Amigo The Devil claims 'Everything Is Fine' October 19th 2018

October 10, 2018 by David Vousden in Americana, Folk, Metal, News, singer-songwriter, Tour Dates

The debut album by Amigo The Devil ‘Everything Is Fine’ is set for release October 19th (RGM Review) via Regime Inc/Membran. ‘Everything Is Fine’ is as striking an album as you’ll probably hear this year switching effortlessly from murderous folky troubadour to full-on metal assault in a heartbeat. Produced by Ross Robinson (Korn/Limp Bizkit) and with Audioslave/Rage Against The Machine drummer Brad Wilk involved metal credentials are assured but believe me when I say there is much more to ‘Everything Is Fine’. A track ‘Cocaine and Abel’ from the album:

The Gary Douglas Band 'Deep In The Water' due October 12th

October 03, 2018 by David Vousden in Americana, Classic Rock, News, singer-songwriter, Video

The Gary Douglas Band will release their new album ‘Deep In The Water’ on October 12th. GDB deliver heartland rock n' roll and melodic reflection in equal measure with their blue-collar take on the American dream, which is sure to appeal to fans of Springsteen, Mellencamp, Seger etc. One listen to the title track or rousing opener ‘River Road’ and it’s obvious Gary Douglas has something to say about the state of his home country and the world we live in today. The video for ‘Nothing Ever Goes As Planned’ and more about The Gary Douglas Band follows:

RGM presents The Maple Leaf Round-up #3

September 28, 2018 by Rich Barnard in Acoustic, Alternative Rock, Americana, News, singer-songwriter, Soundcloud, Video

Our latest gathering of Canadian grooviness is, shockingly, an all-male affair. Fear not, though, because two Canadian female geniuses are going to be the focus of imminent full-length album reviews… watch this space. But for now, here is a roundup of the latest Canadian boys making (in our opinion) the bossest noise.

Benjamin Folke Thomas 'Modern Man' due November 9th via Aveline Records

September 13, 2018 by David Vousden in New Single, News, singer-songwriter, Tour Dates, Video

Benjamin Folke Thomas will release his new album ‘Modern Man’ via Aveline Records on November 9th. Regular readers of RGM will remember Benjamin as we reviewed his last studio album ‘Copenhagen’ back in 2017 (review link) with Rich Barnard claiming it featured “A diverse and very thoughtfully arranged set of songs”. If ‘Tasteless and Complacent’ the first single from the album is anything to go by then ‘Modern Man’ should be well worth seeking out. Benjamin Folke Thomas is currently on tour playing solo shows with John Murry and will embark on a run of headline shows with his full band on November 21st. More about Benjamin Folke Thomas, the video for the new single and those tour dates follows:

Liam Russell pleads 'No Contest' on upcoming EP

August 17, 2018 by David Vousden in Americana, New Single, News, singer-songwriter

On October 5th (Update: release date pushed back a week from September 28th) Liam Russell will release the EP 'No Contest' via Hidden Pony/Slaight Music. The 30-year-old Russell is hardly a newcomer to the scene as he signed a major label deal at fifteen and has toured extensively (his dad is Canadian musician Brent Titcomb so music was obviously in his blood) but 'No Contest' is a new beginning for the singer-songwriter. The first music released from the EP is the excellent 'Half Chance' which should whet your appetite nicely. More about Liam Russell and the new EP follows including a stream of 'Half Chance':

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:

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.

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.

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:

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:

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:

Megan O'Neill to release new album June 8th

April 06, 2018 by David Vousden in Country, New Single, News, singer-songwriter, Tour Dates

Megan O'Neill has confirmed June 8th as the release date for her new 'Ghost Of You' album. To coincide with this announcement 'Without' is now available as a single and continues the high standard of Megan's previous two singles 'Ghost Of You' and 'Why I Need You'. Megan has plenty of touring planned for 2018 including an album launch show at 229 in London on April 26th. More about the album, the single and tour news 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.

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:

Frances Luke Accord release new single and announce US tour dates

March 16, 2018 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Folk, New Single, News, singer-songwriter, Tour Dates

A very pleasant surprise in the RGM inbox recently was news of a new single 'Maria' by Frances Luke Accord. The Chicago based duo are working on a new album for next year as a follow up to their acclaimed debut release 'Fluke' of which RGM favourites Darlingside said "We couldn't recommend their debut LP, Fluke, highly enough." which is good enough for the team at RGM. One listen to 'Maria' and you can see where the Darlingside guys are coming from. Please read on for more about Frances Luke Accord, the single and upcoming tour dates in the USA: