Home - News and upcoming events

July, 2010

Later this summer, Shearwater Bluegrass is heading east: all the way to Nanton, Alberta (just south of Calgary) for the Shady Grove Bluegrass Festival. And fiddler extraordinaire Paul Elliott will be along for the ride! After that it's on to the BC Bluegrass Workshop in Sorrento BC, where Miriam Sonstenes, Victoria's finest up-and-coming fiddler, will play with the band for the first time. Be sure to check out the details at our upcoming shows page.

But West Coast fans will not be left out - stay tuned for more shows this fall with Shearwater's expanded new lineup.

March, 2010

Shearwater Bluegrass is back home after a great trip to the prestigious Wintergrass festival, held this year in Bellevue, Washington. The band got to hang out with old friends and made many new ones too. The reception was heartwarming, especially the raucous encouragement from the Victoria contingent.

Photographer (and bluegrass bass player) Barbara Pedrick was there to take a bunch of great action photos, including the one at right with the trio singing with full-throated abandon.

So 2010 has started out well, after the band's breakthrough year in 2009. That year ended with a successful six-concert B.C. tour, culminating in a packed house for the Vancouver area Pacific Bluegrass and Heritage Society.

2009 also saw the band win the coveted M Award for "Favourite Roots Act" in Victoria, as well as a pair of runner-up awards in the 2009 International Acoustic Music Awards (IAMA). Argyle Street and Sorrento both placed in the top 10 songs in the bluegrass category. As first runner-up, Argyle Street was included in the IAMA compilation, sent to hundreds of roots radio stations around the world.

And every once in a while another favourable review of Shearwater comes in. The latest, from Mike Sadava in Penguin Eggs, describes the disc as "musical magic"; read more on the Reviews page.

Soaring music from Shearwater Bluegrass Band

Stunning music. That's how Vancouver Province critic John P. McLaughlin describes Shearwater Bluegrass Band's debut release. "These are the three best bluegrass players on Vancouver Island ... Together they make music that stuns," McLaughlin wrote in a review in the Province Sept. 2. "(Dave) Clarke's guitar is gobsmacking," he went on, in a review that gave the album a B+ rating.

The trio-- singer-bassist Tammy Fassaert, guitarist Clarke and mandolinist James Whittall -- launched Shearwater with a high-octane concert in Victoria in early September, followed by shows in Vancouver, Gabriola and Courtenay. Hear clips and order the CD.

Shearwater Bluegrass Band

Imagine a seabird skimming the surface of the water to the sounds of blazing instrumental duets and passionate vocals. That’s the essence of Shearwater Bleugrass band, the energetic trio from Vancouver Island that blends fine harmonies with driving acoustic picking.

With the traditional bluegrass "drive" firmly embedded in their sound, Shearwater's groove takes on essences of country and folk, Celtic and Caribbean for a more varied and interesting musical journey….