Mark Whitfield

Al Festo returns for 2019 – free americana in Colchester!

June 3, 2019 Mark Whitfield 0

Free americana is always a good thing (well, maybe not if you’re a musician) and in that spirit the Al Festo festival which takes place at the Sun Inn, Dedham, Colchester is returning for a fifth […]

Sturgill plays bluegrass set at Grand Ole Opry – Watch

May 31, 2019 Mark Whitfield 0

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 […]

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

May 31, 2019 Mark Whitfield 0

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 […]

Bruce Springsteen “Tucson Train” – Watch

May 30, 2019 Mark Whitfield 0

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 […]

Songs for the apocalypse: Dar Williams “When Sal’s Burned Down”

May 29, 2019 Mark Whitfield 0

If I had to choose one album that reminded me of my twenties more than any other record, I’d go for New Yorker Dar Williams’ ‘The Honesty Room’ released back in 93. It takes me back […]

Something for the weekend: Keyside “Cocodamol”

July 10, 2026 0

Well that’s it from us for this week. Don’t forget about our 25 year anniversary event in November which takes place across 2 stages in Liverpool at the end of November and features Chuck Prophet and […]

Book review: Willy Vlautin “The Left and the Lucky”

July 10, 2026 0

Willy Vlautin is well known as the chief songwriter of Richmond Fontaine and The Delines, trading in beautifully written vignettes of the people who have generally fallen between the cracks of the American dream. These dark […]

Emmylou Harris, Mumford and Sons and Jerry Douglas

Classic Clips: Mumford & Sons & Emmylou Harris ft. Jerry Douglas “The Road” – CMT Crossroads, The Factory, Franklin, Tennessee, 20th September 2012

July 10, 2026 0

The evening before San Francisco’s 2025 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival the Masonic Auditorium hosted a tribute concert to Emmylou Harris, the only artist to have graced the festival stages for each of its 25 years. During […]

Articles by Mark Whitfield

Al Festo returns for 2019 – free americana in Colchester!

Sturgill plays bluegrass set at Grand Ole Opry – Watch

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

Bruce Springsteen “Tucson Train” – Watch

Songs for the apocalypse: Dar Williams “When Sal’s Burned Down”

Something for the weekend: Keyside “Cocodamol”

Book review: Willy Vlautin “The Left and the Lucky”

Classic Clips: Mumford & Sons & Emmylou Harris ft. Jerry Douglas “The Road” – CMT Crossroads, The Factory, Franklin, Tennessee, 20th September 2012

Les Thomas “I Remember Everything”

Latest AUK Podcast now available featuring author and journalist Liz Thomson