rémi Videira - Bass;
Pierre-Marie Bommier - Fiddle;
​Guillaume Faure - Banjo
SUNSHINE IN OHIO (FRA)
​This French music collective were popular at the 2022 Street Festival...
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This “musicians’ collective” has been dedicated to delighting audiences with their “new” Appalachian Mountain Music and good humour since 2017. All of the muscians sing lead and harmony so expect the vocal make up to change from song to song. Also, expect to be called upon to join in to help create the visual and sonic landscape of the songs that will echo in the minds of the audience.
Johnny Sunshine - guitar, bass, vocals
Lauren Ohio - bass, vocals
Samuel Debias - irish whistle, piano, vocals
Aurélien Fresneau - fiddle, vocals
Maxime Veslin - violin, mandolin, vocals
Melanie Petrarca - cello, vocals
HENHOUSE PROWLERS (USA)
Bluegrass ambassadors come to Bluegrass in La Roche  …
Co-production with Festival Country de Craponne
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In 17 years the Henhouse Prowlers have forged their own path through music and across the globe. Through their non-profit, Bluegrass Ambassadors, they have toured the world as cultural ambassadors for the US State Department, pushing their music in new musical directions, integrating songs from Asia and Africa into their own repertoire.
On stage, the group's enthralling performances give audiences a sense of how much they love what they do; while on record, the band manages to explore their collective life experiences through songwriting and intricate instrumentation. While bluegrass is the undeniable foundation of the Prowlers music, the band manages to bend and squeeze the traditional form into a sound all their own.
Jon Goldfine - Bass
Chris Dollar - Guitar
Jake Howard - Mandolin
Ben Wright - Banjo
JUSSI SYREN & THE GROUNDBREAKERS (FIN)
Hard drive, traditional Bluegrass from Finland...
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Formed in 1995, this excellent band form Finland has toured extensively in both the USA and Europe with their hard drive traditional Bluegrass act. 3 albums were highlighted in Bluegrass Unlimited magazine and banjo player Tauri Oksala was featured in a 2018 Banjo Newsletter cover article.
In 2020 the band was selected to play a virtual showcase at the Covid-affected IBMA World of Bluegrass (see video below). The band showcased at the 2023 Your Roots Are Showing event in Ireland and we are delighted to welcome to Bluegrass in La Roche for the first time.
Michael Cleveland features on their soon to be released 13th album Across the Rolling Tide.
Jussi Syren - Mandolin, Vocals
Tauri Oksala - Banjo
J.P. Putkonen - Guitar 
Tero Maenpaa - Bass
NUGGET (AUT)
One of the big names in European Bluegrass bringing high quality Bluegrass to La Roche ...
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A stalwart of the European Bluegrass scene for 46 years with several awards to their name and appearances at all the major European and US festivals, Nugget has maintained high levels of performance throughout with great instrumental playing and close harmony singing from a diverse repertoire.
To maintain those high standards, band leader Helmut has engaged many musicians from several neighbouring countries over the years. Current members are from Austria, Slovakia, Netherlands and Czechia.
Helmut Mitteregger - Mandolin, Vocals
Katarina Mitteregger -  Bass, Vocals
Ralph Schut -  Guitar, Vocals
Jarda Jahoda - Banjo
JOHNNY & THE YOOAHOOS (DEU)
​Their hard driving Bluegrass blew us all away last year as a Young Talent band on the lunchtime stage ...
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Formed in 2017 in the Munich area of Bavaria around the two young Schuhbeck brothers, the band’s music is a mixture of indie folk, americana-pop and retro-bluegrass. Using only banjo, mandolin, guitar, bass and three part harmony vocals, with no drums or electronics, the good thing about this band is it works best live. So come and see for yourselves how these four passionate players are gonna make you want to stomp your feet!
Bastian Schuhbeck - Vocals, Banjo, Dobro ;
Johnny Schuhbeck - Vocals, Mandolin ;
Bernie Huber - Vocals, Guitar, Harp ;
​Jonas Kollenda - Vocals, Bas
THE VANGUARDS (GBR)
Young musicians taking inspiration from the 1st generation of Bluegrass creators…
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This London based five-piece band take their musical inspiration from the originators of Bluegrass music, seeking to create a sound which blends the mandolin style of Bill Monroe, the banjo style of Ralph Stanley and the old-time style of fiddling, which typified early bluegrass recordings and which continue to influence the sound of traditional bluegrass bands into the present day.
When not playing their own original material, their repertoire reflects these musical influences, where they love to explore and recreate rarely-heard compositions within the spirit of the originators but with their own individual flare.
Jack Baker - Mandolin
Alex Clarke - Guitar
Chris Lord - banjo
Laura Nailor - fiddle 
Ewan Penkey - bass (for La Roche)
TIM O'BRIEN BAND (USA)
A living legend of Bluegrass and Americana brings his songs and his stories to La Roche …
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Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tim O’Brien was born in West Virginia in 1954. He absorbed a broad range of American music growing up, from country and rockabilly icons like Jerry Reed and Jerry Lee Lewis to Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Dave Brubeck, and the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra. He also saw Ray Charles and the Beatles when they came through town. Tim took it all in, but something clicked when he first caught Doc Watson playing guitar.
At 20 he founded a musical community in Colorado and became a leading figure in the world of contemporary and progressive bluegrass — most notably in the quartet Hot Rize, which toured internationally over its 40-year tenure, including a fondly remembered trip to Toulouse Bluegrass Festival in 1983.
Since then Tim has been a regular studio musician in Nashville and became a pillar of the BBC TV Transatlantic Sessions, that explored the ties between music from Scottish and Irish Celtic and American Appalachian traditions. All the while he regularly released his own albums of hommages and original compositions, up to his 2021 release “He Walked On”, a commentary of contemporary social issues and their echoes in our past.
He brings an all-star line up with him to La Roche, with two musicians already having played here.
Tim O'Brien - Guitar, Vocals
Jan Fabricius - Mandolin, Vocals
Mike Bub - Bass;
Shad Cobb -Fiddle (at La Roche with 3 Fox Drive, 2008)
​Cory Walker - Banjo (at La Roche with Ronnie Bowman, 2012)
THE SPECIAL CONSENSUS (USA)
The long running, legendary band from Chicago is one of the best there is …
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The Special Consensus has achieved a powerful contemporary sound in their four decades of performing, making their music a modern classic. They play it all: traditional, contemporary, modern pop and jazz — and they play it well, with their sound remains grounded in a deep appreciation and understanding of bluegrass music, as the 4 master musicians support each other effortlessly throughout.
Band leader and founder, Greg Cahill, has won many awards from IBMA, SPBGMA as well as 2 Grammy nominations bringing several generations of musicians through different line ups and 20 albums.
Special C’s continued success is a testament to their adaptability and contemporary appeal and every time we get to see them play, they blow us away and we just had to bring them to La Roche and share them with you.
Greg Cahill - Banjo
Greg Blake - Guitar (at La Roche with Jeff Scroggins in 2017)
Dan Eubanks - Bass
Michael Prewitt - Mandolin
PROFESSIONAL DEFORMATION (CZE)
Winners of the very last La Roche band contest in 2019...
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When a gang of top Bluegrass musicians from the Czech Republic we know that the result will be great Bluegrass with lots of energy. These guys have played everything ranging from bluegrass to jazz, Irish, folk, rock, rockabilly etc.
They won the last Bluegrass in La Roche contest and have earned respect across Europe with a high energy, hard drive Bluegrass of "high-tech" instrumentals, up tempo songs, or mellow ballads. 
The band performs both original tunes and covers. bringing a new spark and edge to the acoustic scene. 
Jakub Racek- guitar, vocals
Radek Vankat- dobro,  vocals
Karel Waska – double bass,  vocals
Jarda Jahoda- banjo
Zdenek Jahoda- mandolin
STEREO NAKED (DEU)
​“Hard to put in any box, but I love that song!"
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Stereo Naked is the multicultural European answer to the Americana genre. Julia Zech on Banjo and Pierce Black on doublebass are exploring the boundaries of this limited instrumentation and also love to collaborate with fellow pickers who know how to complete their sound. 
Based in Cologne, they have used the break during the pandemic to write and release their second album "Unseen Course",where they mingle their folky song with elements of Oldtime, Bluegrass, Swing and sometimes even Swedish nyckelharpas.
Pierce Black – Bass ;
Julia Zech – Banjo ;
Pepita Emmerich - Mandolin/Fiddle ;
​ Theodore Barnard - Guitar
ROOKIE RIOT (SWE)
A huge success as a Yount Talent band in 2022, we invited them back ... 
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This band from Sweden plays a soulful kind of bluegrass where they take on both traditional songs and newly written songs with their own special sound. The songs share a traditional bluegrass setting with arrangements that are sometimes more modern. The most important thing for them is their love for the lyrics and the stories they tell through their music. 
Ulla Tanggaard - lead Vocals, Guitar;
Jörgen Berg - Banjo;
Erik Sundberg - Double Bass ;
​Lasse Williamsson - Fiddle 
THE SPECIAL CONSENSUS (USA)
​Expect something different from the second set of this great band from Chicago, USA
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The Special Consensus has achieved a contemporary sound in their four decades of performing, making their music a modern classic. They play it all: traditional, contemporary, modern pop and jazz — and they play it well, with their sound remains grounded in a deep appreciation and understanding of bluegrass music, as the 4 master musicians support each other effortlessly throughout.
Band leader and founder, Greg Cahill, has won many awards from IBMA, SPBGMA as well as 2 Grammy nominations bringing several generations of musicians through different line ups and 20 albums.
Special C’s continued success is a testament to their adaptability and contemporary appeal and every time we get to see them play, they blow us away and we just had to bring them to La Roche and share them with you.
Greg Cahill - Banjo
Greg Blake - Guitar (played La Roche with Jeff Scroggins & Colorado in 2017)
Dan Eubanks - Bass
Michael Prewitt - Mandolin
THE TRUFFLE VALLEY BOYS (ITA)
​The authentic sound of 1950s Bluegrass...  From Italy !
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