News, reviews and more
As it’s the season for giving, we’ve put together a special bumper edition of The Maple Leaf Roundup, bringing you not five but ten - yes, ten! - new tracks from our copaines Canadiens. Think of it as an early Christmas gift - a mellifluous mixtape of must-hears you might not have otherwise met.
Read MoreAfter our first collection of Christmas tunes were so well received we’re back with more. This time up we’ve got a lovely slice of festive fun from Olivia Lane and Shannon Labrie is back after impressing all at RGM with her ‘Building’ album earlier this year. We also have a contribution from newcomer Wallis who wasn’t even born when Eric Brace and Last Train Home originally sang about the characters featured in their seasonal offering. It’s enough to make you feel really old…
Read MoreOn February 18th, 2021 Extradition / Cadiz Publishing will issue two classic rock biographies in paperback. The titles are a new revised edition of Pegasus Epitaph - The Story of the legendary rock group Love’ by Michael Stuart Ware and ‘Hickory Wind’ by Ben Fong-Torres, which is considered to be the definitive Gram Parsons biography and will include a new epilogue by the author. I’m sure Love and Gram Parsons won’t need any introduction to RGM readers but full details of both books follow:
Read MoreBob Harris the veteran broadcaster is celebrating 50 years in the business and to coincide his latest project is a charity single in aid of Help Musicians. Bob’s favourite song is ‘Stand By Me’ which coincidentally turns 60 on October 27th, the release date of this new version of the classic track. Bob has seen and done it all in his long career (briefly being employed as John Martyn’s guitar tech is one highlight that springs to mind) and has a pretty envious address book to be able to call on a host of stars to help out with ‘Stand By Me’ including Darius Rucker, Mark Knopfler, Rosanne Cash, Rick Wakeman, Paul Rodgers, Peter Frampton, Richard Thompson, John Oates, Leo Sayer, The Shires, Ward Thomas and many more. Full details about the single, the Help Musicians charity, the artists and links to pre-order/buy the single follow:
Read MoreThe destination for many UK Country and Americana fans this weekend (September 12th, 2020) would have been The Long Road Festival but unfortunately, that was not to be and The Long Road will return in 2021. In the meantime it’ll be doing its bit to promote UK Country music with Hometown Sounds a new online event. Hometown Sounds will premiere on Facebook & YouTube Live at 8PM on 12th September, before airing as a special edition of ‘Country Hits Brits’ by Country Hits Radio at 7PM on Sunday 13th September. Content will then be available on-demand thereafter. The show will be presented by TLR's Creative Director and Country Hits Radio Host Baylen Leonard, and feature exclusive live performances and interviews filmed in Camden Town with Ward Thomas, The Adelaides and Ferris & Sylvester - plus a guest performance from Brandy Clark remote from LA. Full details about Hometown Sounds and much more about The Long Road Festival 2021 follows:
Read MoreIn the latest inbox feature, we’ve got a range of international talent for your perusal. From Canada, Terra Lightfoot returns with a new single and an album on the way while closer to home UK pedal steel legend BJ Cole is sharing his love of Hawaiian music. Speaking of sunnier climates (although High Wycombe would give Hawaii a run for its money in the heat stakes this week) we’ve got a London based Aussie in Nick Kingswell with a terrific single and also from Australia The Buckleys a sibling trio breaking out of their homeland with a nice line in pop-country.
Read MoreCanada is overflowing with music. The best songs, having risen to the top, float over the ocean and bubble through the waterways of the UK where we are poised, net in hand, to scoop them up from the little stream that runs behind RGM HQ. We’ve caught some lovely things for our latest Maple Leaf roundup and now we invite you to sit with us in the sunshine and admire each one before we gently lower them back in again to continue their journey downriver.
Read MoreWelcome to the latest instalment of the RGM inbox feature where we shine a light on a range of artists and recent releases you might have missed. With so much music being released daily it’s tough to keep up and there are many, many artists releasing quality music that could get lost in the shuffle. As usual, the RGM Inbox is an international affair with contributions from the USA, North Wales and an Australian based in the UK.
Read MoreIt’s always a thrill to discover new tunes from our brothers and sisters in Canada and, as the Maple Leaf Roundup turns two years old, I feel particularly warm and fuzzy to think of the sixty or seventy artists we’ve met along the road so far. If you’re only just joining us on the journey, the good news is that the nation’s musical gifts never seem to stop giving, so climb on board and allow us to introduce your newest (and soon to be bestest) Canadian friends.
Read MoreWelcome to the belated May edition of the RGM Inbox. In this latest instalment, we feature two names that I’m sure will be familiar to many readers in Emily Zuzik and David Berkeley. Rounding out this months quartet we’ve David Ramirez, the Texas-based singer-songwriter with a cool-sounding new record in the can and virtuoso guitarist Jon Gomm who revisits his past as he embarks on the next phase of his career with a new record label.
Read MoreShannon LaBrie was born in Lincoln, Nebraska but has been based in Nashville since 2008. Newly signed to the Moraine Music Group Shannon delivers a powerful bluesy/soulful take on Americana with the release of her new single ‘Firewalker’ on May 1st, 2020. The track was penned by Shannon with Tia Sillers and exceptional Australian guitarist Joe Robinson. If ‘Firewalker’ is a taster for an upcoming album then I’m going to be in the queue to check that out. Please read on for more about Shannon, including an isolation version of ‘Firewalker’ and a live stream via Rockwood Music Hall in the early hours of 2nd May UK time:
Read MoreWhile life for all of us is pretty weird, here at RGM we’ve been taking comfort in the things that never change. Spring keeps springing; socks still inexplicably disappear in the laundry and singers - in their thousands - keep singing songs. That remains as true as ever for the musicians of Canada, the very best of whose recent releases are gathered here for you in this, the thirteenth instalment of the Maple Leaf Roundup.
Read MoreMusic Venue Trust has announced #saveourvenues, a new national campaign to save hundreds of grassroots music venues at imminent risk of being closed down – permanently. Registered charity the Music Venue Trust currently has 556 venues up and down the UK at risk of closure. Venues that play an essential role in promoting talent and often as a community hub for many other endeavours. Please read on to find out more about #saveourvenues and how you can get involved:
Read MoreWelcome to the latest, long overdue, delve into the RGM Inbox. As usual, we’ve been inundated with a host of musical pleasures and with many of us following the rules on self-isolation this seems like an ideal time to check out some great new music. So please join us on this latest voyage of musical discovery.
Read MoreDustbowl Revival have been keeping busy curating their very own Sway-At-Home music festival. Eighteen acts over three days including Steve Poltz, Shook Twins, Luther Dickinson and Birds Of Chicago. The music commences at 10pm (UK Time) this Friday, April 17th. More about Dustbowl Revival, Sway-At-Home and the acts involved follows:
Read MoreKip Moore will release his latest album ‘Wild World’ on May 29th via Snakefarm Records in the UK with a vinyl pressing to follow June 26th. To set the scene, and build anticipation for the release, Kip has embarked on the ‘In The Wild’ sessions initially recorded in the Mojave Desert, with cherry-picked indie musicians, the series will also include solo acoustic performances now that Kip is in self-isolation in Kentucky. Much more about Kip, the new album and the first ‘In The Wild’ session video featuring India Carney and Melissa Dougherty follows:
Read MoreToday, February 28th sees the release of the latest single ‘Devil’s In Town’ from the wonderfully monikered Silas J. Dirge. The single is the second release from his upcoming sophomore album and follows the rather wonderful murder ballad ‘Flowers On Her Grave’ a tale of death, vengeance and homicidal cows… Mr Dirge aka Jan Kooiker might be familiar to some readers from his time in alt-country act The Information. More about Silas J. Dirge follows:
Read MoreAlice Wallace caught the attention of RGM with her 2019 album release ‘Into The Blue’ which showcased her lovely voice over a selection of material that was eclectic but hung together beautifully. Basically Alice Wallace can sing anything and it’ll sound great. Wallace might be based in Nashville these days but ‘Into The Blue’ was heavily influenced by the sounds of her native California. Hardly surprising then that her latest release is a version of ‘Long, Long Time’ via Need To Know Music on February 14th 2020. The Gary White penned song was a top thirty hit for Linda Ronstadt in 1970 and appeared on her ‘Silk Purse’ album
Read MoreThe new decade has only just dawned but the RGM inbox is already full to bursting with great new music from a range of genres. We listen to all sorts of stuff here at RGM and believe that you can’t beat the thrill of discovering new music, so please join us as we delve into the RGM inbox. You never know your new favorite artist might be just a click away.
Read MoreThe Maverick Festival will return over the weekend of July 3rd - July 5th 2020 which, as I’m sure you all already know, is 4th of July weekend. This seems to be particularly fitting as Paul Spencer and the Maverick team have been bringing the very best in Americana to the leafy surrounds of Easton Farm Park, Suffolk for many years. The first names for 2020 have been announced with a nice mix of returning favorites and new names including Grammy winning singer-songwriter Steve Forbert and Canadian force-of-nature Terra Lightfoot. More info about the Maverick Festival including ticket prices follows:
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