Three Chords and the Truth UK

Los Pacaminos. Photo not taken at gig On the eve of their twentieth anniversary, part time Tex-Mex outfit Los Pacaminos still manage to inject some humour into their live shows by remarking on the difficult second album syndrome. The fact that this seven piece band have only a solitary twelve-track recorded collection of self-penned songs to represent their studio activity is somewhat irrelevant as the true spirit of Los Pacaminos is housed within the sporadic live shows that crop up on a regular basis. Maybe it’s because of the central location or that they’re granted a Friday night party spot, but the Robin 2 in the West Midlands town of Bilston has become a regular stopping off point when the guys decide to get together to perform. For those unaware of this band, it’s a collaboration of very talented musicians who frequently take a break from their day jobs to indulge in a passion for general American music and, in particular, that originating in the south western states wit...

Lou Dalgleish and Micheal Weston King. Not taken at gig. “This full band show entertained those present and is something to try and catch during its numerous performances up and down the country.” – Three Chords and the Truth UK July 2012. Nearly four months after briefly mentioning My Darling Clementine in a review of the Maverick Festival, the opportunity finally arose to attend one of their full length shows. In the intervening period since that brief festival introduction to this project, the album HOW DO YOU PLEAD? has been listened to, analysed, praised and ultimately acknowledged that all the hype surrounding the reviews is fully justified and a better UK produced country record certainly doesn’t easily come to mind. While the theme around the album, and its live rendition, is to hark back to the golden age of country duets, it’s far more than a retro- infused tribute show. With a batch of high quality songs, all possessing a timeless feel to them, the finesse, passion an...

Intimate surroundings of the Kitchen Garden Cafe After the circulation in the UK of their solitary studio album to date earlier this summer, the delightfully named Random Canyon Growlers have finally hit these shores to promote their brand of old time/bluegrass music. The five-piece band, currently residing in Jackson Hole Wyoming, have immersed themselves totally in the UK Americana/roots scene with a hectic tour that barely allows them a night off during their couple of weeks stay. They certainly made a good selection with their venue choice while stopping off in Birmingham, as the quaint Kitchen Garden Café, with its brickwork acoustics and intimate environment, has hosted many successful and quality evenings of this type of music over the last few years. The band have undergone a few changes since the recording of …DICKEY AIN’T GOT ALL DAY in 2010 including the moving to pastures new of David McMeekin who contributed a fair amount of original material to this debut release....

Shawn Colvin They may have been compatriots, musical companions and acquaintances for close on thirty years but it is only recently that Shawn Colvin and Mary Chapin Carpenter have taken a step further and combined their talents in a live performance setting. With so much synergy between their styles, and a healthy following this side of the Atlantic, it is of little surprise that this inaugural collaboration is proving a popular appeal to the UK fan base of American acoustic singer-songwriters. This short tour is bringing their ‘An Acoustic Evening with …’ to some of the nation’s established and elaborate venues with the splendid Birmingham Symphony Hall hosting a show in this evolving theatre of modernity. At the conclusion of a near two-hour deliverance of   old, borrowed and new songs the mutual effect of humble gratification circulated around the ‘close to sell-out’ hall. The striking comparisons are evident in how these two highly acclaimed artists have crafted a vast c...

It certainly did no harm for Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, so Tim ‘Too Slim’ Langford has passed the first test of blues sainthood with a name deviation. Seriously, the thousands of records he’s shifted as front man of Too Slim and the Tail Draggers has also adhered him to the blues community and now thirteen years after his previous solo release, the time has arrived to indulge again in a little dose of self effacing acoustic blues. With the freedom to roam, Langford, via eleven brand new self-penned tracks, has exerted his creative license on a set of material that is experimental in style without veering too far away from the strict demands of blues connoisseurs. BROKEN HALO is an evolution of guitar diversity that has the potential to engage the wider Americana community to fully justify this rare solo excursion for Langford. For those who prefer their blues a little less intense, the appealing friendly upbeat sound attached to the title track ‘ Broken Halo’ will arouse attent...

This debut release by Midlands based singer-songwriter Louise Petit is further proof that there is a buoyant and creative scene within the low key music venues throughout the country especially with artists who have the talent and desire to impose their own style on a modern interpretation of traditional music. This five track-recently issued EP has its roots firmly planted in the style of the great American songbook with the simple but effective sounds from an array of acoustic instruments providing perfect synergy with the song construction and writing skills of Louise. The listening journey of FEAR AND MY OTHER FRIENDS may be short but is certainly sweet enough to induce many repeat plays and leave the songs ingrained within your mind. An integral part of the Louise Petit project is the assembling of a four piece band that support her on the road as well as in the studio and help create a sound that has all the qualities of a timeless recording. On all five tracks, Kevin Reginald...

Grant Langston may have had to leave his Alabama home and ultimately head west to pursue his dream of making music for a living but from the evidence of his new album WORKING UNTIL I DIE, he is a shining example that good quality country music is being made outside of Nashville. The lack of big label backing deems the existence of such an artist a constant struggle but with the input from pre-buy backers such as those Langston listed on the cover sleeve, it is a credit to all parties involved that we can savour the fruition of this talented performer. For this, his 5 th studio album, Langston has enlisted the services of producer Paul Q. Kolderie and retreated into a Los Angeles studio to record a collection of songs that represent a diverse cross section of country sounds. With a core band of four musicians supplying a multitude of guitar, banjo, keyboard and percussion input supplemented by session players adding the fiddle and pedal steel, all the essential ingredients of a ...

After the release of his 2009 album WESTERN BELL lead to a mixed response from industry and fans alike, Kelly Joe Phelps withdrew from the spotlight to undertake a period self reflection and evaluation. The conclusion was to hark back to his Christian roots and hone in on developing his song writing skills to complement the undoubted virtuosity of his guitar playing. The result is a revitalised Kelly Joe Phelps and a brand new twelve track album titled BROTHER SINNER AND THE WHALE. Although a citizen of the U.S. and a long term resident of Washington State, Phelps nipped over the border to the studio of Vancouver based producer Steve Dawson to complete this blues tinged spiritual old time gospel recording that is sure to connect well with his fan base. Throughout his career, which has seen numerous recordings since 1994, Phelps has strived to re-interpret the old jazz, blues and country sounds that form the roots of modern guitar music and his slide and bottleneck playing styles a...

Photo by Tony Mottram Back in 1976, a stale UK rock scene was re-invigorated by the insurgence of punk. Five years later, a similar development was evolving in the world of country rock in the U.S. and, at its core was a four piece band from Nashville led by Jason Ringenberg who had gravitated to music city from his Illinois home in pursuit of musical recognition. The result of this fusion of traditional country, rock and the raw energy of punk saw Jason and the Scorchers adopt the mantle of pioneers in the spawning of another strand of country that would evolve into the emergence of alt-country as an identified movement. Thirty years on, and after decades of industry if not total commercial recognition, the band are commemorating this milestone by including a short tour of the UK in their schedule, where they have a healthy and committed following. The well established Musician Pub in Leicester was a Midlands stopping off point in the band’s itinerary and an almost sold out gat...