Featured Blog Posts – April 2012 Archive (54)

FTB podcast #162 features the new album by TRAMPLED BY TURTLES called Stars And Satellites. Also new music from JASON EADY, GRACE EDELE and RAY WYLIE HUBBARD. Here's the…

www.lisabiales.com

Lisa Biales is a new name to me, but this Ohio native has been around on the music scene for a while, with several self-released albums to her name. Covering ground that includes jazz, blues, swing and country, this new album was recorded in Georgiaunder the guiding hand of The Georgia Songbird, E G Kight. Lisa plays a mighty fine guitar…

www.sixmilegrove.com

Welcome back to Six Mile Grove, the Minnesota band that makes a virtue out of staying put in the place they come from. This is the sixth album from these guys – maybe the third that I’ve heard – and I’ve been impressed in the past by the integrity that they exude. They have soulfulness to their work which largely springs from the…

http://www.pigearth.com   

Hailing from England’s North West, the 2009 formed five-piece Pig Earth have a lot going for them such the quality of their blend of country / folk and smattering of pop.

Immediately, I placed this release into the slot I was taken by the splendid, lived-in lead vocals of founder member…

http://www.changinghorsesmusic.com 

http://www.soundcloud.com/changing-horse 

Experimental folk cum Americana duo Changing Horses after gaining praise for playing live, sometimes as support for such touring acts as…

                                                                                                                                                                                                                   http://www.huxrecords.com

Songwriter and recording act ‘Whispering Bill’ Anderson may not have been lauded with the praise handed to many of his peers, but…

On episode 85 of the Taproot Music Show, Dave Willis from the Possum Jenkins band talks about how humbling it was to have their latest album Carolinacana fan-funded through a…

I've just returned from Northern Italy where I've been working on the debut solo release by the violinist, singer and songwriter Chiara Giacobbe. Formerly of the roots-rock band Lowlands, Chiara's recently been guesting with local…

FTB podcast #161 features the new album from WYLIE & THE WILD WEST called Rocketbuster. Also new music from HOOTS & HELLMOUTH, YARN and MIKE & RUTHY. Here's the iTunes linkto subscribe to the FTB…

http://www.auburn.org.uk 

Understated and more often than not charming Liz Lenten’s pop styled folk have a beautiful, and on occasions a quirky feel. Her whispery, girl-ish vocals lead the listener into the lyrics in discerning fashion, and with her responsible for all the lyrics (she shares the musical honours with guitarist, Max Gilkes) it is good to have…

http://www.floatingworldrecords.com 

What a fantastic treat! Not only do we have Buddy Miller Hightone debut album Your Love And Other Lies (1995) that set the standard for country inclined acts on the Americana scene but, Poison Love (1997) that pretty much took over where…

In 1977 I travelled to the US to stay with a pen friend who lived in Downey, California and little did I know then that Downey was the home of what was to become one of the seminal bands of roots-rock – the Blasters. Formed by brothers Phil and Dave Alvin, they would go on to release four studio albums before Dave left in 1986.  

Dateline 1985 and the boyfriend who had driven me to the airport in 1977 (by then my husband) attended a Long Ryders gig in Guildford during which he heard,…

 http://www.acerecords.com                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Spanning twenty years, this 28-track compilation brings together a varied and exciting selection of musicians and styles but with…

On episode 84 of the Taproot Music Show, Mike June talks about his new band, The Wilson Street Refugees got its name; how the Grateful Dead became a bonding point for him and his…

www.jasmine-records.co.uk 

Four albums (Country Hit Parade; 1956; Dust On The Bible, 1959; Seasons Of My Heart, 1960 and Kitty's Choice, 1960) on two cds from the queen of the honky honk angels, Kitty Wells at a bargain price! That goes to…

Dustin Prinz is amazing!!! - I could stop there but I won’t…

Dustin Prinz is a singer/songwriter currently living in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma… His unique style of guitar tapping has attracted over 2.5 million viewers to his…

www.davealvin.net

It’s been six or seven years since Dave Alvin last toured the UK so this was a highly anticipated show by yours truly and it more than lived up to expectations! Alvin’s website says ‘there are two types of folk music: quiet folk music and loud folk music. I play both’.  He did just that but drew on his…

Levon Helm has lost his battle with Cancer. Thank you and Farewell Levon Helm!