Category: Interviews

Interview: William Fitzsimmons

Nashville based William Fitzsimmons has had a pretty rough ride these last couple of years. A relationship breakdown in the middle of recording a new record paid more than a personal toll on the songwriter. Creatively, unable to live with the finished record for obvious reasons Fitzsimmons decided to leave it on the cutting room floor, team up with a new producer and set about recording a brand new record. The resulting work, ‘Mission Bell‘ is a startling, at times heartbreaking, yet ultimately cathartic piece of work that warrants serious investigation. Americana-UK delves a little deeper. Continue reading “Interview: William Fitzsimmons”

Interview: Matthew Logan Vasquez

A collection of songwriters holed up on the outskirts of Santa Fe in a ramshackle house, fuelled by alcohol, camaraderie and hot tubs, Glorietta sounds like some kind of creative utopian dream.  Delta Spirit’s Matthew Logan Vasquez, alongside buddies and contemporaries David Ramirez, Noah Gundersen, Adrian Quesada, Kelsey Wilson and Jason Robert Blum have recorded a truly wonderful album together that manages to combine beautifully all their collective talents without ever losing that overriding sense of fun.  Americana-UK speaks to Delta Spirit’s Mathew Logan Vasquez about ego management,  the art of collective songwriting, and basic logistics of making a project like this actually happen.  Continue reading “Interview: Matthew Logan Vasquez”

Interview: Felix Holt

Hailing from leafy Muswell Hill, a mere stone’s throw from The Kink’s own KONK studios, it’s no wonder Felix Holt has his head spinning with sixties sensibility and a plethora of killer tunes.  The young troubadour has made quite an impact this year, releasing his debut album and playing a number of very well received live shows.  Americana-UK’s Mark Underwood caught up with Holt to discuss influences, inspirations and how life is as ‘The Next Big Nobody’.    Continue reading “Interview: Felix Holt”

Van Life: Eilen Jewell & Jason Beek

Boise, Idaho’s Eilen Jewell and her husband (and drummer!) Jason Beek have been touring the US and Europe for a number of years, bringing their blend of country, americana, and old-time gospel to a loyal following both sides of the pond. Last year’s ‘Down Hearted Blues’ saw Jewell unearthing a number of old-time blues songs and giving them both a polish and a place in the modern musical world. Her band, including the inimitable Jerry Miller, a guitarist who resides at the very summit when it comes to GREAT guitar players, are seasoned road dogs these days. Americana-UK caught up with Eilen and Jason on a recent visit to these shores to find out how life on four wheels really is and found out CDs isn’t the only thing they carry with them!  Continue reading “Van Life: Eilen Jewell & Jason Beek”

Interview: Passenger

One of the things I like to smugly get annoyed about is when you mention Passenger and someone says “Oh I really like them” and I’m like “Er, it’s a he” with a disapproving stare. To be fair, Passenger used to be a “them” when they had some added punctuation to their moniker but that was an age ago, and a decade on Mike Rosenberg has become one of those established artists who sometimes flies under the radar in terms of press coverage but still manages to have UK number one albums and more importantly writes some of the most achingly lovely songs you’re likely to hear right now. His new album is being promoted as his first foray into americana, although he’s had form for many a year. Americana UK chatted to him about the new record, the current state America is in and whether he feels like a survivor in life. Continue reading “Interview: Passenger”

Interview with Alan Tyler

 

It’s no exaggeration to say that Alan Tyler has probably done more than just about anyone in the UK to keep the torch of americana music burning since the early ’90s. Alan and Steve Pulford of the Arlenes got some richly deserved recognition at the Americana Music Awards in January when they were awarded the new Grass Roots Award for hosting the ‘Come Down And Meet The Folks’ (CDAMTF) club that has been the undoubted beating heart of the scene for around 22 years now. Continue reading “Interview with Alan Tyler”

Interview with Jim Walker, At The Helm Records and Brighthelmstone Promotions

Jim Walker is managing director of At the Helm records and Brighthelmstone Promotions. Last year, he put together a festival in his hometown of Hassocks, West Sussex featuring two of our greatest loves – americana music and good beer. The Mid-Sussex americana beer festival is running again for a second year at the Hassocks hotel in East Sussex and involves a number of acts we regularly feature such as Bennett Wilson Poole, Ags Connolly, Danni Nichols, Jason McNiff, Hannah Rose Platt, Mike Ross, Trent Miller and others. Continue reading “Interview with Jim Walker, At The Helm Records and Brighthelmstone Promotions”

James Houlahan Has “Memories of Outer Space”

LA based singer-songwriter James Houlahan is gearing up for the release of his new album ‘The Wheel Still in Spin‘, which will be his fourth album.  ‘Memories of Outer Space‘ is the lead single from the album – it has a sound that is equal parts folk and dream pop, with the melody – fairly unusually -carried by glockenspiel and Fender Rhodes piano, contrasting with Houlahan’s dry vocal delivery over gently-strummed acoustic guitar. Continue reading “James Houlahan Has “Memories of Outer Space””

Interview: Dietmar Leibecke

You can find gold in the most unlikely of places if you look hard enough. Now, Oberhausen, a quiet industrial backwater in the Ruhr valley a few miles from the metropolitan splendour of Dusseldorf, wouldn’t be the first place you would look for an amazing two day americana and roots festival.  Well, it turns out it is THE place to look as for the third year running the magnificent Static Roots Festival graces the town’s Zentrum Altenberg, a converted zinc factory and for two days in July home of some of the genre’s real gems.  AUK took time out to speak to the festival’s curator and  insatiable  supporter of americana music, Dietmar Leibecke, to talk about what is fast becoming a ‘must attend’ event.  Continue reading “Interview: Dietmar Leibecke”

Interview: The Vagaband

Long-established roots stalwarts The Vagaband’s third album, ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ came out to great praise earlier this year with this very site loving the album’s “rollicking mix of Dylan and Ronnie Lane like Romany swirls, full-bodied and city sullied dramas and just plain old good fashioned songs”.   AUK’s Nic Rigby caught up with the band’s leader and main songwriter, Jose McGill, at his Norwich home to talk about the album and the band’s place in the Americana genre.  Continue reading “Interview: The Vagaband”