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 #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:

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:

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:

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:

Missed some great music in March? Check out the RGM Spotify playlist

April 04, 2018 by David Vousden in Americana, AOR, Classic Rock, Compilation, Country, Folk, Melodic Rock, Playlist, singer-songwriter

Well, it's that time again. March is behind us and we're now in April but March was another strong month musically. We had a stunning release from the legendary Joan Baez and Bennett Wilson Poole demonstrated that the UK was up to the task of presenting Americana with an English twist and plenty of 12 string Rickenbacker guitar. The UK was also represented in the field of melodic rock/AOR by FM who continue to release quality records 30+ years into their career. The UK country scene is again featured in our playlist courtesy of Holloway Road who go from strength to strength while Greece is featured for the first time via Gadless and his excellent 'Falling' single. There's plenty of musical variety this month so please don't be shy and give our playlist a go to discover some great new music.

A Song for National Autism Awareness Month from The Nadas

April 01, 2018 by David Vousden in Americana, News

April is National Autism Awareness Month in the USA with World Awareness Day falling on April 2nd. Our own National Autistic Society here in the UK has been raising awareness about autism this week leading up to April 2nd. The Nadas might not be very well known in the UK but the Iowa band recently released their eleventh album of a career that spans twenty-five years. National Autism Awareness Month has special meaning for singer-guitarist Mike Butterworth "Please enjoy this song I wrote and recorded with my band and remember that April is Autism Awareness month and that countless other families living with Autism are trying their best every day.” Please read on to check out the song 'Henry-James' and hear more from Mike as he shares some thoughts on Autism and his family:

Jesse Terry is letting things come naturally on new album

March 27, 2018 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Americana, Country, Folk, News, singer-songwriter, Tour Dates

When Jesse Terry entered the studio to record his new album 'Naturally' he decided to take a more organic and stripped back approach to the recording and enlisted a few friends and artists he admired to help out. The resulting album features contributions from a host of superb female singers including Sarah Darling, Dar Williams, Erin Rae and Cary Ann Hearst of Shovels & Rope. This approach seems a perfect fit for Terry's songs and the blend of voices is really quite lovely. Longtime fans will find much to enjoy as they'll recognise some of the songs here but not the performances. Terry also managed to slip in a wonderful take on 'Mr. Blue Sky' with Liz Longley which paints the ELO classic in a whole new light. 'Naturally' is released March 30th on Jackson Beach Records. Please read on to hear that Jeff Lynne classic, learn more about the recording and check out upcoming UK and USA tour dates:

Rain Perry and The Gourds highlight Austin Texas music scene @ London's SoundScreen Festival

March 16, 2018 by David Vousden in Americana, News, Film, Festivals, Alt-Country, Folk

From March 21st - 28th the SoundScreen Festival will bring music and film together at a range of venues throughout London. Many genres of music are represented with Dave & Ray Davies of The Kinks, Julian Temple, The Slits and Lee Scratch Perry amongst the featured artists. It was very pleasing to find the Austin Music scene featured at the festival with 'All The Labor - The Story of The Gourds' and Rain Perry's 'The Shopkeeper' amongst the films to be shown. Regular readers might remember we reviewed 'The Shopkeeper' here at RGM last year (review) so it's great to see both films receiving their International Premiers at SoundScreen. Please read on for more about 'All The Labor' and 'The Shopkeeper' including ticket details and screening times:

Southern Avenue and Bonnie Bishop among latest Maverick Festival additions

March 10, 2018 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Alt-Country, Americana, Bluegrass, Country, Festivals, News, Tour Dates

The Maverick Festival has announced the latest additions to the 2018 bill for the eleventh staging of the acclaimed Americana festival. Those names include Memphis band Southern Avenue and Texas-raised singer Bonnie Bishop. Australia will also be represented at the festival by Lachlan Bryan and The Wildes, making a welcome return in 2018, with rising Aussie star Imogen Clark along for the ride. Closer to home The Mountain Firework Company and longtime friends of Maverick Hank Wangford and BJ Cole will also perform. Please read on for more about the latest Maverick additions:

Missed Some Great Music In February? Check out the latest RGM Spotify Playlist

March 03, 2018 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Americana, Bluegrass, Compilation, Country, Folk, Playlist, Showcase, singer-songwriter

February has just flown by at RGM with a host of cool new releases to review, gigs to see and news of upcoming albums and tours. If you missed anything then please check out our Spotify playlist for a quick refresher of some of the great artists we featured last month. March is already looking very busy with lots more stuff coming up. Many thanks to all the artists, PR companies and labels who've been in touch this month and all our readers for your continued support. Please like, follow and share as it makes all the difference.

Soulful Country with an Outlaw Mentality from Andrew Sheppard on 'Steady Your Aim' March 23rd

February 27, 2018 by David Vousden in Alt-Country, Americana, News, singer-songwriter, Tour Dates, Video

Andrew Sheppard ex Gypsy River Haunts frontman will release his second solo album 'Steady Your Aim' March 23rd on which he melds soulful country and rock n' roll with an outlaw mentality. Andrew Sheppard has shared stages with Shooter Jennings, Jason Isbell and Josh Ritter which should give you a vague idea of where he's coming from musically. Boise resident Sheppard recorded 'Steady Your Aim' at Ivy Hall Studio in Nashville co-producing the record with guitarist Eric Loomis and Wes Walsworth. More about Andrew Sheppard and a video of an acoustic version of the title track from the album follows:

Unheard Chris Cornell track to feature on Johnny Cash 'Forever Words'

February 26, 2018 by David Vousden in Americana, Country, News, Video

Today on what would have been Johnny Cash's 86th birthday Legacy Recordings are releasing 'You Never Knew My Mind' a track from the upcoming Johnny Cash 'Forever Words' album due April 6th (previous RGM coverage of this release including the track listing etc can be found in full here). The song was originally written by Johnny Cash as a poem and has been turned into a new song by Chris Cornell in what would be one of his last recordings. 'You Never Knew My Mind' and the video which features Chris Cornell's thoughts on the words and the recording follows:

Iron & Wine and Passenger to headline Black Deer Festival

February 23, 2018 by David Vousden in Alt-Country, Americana, Country, Festivals, News

Iron & Wine and Passenger have been announced as the first headline acts for the inaugural Black Deer Festival at Eridge Park on the Kent/Sussex border in the heart of the beautiful High Weald countryside. The festival is set for 22nd - 24th of June, 2018 and the bill for the festival is shaping up very nicely with Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, John Moreland, Eric Bibb and Ward Thomas amongst those already announced. Many more acts are still to be announced + the festival will feature all manner of things to keep country and Americana fans busy with great food, craft beer and custom motorcycles. If you're attending Black Deer be sure to keep an eye open for the Supajam Education in Music & Media (SEMM) the educational provider who will be running their own stage at Black Deer. Everything you need to know about Black Deer including the acts, location, tickets etc follows:

Green Note presents 'Like A Woman' A musical celebration March 8th

February 21, 2018 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Americana, Country, Folk, singer-songwriter

Green Note and JW3 present an evening of music to celebrate International Women's Day on March 8th at JW3 in London. IWD was officially adopted by the United Nations in 1975 but the term was first used in New York in 1909 and became more widely acknowledged after women gained suffrage (the right to vote) in Soviet Russia in 1917 where it was granted national holiday status. Singers and songwriters from as far afield as Australia and Canada will combine with the best of British at JW3 in London for an evening of original material, and a cover or two, that will capture the essence of IWD and what the day means to the artists. Further details about ticketing and the venue follow:

The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer release new 'Hard On Things' single.

February 20, 2018 by David Vousden in Americana, Blues, New Single, News, Video

In an unexpected piece of very welcome news, one of Canada's finest exports The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer return with a brand new single 'Hard On Things'. The track was recorded in late 2017 as the duo took a break from touring to promote their excellent 'Apocalipstick' album (review). The single was released digitally on February 16th and is available from wherever you get your digital music fix. More about The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer and the video for 'Hard On Things' follows: