Bluegrass from Ireland Hits Air Waves with Release of Onwards and Upwards

Pinecastle Records release of Onwards and Upwards from Ireland’s “Godfather of Bluegrass, Niall Toner, in October of 2012 will mark a musical milestone. This will be Toner's first release on the internationally famous Pinecastle Record label and features the great talents of artists like Keith Sewell (who also serves as the producer, Ashby Frank, Rob Ickes, Viktor Krauss, and  of course Niall. Jake Burns served as the sound engineer.

Niall Toner is an acoustic Irish flavored artist with Celtic influences whose diverse repertoire ranges from contemporary up-tempo songs and tunes to inspirational gospel-style numbers, as well as tributes to Bill Monroe the father of bluegrass like "The Master's Resting Place" and "Bill Monroe's Mandolin."

Niall's composition credits include songs recorded by artists like Bill Wyman (The Rolling Stones), The Nashville Bluegrass Band, Albert Lee, Special Consensus, Keith Sewell, The Swanson Family and more. In 2003 Toner was nominated for a Global Artist Award by the CMA. To date, Niall and his Band have recorded and released three CD albums, and they perform their original songs and tunes on a regular basis at Festivals and Venues in Ireland, the UK, Europe and the USA.

Niall was born in Dublin, Ireland and nurtured an early interest in music by tuning in to Radio Luxemburg and the AFN radio service from Germany. The Saturday night re-broadcast of the Grand Ole Opry from Nashville was his first exposure to Country music, and when a local school-friend showed up with a collection that included the music of Hank Williams, Bill Monroe, The Carter Family and Jimmy Rodgers, Niall's musical fate was sealed. Niall Toner is widely regarded as one of Ireland's leading experts on bluegrass and American country music, and he brings this knowledge of music to a wide audience, both through his live performances and various workshops, as well as through his radio show, Roots Freeway, which is broadcast on Ireland's national radio station, RTE Radio One.

A World Premier CD Release Party is scheduled on Wednesday September 25th at the internationally famous Jack's BBQ on Lower Broadway in Nashville, Tennessee. The evening will be hosted by Pinecastle Records and Mountain Music Entertainment and will offer a variety of music, food, and entertainment from 5-1130pm.

A sample of the CD's music is available on the homepage of Mountain Music Entertainment's website: www.mountainmusicentertainment.com