Three Chords and the Truth UK

The status of Texas country music is legendary and the fact so much of it crosses the seas in touring mode is an added bonus. Only in the last week, Austin icon Kelly Willis played a Midlands show and Steve Earle has been back in town adding to the proof that you can take the person out of Texas but… Maybe we are sliding down the scale a touch, but Rachel Laven is firmly in the camp such is the class, poise and songwriting acumen that pour from her stage demeanor. For her hour in the spotlight on this Birmingham return, the Lone Star shone brightly down on the Spotted Dog, not your usual state of play in Digbeth. Hooking up with Birmingham’s very own country music aficionado and keeper of the flame Hannah Johnson for this double bill was a sensible choice and those heading into Town for their Monday evening music fix were dealt a treat. Hannah played the courteous host and opened up with a duo set alongside her Dad, Stewart, on Dobro. This slimmed down format is aiding his recovery...

Emma Jane came to my attention in the summer of 2012 when the song ‘ Sunday Monday Blues’ ascended to ‘track of the summer’ status. The subsequent years have seen her music flicker in and out, but now that is set to change with the release of a truly outstanding record, simply titled TREASURES. If there is a more distinguishable album released this year from a solo UK based artist then it will have to be very good to topple this gem. For this is a record that takes little time to find its way and successfully steers the listener through a minefield of emotion. Deeply personal and sourced from a ripped open heart makes the sort of music that resonates well here. Emma Jane has succeeded on multiple levels in making a record diverse in sound yet consistent in quality. A powerful vocal set is used to an optimum level across the eleven tracks as the small team assembled to support Emma Jane set out on a journey to bring her original composed songs to life. Stopover sounds include r...

The fact that this album has been out for a month and lurking on my devices for a couple is symbolic of the time required to transcribe the sound and effect into an alternative medium. There are so many positive attributes to Sons of Bill especially for those sauntering into Americana from an indie background. A jangle laden rock feast that instantly finds its groove and proceeds to only marginally detour underpins their hazy wistful sound. Think tones of late 80s Manchester on a West Coast tour and you start to move in the circles of this five-piece combo out of Charlottesville Virginia, containing three Wilson brothers who are literally ‘sons of Bill’. OH GOD MA’AM is their fifth full-length release since 2006, in addition to a handful of EPs. They made inroads in the UK on the back of their 2014 album LOVE & LOGIC and the show in Birmingham the following year made my top 20 list of favourite 2015 gigs. Therefore, any subsequent new material was eagerly awaited. The new re...

The past, present and future were all brought to the forefront as Steve Earle hurtled towards the conclusion of this latest UK tour; another successful one with the ‘mighty’ Dukes in tow. Fiddle, steel, bass, drums and lead guitar is a starter to get the juices going, especially when the practitioners are so good and the guy up front happens to be one of the legends of American music over the last thirty years. A full two-hour performance in addition to The Mastersons opening up and rapturous reports from the other gigs made this most recent Birmingham stop-off an opportunity ultimately unmissable. The past stretches back in excess of thirty years and ‘ Guitar Town’  sounds as fresh and vibrant as when it sprung Steve Earle to the masses in the mid-eighties. That and a raft of other standards from the catapult years inevitably drew the highest level of interaction. Who can resist the call and response to ‘I Ain’t Ever Satisfied’ and joining in on the chorus line of ‘ My Old Frie...

2016 delivered Carter Sampson and 2017 did likewise for Caroline Spence. Odds are quickly shortening that 2018 is the year that Letitia VanSant blossoms out of leftfield indie Americana to become a firm favourite on the back of a superlative album release. GUT IT TO THE STUDS has already sealed the triple mantle of memorable album title, cutting lyric and high plateau track, all that is left is enticing more folks to allow this record drape over them. The journey is destined to be a lengthy one. A February release got things underway in the US and a significant re-boot is set to occur when Europe, or more specifically the UK, formally joins the fray in August. Subsequent release dates from the original may be just focal points as the ease of the digital world frequently enables music instantly shared across the globe. If the reception gets close to the two artists mentioned in the opening sentence then Letitia VanSant will be a valuable addition to a scene bursting with sincere song w...

There is a certain current zest about Kelly Willis as she re-launches her solo career. Evidence is also in abundance that fruitful years lie ahead. Musical miles may well be light for an artist catapulted to some element of fame in their early twenties, but the approach to balance life could well pay off as she enters this new phase. The element of surprise was out the question when the comeback album BACK BEING BLUE met with widespread critical praise and subsequent reports from the live shows are equally glowing. Having now seen Kelly and her band in action, fully concurring with the prevalent view is the solitary option and those who made the Maze in Nottingham a slice of Austin Texas for the evening are sure to agree. This was Kelly’s second working trip to the UK in the last couple of years. The previous visit was a series of duo shows with husband Bruce Robison. Memories of her last tour with a band in solo guise were likely to be hazy for those who attended, but a throwback el...

Two weeks into their current UK tour and it was a case a finally catching some Arkansas Dave in a mode that best reflects a road band. A slight jolt from a late entry to the Maverick Festival a fortnight earlier swiftly ironed out and, as they entered the final furlong of this current trip, a drop off in the West Midlands presented an opportunity to see them away from the hustle and bustle of a fully blown festival line-up. This four-piece combo led by Dave Pennington lived up to reports, both from word of mouth and from published reviews, as they adapted well to surroundings not always conducive to live music. This lunchtime performance in West Bromwich was the first of two shows during a one-day visit to the area. Both initiated by the Birmingham Jazz and Blues Festival; a celebration of genre driven music held for a 10 day period across multiple venues on an annual basis. The evening gig would present the band the opportunity to ramp up the volume, but this 50 minute midday set ...

The Barr Brothers are a band operating out of Montreal Canada that has caught the ear of those integral to scheduling artists for the Moseley Folk Festival and a variety of accompanying gigs. Therefore, with Birmingham on their horizon it was of no surprise to see them return to the city with the Glee Club providing the host venue this time. There has been a buzz about this band for quite a while so when a late window of opportunity presented itself some first-hand thoughts spawned into the mix. Clearly fronted predominately by Brad on guitars/vocals and Andy bringing percussion more to the fore, the Barr siblings were in a fixated mood to transmit their style of alt-rock-beat infused music, which in turn abrades the outer edges of Americana. Aided by the perpetual tones of haunting pedal steel as far away from country twang as you could imagine, and a bassist adept at switching between the stand-up and electric versions, this was a full-on presentation extolling the virtues of ama...

One thing that unites all Maverick artist invitees is an acute capacity to write or interpret a meaningful song. Dependent on preferred style, these strip back to acoustic mode or frequently acquire layers of instrumentation to present lavishly. Dawes famously implied that underneath all the content, mere folk songs reside. So as the Maverick Festival moved into its second decade of existence, why not tell a story of the weekend through a prism of twenty songs that reverberated around the confines of Easton Farm Park. For once, the Suffolk weather for Maverick weekend was widely shared across the UK as the great heatwave of 2018 rolled on. The contrasting improvised performing locations on the site benefited both sun and shade seekers alike. Maybe our guests from down under and the sultry southern states wore a wry grin while performing, but you cannot deny us our precious time in the sun. Weather aside, and the perception of ‘names’, the music on display cut a fine tune and show...