Month: May 2019

Sturgill plays bluegrass set at Grand Ole Opry – Watch

We leave you this weekend dear reader – and a big weekend for us being based as we are in Liverpool (wish us luck!) – with this clip from Sturgill Simpson who made his first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry in over four years earlier this week. Simpson played on his Kentucky roots by performing a bluegrass set with a sterling band that included Sierra Hull on mandolin and Stuart Duncan on fiddle. You can watch ‘Pretty Polly’ below (and click through for more songs including ‘The Promise’ and ‘Long White Line’.) Have a good one!

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A Starving Viking “Semblance” (Resonating Wood Recordings 2019)

A Starving Viking is the stage name of singer-songwriter Matt Jarrett. A New York state native, he has spent a career in New York City working as a filmmaker and editor. A late-comer to folk music, he has taken Dylan and Nick Drake into his core and used music as a fresh outlet for his creativity. Continue reading “A Starving Viking “Semblance” (Resonating Wood Recordings 2019)”

Pick of the Political Pops: Patsy Cline “I Fall To Pieces”

Over the past two or three weeks the door to The Bunker at Americana-UK Towers has been triple locked with a sturdy scaffolding plank being pushed up against it for extra security. In what has become known as “Election Season” we have felt the need to protect ourselves from the madness inflicting the general populous whilst they busy themselves with a plebiscite or two. We are nothing. Continue reading “Pick of the Political Pops: Patsy Cline “I Fall To Pieces””

The Milk Carton Kids, The Barbican, 29th May 2019

The Milk Carton Kids are one of those bands you feel more people should know about given their pedigree that allows them to pack out a venue like the Barbican. It’s been three years since the indie folk duo from Eagle Rock, California last played in the UK and while you could argue that nothing too radical has changed about their sound, the world around them certainly has, making them a breath of fresh, tranquil air in an environment which these days all too often feels loud. Continue reading “The Milk Carton Kids, The Barbican, 29th May 2019”

Thin Lear “Death In A Field” – Listen

Thin Lear is  Matt Long, a record producer and singer based in Queens who has a new album – ‘Wooden Cave’ – from which ‘Death in a Field‘ is taken.  It’s something of a genre twisting cut, moving from a pedal steel intro towards an almost jazzy outro.  It’s languid and dreamlike along the way as it meditates on death and rebirth.   Thin Lear has commented that “the song aims to connect the listener to a feeling or a memory of something sad or wonderful from years ago, maybe something they haven’t thought about in a while…a person or a moment.”

Interview: Jesse Dayton revives the mix tape

Up until a couple of years ago, Jesse Dayton wasn’t a name on many folks’ lips despite a CV which is somewhat staggering. In addition to having released 11 solo albums he’s played guitar, live and in the studio, with a host of luminaries who straddle the worlds of country and rock. These include Doug Sahm, Flaco Jimenez, Johnny Gimble, The Supersuckers, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Ray Price, Willie Nelson, Johnny Bush, Glen Campbell, and John Doe. He’s also entered the world of movie soundtracks collaborating with Rob Zombie on three of Zombie’s flicks (and appearing in one of them). Continue reading “Interview: Jesse Dayton revives the mix tape”

Video Premiere: The Blue Highways “Play Johnny Play”

Now here’s a thing.  The very up and coming indeed Blue Highways new single “Play Johnny Play” features some great UK Americana guitarists including a couple of Champs as well.  A proper piece of rock’n’roll featuring the mighty vocals of Callum Lury, it’s released today and you can get it here And you should.

Bruce Springsteen “Tucson Train” – Watch

Bruce Springsteen has released the song ‘Tucson Train’ globally today, along with a performance video by Grammy and Emmy Award-winning director Thom Zimny. The black-and-white video features many of the musicians who appear on his new album ‘Western Stars’ which is due out on Columbia Records on June 14th. Zimny is a longtime chronicler of Springsteen’s career whose recent film credits include the “Springsteen on Broadway” Netflix special and “The Ties That Bind” documentary on the making of ‘The River’ album.

AmericanA to Z – Joe Pernice

It was the ‘Sounds of the New West’ compilation CDs issued by Uncut magazine in 1998 that opened so many musical doors for me, bringing to my attention a slew of new acts, as well as forging an obsession in what we were tending to call ‘alternative country’ 20 years ago ago. One of the acts appearing on the first of those CDs, the Pernice Brothers, and their song ‘Crestfallen’ generated huge interest in the work of Joe Pernice and his various side projects, even if his musical output has somewhat dimmed in recent years. ‘Crestfallen’ featured on the 1998 album, ‘Overcome by Happiness’ and was a fine example of Byrdsian and Big Star sounding chamber pop –literate, melodic, elegantly constructed and influenced by a number of acts such as Brian Wilson, Van Dyke Parks, Burt Bacharach and Scott Walker.
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