Month: May 2018

Findlay Brown “Not Everything Beautiful is Good” (Nettwerk Records, 2018)

Ambient/Psychedelic Americana is a genre not populated by many artists, but Findlay Brown continues to cut a groove that is somewhat idiosyncratic and to back this up, he even manages to sing about lovers living in separate dimensions who can only meet by travelling through a black hole. ‘Seven Hours’ definitely falls into the quirky storyline category. Don’t let this put you off though, there is certain poetic beauty to his fourth album ‘Not Everything Beautiful is Good’ and it continues in a similar vein to his last album ‘Slow Light’ as he explores many aspects of love, albeit with a somewhat melancholic tone as he searches for, in his own words, the “good wolf” in himself instead of the more self-destructive “bad wolf”. Continue reading “Findlay Brown “Not Everything Beautiful is Good” (Nettwerk Records, 2018)”

Brett Dennen “Already Gone” – Listen

The lazy way to approach describing music is to say who else it sounds like.  So, let’s be lazy for once: Brett Dennen is the intersection between Justin Townes Earle and Lord Huron.  ‘Already Gone’ is the leas track from the EP of the same name and it’s a rollicking, hit the road Jack of a song, or as Brett puts it “This song is about making a decision instead of sitting around and thinking about what to do.  It’s so much fun to sing. I’ve played it at a few shows already and will continue to. It puts me in a great mood. I imagine myself gliding down a mountain or running down an empty highway somewhere. Both have the feeling of release.”.

Brent Cobb announces European dates

Brent Cobb has announced a UK and European tour for September. The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter will play twelve dates around Europe, including five shows in the UK.  Commencing at Whelan’s in Dublin, Cobb will then play four shows in the UK, including dates in London and Manchester, before a stop at The Long Road Festival in Lutterworth, and a final UK show in Brighton. The tour continues throughout September, with shows in the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The announcement follows the release of Cobb’s latest single, ‘Come Home Soon’, taken from his new album, ‘Providence Canyon’, recently released on Atlantic Records, which you can watch the rather lovely video for below alongside the full schedule. Continue reading “Brent Cobb announces European dates”

Niall Thomas “Night Sky Blue” (Independent 2018)

This is the second solo album from Dublin based singer-songwriter Niall Thomas which showcases ten self-penned thoughtful songs delivered in a mainly acoustic style. Thomas himself describes each song as forming a snapshot of time drawn from personal experience and the surroundings in Dublin’s North Inner City, where he has lived for fourteen years. What the songs do demonstrate is that this a man who has a keen eye on the human condition and a social conscience as these are pieces of work displaying real depth and feeling. Continue reading “Niall Thomas “Night Sky Blue” (Independent 2018)”

The Magic Numbers “Outsiders” (Role Play Records, 2018)

This courageous and beautiful new album from The Magic Numbers rocks in ways perhaps unusual for this band, which, early on, drew a large following due largely to the beauty of its melodies. This departure is apparent from the opening notes of the first song, ‘Shotgun Wedding’, a bass-heavy rocker. The album is aptly named. Two of its four members are Romeo Stodart and his sister, Michele Stodart, who plays bass. The pair have felt like outsiders for much of their lives. They were born in Trinidad, but the family moved to New York when they were children. Then, in their teens, the family moved again – to Hanwell, on the western edge of London. Outsiders once more. Continue reading “The Magic Numbers “Outsiders” (Role Play Records, 2018)”

Jason Isbell sings Townes classic at Outlaws gig – Watch

Rolling Stone Country are carrying this clip today which you can throw yourself into below – it was recorded at the new ‘Outlaws & Armadillos: Country’s Roaring ’70s’ exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Put together by Shooter Jennings and Dave Cobb, it featured musicianship from the likes of Amanda Shires, Robby Turner, Chris Hennessee,  Charlie Worsham, Chris Shiflett and Jason Isbell. Isbell himself performed Townes Van Zandt’s ‘Pancho and Lefty’ with backing from the trouble and strife/musical partner on fiddle and harmony vocals. As RS put it “Turner’s mournful pedal steel and Hennessee’s subtle harmonica accented the rendition, but it was Isbell’s slide guitar solo that brought it to its rousing denouement, as Isbell sang the final verse ­– handled by the late Jody Payne when Nelson performed it on tour – about Lefty living in that cheap hotel.”

The Wolff Sisters & The Last Cavalry “Cahoon Hollow” (Independent, 2018)

There’s something of Australia’s Waifs about The Wolff Sisters. Both outfits take folk and Americana as a base and reinterpret  tropes, both make highly melodic, harmonic and listenable music, both are fronted by sisters (three in the Wolff’s case), the lead vocals are similarly nasal and the Wolffs are as much a breath of fresh air as the Waifs were a decade ago. Continue reading “The Wolff Sisters & The Last Cavalry “Cahoon Hollow” (Independent, 2018)”

Track Premiere : The Mallett Brothers Band “Onowa”

The new single from The Mallett Brothers Band, ‘Onowa’, is named for the town in which the Mallett Brothers were raised just north of Willimantic, Maine.  It’s a classic train wreck story – and this one’s also true.  As Luke Mallett explains “There’s this Tressel that is in the middle of nowhere. You have to hike into it. When I was a kid, we used to go out and walk onto it. It’s massive….there was a trainwreck that happened in 1919. It was the Cross Canadian Railway at the time, going from Prince Edward Island running all the way across to Montreal. There was a really nasty trainwreck out there. 23 people ended up dying.”  With a huge drum sound and fuzzy, reverb-tinged guitars the tune recalls the honest storytelling & rock flourishes typical of groups like the Drive-by Truckers or The Jayhawks.

Tommy Emmanuel + Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo, Union Chapel London, 24th May 2018

Islington’s Union Chapel is perhaps the favourite venue of many of the musicians who perform in London. It seats around a thousand people (on very hard Church pews admittedly)  but the reward for the gig goer is an intimate atmosphere and wonderful acoustics.  There is a strict noise limit and a 10.30 curfew which suits the acoustic players perfectly. Continue reading “Tommy Emmanuel + Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo, Union Chapel London, 24th May 2018”