Album Review: Helen Rose - Rugged Elegance

 

www.helenrosemusic.com

Within the canvas of Rugged Elegance, Helen Rose effortlessly eases between a smorgasbord of Americana sounds. A blues coating may have greeted this US bicoastal-raised artist with her debut release in 2018, but an array of palates get spoiled with the renewal. Nine co-written tracks host a voice elegant in effect full of songs primed for impact. 

Stylishly presented opener ‘Raspberry Plain’ supported by pedal steel indicates the record may call at different landing places. This leads into ‘King of This Town’ where an earthier feel dominates as Rose edges into a bluesier midst with guitar riffs splicing a rougher sound. ‘Where Is My Home’ meanders into tamer waters melting those seduced by Rose in this mode as string-fuelled musings own the moment. 

Vibes lower in ‘The Drakes’ where the lyrics drift in a coastal direction. There are early signs that ‘Wolf Tones’ was going to inject some harmonica and guitar driven power and the inklings became fulfilled. The luscious duet ‘Demons’ sparkles at the album’s summit where once again a milder Rose and stellar pedal steel purr. ‘This Ship’ heralds the most stripped back part of the album exposing a heartfelt longing in the lyrics. You always feel a faster paced melodic song is around the corner and title track ‘Rugged Elegance’ delivers in the penultimate spot. ‘Get Me Out of the City’ evokes the spirit of great closers.

The versatility and creative guile of Helen Rose shines through the treasure trove of Rugged Elegance. 

Album Review: My Girl The River - Songs About Space

 

www.supertinyrecords.com

My Girl The River has planted their third album in left field enticing listeners to cerebrally stretch their outlook. Space in its many forms is explored as Kris Wilkinson Hughes pinpoints the power of a simple structure to a significant song. The dozen tracks surface from an extended period showing meaningful albums evolve at their own pace. It is a record of mood and fermentation, perhaps evoking one of the themes explored, namely nature becoming the new social media.

No quick fix is detected and time in its most metronomic form eases in the moment when the record clicks, It may take several plays, and lying in the deep cut section, but a melodious soothing to a gentle sound merges well with curious messages seeping out of engaging lyrics.

Songs About Space is an antidote to a frantic world. A sprinkling of poetic dreaming exploiting amenable openings in busy lives. Its entity enables space for a raft of individual conclusions. There will be a natural gravitation for many to ‘The Breakdown of John Joe’; the album’s Brandi Carlile moment. 

Kris Wilkinson Hughes comes across as an intuitive and perceptive songwriter. Narrow lanes are sonically followed with assorted musical assistance creating extra layers to expand the listening experience. 

In the world of independent music, albums like this are in for the long haul constantly called upon for promotion to repay time invested, hence little room for throwaway content. A substantive album will carry My Girl The River forward in choppy waters. 

Gig Review: Lachlan Bryan and the Wildes - Kitchen Garden, Kings Heath, Birmingham. Wednesday 10th July 2024

Lachlan Bryan surveys the scene. Looks into the eyes of the seated Kitchen Garden gathering and surmises:

“Either these buggers don’t like football or there’s going to be some phone fiddling for the next hour.” 

The second half in Kings Heath kicks off the moment the first in Dortmund ends. 

An hour into the Wildes 90 minute+ set. Full time in Dortmund

“I’ve been here less than a week and given you a change of government and a Euro final.”

Thanks for July 4th, Lachlan. Hang around till Sunday to complete the job, if you don’t mind. By the way, do you happen to be in the States in November?

“I’m leaving the US the day of the election. Not sure I’ll be allowed back”.

Lachlan Bryan reads the mind of each audience member and muses to himself:

“These guys won’t mind a few stories. I’ll give Sean and Riley an extended rest. I’ve told the cricketer-cum-labourer one before but they won’t remember it. They won’t have heard the Willis Alan Ramsey one. They look like the sort who it would get it. David Lynch and Scarborough is literally hot off the press. I’ll end with the revised New York bar one. They’ll still get all the songs they want and a few extras chucked in.”

Driving home from this gig. The third time Lachlan Bryan & the Wildes have headlined the Kitchen Garden.A different experience to seeing them a few days earlier at Maverick. Reflections kick into gear.

Seven years of following the band has flown by. The songs gently evolve. Old favourites firmly embedded; new ones gradually seeping out. The impish wit retains a stronghold. The adaptability and breadth of expression is admirable. The impact of Riley Catherall’s solo material is progressing exponentially. 

Nights like this build the foundation of an eternal live music journey. 

Football can wait until the real domestic stuff returns in August. July is music. July 10th was Lachlan Bryan & the Wildes reading the room and giving a dedicated audience what they wanted.

NB Quotes are liberally interpreted pieces of fiction observationally driven by the writer listening and watching intently without fiddling on his phone. 

Riley Catherall

Gig Review: The Weeping Willows + Matt Joe Gow - Kitchen Garden, Kings Heath, Birmingham. Tuesday 9th July 2024

www.theweepingwillows.com.au

www. mattjoegowmusic.com

Melbourne and the Midlands have become increasingly entwined in recent summers. Musicians from Australia's southernmost city have found a kind and appreciative fanbase in England's industrial heartland keen to host and support artists on their European travels. The latest presentation at the Kitchen Garden saw a new name revealed joining old favourites to serve a musical treat to fans buying into a style authentically layered and rooted in a progressive tradition. The show was billed as The Weeping Willows supported by Matt Joe Gow; the reality was old Melbourne friends sharing the spotlight.

Following in the pioneering footsteps of Lachlan Bryan in 2017, Matt Joe Gow is the latest singer-songwriter from a tight-knit community to try their luck in the northern hemisphere. An established operator in his adopted country, as originally hailing from New Zealand via Yorkshire, it didn't take long for this accomplished performer to make his stamp on fresh ears. The immediate thought on this opening 50 minute set was a masterclass in how to present your music to a new audience. Gradually it dawned that you were in the presence of an experienced artist, a cut above your usual opener with the nous to induce an innate skill to hit the ground running.

As accustomed with singer-songwriters of a roots-persuasion, shades of folk, country and blues come to the fore. The guitar playing style lent slightly more in the direction of the latter without overpowering the moment. Underpinning everything was an embedded commitment to the mission of the connective song. Threaded through a setlist extending to nine songs were reams of background nuggets offering an insight into what makes Matt Joe Gow ticks as an artist. Probably leading the way was the immensely emotive 'Between Tonight & Tomorrow' where intimate words cathartically soothe intense grief. This was followed by a more animated number in 'Whirlwind' opening the mind to the full band experience. Currently that appears exclusive to Australia, but where there's ambition, there's hope. Other high spots from an enjoyable introduction were 'Grand Ambition', 'Sweet Collapse' and  'Shipwrecked', the latter kicking off things just after 8. We quickly learned of the mutual respect and longstanding association with The Weeping Willows, so it was no surprise to see a reunited finale.

Before the show climax, an audience comprising of curious newbies and stalwart devotees witnessed an hour revealing what The Weeping Willows are all about. Laura (vocals and accordion) and Andy (vocals and guitar) were making their third visit to Birmingham in consecutive years. Each show at the Kitchen Garden has differed in format, yet largely familiar in songs. Nestling alongside their ability to make great music, The Weeping Willows set the agenda on 365 degree audience appreciation. 'Singin' the Blues', 'Black Crow', 'Wheels Won't Roll' and 'Travellin' Man' were amongst songs dedicated to those who have supported them on their journey - 'writing fans', 'promoting fans', 'airplay fans', 'super fans', 'travelling fans' and 'fans who step in at the eleventh hour'. Ultimately all fans matter to The Weeping Willows.

Influences run deep in the music psyche of Laura and Andy. 'Ain't No Ash Will Burn' gives a nod to the country style of Walt Aldridge (and a link to their mutual fandom of Hannah Aldridge), 'CC Rider' sees an old classic get a southern gothic makeover and 'Fall Out of Time' hails a Texas love. Staying with the Lone Star state, covering Nanci Griffith's 'Love at the Five and Dime' will always find receptive ears. It has been two years since the duo released YOU REEP WHAT YOU SOW. Not a long period for independent artists with all the cost-related recording constraints, yet hopefully some new music will start to appear if only shared and traded with live audiences. This duo are too good to not evolve their canon of work. 

As intimated, there was a final twist when Laura and Andy invited Matt back to the stage to sing 'Too Far to Go', a song they collaborated on just before Melbourne became the most locked down city in the world. This was a fitting way to seal the latest extension of Antipodean alt country folk roots into a British music scene compact in nature yet deep in affection. 

The Weeping Willows keep rolling on as one of the most innovative and hardworking touring bands. Always keen to seek opportunities and maximise a finite time in the spotlight. A duo with a keen eye on the past, present and future fermenting durable relationships. Whatever lies ahead is eagerly awaited by those bought into their music for the long haul. It will not be a surprise if Matt Joe Gow joins his fellow Melbourne compatriots - Lachlan Bryan and the Wildes, Riley Catherall, Charm of Finches and The Weeping Willows - in creating a firm foothold in the UK Americana community. The ambition is forthcoming and the music is oven ready.

Festival Review in 500 Words: Maverick Festival - Easton Farm Park, Suffolk. Friday 5th July to Sunday 7th July 2024

Maverick Festival is a hardy perennial; one sustainable, supportive and rich in familiarity. A formula for sourcing authentic music that repeatedly refreshes the soul. 2024 could have been 2019, 2016 or even 2010. Evolution exists only in the artists uncovered and even this turns over slowly in some quarters. Musically enhance the Maverick melting pot and perpetual invites follow. Some artists weave down the lanes of leafy Suffolk once; many music fans follow the same route year after year. Optimism brims on Friday afternoon armed with the reliable pocket guide to countless acts from numerous corners of the globe. Satisfaction reigns supreme forty-eight hours later. Old favourites confirmed; tomorrows’s revealed. Some will blossom for forty minutes; others without an ending. 

Miss an act on Friday and you may see them Saturday. If not then, Sunday may deliver. Seasoned festival goers plan accordingly, though casual observers are not exempt from a rewarding dip into this intangible thing called Americana. Apologies to Canadians, Aussies, Swedes and Brits, we all know it’s undefinable but when you know, you know. 

Adaptability came to the fore in 2024. The dry Peacock stage awoke early to rescue the wet Green stage. Freeing it mid-afternoon when the usual Suffolk weather resumed. It rarely rains in early July, they say. The Barn stage remains the heartbeat, the epicentre, the meeting place. The Moonshine stage represents Maverick at its subterranean finest, hidden from the masses until the word spills out. 

Guitar cases mingle with goats, donkeys and a menagerie of farmyard delights. Sweet sounds of folk, country and Americana smother those prevalent for the rest of the year. Vendor odours temper the richer ones left to the imagination. Hats, band t-shirts, western shirts, boots and rainwear provide the visual backdrop. The aural delights of rural fiddle, rocking guitar and vocals of all persuasion lavishly infiltrate the sensory experience.

Positivity runs through the veins of a weekend smooth in motion and amenable in effect. Gratitude  flows from each performance, acknowledgement and applause. Mutuality merges with comradeship as the gulf between artist and audience narrows to an optimum point of connectivity. Lyrics and chords sprinkle silver dust on the hallowed ground. Songs are more prominent than tunes, but words are fuelled by the notes sparking them into life. All co-exist in a corporate-free vacuum. No sell out or fleeced feeling, just a relaxed aura. 

Music matters in Easton Farm Park on the first weekend in July. It has done for seventeen summers, minus the year we were consigned to our box. Maverick has bounced back. A crown jewell for some, a staging reliable in delivery and addictive in a good sort of way. A deep rooted smart operation curating a fistful of annual memories. If it is seventeen and out, a legacy would ensue.  If it powers on, the formula is failure-free. Appreciate what you have in the present. Wise words for life in general but pertinent for the Maverick Festival after a successful 2024. 

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The following artists were intently watched or causally sampled. Apologies to those missed. There is not a bad act in either pool.

Artist pics on Instagram @threechordsandthetruthuk

Friday 5pm to 11:30pm

Box River Junction (The Barn)

Casey Neill (The Peacock)

Florence Sommerville (The Moonshine)

Electric Blue Yonder (The Barn)

Riley Catherall (The Moonshine)

Hezekiah Procter (The Peacock)

Lizzie No (The Peacock)

Lachlan Bryan and the Wildes (The Peacock)

The Sadies (The Barn)

Saturday 10:30am to 11:30pm

The Arlenes (The Peacock - replacing the rain drenched Green)

Ben De La Cour (The Barn)

Riley Catherall - standing in for Over the Moon (The Barn) 

Massy Ferguson (The Peacock - replacing the rain drenched Green)

Savannah Gardner (The Moonshine)

Naomi Bedford and the Ramshackle Band (The Green - when the rain stopped)

Cara Luft (The Barn)

James Hodder (The Moonshine)

Big Wheels (The Barn)

Wild Ponies (The Peacock)

Our Man in the Field (The Barn)

Jennifer Saxell (The Moonshine)

Walter Salas-Humara (The Moonshine)

The Pleasures (The Peacock)

Bill Kirchen (The Barn)

Sunday 10:30am to 3:00pm

Gospel Set - Casey Neill, Ella Spencer, Ethan Anderson (The Peacock)

Dom Glynn and His Sunday Best (The Peacock)

Matt Joe Gow (The Moonshine)

Angel Snow (The Barn)

Todd Day Wait (The Moonshine)

Jerry Joseph All Star Band (The Barn)

Minus a handful of changes

This was my fourteenth consecutive Maverick since 2010. They were all good. Reviews exist in different styles and formats since 2012.