This week sees your humble correspondent and his encumbrance being treated to an outing in the wilds of the People’s Republic of Liverpudlia. The Editor, in a highly unusual display of largesse and munificence, has insisted that we sample the cultural highlights of the desolate North (possibly on his dollar but we’ll see about that). Continue reading “Pick of the Political Pops: The Delmore Brothers “Browns Ferry Blues””
Down here in The Bunker at Americana UK Towers we have five lever locks and ten bolts on the door. Mostly this is to keep out the hoi polio – fans who want to snog us and get our autographs, depressed singer/songwriters who want to take us to task for dissing their life’s work, bailiffs who don’t get the joke that not paying the rent is a piece of performance art and politically savvy folk who vehemently disagree with our editorial policy of being politically neutral. Continue reading “Pick of the Political Pops: The Gourds “Everybody’s Missing The Sun””
This week news reached us in The Bunker that The World and His Wife (by which we of course mean The World and His/Her Significant Other) had decided that what is happening in Venezuela is their business and that Venezuelans should damn well sit up and take notice of the pontifications of all non-Venezuelans everywhere. Donny John and the rootin’, tootin’ US of A demanded that Juan Marquez of The Voluntad Popular Party (“Popular Will” to us Bunker residents) be recognised as the President (supported in this view by notable ‘nice guy’ Jair Bolsanaro of Brazil but also, bizarrely, by Canada). Continue reading “Pick of the Political Pops: Merle Haggard “Oil Tanker Train””
This month long-serving staff writer Paul Kerr gives us the lowdown on his introduction to Americana: Jim Reeves was the country crooner of choice in my household as I was growing up and it wasn’t until my pimply adolescence that Top of The Pops and Alan Freeman’s top 20 countdown entered my life. Continue reading “What is this Americana thing anyway…?”
Anybody who is a fan of the genre – by which we mean you our dear readers – is bound to have been asked at some point: “What kind of music do you like?” Your reply will have been “I really like Americana”. You will all, no doubt, have been met by the same blank faces or quizzical looks or maybe the classic question “What the hell is THAT?”. We’ve all been there. In this, a new occasional series, we attempt to get to the bottom of what the genre is (if indeed it is one thing) and how our particular love for it as writers for Americana-UK came about. As usual, your thoughts, comments and observations are warmly welcomed.
The Editor, in his infinite wisdom, suggested that this week we don’t go with a Brexit themed Political Pops. Eagle-eyed viewers will understand that we didn’t go with this last week and that the majority of ‘Political Pops’ aren’t solely focussed on the most important political decisions facing our people since world War Two. That said, it’s quite difficult to ignore. Continue reading “Pick of the Political Pops: Josh Turner “Why Don’t We Just Dance””
This week sees the one-hundredth anniversary of the murder of Rosa Luxemburg (and her political ally and co-founder of the anti-war Spartakusbund Karl Liebknecht). Luxemburg was Polish by birth but became a naturalised German citizen. She was variously a member of several progressive political parties including The Social Democratic Party of Germany, the Independent Social Democratic Party and The Communist Party of Germany. Continue reading “Pick of the Political Pops: Tracy Chapman “Talking About A Revolution””
Righty-ho. That was the festive season that was then. This week (ish) we have unsealed The Bunker and emerged from our temporary hibernation unusually sober and full of anticipation for the year ahead in politics and music. Vim, Vigour and Victory V’s have been our companions as we stared bright-eyed into the blindingly brilliant future. Things, we mused, can only get better. Then, after a full five (maybe six) minutes, we realised that actually things are just the bloody same. Curses. Still – this allows us to carry on with the heavy drinking and spinning those great melancholy tunes. Every cloud…
Well, gosh darn it, it appears to be that time of year again. Here at Americana-UK Towers we are as divided about the festive season as a country pondering Brexit. There are those of us, The Editor for example, who go all squishy and fluffy and impossible to live with at the prospect of a mince pie, some new pairs of socks and the chance to bestow goodwill to all men (and women). Continue reading “Pick of the Political Pops: Aimee Mann “I Was Thinking I Could Clean Up For Christmas””
This week we didn’t think things in the political spectrum could get any more farcical. But they did. We like to think that this particular column is read with a healthy dose of scepticism and that regular readers appreciate the (occasionally) satirical nature of it. Things have now gone beyond satire though we feel. Even a scant analysis of the ‘European Problem’ would point out that we are in the mess we are because of divisions within the Blues. Continue reading “Pick of the Political Pops: 2nd South Carolina String Band “Bonnie Blue Flag””
