Tyler Childers announces September 4th London show

August 07, 2018 by David Vousden in Americana, Country, News, singer-songwriter, Tour Dates

To mark the UK physical release of 'Live on Red Barn Radio I & II' via Thirty Tigers on August 31st Tyler Childers will return to the UK for a show at London's Dingwalls on September 4th. The date is Childers' only UK show as part of a run of European dates. The Red Barn recordings are from 2013 and were previously only available on digital platforms so this physical release will be welcomed by fans of his Sturgill Simpson produced 'Purgatory' release. More about Tyler Childers follows:

Longbranch/Pennywhistle to receive welcome standalone CD and Vinyl release September 28th via Geffen/UMe

August 06, 2018 by David Vousden in Country, Country Rock, News, singer-songwriter, Tour Dates

Longbranch/Pennywhistle the only album by Glenn Frey and JD Souther will see a welcome release on CD and 180-gram vinyl on September 28th. The album was released earlier this year as part of the Glenn Frey - Above The Clouds box set and sounded great (RGM Review here). So if you missed the box, or never managed to find an original copy of this rare album on vinyl, this is a must. Longbranch/Pennywhistle finds two artists at the start of their careers and really is pretty much essential for all Eagles fans. More about the release and details of upcoming JD Souther North American tour dates follows:

JP Harris to release 'Sometimes Dogs Bark At Nothing' October 5th

August 02, 2018 by David Vousden in Americana, Country, News

After a four year hiatus, JP Harris returns with his third album 'Sometimes Dogs Bark At Nothing' on October 5th via Free Dirt Records. Produced by Old Crow Medicine Show member Morgan Jahnig 'Sometimes Dogs' has that honesty and sincerity that you only seem to get with old-school country. The first single from the album 'When I Quite Drinking' gets me thinking that 'Sometimes Dogs Bark At Nothing' will be essential listening come October. More about JP Harris, the album and a stream of the single follows:

CMA Songwriters Series returns to UK for October tour

July 31, 2018 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Americana, Country, Festivals, News, singer-songwriter, Tour Dates

The CMA Songwriters Series will return to the UK in October 2018 for a run of shows with the London date part of Country Music Week. The tour, which will also include dates in Gateshead, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow will be hosted by Chris DeStefano with two other artists also making their UK debuts in Kassi Ashton and Tenille Townes alongside a name very familiar to UK audiences Ashley Campbell. The two hour seated show will find the artists performing and telling the stories behind their songs. Tickets are on sale from Friday, August 3rd. Ticket details, the full tour dates and more about the artists and the CMA follows:

RGM presents The Maple Leaf Roundup #2

July 30, 2018 by Rich Barnard in Alternative Rock, Showcase, singer-songwriter

The great, good, weird and wonderful music of our Canadian cousins keeps popping up in the RGM lunchbox, erm, I mean inbox, so we are pleased to present our latest roundup of the artists from across the water that you ought to include in your daily diet.

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:

Chris Stills 'Don't Be Afraid' due Sept 7th + UK dates

July 10, 2018 by David Vousden in News, singer-songwriter, Tour Dates

Chris Stills has announced the UK release of his first album in over a decade 'Don't Be Afraid' on September 7th. To support the album Chris will be visiting the UK for a run of shows in November. A digital deluxe release of the album will feature two additional songs one of which 'Hard To Please' you can check out here at RGM alongside more about the album and what Chris has been up to recently in the worlds of music, TV and film:

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.

No Coward Soul announce July 14th album launch show for 'The Almanac'

June 19, 2018 by David Vousden in Americana, Country, News, Tour Dates

London based Americana act No Coward Soul will celebrate the physical release, on CD and limited edition vinyl, of their debut album 'The Almanac' on Saturday, July 14th at London's Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen. The album was produced by Jamie Evans (Wildwood Kin) and features a soulful take on classic country with very impressive harmonies, so a great show is on the cards. More about No Coward Soul including a taster from the album 'Death N' Texas' follows:

Counting Crows and Alison Krauss confirmed for BluesFest 2018

June 18, 2018 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Alternative Rock, Americana, Bluegrass, Blues, Classic Rock, Country, News, Tour Dates

BluesFest 2018 at London's O2 was already looking like a pretty special few days and now looks even better. Counting Crows are to headline the Sunday night of the festival and they will be joined by Alison Krauss who will also play a full set with The White Buffalo in support. I think you'd have to agree that this is a very impressive line-up for the closing night of BluesFest 2018. Previous coverage of BluesFest can be found here. More about the artists and the festival follows including ticket details:

Tom Baxter returns with 'The Other Side of Blue' on August 17th

June 15, 2018 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Folk, News, singer-songwriter

Tom Baxter will return to the spotlight with his first official release in a decade on August 17th, 2018. The singer-songwriter is probably best known for the Ivor Novello nominated 'Better' single from his 2008 'Skybound' release. 'The Other Side of Blue' finds Baxter as a true solo artist with just guitar or piano for company on a set of songs that were shaped by changes in his personal circumstances over the last few years. In a recent Scott matthews review here at RGM Rich Barnard included Tom in his songwriters that "help to restore my ailing faith in humanity" which is high praise indeed. More about Tom Baxter and the new album follows:

Saxon reissues continue with three more albums on July 27th

June 14, 2018 by David Vousden in Classic Rock, Deluxe Reissue, Hard Rock, Metal, News, Video, Vinyl

August 10th (please note new release date due to manufacturing issues) will see the release of the third wave of Saxon reissues with three more albums getting the deluxe media book/swirl vinyl treatment. The late 80's found Saxon in transition as the band line-up evolved and the 'Innocence Is No Excuse', 'Rock The Nations' and 'Destiny' albums are now ripe for re-evaluation. Once again these releases benefit from deluxe media book packaging for the CDs and impressively colourful vinyl (check out 'Rock The Nations'). The CDs will feature a host of bonus tracks including B-sides, demo and live tracks. A little more about Saxon, pre order links and track listings follow:

Sights and Sounds of Tennessee continues at London's Waterloo until June 17th

June 06, 2018 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Alt-Country, Americana, Country, News, Roots, singer-songwriter, Tour Dates

After a successful launch on June 4th with Yola Carter and Gill Landry performing shows the Sights and Sounds of Tennessee exhibit will continue at London's Waterloo station until June 17th. Over the next ten days or so some great artists will be performing 2-4pm on weekdays with a Jack Daniel's Happy Hour from 4-6pm to follow. Bennett Wilson Poole and Worry Dolls are among the top acts playing sets. More about the exhibit, including the chance to win a holiday to Tennessee, who's performing and the idea behind the exhibit follows:

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:

Tony Wright & Ryan Hamilton 'Grand Ole Otley' LP and UK Tour

May 11, 2018 by David Vousden in Alternative Rock, Americana, Country, News, Tour Dates

A very welcome surprise in the RGM inbox this morning is the debut single by Tony Wright & Ryan Hamilton with their take on 'Oh Lonesome Me' the Don Gibson classic. Many RGM readers might know Ryan Hamilton from his band The Traitors while Tony Wright is best known as the frontman for Alternative UK rock act Terrorvision. An unlikely transatlantic alliance but very effective if the single is anything to go by. A full album of country classics entitled 'Grand Ole Otley' is due June 8th and the duo will be playing UK shows to coincide. To check out the single, learn more about the duo and those all-important tour dates follow:

When electronica meets country: Kate Ellis 'I Believe' (David Gould Remix)

May 09, 2018 by David Vousden in Ambient, Country, Soundcloud, Electronica, Tour Dates

Time for something a little different at RGM. Many readers will be familiar with Kate Ellis and the track 'I Believe' from her 2017 album 'Carve Me Out'. Out today is a new take on the track as producer David Gould has put together an 'ambient country' remix which mixes electronica with Kate's country vocal. Please read on to listen to the track and leave more about the thinking behind it:

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:

Ashley McBryde needs a bigger venue for October headline show

April 16, 2018 by David Vousden in Americana, Country, News, singer-songwriter, Tour Dates, Video

The Ashley McBryde train has well and truly left the station and there's no stopping the singer-songwriter. Fresh from huge acclaim for her performances at C2C this year, and the recent 'Girl Going Nowhere' record, it has been announced that Ashley's October headline show has been upgraded and moved to Islington Assembly Hall on October 10th. Original tickets are still valid with the additional tickets on sale from 9.00 AM on Friday 20th April. This show follows a run of UK dates with Luke Combs including back-to-back nights at Shepherds Bush Empire. Everything you need to know about Ashley McBryde follows: