Mark Johnson

Justin Rutledge “Passages” (Outside Music, 2019)

November 4, 2019 Mark Johnson 1

Americana can sometimes tend to melancholy, wistfulness, reflection on life’s journey and misfortunes, cliched at times. Rarely is it delivered by someone who is so obviously happy. Justin Rutledge is clearly content with his lot. Not […]

Liam Frost “The Latchkey Kid” (Emperor, 2019)

October 15, 2019 Mark Johnson 0

It’s a mixed blessing being called a cult artist, revered by some, unknown to most, now a decade and a half since Liam Frost got his first deal, after gigging on the Manchester scene through his […]

The Orphan Brigade “To The Edge Of The World” (Independent, 2019)

October 4, 2019 Mark Johnson 1

The Orphan Brigade make location albums. The first in a haunted Kentucky mansion, the second in medieval Italian caves. Now comes the third, written and recorded on the wild Co. Antrim coast in Northern Ireland. This […]

Drew Danburry “Pallid Boy and Spindling Girl EP” (Independent, 2019)

September 12, 2019 Mark Johnson 0

“The children are called in from their play to drive and drudge beside their elders to and from their pitiful homes …. nearly any hour you can see them – pallid boy and spindling girl – […]

Merival “Lesson” (Merival Records, 2019)

September 3, 2019 Mark Johnson 0

From Toronto comes the debut album from Merival, aka Anna Horvath, though to say album is a bit of a stretch at less than 25 minutes, with some of the 8 tracks being barely songs. Horvath […]

Margo Price “Days of Unrest”

August 7, 2026 0

A powerful message that’s relayed with the kind of vigour and skill needed to make people sit up and listen. “In his oval room, in his rockin’ chair / He’s the president, but I don’t care […]

Classic Clips: The Mavericks “Born To Be Blue” – Live at American Songwriter Studios, 2012

August 7, 2026 1

Of all the recent musicians we have sadly lost in recent times, the tragic news of the passing of Raul Malo last year was one of the most gut-wrenching for me. He was only 60 years […]

The Wild High “Listen to The Wild High”

August 7, 2026 1

Southern rock debut for Canadian five-piece. Hailing from Ontario, Canada, The Wild High are a five-piece built around singer-songwriter Jon Harvey (formerly of the band Monster Truck). Harvey describes the band as “a chosen family of […]

Articles by Mark Johnson