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Kentucky songwriter Tyler Childers has announced the surprise-release of a new album titled ‘Long Violent History’. He describes the record as “a collection of instrumental pieces intended to create a sonic soundscape for the listener, to set the tone to reflect on the last track which is my own observational piece on the times we are in.” Continue reading “Tyler Childers surprise releases new album, voices support for BLM”
If you were to find yourself cruising down Interstate-75 in the Renfro Valley area of Kentucky you may feel inclined to take a detour at exit 62 and head on down to the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame. A caveat at the current time would be that you may find some time to kill upon your arrival, as the said attraction will not reopen until September. That aside, within its hallowed walls are inductees aplenty including the likes of The Everly Brothers, Loretta Lynne, Bill Monroe, Merle Travis and Ricky Skaggs. Continue reading “Ten Americana artists from Kentucky”
It’s that time of year again folks. The Americana Music Association has revealed the nominees for its 19th annual Americana Honors & Awards which includes Brandi Carlile, Brittany Howard, Our Native Daughters, the late John Prine, Nathaniel Rateliff, Tanya Tucker and Yola among others. Continue reading “AMA announces 2020 award nominees”
Long-running Portland, Oregon festival Pickathon has announced a new series of concerts for the next 2 months entitled ‘A Concert A Day’. The initiative has been set up to help musicians and artist communities through the Recording Academy’s MusiCares organization, with the rationale that during the current more or less worldwide lockdown, with so many artists unable to tour and so many people stuck at home, they are opening the vaults to premiere one full concert a day for 60 days, streaming for free on Facebook, Amazon Music’s Twitch channel, and on YouTube. And if you want to make a donation, all proceeds will go to MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund. Continue reading “Pickathon presents a concert a day – starting with Drive By Truckers”
Last time Tyler Childers played Celtic Connections he was hunched behind his acoustic guitar, every inch the talkative Kentucky hillbilly, regaling the audience with tales of “snipe hunts” and the story behind his song ‘Purgatory’. Two years on and he’s an AMA award winner (although he’s not a fan of the term Americana) and, with his buddy, Sturgill Simpson, selling out stadiums in the States. No surprise then that this was one of the hottest tickets at Celtic Connections, sold out with a queue of folk outside this east end church looking for spare tickets. Continue reading “Tyler Childers + The Local Honeys @Celtic Connections, St. Lukes, Glasgow, 19th January 2020”
Almost two years ago to the day, Tyler Childers played a solo acoustic set to less than 100 people in a small basement venue in central Manchester. Today he is again in town, only this time he is playing with a five-piece band at a sold-out Academy 2 (capacity 950). That’s a considerable upgrade over such a short period of time. It’s particularly impressive for a young man who avowedly describes himself as a country singer and whose recorded output, whilst reflecting the present, is so deeply rooted in past traditions. Continue reading “Tyler Childers + The Local Honeys, Academy 2, Manchester, 18th January 2020”
We do love a bit of Tyler Childers here on AUK and earlier in the week he was the musical guest on Late Night With Seth Meyers Monday night, performing the title track from his rather fine latest album ‘Country Squire’ complete with some fiddle and steel guitar. Childers’ song ‘All Your’n’ also from the same album was nominated for the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards in the category for Best Country Solo Performance.
Tyler Childers self-released his first album ‘Bottles and Bibles’ in 2011 aged 19. A bit rough around the edges maybe, but that release offered a glimpse of the potential that the young Kentuckian had. It also demonstrated a determination and single-mindedness that has not been eroded with the passage of time. Childers’ second and breakthrough album, 2017’s ‘Purgatory’ was produced by Sturgill Simpson and David Ferguson and not only garnered widespread critical acclaim but also won Childers the ‘Best Emerging Artist’ Award at the 2018 Americana Music Association Awards. Continue reading “Tyler Childers “Country Squire” (Hickman Holler Records, 2019)”
There’s an interesting interview with Tyler Childers in this morning’s Guardian in which he again lays into the parlous state of modern country music, telling them: “Americana [started as] a place to recognise people being ignored by their own genres, but now it’s a hindrance. The stuff we used to call ‘good country’ is now getting called Americana. We’ve not fixed the problem of bad country.” If you’re not sure what he’s on about, try tuning into Chris Country for an hour. Continue reading “Tyler Childers: “The stuff we used to call ‘good country’ is now getting called Americana””
RS Country are carrying a clip this morning, which we embed for you below dear reader, of a surprise appearance by Sturgill Simpson at Tyler Childers’ current shows at the Ryman opening for Margo Price. They report: “Adding a fiery solo to “Whitehouse Road,” Childers’ song about the drugs, desolation and muted dreams of modern Appalachia, Simpson elicited a thunderous roar from the audience – but it wasn’t the first time the crowd got on their feet that night. Childers had already received a standing ovation by the time he got to his second song, proving just how emotionally rousing the Kentucky native’s music can be.” The man who shot the clip was promptly arrested at the end of the gig for copyright infringement.