RGM presents The Maple Leaf Roundup #28

February 27, 2023 by Rich Barnard in Acoustic, Alternative Rock, Americana, Singer Songwriter, Video

My dear, dear, neglected reader. It’s been an entire year since I last brought you news of the finest Canadian sounds around; a lapse for which I can offer no worthy excuse. There will no doubt have been truckloads of tunes that have passed us by as a result, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned about the musicians of Canada, it is that their riches flow ever in abundance. Just for you, I’ve scooped a few prize catches from 2023’s already quickening stream. These are songs I believe deserve to be held awhile in the light; to be marvelled at; to not go unsung into that digital ocean. So, boil the kettle, read on and get ready to make some new Canadian acquaintances.

Gareth Dunlop / Lee Rogers - The Past Is Never Dead new single from William Faulkner documentary

February 24, 2023 by David Vousden in Americana, Folk, Soundtrack

Gareth Dunlop and Lee Rogers enjoyed a busy 2022 as the Northern Irish singer/songwriters toured heavily throughout the UK, Europe and the USA, promoting a pair of albums that will stand the test of time and are rarely very far from the RGM stereo. With a close working relationship, and long-standing friendship, it’s hardly surprising that Gareth and Lee have started off 2023 working together on a superb new song that will feature in Faulker: The Past Is Never Dead, a new documentary about the acclaimed, if controversial, American author William Faulkner (The Sound and the Fury / As I Lay Dying). More about Gareth, Lee and the documentary follows, including the new single, film trailer etc.

Kate Ellis announces Limited Edition 'Spirals' LP with bonus track due March 3rd

February 23, 2023 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Americana, Country, New Single, News, Singer Songwriter, Tour Dates, Vinyl

Kate Ellis released her second album ‘Spirals’ in early 2022 to universal acclaim. A record blessed with lyrical depth that feels deeply personal but ultimately is universally accessible. You’d think ‘Spirals’ would be all melancholy moodiness, but Kate mixes things up, even finding room for a dalliance with county rock and a dash of country pop amongst the piano balladry and pedal steel textures. On March 3rd, ‘Spirals’ will receive a Limited Edition Numbered vinyl release with a bonus track from the album sessions ‘Hurt’, the Trent Reznor song immortalized by Johnny Cash. More about Kate Ellis, the album and an upcoming vinyl launch show at London’s Green Note follows:

Diana Jones announces 'Better Times Will Come' reimagined album due April 7th + UK/IE tour dates

February 21, 2023 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Country, Folk, Reissue, Singer Songwriter, Tour Dates

Widely acclaimed US singer-songwriter Diana Jones has announced the re-issue of her critically lauded 2009 album Better Times Will Come – Reimagined & Remastered on April 7th 2023, to mark the 15th anniversary of its recording. Diana and studio engineer Steve Addabbo (Bob Dylan) reimagined the album mixes and the running order while adding a previously unreleased song ‘Call Me Daddy' from the sessions. The new version of the title track, “Better Times Will Come”, featuring harmony vocals by Diana’s friend, the late Nanci Griffith and a newly found additional chorus, is out now. Its abiding message remains so timely, given the hardships of recent years and those still being felt today. You can check out the track below. To coincide with the release on April 7th on CD, Digital and, for the first time, vinyl via Proper Records. Diana will embark on a UK/IE tour to coincide, commencing April 14th, where she will play the entire album plus selected songs from throughout her career. More about Diana Jones, the album and the tour follows:

What's new on vinyl - February 2023

February 16, 2023 by David Vousden in singer-songwriter, Jazz, World Music, Americana, Free Download, News, Punk, Reissue, New Wave

In this occasional feature, RGM looks a look at a quartet of recent/upcoming releases on the good old LP. The vinyl resurgence continues to gather pace with artists and labels embracing technology that had been thought dead and buried nearly forty years ago. Personally, I own plenty of CDs and LPs and enjoy both, but I’ll readily admit there’s still something special about holding a record in your hands. The experience of sitting, listening and then getting up to flip over to side two feels right and, dare I say, comforting. I also seem to concentrate on the music more intently. Is it just me? With all this in mind, let’s check out an LP or four.

January 2023 @RGM

January 24, 2023 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Alternative Rock, Power-Pop, Pop, Singer Songwriter, Soul, Classic Rock

A belated welcome to 2023 @RGM. After an extended break for the holidays, we’re back with more new music, which we think should be on your listening radar. January found the RGM Inbox inundated with cool new sounds we’d like to share with you. Some artists you might be familiar with, others less so, but as we always say, your favourite new beat combo might be just a click away. So join us as we share new music from both sides of the pond and an unexpected choice of cover tune.

Canada House brings the very best Canadian music to UK Americana Music Week 2023

January 10, 2023 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Alt-Country, Americana, Bluegrass, Country, Country Rock, Festivals, News, Roots, singer-songwriter, Blues, Folk

Canada’s official Music Export platform, ‘Canada House’, returns to the UK for two days of music by 12 carefully curated Canadian artists at the UK Americana Music Week 2023, 23-26th January, in London. CIMA (Canadian Independent Music Association) in partnership with Music PEI will be putting down roots at Moth Club in Hackney on the 24/25th of January to showcase the very best in Canadian music. The impressive list of artists includes Tara McLean, William Prince, Andrew Waite and Julian Taylor, to name but four. More about the UK Americana Music Week 2023 and the Canadian contingent follows:

The RGM Inbox - July 2022

July 15, 2022 by David Vousden in Americana, Classic Rock, Funk, New Wave, Country, Folk

Welcome to the latest edition of the RGM Inbox. This time we’ve a new venture for a man best known as the drummer for a legendary classic rock act and another artist who will release his debut solo album after a thirty-year hiatus from the music business exploring philanthropic causes. We round out our quartet with an Australian singer/songwriter based in France and throw in a curveball with a trio from Luton in the UK who would probably be more at home in a New York nightclub in the late 70s.

Suede reimagined by The Michael Boguski Trio as A Newer Morning (For John)

May 31, 2022 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Jazz, Alternative Rock

To quote a well known UK comedy troupe, “And Now For Something Completely Different”. Mike Boguski is probably best known as the keyboardist for Blue Rodeo, a position he’s held since 2008. Blue Rodeo are not that well known in the UK, but in Canada, they’re musical royalty with sixteen studio albums under their belts since their debut in 1987. Mike also has an acoustic jazz trio as a side project to fill the downtime from his day job. During the pandemic, Mike had, like so many of us, plenty of time on his hands and found himself rediscovering UK act Suede initially via Brett Anderson’s memoir. This has resulted in Mike reimagining songs from Suede’s 2020 album in the style of Jazz great Bill Evans. The Michael Boguski Trio’s A Newer Morning (For John) will be released July 8 on Goliard Records and all proceeds will be donated to John Brandham and Stroke Association UK. Please read on to learn more about the charitable nature of this release, and check out the video where Mike explains the reasoning behind the album in more depth.

The RGM Inbox - May 2022

May 09, 2022 by David Vousden in Americana, Folk, singer-songwriter, Ambient

Welcome to the latest instalment of the RGM Inbox where we showcase a quartet of recent arrivals that have found us hitting repeat play. Three of the four are singer-songwriters, while the fourth comes from the world of Ambient and New Age music. What they all have in common is they’re done the hard miles to get to where they are now, producing cool new music as a result of their experiences. So please join us as we check out Mountain Time, Space Between Clouds, Freedy Johnston and Cujo Moon.

Beth Nielsen Chapman releases new single and announces instore appearances + UK tour

May 06, 2022 by David Vousden in Americana, singer-songwriter, Tour Dates

Recently signed to Cooking Vinyl, Beth Nielsen Chapman has released ‘Hey Girl’ as a taster for an upcoming album ‘CrazyTown’ set for release on September 23rd. The single is a striking, full-on bluesy stomp in reaction to the 'Me Too' movement. 'Hey Girl' is a perfect fit for the current climate, or as Beth puts it “a celebratory shout out to our sisters making their way in the world.” Beth will be supporting her first new music since ‘Hearts Of Glass’ in 2018 with a series of intimate in-store performances before embarking on an extensive UK tour later this year. More about Beth, the single and ticketing details for those live dates follow:

The RGM Inbox - April 2022

April 15, 2022 by David Vousden in Alt-Country, Americana, Blues, Soul, Jazz

Welcome to the latest edition of the RGM Inbox for another of our occasional dives into the darkest reaches of the office laptop. There’s gold in them, there files. From a legendary band with millions of road miles in the rearview, and many more to come, to a jazz/blues guitarist with four decades of playing under his belt via a pair of acts rejuvenated by circumstances beyond their control. So please join us as we delve into jazz/blues and Americana.

The RGM Inbox – Scottish Edition

April 04, 2022 by Rich Barnard in Folk, Americana

We head north of the border for our latest edition of the RGM Inbox, where just lately we’ve been hearing some very fine things. Like all fine things, they are best shared. I know. We spoil you.

RGM presents The Maple Leaf Roundup #27

March 07, 2022 by Rich Barnard in singer-songwriter, Alternative Rock, Indie, Folk

Hello, dearest readers, and welcome one and all to the first Maple Leaf roundup of 2022, where we bring you a smorgasbord of new music from Canada. It’s a big old place, you know, and it’s bursting with musical brilliance. Here are eight of our favourite finds. We hope you find something to enjoy in amongst the pile.

The RGM Inbox: January 2022 Part 2 (Singer-Songwriter Edition)

January 26, 2022 by David Vousden in singer-songwriter, Blues, Alternative Rock, New Single, News, Video, Tour Dates

Welcome back to RGM and our occasional feature where we highlight new music from the RGM Inbox. This time around we’ll focus on the art of the singer-songwriter via four artists with albums set for release in the near future that are well worth noting in your record buying diary. So please join us as we feature Summit Of The Big Low, Gareth Dunlop, Jack Broadbent and Coyle Girelli.

The RGM Inbox: January 2022

January 10, 2022 by David Vousden in Ambient, Electronica, Hard Rock, Metal, Video, Sludge, Alternative Rock, Experimental, Post-Rock

Welcome to 2022 at Red Guitar Music. Updates have been a little sketchy recently at RGM as real life and the demands of having a day job in retail and/or family stuff tend to get in the way a little during the season of goodwill to all men. Hopefully, as we ease into the new year, we’ll be able to push on, shining a light on more great music, which was the plan back in 2014 and remains the plan in 2022. Today’s selection features impressive new musical offerings from Norway (Pjusk), the USA (KYOTY and Young Mountain) and, from the UK, Gilmore Trail. Enjoy.

Free Downloadable Blues and Roots music samplers from CRS

January 06, 2022 by David Vousden in Americana, Blues, Roots

When it comes to the promotion of Americana, Blues and Roots music artists in Europe few can hold a candle to Continental Record Services in the Netherlands. They’ve had a banner year in 2021 and we’re pleased to be able to share the links to two free downloadable samplers featuring the very best in Blues and Roots music. Artists include Dean Owens, Martha Fields, Anna Elizabeth Laube, Big Daddy Wilson, Starlite Campbell Band, Robert Jon and The Wreck, Jim Keller and many more.

RGM presents The Maple Leaf Roundup #26

December 09, 2021 by Rich Barnard in Country, Pop, Soul, Singer Songwriter, Classic Rock, Americana

The leaves have been falling for weeks and weeks, and I’m ashamed to say that I’ve been rather neglectful with the broom. Still, it’s never too late for a bit of a tidy up. What follows is a selection of the most golden and honeyed Canadian musical beauties to have drifted our way in the last couple of months. Sorry it’s taken us so long.

The RGM Inbox: October 2021

October 25, 2021 by David Vousden in singer-songwriter, Ska, Country, Punk, Pop, Pop-Punk

The RGM inbox returns with a typically eclectic selection of music for you, dear reader, to explore. We’ve a country cover tune by a Ska related duo and a pop-punk band from New Orleans both of whom have great videos for you to check out and that’s just for starters. Add a NYC singer-songwriter who played with the New York Dolls and now contributes to Anime soundtracks and another singer-songwriter from Northern Ireland returning to music after a fifteen year break spent winning awards as a tattooist. I did mention the selection was eclectic? There’s much to enjoy in the October edition of the RGM Inbox.

Keb' Mo' announces new album 'Good To Be' for January 21st 2022 via Rounder Records

October 14, 2021 by David Vousden in Americana, Blues, Country, New Single, singer-songwriter, Soul

Guaranteed to brighten your day is ‘Good Strong Woman’ from Keb’ Mo’. The single featuring Darius Rucker is from his upcoming album ‘Good To Be’ and is one of three tracks from the album co-produced by Vince Gill. The album was written between Nashville and Compton merging country, blues, soul and geographical influences. Other guests on the album include Old Crow Medicine Show and Kristin Chenoweth. The video for ‘Good Strong Woman’ was released today (October 14th) and it’s full of positivity and good vibes. More about Keb’ Mo’ and the upcoming album follows: