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Our latest posts
  • [ February 20, 2026 ] Something for the weekend: Toad the Wet Sprocket “California Wasted” Tracks
  • [ February 20, 2026 ] Live Review: Midlake + The Bretheren, Electric Ballroom, London – 6th February 2026 Live Reviews
  • [ February 20, 2026 ] Anniversary Cheers: Slim Dunlap’s “Every Little Word” is a reissue of his two solo albums 30 years on, with added extras Anniversary Cheers
  • [ February 20, 2026 ] Exclusive AUK Mini-Gig: BIRD AUK Mini-Gigs
  • [ February 20, 2026 ] Classic Clips: Chris Whitley “Big Sky Country” – Live At Les Nuis L’Emission, 29th February 1992 Classic Clips
HomeColumnsPolitical Pops

Political Pops

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

Political Pops

Pick of the Political Pops: George Jones “What’s Money?”

February 28, 2020 Paul Villers 0

This week down in The Bunker in Americana-UK Towers much hilarity was caused when we watched on our Radio Rentals small screen cathode ray tube TV (look it up kids) a statement from The House of […]

Political Pops

Pick of the Political Pops: Bob Dylan “It’s A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall”

February 21, 2020 Paul Villers 1

This week the great and the good, the mediocre and the medium and the poor and the poorest of the residents of Americana-UK Towers (actually they were all great and good but we like to be […]

Political Pops

Pick of the Political Pops: Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians “The President”

February 14, 2020 Paul Villers 0

So for the past couple of weeks we have been considering notions of ‘democracy’ and in this latest instalment of ‘PPP’ we are going to further postulate on the idea of ‘rule’ (cracy) by the ‘people’ […]

Political Pops

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

February 7, 2020 Paul Villers 0

This week – once again – we are riffing on the broad theme of ‘democracy’ and how it manifests itself. We thought that this time around we’d look at how it’s done in America since we […]

Political Pops

Pick of the Political Pops: Ralph McTell “England”

January 31, 2020 Paul Villers 0

Well that, in a sense, is that. As you read this piece you will either be preparing for the party of your lives or hiding in your metaphorical beds hoping it will all just be a […]

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our latest posts

Something for the weekend: Toad the Wet Sprocket “California Wasted”

Tracks
February 20, 2026 1

Live Review: Midlake + The Bretheren, Electric Ballroom, London – 6th February 2026

Live Reviews
February 20, 2026 0
Slim Dunlap at The Mad Riplle Hootenanny 27thNovember 2007

Anniversary Cheers: Slim Dunlap’s “Every Little Word” is a reissue of his two solo albums 30 years on, with added extras

Anniversary Cheers
February 20, 2026 0

Exclusive AUK Mini-Gig: BIRD

AUK Mini-Gigs
February 20, 2026 0
Chris Whitley from a 1990s benefit concert in New York City

Classic Clips: Chris Whitley “Big Sky Country” – Live At Les Nuis L’Emission, 29th February 1992

Classic Clips
February 20, 2026 1

  • Something for the weekend: Toad the Wet Sprocket “California Wasted”
  • Live Review: Midlake + The Bretheren, Electric Ballroom, London – 6th February 2026
  • Anniversary Cheers: Slim Dunlap’s “Every Little Word” is a reissue of his two solo albums 30 years on, with added extras
  • Exclusive AUK Mini-Gig: BIRD
  • Classic Clips: Chris Whitley “Big Sky Country” – Live At Les Nuis L’Emission, 29th February 1992
  • Rose’s Pawn Shop “American Seams”
  • Charley Crockett makes it a hat trick of albums in a year with “Age of the Ram”
  • The latest AUK podcast is available now featuring Katherine Priddy and Band of Heathens
  • Awolk “Into The Void” – sometimes the void looks back
  • Video: Tenderness “The Salt Flats” – living in the moment of gentle panic
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  • David Walker: "Slug Line" almost made it to my top ten, and IMO opinion it has qualities that are greater than some…
  • Peter Thompson: Hi Matt, Thanks for taking the time to comment. You make some good points and you make them well. I…
  • Matt: Peter, The songs are good, and I respect your opinion, but I really question first, your definition of "Americana" and…

Latest interviews

Interviews

Interview: Mean Mary answers six of one and half a dozen of the other

February 18, 2026 0

The banjo is a glorious instrument that can do a lot of ill in the wrong hands. It’s not easy to proudly, confidently pluck out some hot licks and really hard to play it with the […]

Behind the Songs

Behind the Songs: Polite Company “Please Go Wild”

February 17, 2026 0

Alan Gregg is a native Kiwi transplanted to North London with a spotty resumé to his credit. Not intending to be impolite, but prospective employers might be taken aback, curious as to what he has been […]

Interviews

Interview: Jim White on Trey Blake and the backstory of “Precious Bane”

February 12, 2026 2

If you’ve heard anything about Jim White, you’ve probably heard about the surfing, the modeling, the cab driving, and the unlikely way David Byrne changed his life with a record deal. You’ve heard about the junk […]

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News

John Mellencamp: I left label because of racist President

March 2, 2017 0

No not that racist president. Stereogum report today: “John Mellencamp paid a visit to Howard Stern’s SiriusXM radio show earlier this morning, and he shared for the first-time his account of why he left Columbia all […]

Amanda Shires & Bobbie Nelson
Videos

Video: Amanda Shires and Bobbie Nelson featuring Willie Nelson “Summertime”

May 12, 2023 0

Amanda Shires joins Bobbie Nelson and her brother Willie on Gershwin’s classic ‘Summertime’. The video was shot as Nelson and Shires recorded the song at Arlyn Studios in Austin Texas before Bobbie’s passing in 2022.   A long-standing […]

Tracks

Darrin James “When You’re With Me” – you be you

September 15, 2023 0

Here’s some Seventies-style up-tempo and upbeat country rock from Darrin James.  It bounds along at a great pace with Darrin James sincerely conveying a message of equality – “you can always just be yourself when you’re […]

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