Three Chords and the Truth UK

www.hannahadridge.com    www.theweepingwillows.com.au Upon discovering that the UK was receptive to her music, it didn't take long for Hannah Aldridge to find a faithful staging post in the Kitchen Garden. She tested the Midlands out a couple of months before her Birmingham debut with a night at the Hop Pole in Bromsgrove made infamous by the never-to be-forgotten romantic ' Parchman' slow dance unfolding on the pub floor. Part of the Kitchen Garden connection is knowing where your people are; a reassuring place of respect and recognition when thousands of miles from home. She has shared the stage with several of her colleagues over the years including Lilly Hiatt and Lachlan Bryan. The latter was pertinent for the latest Kitchen collaboration as she teamed up with fellow travelling Melbourne artists The Weeping Willows to deliver a sweeping acoustic show packed to the hilt with emotive candidness and songs spread far and wide soaking up styles, experiences and multiple sh...

  www.hannahaldridge.com Those who have followed the career of Hannah Aldridge from overseas for close on a decade will be well-versed in her creative and free spirited approach to making music. Pursuing her own path has been a mixture of quest and destiny, or just maybe where the heart belongs and feels most comfortable. Elements of innate country and Main Street Americana have been a feature, and will likely always linger, but you frequently came across her dips into folk noir and horror-tinged projects that explored deep niches and inner delves into what intrigued her. The wares of her new album on one hand infill a fresh canvas with a sound deviation, while in places firmly anchoring the well-honed songwriting skills. On DREAM OF AMERICA the pull to share the songs of others comes to the fore and thus for the first time we discover the interpretative side as much as the songwriting.  Over time the original compositions may rise to the top of her repertoire, but initial lis...

  Amelia White and Carter Sampson fleetingly crossed paths at the Maverick Festival in 2016. Seven years later they will re-assemble at the same spot much more acquainted and versed in each other's music. The sets will be separate at Easton Park Farm in contrast to the closely constructed duo element that features in the many touring shows either side of the festival showpiece. To UK observers, the collaboration of two artists awash with musical treasures from their respective East Nashville and Oklahoma homes came out of the blue. Tours, records and fan interaction had been prevalent in the pre-pandemic activity. In a move like so many internationally focussed American musicians, the urge to travel has become a reality in 2023. Tapping into their UK contacts has enabled an extensive run of dates stretching from the south coast to central Scotland with the usual Midlands stopping off point of the Kitchen Garden in Birmingham. Carter Sampson is no stranger to these pages. Gigs in Lo...

    Jenny Colquitt Jenny Colquitt brought a full band to Beardy Folk this year after last year's solo debut to demonstrate the upward trajectory of her evolution as a distinctive singer-songwriter. Daisy Chute Daisy Chute is an adaptable and hugely talented all-round songwriter and musician at home at a folk festival as much as her many other projects. Her Beardy debut was a smart booking. The Drystones The Drystones had to improvise with an enforced downsize from trio to duo format but were undeterred and defiant bringing some innovative ambience to the main stage .  Fossilheads The Fossilheads were full on activists, entertainers and undoubted festival favourites offering a unique take on climate change and corporate greed while wrapping a strong message in humour.  Mark Radcliffe & Co Mark Radcliffe is a Beardy Folk regular always finding a new accompaniment to fuel his love of playing live folk music while on break from the media duties. Alden & Patterson...

  www.drewholcomb.com The music of Drew Holcomb comes equally in reassuring and refreshing measures. You can mothball interaction with it and then bounce back with all the feel-good familiarity intact. For those who picked him up in the midst of promotion for the 2013 release GOOD LIGHT, it was business as usual as its successors materialised every couple of years to cement a longstanding appeal. Ascension in the US became the order of the day to the extent that reach accompanied praise and influence. The downside for UK fans was that gigs over here started to thin out. The Bullingdon in Oxford used to be a stopping off point with a support slot for Police Dog Hogan in 2014 and a not unexpected headline gig the year after. Whether this renewal comes back with a trickle or a vengeance, there is now the added spice of new music. STRANGERS NO MORE is reflection on life since the last album in 2019. Therefore, much to chew and mull over. Of course, the music of Drew Holcomb and th...

  www.katiecallahanmusic.com The eye catching phrase 'music is the voice of the soul' was stumbled upon a few years back, stored in the locker and diligently retrieved when something special embedding its philosophy comes to light. Baltimore-based singer-songwriter Katie Callahan laid the foundation in 2021 when her second album drifted across the airwaves into distant ears that savoured the intent and content of her creative approach. Therefore a smooth path laid the way for the new release to glide into welcoming territory. EXTRAORDINARY possesses all the guile and subtle depth to lure open ears on its own merit. The output may on the surface be shorter than its trailblazing predecessor THE WATER COMES BACK, but the breadth and soundscape expands to banish the constraint of time-bound convention. The seven carefully curated songs sprinkle life into the frailties that form common bonds of emotive existence and renew a resolve to draw strength from inner empowerment.  The musi...