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Our latest posts
  • [ December 4, 2025 ] Top 10 Americana Songs of All Time: Andy Raw Features
  • [ December 4, 2025 ] Book Review: Alice Gerrard “Custom Made Woman – A Life In Traditional Music” Book Reviews
  • [ December 4, 2025 ] Maz O’Connor returning with fifth album in 2026 News
  • [ December 4, 2025 ] Beans On Toast “Kill Them With Kindness” Album Reviews
  • [ December 4, 2025 ] Exclusive AUK Mini-Gig: Sam Moss AUK Mini-Gigs
HomeAuthorsJohn Vaites

Articles by John Vaites

About John Vaites
London based musician and music fan.
Album Reviews

Luke Sital-Singh “A Golden State” (Raygun Records, 2019)

April 5, 2019 John Vaites 0

Luke Sital-Singh was, reportedly, a fan of loud rock music in his teens, but finding inspiration in the energy and passion of Damien Rice’s legendary live shows he ditched the metal band and converted to the […]

Album Reviews

Kristina Stykos “River of Light” (Thunder Records, 2019)

April 3, 2019 John Vaites 0

‘River of Light’ is the fifth studio album from Vermont based singer-songwriter Kristina Stykos. For the most part it’s an upbeat optimistic collection of songs which have the distinct feel of poetry set to various styles […]

Album Reviews

Jackson Pines “Gas Station Blues and Diamond Rings” (Independent, 2019)

February 15, 2019 John Vaites 0

Acoustic duo Jackson Pines are singer-songwriter guitarist Joe Makoviecki and stand-up bassist James Black.  Originally from the Pine Barrens of New Jersey they are now based in Philadelphia and have received multiple local awards (Asbury Music […]

Album Reviews

Whoa Melodic “Whoa Melodic” (Wiaiwya, 2019)

January 24, 2019 John Vaites 0

Having previously played with Singing Adams and the French Drops and The Hayman Kupa Band, the anagrammatically eponymous ‘Whoa Melodic,’ aka Michael Wood, has released his first solo album featuring ten delightfully melodic indie-pop tunes. Patiently hand-crafted in his home […]

Reviews

Haint Blue “Overgrown” (Independent, 2018)

January 23, 2019 John Vaites 0

Haint Blue are a popular seven-piece folk pop/rock outfit from Baltimore, Maryland with a loyal fan base and a four track eponymously titled EP under their belts released back in 2015.  Judging from posted videos their live […]

Posts pagination

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our latest posts

Top 10 Americana Songs of All Time: Andy Raw

Features
December 4, 2025 3

Book Review: Alice Gerrard “Custom Made Woman – A Life In Traditional Music”

Book Reviews
December 4, 2025 0
Maz O'Connor

Maz O’Connor returning with fifth album in 2026

News
December 4, 2025 0
Album art for Beans on Toast "Kill Them With Kindness"

Beans On Toast “Kill Them With Kindness”

Album Reviews
December 4, 2025 0

Exclusive AUK Mini-Gig: Sam Moss

AUK Mini-Gigs
December 4, 2025 0

  • Top 10 Americana Songs of All Time: Andy Raw
  • Book Review: Alice Gerrard “Custom Made Woman – A Life In Traditional Music”
  • Maz O’Connor returning with fifth album in 2026
  • Beans On Toast “Kill Them With Kindness”
  • Exclusive AUK Mini-Gig: Sam Moss
  • Live Review: Nora Brown And Stephanie Coleman + Spitzer Space Telescope, The Round Chapel, London – 21st November 2025
  • Folk Tracks Roundup – Broadside Hacks
  • Video: Flavie Mialon “Highlands’ Shores”
  • The Delines Set Up new album for March
  • Wes Corbett “Hartford’s Bend On The Cumberland” – drift to the sea
Billy Bragg Bob Dylan Bruce Springsteen Chuck Prophet Courtney Marie Andrews Dean Owens Drive By Truckers Emmylou Harris Jason Isbell Johnny Cash John Prine Lucinda Williams Margo Price Neil Young Peter Bruntnell Robert Vincent Ryan Adams Steve Earle Sturgill Simpson The Band The Byrds The Delines Tom Petty Wilco Willie Nelson
  • Andrew Raw: Thanks very much, Andy. Wise words!
  • Andy Short: Great list Andy...Wilco, Gibbs, Parsons, DBT and Fontaine, all that's right with the world.
  • Andy Davidson: Drive By’s just sound better and better.

Latest interviews

Interviews

Interview: Dan Bern has still got his fastball, and a change-up

December 2, 2025 1

In the smart and lively songs of Dan Bern, nuances are at work like honeybees in a hive. A busy swarm of subtleties generates a nucleus of narrative honeycomb that has more layers than an archaeologist’s […]

Behind the Songs

Behind the Songs: Dillon Warnek “As the Neighbors Tried to Sleep”

December 2, 2025 0

Dillon Warnek’s “As the Neighbors Tried to Sleep” is a sharp and dizzying collection of songs about everything and anything. “Rolling Stone” raved that his debut album “Now That It’s All Over”, was full of “wry character […]

Interviews

Caught Light: Tony Dekker of Great Lake Swimmers on time, trust and the art of letting go

November 24, 2025 1

As we meet, Tony Dekker is sitting outside a café in Vancouver, Canada. It’s a fitting setting for a conversation with the Great Lake Swimmers’ frontman – calm, thoughtful and quietly attuned to the world around […]

You may have missed…

Features

The Top 10 Greatest Ever Americana Artists: Keith Hargreaves

July 13, 2023 48

As always in these prescriptive articles there must be a drawing of boundaries and Clint’s first article in the series seemed to have dealt with the idea that you should define americana in a narrow sense […]

Essentials

Essentials: The top 10 Steve Earle albums

July 8, 2021 37

Steve Earle announced his arrival in our lives with his debut album in 1986. Since then, he has racked up almost thirty studio and live albums under his own name or in collaboration with others. I […]

Obituaries

The Song Remains: Eric Taylor 1949-2020

March 12, 2020 4

I heard from a colleague,  who has contact with associates of Eric Taylor, that he had died on March 9th 2020 following a period of illness. I immediately checked the web for confirmation but there was […]

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