Indie-folk duo Percival Elliott will 'Save Your Soul' in 2018

January 18, 2018 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Folk, New Single, News, Video

Every so often something appears in the RGM inbox so classy that you'd kick yourself if you didn't say something about it. Indie-folk duo Percival Elliott exhibit refinement and grace on their new single 'Forever' which is from their upcoming album 'Save Your Soul' due early in 2018. Olly Hite and Samuel Carter-Brazier are Percival Elliott and their brand of striking piano melodies, gentle harmonies and sumptuous strings has a timeless quality that you just don't hear every day. More about the duo, the family history that inspired the name and the stunning video for 'Forever' follows:

Torgeir Waldemar is looking back to move forward on new album.

January 17, 2018 by David Vousden in Folk, Classic Rock, News, singer-songwriter

Torgeir Waldermar came to the attention of Red Guitar Music through his terrific second 'No Offending Borders' album release back in 2017 (reviewed here). The album found the folky troubadour of his debut rockin' out in a Neil Young circa Crazy Horse vein. For 'Jamais Vu' Waldermar surprises once again as he reevaluates songs from both albums and turns them on their heads. Tracks from 'No Offending Borders' are stripped back acoustically while songs from the debut gain electric guitars and expanded arrangements. 'Jamais Vu' will be released in the UK on March 9th via Jansen Records. In the meantime please read on to check out a track from the album alongside an explanation for the reasoning behind the album and that title:

Ladies Of The Blues Return to Under The Bridge, London March 23rd 2018

January 16, 2018 by David Vousden in Blues, News, Tour Dates, Video

Blues fans are in for a treat when three of the very best in the business combine under the 'Ladies of the Blues' banner at Under The Bridge in London on March 23rd, 2018. Finnish slide guitarist Erja Lyytinen will join forces with two of the UK's best blues voices Connie Lush and Kyla Brox to showcase a wide range of blues influences. More about Erja, Connie, Kyla and venue details follows:

'All Roads East' for Eli Lev on new EP

January 12, 2018 by David Vousden in Americana, Country, Folk, News, singer-songwriter, Soundcloud

Washington DC native Eli Lev recently released his debut EP 'All Roads East' with his band The Fortunes Found. Eli at first glance falls into the indie folk singer-songwriter category but give the EP a listen and you'll find a healthy disrespect for musical boundaries. The 5 track EP (now available from all official digital platforms) embraces folk, country with a dash of old-school rock n' roll to keep you on your toes. The first single from the EP 'Go Down' benefits from an unexpectedly cool funky groove while 'Long Way Back To Shonto' is bathed in bluesy slide guitar. If you're lucky enough to live in the Washington DC/Maryland/Virginia area Eli Lev is probably playing somewhere near you as I type. If not then more about Eli including the video for 'Go Down' follows:

Joan Baez to release new studio album 'Whistle Down The Wind' March 2nd

January 10, 2018 by David Vousden in Folk, News, Tour Dates

Joan Baez will release 'Whistle Down The Wind' her first studio album in a decade on March 2nd via Proper Records. The album was produced by Grammy winner Joe Henry in Los Angeles and features songs by some of Joan's favourite composers including Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan, Josh Ritter, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Eliza Gilkyson. Joan will be undertaking an extensive world tour with UK and ROI dates set for March and May 2018. Much more about the album, the tour and the title track from 'Whistle Down The Wind' follows:

Jerry Leger embraces 'Nonsense and Heartache' on new 2LP set

January 09, 2018 by David Vousden in News, singer-songwriter, Tour Dates, Video, Americana

Canadian singer-songwriter Jerry Leger will see his latest album 'Nonsense And Heartache' released in the UK on March 2nd via Latent Recordings with distribution through Proper Music. The album is a double set with an album of bluesy, dirty rock n' roll and a more acoustic-based singer-songwriter record. The album was produced by Michael Timmins of Cowboy Junkies fame. Jerry Leger and his band The Situation will visit Europe in April for a run of shows that include UK dates. More about the album and the tour follows:

The famed Bluebird Cafe returns to C2C in 2018 + After Show Party News

December 12, 2017 by David Vousden in Americana, Bluegrass, Country, Festivals, News, Tour Dates

The famed Bluebird Cafe will return to the C2C event at the O2 in 2018. The Nashville institution has experienced an increase in visibility and popularity in recent years as an integral part of the Nashville TV show so expect tickets to be in high demand. Nashville is all about the songwriter so these seated songwriters round shows really get to the roots of the music. The O2 / C2C have also released details of the official Aftershow Parties for 2018 with Walker Hayes, Lukas Nelson & Promise of The Real, Brett Young with Morgan Evans set to please the late night music lovers (Glasgow will also have aftershow parties for our friends north of the border). More details follow:

YES announce Official 50th Anniversary Celebrations

December 07, 2017 by David Vousden in Classic Rock, News, Tour Dates, Prog Rock

Iconic UK progressive rock act YES will celebrate their 50th anniversary with a host of events set to coincide with their March 2018 UK tour. The London Palladium over the weekend of March 24-25th 2018 looks like being the essential destination for the hardcore YES / prog rock fan with Prog Magazine sponsoring the YES Fan Convention. Expect to see current band members, YES alumni and Roger Dean over the weekend and I'm pleased to report that all profits from the event are going to charity which is always great to hear. So why not come along, pick up a copy of the new Drama line-up version of 'Fly From Here' and enjoy live music from SeYes and Fragile. Full details and all the links for tickets etc follow:

Lanco to release 'Hallelujah Nights' album worldwide January 19th

December 07, 2017 by David Vousden in Country, News, Video

With a Gold certified US #1 Billboard Country Airplay single 'Greatest Love Story' and extensive touring under their belts in 2017 with Dustin Lynch and Brothers Osborne. January 19th is the date for Lanco to release 'Hallelujah Nights' their debut Jay Joyce (Little Big Town, Eric Church, Zac Brown Band, Brothers Osborne) produced album. The numbers the band have amassed are pretty staggering with nearly 100 Million streams and 19 million video views. Much more about Lanco follows including a cool video trailer for the upcoming album:

Mary Gauthier, Seamus Fogarty & The Blasters latest names added to Kilkenny Roots 2018

December 05, 2017 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Americana, Blues, Country, Festivals, News, Roots

The Kilkenny Roots Festival is celebrating 21 years in 2018 and the latest additions to the line-up include Mary Gauthier, who has an excellent new album 'Rifles & Rosary Beads' due in January, Irish songwriter Seamus Fogarty and, from the USA, The Blasters. With RGM fave Whitney Rose already announced alongside a host of impressive names that include Deep Dark Woods, Michael Nau and Nikki Lane this looks like an excellent weekend of great music. More about the festival and the artists set to appear follows:

Wishbone Ash announce 'The Vintage Years' a mammoth 30 CD Box Set

November 30, 2017 by David Vousden in Classic Rock, News, Rock, Video, Box Set

April 2018 will see the release of the definitive Wishbone Ash box set. 'The Vintage Years' is a strictly limited edition (2,500 copies) deluxe 30 CD set authorised by all of the original band members. The set features 16 studio albums, 3 live albums (Live Dates 1 & 2 + Live In Tokyo) and 8 previously unreleased live albums. The studio albums all feature bonus material and the box also includes a 156 page hardback book and a host of memorablia including posters and a 7" flexi disc (which is about as retro as it gets). A breakdown of the contents of The Vintage Years (1970-1991) follows including a video trailer for the box follows:

Nearly New Year with Nashville Nights and The Southern Companion

November 28, 2017 by David Vousden in Americana, Country, News, Club Nights

Nashville Nights will return to West London to give fans an opportunity to see in 2018 with a Nearly New Year Party devoted to country music. The event takes place at Under The Bridge on December 29th and will feature live music from The Southern Companion. Full details about Nashville Nights and the evening follow:

Emily Faye hits the 'Open Road' on new single

November 28, 2017 by David Vousden in Country, New Single, News, singer-songwriter

UK singer-songwriter Emily Faye recently visited Nashville to record an EP and the first new music from those sessions 'Open Road' is available now to stream or download. The EP will follow early in 2018 and she'll be touring to support the release. If you can't wait that long Emily will be at the famed Half Moon in Putney on November 6th and The Sound Lounge in Tooting on November 14th. More about Emily Faye including a live session video of 'Open Road' follows:

All The Luck In The World announce new single and European dates

November 24, 2017 by David Vousden in Alt-Folk, New Single, News, Tour Dates, Video

Neil Foot, Ben Connolly and Kelvin Barr collectively known as All The Luck In The World will release their latest album 'A Blind Arcade' on February 23rd. The Irish trio, now based in Berlin, have released 'Landmarks' as a single and announced European tour dates for April 2018. More about the trio including the video for 'Landmarks' follows:

The over dramatic heart...Introducing Jimmy Sweet

November 16, 2017 by David Vousden in New Single, News, Pop, Punk, singer-songwriter

Jimmy Sweet readily admits “I have a place in my heart for the over dramatic” and he's not kidding. His debut single, due December 1st, is a cover of the 1979 Buzzcocks tune 'You Say You Don't Love Me' given a melancholy twist. The result is an ultra cool reworking that features enough sweeping strings and massed voices to do Jim Steinman proud. More about Jimmy and a link to the single follows:

Belle Adair look to redefine Muscle Shoals with 'Tuscumbia' on Jan 19th

November 14, 2017 by David Vousden in Americana, New Single, News, Soundcloud, Pop, Soul

The members of Belle Adair will need no introduction if you've been following the impressive run of releases on Single Lock Records as keyboardist Ben Tanner and drummer Reed Watson run the label. The band has effectively acted as the label house band in recent years backing label founder John Paul White and Donnie Fritts amongst others. Now Belle Adair are taking their place in the sun with the release of the Tom Schick (Wilco) produced 'Tuscumbia' which puts their personal spin on that rich Muscle Shoals musical heritage. More about Belle Adair follows including 'Get Away' the first single from the album:

I'm With Her announce 'See You Around' album and May 2018 UK dates

November 09, 2017 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Folk, News, singer-songwriter, Tour Dates

The debut album from I'm With Her will be released February 16th, 2018 on the Rounder Records label. I'm With Her features a trio of artists blessed with considerable vocal and musical talent namely Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O'Donovan. Needless to say this makes 'See You Around' one of the most anticipated releases lined up for 2018. The title track from the album is available now so please read on to check out the track, along with more about the trio, and those May 2018 UK dates:

Los Plantronics 'The Worst Is Yet To Come' 2LP due November 24th

November 02, 2017 by David Vousden in News, Video, Vinyl, Surf, Mariachi, Compilation

Winner of the best LP cover I've seen this year goes to Los Plantronics. 'The Worst Is Yet To Come' brings together the best of their material from 1995-2017 and looks like an essential purchase for lovers of surf-rock, mariachi, rock n' roll and/or Mexican wrestling. The 2 LP set on Jansen Records is set for release on November 24th in the UK. Much more about Los Plantronics including a track listing for the album follows:

The Wailin' Jennys celebrate 'Fifteen' with new covers album

November 01, 2017 by David Vousden in Folk, News, Acoustic

On January 5th, 2018 The Wailin' Jennys will release their first album of new material since 'Bright Morning Stars' in 2011 via True North Records in the UK. The record 'Fifteen' marks the fifteenth anniversary of the trio hence the title. The album features interpretations of some of their favourite songs including gems originally recorded by Tom Petty, Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Paul Simon and Warren Zevon. More about The Wailin' Jennys, including a track-by-track of the songs on the new album, plus their version of the Tom Petty classic 'Wildflowers' follows:

Major Love 'Tear It Down' on new single

October 31, 2017 by David Vousden in New Single, News, Pop, Rock, singer-songwriter, Video, Tour Dates

Regular RGM readers will need no introduction to Canadian singer-songwriter Colleen Brown who we featured on a UK tour back in 2015. Colleen has teamed up with fellow Canadians Scenic Route To Alaska for a new venture Major Love. The first new music from this partnership is the infectious 'Tear It Down' single with an album due early in 2018. More about the band and the video for 'Tear It Down' follows: