Lazy Grass at Bluegrass in La Roche 2025 – photo © Angelika Hernmarck
This report on the final day at France’s Bluegrass in La Roche festival is a contribution from Swiss bluegrass writer and promoter Angelika Hernmarck. She will provide a daily update this week as the music rolls on.
Sunday always comes too soon at a festival like this. One more day to enjoy – but also time to start saying goodbye. For some, it means soaking in every last note; for others, it’s packing up and heading home early for work. We fell into the second group this year, but not without taking in the vibrant energy of this final day and its many special moments.
After a mellow Sunday morning, the Day Stage once again offered a warm platform for some final musical gems. First up was the duo, Table for Two. Thierry Schoysman (BEL) and Signe Borch (DEN) offered a charming set of heartfelt music. If it wasn’t the first tune already, then it must have been the rendition of Pathway of Teardrops that took your heart. Their close harmony singing is superb, and their instrumental duos – in various combinations of one or two mandolins, banjo (Thierry), and guitar (Signe), or guitar and mandolin – are beautifully balanced. They draw from various styles and serve it in their own authentic arrangements – a calm but intense, sometimes lyrical start to the day.
Estación 39 returned to the Day Stage for an encore set – one more chance to enjoy their energetic, South American-flavored sound. Crying Uncle Bluegrass Band brought their Dawg-inspired bluegrass to the stage, offering once more top-notch musicianship – for example, in Devlin’ – and introduced young mandolin player Thomas, one of Ti’Pierre’s students. Then the stage was set for AJ Lee & Blue Summit, who once again presented their high-energy music to the cheering crowd. There must have been several hundred people standing tightly in the bright sunshine in front of the small Day Stage by now.
Closing out the smaller stage was Valentine Lambert, playing her own material – “a beautiful voice behind a guitar, somewhere between the open spaces of the American plains and the world of country pop” (quote taken from the festival program). She performed alongside multi-instrumentalist Manu Bertrand, mostly on resonator guitar, which gave this set a beautiful, full sound.
Between the day and evening concerts, the European Bluegrass Music Association (EBMA) hosted a delightful Mandolin Q&A, featuring three accomplished mandolin players: Kylie Kay Anderson (Long Way Home), Olga Egorova, and Evan Davies (The Often Herd). The session, moderated by EBMA board member Edward Fernbach, offered a behind-the-scenes look at their preferences – which picks they use, their choice of strings and instruments, and how they approach practice and warm-ups. What really made this event special was the dynamic between the three musicians themselves – each with a strong musical identity and a great sense of humor. The conversation was insightful, light-hearted, and engaging. It felt like they genuinely enjoyed it themselves – and the audience certainly did too.
As the sun went down, it was time for the final big-stage acts. It started with Lazy Grass from France. Their own description in the 36-page program (in French and English) is perfect, and I’ll quote from it because it’s just spot on:
“They claim to be a journey, where forest, mountain, rivers and smoke blend together in ‘a train of notes racing through time and space where woody sounds from the past board the present to invent a bright musical future with explosive and smoky gears.’ Their music is a laboratory, where progressive sounds collide, inspired by the energy of rock, the stories of folk music, the warmth of punk, and the echoes of psychedelia. It is Bluegrass – and a bit more than that.”
Much more than that – and presented in a most entertaining format.
The nicely laid-out Programme du Festival, by the way, is a much-used vademecum at the event, and definitely a keeper. It features partners, the city mayor, all that’s new, some impressive figures from 20 years (165,000 visitors, 1,350 workshop students since 2008, 300,000 meals and 450,000 drinks served, 3,710 volunteers, 307 bands from 30 countries), and of course a timetable and information on each band.
And then – long awaited by me – came Johnny and the Yooahoos. Hailing from Germany, they were also recipients of the IBMA International Band Grant and had just returned from a five-week US tour, where they played some most renowned stages, with anchor dates being The Station Inn, The Grand Ole Opry, Frankfort Bluegrass Festival, Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, and ROMP Bluegrass Festival. To find out more about the International Band Grant, go to the IBMA’s website.
As was to be expected, brothers Johnny (mandolin) and Bastian Schuhbeck (banjo), Bernie Huber (guitar – what a VOICE!), and Jonas Kollenda (bass) took the audience by storm (again) and delivered just what I hoped for. With the addition of Tijmen Veelenturf on fiddle for this show, words fail to describe the beautiful energy and music. They sure were something not to be missed!
We unfortunately had to hit the road before the last sets – but not without regrets. Photos and reports on social media from those who stayed confirmed what I already suspected: the festival ended just as wonderfully as it had begun. Sunshine in Ohio (FRA), Murder in Mississippi (BEL), and finally Gypsy Cattle Drive (USA) – a creative offshoot of Rapidgrass with the same lineup – took the stage with energy and heart. The final band, in particular, apparently brought a stream of guest musicians up for the last songs, including Christopher Howard-Williams himself. What they played, I can only imagine from seeing the pictures and watching snippets – but it must have been magic.
Check out the festival’s social media page for some hints. And next year, I’ll stay through the end!
Backstage & Beyond – The La Roche Experience
What happens beyond the stages is just as much a part of the festival magic. One of the most important gathering places is the VIP tent: a hub of hospitality for musicians, partners, local officials, and invited guests. With its own bar, chill-out garden, and fast Wi-Fi, it’s a place for quiet moments and jam sessions alike – and it most certainly has sparked countless connections between musicians and bookers over the years. The late-night jams there are legendary, and often just as memorable as the main stage shows.
Festival artists also enjoy a few perks: express food line, some daily eurochs for meal reimbursement, coordinated merch sales – and perhaps most appreciated, organized transport to and from Geneva Airport. This year, that service was centrally managed by none other than Chris Keenan, known across the US and Europe as the calm and capable stage manager behind many of bluegrass’s top festivals. Watching her work in La Roche, I realised just how complex a job this really is – and how smoothly it ran.
Farewell
Before closing this chapter – and the festival report – one big thank-you is in order: to Christopher Howard-Williams and Didier Philippe, who have led this festival, to their core team, the group leaders, the tireless volunteers, the musicians, the City of La Roche-sur-Foron and its residents, who once again handed over their streets, cafés, and town square to a gathering of bluegrass lovers from around the world.
Congratulations on 20 wonderful years – and a milestone event!
It’s been a week of music, friendship, discovery, and shared joy. If you’ve been here, you’ll understand what I mean. And if you haven’t: make plans for next year.
See you in 2026.
Until then – keep on picking!
