The East Pointers single, album and January 2020 UK dates

July 18, 2019 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Folk, New Single, News, Tour Dates

Canadian trio The East Pointers recently released a new single ‘Wintergreen’ from their upcoming third album due late 2019. The guys are on the top of their game with ‘Wintergreen’ a track that beautifully melds their modern take on a traditional folk sound with a catchy pop hook. The single is an ideal taster for the album ‘Yours To Break’ which I’ve been lucky enough to hear and East Pointers fans are in for a real treat as the album delivers superb vocal harmonies, impressive instrumental chops and, most importantly, great songs. In other good news, the trio will return to the UK in January of 2020 for a run of dates. More about The East Pointers and those tour dates follow:

Morganway release video for 'I Want No Other Love' single + tour dates

July 12, 2019 by David Vousden in Americana, Classic Rock, Festivals, New Single, News, Tour Dates

‘I Want No Other Love’ is the latest single from the eagerly anticipated debut album by Morganway set for release August 2nd 2019. The video for the single features footage from many of their recent shows including Black Deer Festival. C2C, Wood Festival, Folk In A Field and loads more. The band will continue to tour this year with headline shows and a string of dates supporting CC Smugglers. More about the single, the album and upcoming tour dates follows:

Guitars, guitars and more guitars on The Blue Highways new single

May 31, 2019 by David Vousden in Americana, Country, Country Rock, New Single, News, Video

The Blue Highways were looking to try something a little different for their second single release. The band wanted to celebrate guitar music and bring back the days when the guitar ruled the airwaves. The band had met plenty of great players on their travels so calls were placed and the result is ‘Play Johnny, Play’ a track that features seven of the best guitar players on the UK Americana scene. Jack Lury of The Blue Highways is joined by CJ Hillman, Henry Senior, Joe Hazell (Curse Of Lono), Lewis Fowler (Two Ways Home), Paul Lush and 12-string wiz Tony Poole. The single is out today (May 31st 2019) and streaming/purchase links follow along with a cool video and loads more about The Blue Highways:

Morganway are 'Frozen In Our Time' on first single from upcoming album

February 19, 2019 by David Vousden in Americana, Classic Rock, New Single, News, Video

UK newcomers Morganway are set to release their debut album in the summer of 2019. The first taste of what to expect from the band is available now via their excellent single ‘Frozen In Our Time’. Inspired by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles the band bring a dash of classic 70s rock to their take on Americana. Morganway are going to be busy this year touring in the UK with many dates already on the books and additional shows will be added along the way. More about Morganway, those tour dates and the video for ‘Frozen In Our Time’ follows:

Josh Ritter to release 'Fever Breaks' album April 26th 2019

January 31, 2019 by David Vousden in Americana, Alt-Country, New Single, News, singer-songwriter, Video

Josh Ritter will release his tenth album ‘Fever Breaks’ on April 26th 2019 via Pytheas Recordings/Thirty Tigers. The new album was produced by Jason Isbell and features Isbell’s band the 400 Unit. If lead single ‘Old Black Magic’ is anything to go by then April 26th should be added to your diary right now. The press release for the album including more about Josh Ritter and the single ‘Old Black Magic’ follows:

An alternative Christmas from <PIG> on charity covers EP

December 22, 2018 by David Vousden in Alternative Rock, Free Download, New Single, News

Christmas is nearly here and by now you’ll have heard all those classic Christmas tunes at least a million times...and that’s just today. In a change to the usual festive programme PIG aka Raymond Watts has released a new EP of Christmas covers by Wham, Elvis and John Lennon. If you like Industrial sounds, or just something a little different, this is pretty cool. The EP is available to stream/download via Bandcamp but please leave a donation as all profits go to International Rescue Committee https://www.rescue.org A link to the release and a video for Last Christmas follows:

Steve Brockley to release 'Is Not Was' album 25/01/19

December 01, 2018 by David Vousden in Americana, Folk, New Single, News, singer-songwriter

Canadian singer-songwriter Steve Brockley has released ‘A Fire, The Cold To Fight’ the first single from his new album ‘Is Not Was’ due January 25th 2019 via Afterlife Music/Membran. Sometimes a first look at the the cover of an album is all that is required to get you interested and ‘Is Not Was’ just looks right. Judging a book by its cover might not be a scientific approach but I’m pleased to report that 'A Fire, The Cold To Fight' is more than enough to build anticipation for ‘Is Not Was’. You can judge for yourself as the single and a little more about Steve Brockley follows:

Mandolin Orange reveal 'Golden Embers' video + 2019 UK/EU headline dates

November 29, 2018 by David Vousden in Americana, Folk, New Single, News, singer-songwriter, Tour Dates

North Carolina Americana/folk duo Mandolin Orange will release a new album ‘Tides Of A Teardrop’ on February 1st 2019 via Yep Roc Records. The video for ‘Golden Embers’ from the new record is out now and is sure to please fans of the band. It’s a superb, heartfelt song with an equally impressive video. A tour of Europe, including a London date, has also been announced with tickets on sale November 30th. The video for ‘Golden Embers’, more about Mandolin Orange and the tour dates follow:

Keeva releases 'The Kindest Thing' single from upcoming EP

October 22, 2018 by David Vousden in News, New Single, singer-songwriter, Soundcloud

London based singer-songwriter Keeva has released a new single ‘The Kindest Thing’ her first new music since the excellent ‘Whiskey’ appeared late last year. ‘The Kindest Thing’ is taken from her upcoming EP the intriguingly titled ‘Four Sad Songs and a Ballad’ due October 26th. ‘The Kindest Thing’ features the kind of songwriting honesty that I’m sure will strike a chord with many listeners. A stream of the single and a little more about Keeva follows:

Tenille Townes 'Somebody's Daughter' video + October 2018 UK tour dates

September 26, 2018 by David Vousden in Americana, Country, New Single, News, Tour Dates, Video

Tenille Townes will be in the UK in October 2018 for Country Music Week playing the CMA Songwriters Series and opening for Drake White (More CMA info). To coincide ‘Somebody’s Daughter’ the first video from her upcoming Jay Joyce produced album is available now. The album is set for release in 2019 via Columbia Nashville / Sony Music UK and you can check out the video for 'Somebody's Daughter' here @RGM along with more about Tenille Townes and those all-important tour dates.

Benjamin Folke Thomas 'Modern Man' due November 9th via Aveline Records

September 13, 2018 by David Vousden in New Single, News, singer-songwriter, Tour Dates, Video

Benjamin Folke Thomas will release his new album ‘Modern Man’ via Aveline Records on November 9th. Regular readers of RGM will remember Benjamin as we reviewed his last studio album ‘Copenhagen’ back in 2017 (review link) with Rich Barnard claiming it featured “A diverse and very thoughtfully arranged set of songs”. If ‘Tasteless and Complacent’ the first single from the album is anything to go by then ‘Modern Man’ should be well worth seeking out. Benjamin Folke Thomas is currently on tour playing solo shows with John Murry and will embark on a run of headline shows with his full band on November 21st. More about Benjamin Folke Thomas, the video for the new single and those tour dates follows:

Liam Russell pleads 'No Contest' on upcoming EP

August 17, 2018 by David Vousden in Americana, New Single, News, singer-songwriter

On October 5th (Update: release date pushed back a week from September 28th) Liam Russell will release the EP 'No Contest' via Hidden Pony/Slaight Music. The 30-year-old Russell is hardly a newcomer to the scene as he signed a major label deal at fifteen and has toured extensively (his dad is Canadian musician Brent Titcomb so music was obviously in his blood) but 'No Contest' is a new beginning for the singer-songwriter. The first music released from the EP is the excellent 'Half Chance' which should whet your appetite nicely. More about Liam Russell and the new EP follows including a stream of 'Half Chance':

New Michael Kratz featuring Mindfeels single out today July 23rd

July 23, 2018 by David Vousden in Classic Rock, AOR, New Single, News, Tour Dates

Michael Kratz might be a new name to many readers of RGM but the Danish singer-songwriter is well known in AOR circles. His recent 'Live Your Life' album featured contributions from David Garfield, Michael Landau and Steve Lukather (Toto), which should give you an idea of the quality of the release. Michael needed a band to perform at the launch party for the album and Italian label mates Mindfeels stepped up for the evening (Mindfeels released their debut album 'XXenty' last year to acclaim from the AOR / Melodic Rock community as it lived up to the Toto influences their name implies). The combination of the two acts proved a great success and Michael has again partnered with Mindfeels for his new single 'Dragging Me Outside' which is a superb example of westcoast AOR complete with a rousing chorus, plenty of keys and a perfectly placed guitar break. A streaming link to 'Dragging Me Outside' and more about Michael Kratz follows:

RGM presents The Maple Leaf Roundup #1

June 21, 2018 by Rich Barnard in Acoustic, Alternative Rock, Americana, New Single, News, singer-songwriter, Showcase, Folk, Ambient

Arts funding for music in Canada means that there is a very healthy scene for up-and-coming acts. Lots of these artists reach out across the water and we’re always pleased to find their little musical messages-in-bottles washing up on the beaches of RGM Island. There’s something new and exciting there almost every day, little gems glinting on the sand as we walk the dogs along the shore. Sadly, we’re so busy writing daft metaphors we don’t have time to cover everything we’d like to in depth, so we’ve assembled a little roundup of the very best Canadian things that have come to our attention in the last couple of weeks. Keep your eyes and ears on the names and remember you (probably) heard about them first at Red Guitar.

Johnathan Rice is playing 'The Long Game' on new single

May 25, 2018 by David Vousden in Alternative Rock, New Single, News, singer-songwriter

Johnathan Rice has had a pretty busy career. You might not know the name but you've seen Johnathan the actor as Roy Orbison in the Johnny Cash biopic 'Walk The Line' and he contributed songs to 'Ricki And The Flash' starring Meryl Streep and Rick Springfield. Away from Hollywood, Johnathan has released three solo albums and frequently collaborates with Jenny Lewis, sometimes in the duo Jenny and Johnny. Or I could mention his session work which includes contributions to Elvis Costello's 'Momofuku' release...and I've not even got around to his poetry which went from Instagram to a book deal. As I've said, Johnathan Rice is a very busy guy with, you won't be surprised to find, a new album on the way from which the terrific 'The Long Game' is taken. The single is a near perfectly formed, and frankly quite gorgeous, 2.32 which Johnathan describes as a simple love song (the harmony vocal by Courtney Marie Andrews is stunning). The song was inspired by a comment Johnathan's friend Marc Silverstein (the director of the Amy Schumer film 'I Feel Pretty' and co-writer of 'The Vow') made one evening which stuck in Johnathan's head. More about Johnathan Rice and a stream of 'The Long Game' follows:

Luke James Shaffer 'How Sweet The Sound'

May 24, 2018 by David Vousden in Folk, New Single, News, Pop, singer-songwriter

Luke James Shaffer first came to the attention of RGM earlier this year with the infectious 'Pressure' single which cracked the top 20 of the iTunes singer/songwriter chart. His latest release 'How Sweet The Sound' lives up to the title and shows a different, more reflective side of Luke James Shaffer. Based in Washington DC Shaffer has been plying his track for a decade, originally with a run of live-looping cover tunes, but now the original material is starting to flow and 'How Sweet The Sound' is a very impressive calling card. Please read on to find out a little more about Luke James Shaffer and how sweet 'How Sweet The Sound' really is:

Curse Of Lono to release 'As I Fell' August 17th 2018 + Live Dates

May 15, 2018 by David Vousden in Americana, Alternative Rock, New Single, News, Tour Dates, Video

Curse Of Lono will release their sophomore album 'As I Fell' on August 17th, 2018. The album is the eagerly anticipated follow up to their universally acclaimed 'Severed' release from 2017. The album was recorded in Hackney, London and at Rancho V in Joshua Tree National Park, California (surely the ideal location for the band to turn their cinematic songs into a reality). As a taster for the new album 'Valentine' (available now from your preferred digital platform) is an intoxicating mix of mid-tempo, almost, glam rock stomp, menacingly distorted bass and dirty guitar tones all underpinning the harmonies. This is really good stuff and bodes well for the upcoming record. Please read on to check out the single and learn more about Curse Of Lono's plans for 2018 which will include their first headline tour:

It's time to 'Collide' with GIVERS on their new single

April 27, 2018 by David Vousden in Alternative Rock, Americana, New Single, News, Video

GIVERS from Lafayette, Louisiana turned up in the RGM inbox this morning and really brightened my day. The band have been around since 2008 and 'Collide' is the first single from an EP due this summer on Glassnote Records. This is really cool and has a fantastic video to match (not sure about that dog tho). The track was produced by the hottest producer around Dave Cobb (Sturgill Simpson, Chris Stapleton, Old Crow Medicine Show) and Eric Heigle (Arcade Fire, Lost Bayou Ramblers) and incorporates all manner of Louisiana, New Orleans and Nashville influences with Afro-Pop rhythms and a dash of Art-Rock and it works beautifully. More about GIVERS and the video for 'Collide' follows:

Diamond Black new single 'Ghost in the Glass' out today

April 13, 2018 by David Vousden in Alternative Rock, New Single, News, Video

London based quartet Diamond Black released their new single 'Ghost In The Glass' today (13.04.18). The band were founded by The Sisters Of Mercy guitarist Ben Christo and the single is a fantastic blend of huge riffs and a wonderfully melodic chorus. Following on from last years debut 'Sorrow' single Diamond Black are definitely going to be one to watch in 2018 and beyond. The lyric video for 'Ghost in the Glass' and loads more about Diamond Black follows:

Airrace preview 'Untold Stories' with a little 'Summer Rain'

April 10, 2018 by David Vousden in AOR, Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Melodic Rock, New Single, News, Tour Dates, Video

UK AOR/Melodic rock act Airrace are back with a new single 'Summer Rain' which is a pleasing antidote to the British weather as I type. The new single is a slight change of direction for the band as it exhibits a soulful charm that was unexpected but welcome. The band have a new album 'Untold Stories' in the can for an August release (10.08.18) with tour dates set for September. Please read on to check out 'Summer Rain' and learn a little more about the upcoming album and tour: