We leave you this weekend dear reader with news that Los Angeles quartet The Americans are returning to Europe for a series of shows this summer including some high profile support slots in the UK with Eric Clapton at BST Hyde Park and The Gipsy Kings at Kew The Music in Kew Gardens and Cambridge Corn Exchange. They’ll also be playing a slot at Black Deer Festival and regional dates in Winchester, Leeds and Oxford. Continue reading “The Americans (nice ones) arrive in UK for dates next week”
A new musical is coming to Oldham, not that we generally run stories on musicals here at AUK, but this one is worth a mention, featuring as it does the songs of Joe Hill, more on him in a moment. ‘Bread & Roses’ is a new play by writer Ian Kershaw, based on the real-life story of the huge mill workers strike – led, and won, by women – in Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA, in 1912., described as “an uplifting new play about hope; it follows the story of Lucy-Rose Atkins as she navigates the strike, facing love, loss, lies and deceit, and using her fierce intelligence to make the journey from unskilled worker to impassioned leader.” Continue reading “Bread and Roses musical features songs of Joe Hill”
Following her successful performance at the UK Americana Awards showcase back in January, new Nashville singer-songwriter Kashena Sampson hits these shores at the end of the month to help promote her debut album ‘Wild Heart’ which came out in the United States last year and has just been released here on New Moon Records. Recorded live to tape in a couple days at popular East Nashville recording studio, The Bomb Shelter, Sampson has recorded with top Nashville-based players, including Jon Estes co-producing – as well as playing bass – Jeremy Fetzer on guitar, and Jon Radford on drums. Continue reading “Kashena Sampson – UK dates in support of debut album ‘Wild Heart’”
Carrying the torch for original acoustic blues from a bygone era, Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton returns to the UK for a short run of dates from Friday of this week. Although still in his 20s, Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton has earned a reputation for transporting audiences back to the 1920’s and making them wish they could stay there for good. Jerron performed to a sold out audience at the Lead Belly Tribute at Carnegie Hall on February 4, 2016 along with Buddy Guy, Eric Burdon, Edgar Winter, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and other stars. It is no exaggeration to say that Paxton made a huge impression. In the two years since his performance at that star-studded show in one of the world’s great concert houses, Paxton’s own star has been rising fast. Continue reading “Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton hits the road this Friday”
Born and raised in Glenarm, Northern Ireland, the now Nashville based Ben Glover arrives in the UK today for a string of dates which kicks off tonight in regal style at London’s King’s Place, the first of two dates as Mary Gauthier’s special guest. Glover has been hailed around the world as one of Northern Ireland’s finest exports (after Jim McDonald of course) and was awarded International Song of the Year at the 2016 UK Americana Awards with Gretchen Peters for their co-written song ‘Blackbirds,’ a song which appears on Glover’s album ‘Atlantic’ and serves as the title track to Peters’ 2015 solo album. Continue reading “Ben Glover shorebound to UK today for dates”
As part of a lengthy European tour covering Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Denmark, Blitzen Trapper hit our shores for 3 brief dates this week. It’s hard to credit that it’s been 10 years since the Portland, Oregon-based folk rock act’s breakthrough album, ‘Furr.’ Recent release, ‘Wild and Reckless’ has been described by frontman Eric Earley as “something like a cross-eyed stepchild to Furr.” Continue reading “Blitzen Trapper going wild and reckless in UK this week”
