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”
Tag: Tyler Childers
Tyler Childers + The Local Honeys, Academy 2, Manchester, 18th 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”
Watch Tyler Childers performing “Country Squire”
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 “Country Squire” (Hickman Holler Records, 2019)
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)”
Tyler Childers: “The stuff we used to call ‘good country’ is now getting called Americana”
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””
Sturgill and Tyler play Nashville’s Ryman – Watch
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.
Colter Wall + Tyler Childers @Celtic Connections, The Tron Theatre, Glasgow, 3rd February 2018
Tickets for this Celtic Connections show sold out almost as soon as the gig was announced with both artists noted as the up and coming guys to watch. Wall’s debut album was helmed by the current in vogue producer Dave Cobb while Childers’ debut is produced by a man who has benefitted from Cobb’s studio craftwork, Sturgill Simpson. With both men playing solo sets it was instructive to see their very different approaches to country and folk music and while Wall was the headliner it was Childers who folk were talking about afterwards. Continue reading “Colter Wall + Tyler Childers @Celtic Connections, The Tron Theatre, Glasgow, 3rd February 2018”
Tyler Childers “Purgatory” (Thirty Tigers 2018)
Building up a steady head of public interest, Tyler Childers follows his three singles of last year with his debut album co-produced by Sturgill Simpson no less. And it could well have been hewn from the same wood as Sturgill’s earlier releases. Lots of guitars, rebel lyricism and fiddles with nods to Nashville, Appalachia and Steve Earle particularly with the ‘Copperhead Road’ fuelled ‘Whitehouse Road’ – note the repeat of the word road to enable such comparisons. Continue reading “Tyler Childers “Purgatory” (Thirty Tigers 2018)”
Tyler Childers “Whitehouse Road” – Listen
Tyler Childers’ new album “Purgatory” (which would be a better title for the last five U2 albums) is produced by Sturgill Simpson and David Ferguson, and RS Country premiered the track below yesterday. They describe it as blending “that ethereal, off-kilter edge of bluegrass with Seventies country and an analog, Southern rock slant… and lyrics that dig deep into the struggle to dull the pain of life in rural America.” Purgatory is out August 4th on Hickman Holler Records via Thirty Tigers.