For Immediate Release:

A promising young Swedish group called the Downtown Ramblers has just won the coveted #1 European Bluegrass Band Award at the European World of Bluegrass Festival 2009.

The EWOB Festival 2009 had another banner year: beautiful weather, record-breaking attendance, and as always, excellent bands from all over Europe, alongside guest artists from the USA and Canada. Our guests this year included White Mountain Bluegrass, Naomi Sommers with Phil Rosenthal, Mike Stevens & Raymond McLain (playing with JB's Band), Tom Gray (also with JB's Band), clawhammer banjo player Hunter Robertson, Fayssoux McLean Band, and the Phil Rosenthal Band.

EWOB 2009 is the apex of the EWOB Month, during which over 100 bluegrass-related festivals and concerts take place across Europe, our way of celebrating Worldwide Bluegrass Month. You can read much more about EWOB and the EWOB Festival 2009, and even listen to lots of great European bluegrass, by visiting our website: www.ewob.eu

• The European Bluegrass Band Awards are decided in the most idealistic manner possible: voted only by the musicians playing at the EWOB Festival. This ensures that no one else can influence the course and development of European bluegrass - no jury of "experts," no politics. and no regional audience, just the people who make the music, choosing among themselves a band they feel will best represent European bluegrass in the coming year. This is indeed an unusual system, but we are less interested in doing things the way other events run their awards, than in creating something better for our bands. EWOB is truly all about the music!

#1 European Bluegrass Band 2009:  DOWNTOWN RAMBLERS (Sweden)

• Downtown Ramblers, a bluegrass band from Gothenburg, Sweden, have a style based on traditional bluegrass with added influences from all kinds of music, including Swedish folk music, pop, and jazz. They like to think of their special blend as Nordic urban bluegrass.

• The band has been together for 3 years and won the Swedish Bluegrass Championship in Salen in Sept. 2007. They have performed at nearly every major country and bluegrass festival in Sweden. Downtown Ramblers released their first CD in December, 2008, with all original material. Another CD is already in the planning stages.

• Winning the #1 European Bluegrass Band award at EWOB last week entitles the Downtown Ramblers to a trip to Nashville to IBMA's World of Bluegrass events in 2010. If you are interested in booking the Downtown Ramblers for a concert, festival, or IBMA After Hours Showcase in 2010, please contact us by replying to this email.

#2 European Bluegrass Band 2009:  G-RUNS ' ROSES (Czech Republic)

• G-Runs 'n Roses is a contemporary bluegrass band from the Czech Republic whose style is definited by hot playing and good choice of material, as well as a deep respect for tradition. The band released its first CD in 2008. They play original material or their own arrangements of less-known songs.    

#3 European Bluegrass Band 2009:  KRENI (Czech Republic)

• Kreni is one of the most promising young bands from the Czech Republic. Formed in 2000, their line-up has been the same since 2006. They play contemporary bluegrass with occasional inspiration from new acoustic, folk, and swing - but they're also inspired by the traditional bluegrass roots. Fine players with plenty of good original material.

#1 Audience Popularity Award, EWOB 2009:  BLACKJACK (Czech Republic)

• Blackjack is a very tight bluegrass band whose style lies between traditional and contemporary bluegrass, known for their dynamic vocals and rhythmic precision. Blackjack has played ten times at the European World of Bluegrass Festival and is always very popular with the audience. In fact, last year they won the #2 Audience Popularity Award.     

• In their homeland, the Czech Republic, Blackjack won Emerging Artist of the Year 2000, and from 2001-2007 they've won 2nd place in the Bluegrass Band of the Year Awards from the Czech Bluegrass Music Association.

#2 Audience Popularity Award, EWOB 2009:  BLUEGRASS STUFF (Italy)

• Bluegrass Stuff adds yet another award to its impressive list. This is their 3rd award at the EWOB Festival alone! In 2000, they were the #2 European Bluegrass Band, and in 2002, they won the #1 Audience Popularity Award.    

• Bluegrass Stuff plays traditional bluegrass in the style of Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, and the Stanley Brothers. They also enjoy playing original instrumentals, and Italian songs arranged bluegrass-style. With the exception of their new bass player, they have been together since 1977.

#3 Audience Popularity Award, EWOB 2009:  SUNNY SIDE (Czech Republic)

• Sunny Side is a traditional bluegrass band that celebrates the 1940's and '50s as the heyday of bluegrass music. Their performances reflect their favorite era in choice of material, style of dress, and sense of humor.

• Sunny Side has long been a favorite of the EWOB Festival audience in Voorthuizen. The band has won a number of Audience Popularity Awards: #2 in 2004; #1 in 2005; and #3 in 2008! That's an impressive run, by any standards!

 Don't forget you can still win beautiful instruments in the EWOB 2009 Instrument Auction and Raffle! We have gorgeous banjos from Deering and from Capek Handmade Bluegrass & Jazz Instruments in the Auction, and a lovely Blue Ridge dreadnought style guitar donated by Boetzke's Snaarinstrumenten for the Raffle!

Don't forget to sign our Guestbook! Share your EWOB 2009 experiences!

As always, we want to thank our wonderful website team, the Thirsty Lizards in the USA!

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