Question:
- What has 1 road, 1 pub, 1 garage/shop, and 1 village hall with the best
weekend of Bluegrass that Scotland has to offer?
Answer:-
Guildtown near Perth in scenic Perthshire.
The
Runaway String Band first told me of this event during a picking session at the
Old Edale event, so began my association with Gil’ton as the locals call it.
The
early days began with only a single concert on the Saturday night, together with
some Friday night picking for early comers. It soon grew to include a Friday
evening concert in the pub. The old pub interior was a small, dark, crowded but
intimate venue, but had the atmosphere of a community event. The recent
refurbishment of the Anglers Inn has contributed immensely to the success of the
Festival.
Scottish
bands naturally dominated the line up in the early days with occasional guest
appearances from artists attending the prestigious Edinburgh Festival. English
bands began token, then regular appearances at subsequent festivals after
hearing good reports about this friendly festival.
It
is fitting that this compilation CD should be made by the Scottish Bluegrass
Association to celebrate this superb event. A record of the contributions of
bands attending from all over the world is a particularly special tribute.
The
CD also pays tribute to our musician friends who have passed away, and
contributed so much to the success of the Festival in years gone by. Many an
Englishman's summer holiday begins or ends at the Guildtown Festival, being a
great staging post for visits to Scotland
This
CD has something for everyone and represents old and new and bands over a
fifteen year period.
