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:

A duo of new singles from UK country duo Holloway Road

March 23, 2018 by David Vousden in Country, New Single, News, Pop, Soundcloud

UK country-pop duo Holloway Road today (March 23rd) released two new singles 'No Place' and 'In The Dark'. The tracks were road-tested at the recent C2C event and give fans a real insight into where the guys are going musically in 2018 with an EP in the works and touring plans for this year to be announced very soon. The singles are available to stream/download from your preferred digital platform or check them out here at RGM:

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:

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:

Praying Mantis are defying 'Gravity' on new album.

March 09, 2018 by David Vousden in AOR, Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Melodic Rock, Metal, New Single, News

Here at RGM we're not opposed to listening to things of a heavier nature musically, but it must have plenty of melody. Praying Mantis have managed to tread the fine line between silk and steel for over forty years. In 2015 they released the excellent 'Legacy' and they're back in 2018 with new album 'Gravity' set for May 11th via Frontiers. The guys have released the title track from the album as a single and you can check it out and learn more about the band by reading on:

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.

The new single by Greek artist Gadless 'Falling' feat. Lou Is

March 02, 2018 by David Vousden in Folk, Pop, New Single, News, Soundcloud

In a first for RGM we're pleased to feature the fifth single from Greek singer-songwriter Gadless entitled 'Falling' out today via Ammos Music. Gadless has dubbed his music as "Melancholic Chamber Pop" and with Samuel Marlieri's impressive saxophone contribution alongside a seductive backing vocal from Lou Is (Louiza Sofianopoulou) that seems to sum things up pretty well. To these ears 'Falling' has a feel reminiscent of the underrated debut Adam Cohen album from a few years back which is a very good thing. More about Gadless and the streaming link to 'Falling' featuring Lou Is follows:

Philippa Hanna is 'Getting On With Life' on new single/video.

March 02, 2018 by David Vousden in Country, Gospel, New Single, News, singer-songwriter, Tour Dates, Video

Philippa Hanna is 'Getting On With Life' via the new single from her recent album 'Come Back Fighting'. The album has achieved real crossover success reaching No.1 on both the UK iTunes Country Chart and the OCC Christian and Gospel Album Chart.'Getting On With Life' is an excellent track with a very relatable theme, backed by an impressive video definitely worthy of your time. Philippa will be on the road in April playing shows in Birmingham, Manchester, London and Sheffield. A little more about Philippa, her new video and those tour dates follow:

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:

Frontiers Music presents The New Breed

February 20, 2018 by David Vousden in Blues, Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Melodic Rock, News, Tour Dates

The roots of the Italian Frontiers label can be traced back to 1996 and over the years they've expanded to become a major player in classic rock / hard rock / melodic rock / AOR circles. Previous label releases include some of the biggest names in the genre including Whitesnake, Yes, Def Leppard, Rick Springfield, Journey etc. The label recently opened offices in London and announced the first edition of 'Frontiers - New Breed Night' which will showcase three British acts recently signed to the label. The event takes place at The Black Heart in London's Camden on April 26th with Doomsday Outlaw, Dirty Thrills and The Brink turning up the volume. Much more about Frontiers and The New Breed follows:

Gitta De Ridder 'For Everything A Season' due March 23rd

February 19, 2018 by David Vousden in Folk, News, Pop, singer-songwriter, Video

Anglo-Dutch singer-songwriter Gitta De Ridder makes a welcome return on March 23rd with her new album 'For Everything A Season' the highly anticipated follow up to 2016's 'Feathers' which was a favourite here at RGM towers. In more good news Gitta will be playing a run of shows in April, so if you've not seen her live you really should. The latest single taken from the album 'The Wheel' is out now and is accompanied by a quirkily cool video. Much more about the new album, the video for 'The Wheel', tour dates and previous RGM coverage of Gitta De Ridder follows:

Maverick Festival announces first names for 2018

February 14, 2018 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Alt-Country, Americana, Bluegrass, Country, Festivals, Folk, News, Tour Dates

The Maverick Festival has announced the first names for the 2018 event set for Friday 6th - 8th July. Now in its eleventh year, the Maverick Festival has become an integral part of the Americana scene in the UK and always hosts an impressive range of artists. This year will be no different with a mix of returning favourites and many performers new to Maverick including Jonathan Byrd, Terra Lightfoot, The Danberrys, Leeroy Stagger and Arkansas Dave. More details about the event and the acts scheduled to appear follows:

Mary Chapin Carpenter announces new album and UK tour dates

February 12, 2018 by David Vousden in Acoustic, Americana, Country, Festivals, News, singer-songwriter, Tour Dates

Mary Chapin Carpenter will release her new album via Thirty Tigers on March 30th. Produced by Ethan Johns the record finds the acclaimed singer-songwriter reinterpreting a track from each of her previous twelve albums. The album 'Sometimes Just The Sky' is titled after the one newly written song on the record. To support the release Carpenter will embark on a UK tour in May with special guest Emily Barker on the majority of the dates. Full details about the album and those tour dates follow:

Lindsay Ell's The Project to get UK Physical Release 9th March

February 09, 2018 by David Vousden in Americana, Country, News, Tour Dates, Video

Lindsay Ell will be returning to the UK in March at the C2C Festival at London's O2 and as a part of the C2C Roadshow. To coincide with the dates her critically acclaimed debut album 'The Project' will receive a very welcome UK physical release on March 9th via BMG/BBR. If you were lucky enough to see Lindsay on her UK visit back in October (review) then you won't need me to tell you she's pretty great live. If you're new to Lindsay Ell then more about the lady, the project and those dates follow:

Johnny Cash: Forever Words due April 6th on CD, 2LP and Digital.

February 08, 2018 by David Vousden in Americana, Country, News

One of my earliest musical memories is of my dad playing 'Live At San Quentin' when I was a child. Johnny Cash and his music would play an important part in my musical education and eventually the launch of Red Guitar Music, so anything Johnny Cash related always makes me sit up and take notice. Johnny Cash: Forever Words is a collection of songs, performed by artists of the stature of Elvis Costello, Alison Krauss, John Mellencamp, Brad Paisley and the late Chris Cornell, constructed from the poems, lyrics and letters of Johnny Cash. One look at the video trailer for the album and you feel this project is in very safe hands. I can't wait to hear these songs when the album is released on April 6th via Legacy Recordings. More about the album including the track listing and the preview trailer follows: