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Our latest posts
  • [ April 8, 2026 ] Nic Panken “Near Divine or Merely Rhyme” Album Reviews
  • [ April 8, 2026 ] Book Review: Geoffrey Himes “Willie Nelson, All the Albums” The Stories Behind The Music Book Reviews
  • [ April 8, 2026 ] AUK Shortcuts: Jefferson Ross, Old Sap, Tuomas Räisänen, James Houlahan, David Coller, Joel Robson, Matthew Ryan, Sammi Accola, and Mills & Farrell Album Reviews
  • [ April 8, 2026 ] Foy Vance “The Wake” Album Reviews
  • [ April 8, 2026 ] Preview: Sara Petite is back for Spring tour dates ahead of new album News
HomeColumnsPolitical Pops

Political Pops

AUK’s Paul Villers has a weekly look at the news with an accompanying Americana song

Columns

Pick of the Political Pops: Billy Bragg “The Lonesome Death of Rachel Corrie”

May 21, 2021 Mark Whitfield 3
The Israel-Palestine issue is often presented as something complex, and undoubtedly there are complexities to it, but presenting it as almost unsolvably complex conveniently makes people think there’s nothing they can do about it and so […]
Columns

Pick of the Political Pops: Drive By Truckers “Surrender Under Protest”

March 19, 2021 Paul Villers 0
Well it’s been a slow week for news (said no one this week with access to a wireless/newspaper/laptop/television). We quite thought that we would have nothing to write about in our usual snarky way (we didn’t […]
Columns

Pick of the Political Pops: k.d. lang “Big Boned Gal”

March 12, 2021 Paul Villers 0
This week at Americana-UK Towers we have been in full celebration mode in respect of International Women’s Day. The slight fly in the ointment is that in the twenty-first century we still need to have such […]
Columns

Pick of the Political Pops: Willie Nelson “If You’ve Got The Money I’ve Got The Time”

March 5, 2021 Paul Villers 0
This week we had what grown-ups call The Budget which is essentially where important people in London scribble down a few sums on the back of a fag packet (fags didn’t go up you’ll recall so […]
Columns

Pick of the Political Pops: The Raconteurs “You Don’t Understand Me”

February 26, 2021 Paul Villers 1
This week we were (once again) amused that Facebook was in the news this time in a face-off with the Australian government. The argument was pitched by the vast majority of the mainstream media worldwide as […]

Posts pagination

1 2 … 29 »

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our latest posts

Album art for Nic Panken Near Divine or Merely Rhyme

Nic Panken “Near Divine or Merely Rhyme”

Album Reviews
April 8, 2026 0

Book Review: Geoffrey Himes “Willie Nelson, All the Albums” The Stories Behind The Music

Book Reviews
April 8, 2026 0
Promo photo for Joel Robson album "Breadcrumbs"

AUK Shortcuts: Jefferson Ross, Old Sap, Tuomas Räisänen, James Houlahan, David Coller, Joel Robson, Matthew Ryan, Sammi Accola, and Mills & Farrell

Album Reviews
April 8, 2026 0

Foy Vance “The Wake”

Album Reviews
April 8, 2026 0

Preview: Sara Petite is back for Spring tour dates ahead of new album

News
April 8, 2026 0
Album art for Nic Panken Near Divine or Merely Rhyme
Album Reviews

Nic Panken “Near Divine or Merely Rhyme”

April 8, 2026 0
Nic Panken finds a balance and searches for the divine on his first solo project. Nic Panken is a member of the Brooklyn-based band Spirit Family Reunion. This is Panken’s debut solo album and is a […]
Book Reviews

Book Review: Geoffrey Himes “Willie Nelson, All the Albums” The Stories Behind The Music

April 8, 2026 0
This book is a thing of beauty. From its presentation to the wonderful array of historical photographs inside, it is a volume to treasure. Author Geoffrey Himes wrote about music every week in the Washington Post […]
Promo photo for Joel Robson album "Breadcrumbs"
Album Reviews

AUK Shortcuts: Jefferson Ross, Old Sap, Tuomas Räisänen, James Houlahan, David Coller, Joel Robson, Matthew Ryan, Sammi Accola, and Mills & Farrell

April 8, 2026 0
Our latest Short Cuts, a monthly feature where AUK casts a brief eye and ear on several albums we’ve received recently, which just didn’t make the cut for a full review. Like most major music websites, […]

  • Nic Panken “Near Divine or Merely Rhyme”
  • Book Review: Geoffrey Himes “Willie Nelson, All the Albums” The Stories Behind The Music
  • AUK Shortcuts: Jefferson Ross, Old Sap, Tuomas Räisänen, James Houlahan, David Coller, Joel Robson, Matthew Ryan, Sammi Accola, and Mills & Farrell
  • Foy Vance “The Wake”
  • Preview: Sara Petite is back for Spring tour dates ahead of new album
  • Nathan Evans Fox “Sevindust” – poison spreading across the land
  • Video: Michael Weston King “Nothing Can Hurt Me Anymore” – disarming reflections on life and loss
  • Drivin N Cryin “Crushing Flowers”
  • The Top Ten Americana Songs Of All Time: 4th – The Band “The Weight” (1968)
  • Interview: The Breath’s Stuart McCallum and Rioghnach Connolly on collaborating with the Paraorchestra
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
  • FredArnold: Thank you - silly error. Now amended
  • FredArnold: Thank you - my bad. Now amended
  • NIels Østergaard: Music From Big Pink was The Bands debut album not their second album.

Latest interviews

Interviews

Interview: The Breath’s Stuart McCallum and Rioghnach Connolly on collaborating with the Paraorchestra

April 7, 2026 0
How to achieve true musical Symbiosis. The Breath are guitarist Stuart McCallum and singer Rioghnach Connolly, and they ensure that the song is always at the centre of their alt-folk sound. That sound is rich, reflecting […]
Interviews

Interview: Cynthia Marchant on the Ozarks, fast cars and the passing of time

April 7, 2026 0
In 2022, with her second studio album, Flesh and Bone, Cynthia Marchant explored spiritual truth and depth, and the magic of connecting with self and others in the many stages of life. Three years later, she’s […]
Interviews

Interview: Michael Weston King on why “Nothing Can Hurt Me Anymore”

April 2, 2026 0
How the worst kind of family tragedy can lead to a career high British americana stalwart and music award winner Michael Weston King is releasing a new solo album, Nothing Can Hurt Me Anymore. On the […]

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Album Reviews

Various Artists -“The Electric Muse Revisited – The Story of Folk into Rock and Beyond”

June 3, 2021 0
One man’s continuing journey through folk, folk-rock and beyond. This is a 4-CD 61-track collection, based on the original book and album from 1975 and now brought up to date by one of the original authors, Robin […]
Tracks

Justin Rutledge “Mary” – remembering a favourite person

May 17, 2023 0
What is this – midweek already?  How can that be?  Feeling run-ragged? Same.  We should just slope off and grab a flat white and find somewhere quiet and out of the way and just blow a […]
Artwork for Fred Abbott And The Wild Unknown album "Shining Under The Soot"
Album Reviews

Fred Abbott + The Wild Unknown “Shining Under The Soot”

July 13, 2023 0
A patchwork album which wears its rock credentials on its sleeve. Since Noah And The Whale split in 2015, their guitarist Fred Abbott has been busying himself working as a producer, writer and session player for […]

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