Martin Johnson

Interview: Cat Clyde on how blues, jazz and country move her

October 17, 2023 Martin Johnson 0

Singing as a child grounded her and Billie Holiday, Patsy Cline, and Bobbie Gentry inspired her. The term singer-songwriter is used with abandon within the americana and folk genres but there are only a few artists […]

Americana Vinyl Treasures: T-Bone Burnett “Proof Through The Night”

October 17, 2023 Martin Johnson 2

It is sometimes forgotten just how little information was available to the dedicated music fan with an increasing obsession with roots American music in the early ‘80s. Demon Records, and its subsidiaries, were like a beacon […]

Interview: Thea Gilmore on how a few beats helped release the real Thea Gilmore

October 10, 2023 Martin Johnson 8

Afterlight represented the start of a regeneration. Thea Gilmore is 20 albums and 25 years into her career which on the face of it is not the most obvious point to release her eponymous album, particularly […]

Interview: Charley Crockett on playing to the ghosts of The Ryman

October 3, 2023 Martin Johnson 0

The debt owed to James “Slim” Hand and the juke joints and honky tonks of Texas. He may have been playing music since he was seventeen years old, but it has taken until he is nearly […]

For the Sake of the Song: Grateful Dead “Ripple”

October 2, 2023 Martin Johnson 0

It is sometimes wrongly assumed that the Grateful Dead’s studio records were mere templates for the live versions of the songs, and while this is certainly true for certain songs, this doesn’t mean they couldn’t capture […]

Lucinda Williams St Paul Theatre 14 April 2019

For the Sake of the Song: Lucinda Williams “Metal Firecracker”

September 28, 2026 0

There are songs that you love for the lyrics, songs that you love for the music; sometimes you get a song where both are so perfect you have a masterpiece. Lucinda Williams’ Metal Firecracker is the […]

Artwork for Ian Noe album"Canyon Falls Trailer Band"

Ian Noe “Canyon Falls Trailer Band”

September 28, 2026 0

Impressive collection of character-driven songwriting and classic country sounds. Kentuckian Ian Noe presents a diverse selection of sixteen original songs on his excellent new album, Canyon Falls Trailer Band. It’s Noe’s third release and the second […]

The Jayhawks live at the Electric Ballroom, Camden - 16th September 2026

Live Review: The Jayhawks, Electric Ballroom, Camden – 16th September 2026

September 28, 2026 0

About a decade ago, I formulated a new genre based on a particular guitar sound that would for several years be heard on Radio 2 after midnight on Friday and Saturday nights. Bob Harris Country is […]

Articles by Martin Johnson

Interview: Cat Clyde on how blues, jazz and country move her

Americana Vinyl Treasures: T-Bone Burnett “Proof Through The Night”

Interview: Thea Gilmore on how a few beats helped release the real Thea Gilmore

Interview: Charley Crockett on playing to the ghosts of The Ryman

For the Sake of the Song: Grateful Dead “Ripple”

For the Sake of the Song: Lucinda Williams “Metal Firecracker”

Ian Noe “Canyon Falls Trailer Band”

Live Review: The Jayhawks, Electric Ballroom, Camden – 16th September 2026

Bluegrass Briefs: Sociograss, Triple Fiddle, The Runaway Strings, Lindsay Lou

Jack Browning “Painted Skies”