2015

With their May date at London’s Scala sold out, Norwegian alt-folk-country-rock mavericks Katzenjammer will return to the capital in November for their largest UK headline show to date. One of the most accomplished, instinctive, charismatic and nonconformist bands around, Katzenjammer are all impressive singers and multi-instrumentalists, sharing lead vocals, instruments, song-writing duties and, as The Guardian observed at a recent London gig, an enormous sense of fun. Prior to the Shepherds Bush Empire gig Katzenjammer will bring their genre-mixing, full-on riotous show to Britain for a headline May tour and summer festival dates Nothing if not utterly distinctive, four smart and super-talented Norwegian musicians – Anne Marit Bergheim, Turid Jørgensen, Solveig Heilo and Marianne Sveen – met at music college in Oslo and have mastered a thrillingly diverse blend of country, folk, blues, pop and rock. Katzenjammer released their third studio album ROCKLAND in March to great acclaim and, as well as notching up sales throughout Europe, received long-overdue nods of approval from the British press. Produced by Victor Van Vugt (Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, Beth Orton) the album is a joyous and uplifting record, refreshingly lacking in pretention, nigh-impossible to define and, as Songlines wrote, “a peppy life-enhancing joy from start to finish”.

All’s Fair In Love & War is the follow up to Ken Will Morton’s highly acclaimed 2012 release, Slow Burn. The new recording compiles 19 new songs (plus a hidden track) written in the wake of the dissolution of a long term relationship and with Morton finding himself living alone in a mobile home.  Soon after, he’d written more than enough material for a double album (hence, initial title was A Double From A Single Wide).  Morton converted his home to facilitate writing and recording music at anytime day or night, with wires and cables, guitars, amps and lyric sheets everywhere. Determined to hold on to the essence of this new work, and with the help and encouragement of engineer J.P Pruett, the entire album was made in the comfort of his home.  Morton played all instruments—guitars, bass, harmonica, $20 garage sale keyboard, child’s xylophone—and vocals himself, over a bed of prerecorded drum track loops from the internet, adapting each song to fit a corresponding drum track.  No Pro Tools were used on this record so every take had to work all the way through.  From the country rocker “Blindsided,” the power pop of “Straight From Your Lips” and the whimsical “Down The Drain” to the anthemic “Reach Forward,” this is Morton’s most diverse and confident recording to date.  Heralded as a clever lyricist, Morton even takes a subject such as the Great Hartford Circus Fire of 1944 and turns it into a gem of a song and a history lesson with “Little Miss 1565.”  All’s Fair In Love & War will surely resonate with fans of intelligent songwriting.   Morton’s music placement in film/TV includes: “Oh Lord” on “The Deadliest Catch” (Discovery Channel), “Devil In Me” on “True Blood” (HBO) and “On My Feet Again” in the indie film “Flight Of The Cardinal.” Morton is an extremely engaging performer and has toured most parts of the U.S., opening for Todd Snider, Billy Joe Shaver, Tommy Stinson, Sugarland, & more.  He has toured Ireland, performed at South-by-Southwest, the Americana Music Festival and more.  He will tour regionally in support of the new release.  The CD release show will be at Little King’s Shuffle Club in Athens on Saturday, June 6th.

Kenny Chesney’s been locked down for close to two months, getting ready for his 2015 The Big Revival Tour across the States. After walking offstage at Gillette Stadium after two sold-out nights in August 2013, he made the decision to devote his next year to making his record. But time off the road didn’t mean the eight-time Entertainer of the Year’s heart wasn’t yearning to be out there playing. “Once the album was done, I started thinking about the stage, the set list – ‘cause this new music really got me inspired – and how we could make it mean even more!” Chesney says with a laugh. “And you know, I can’t stand being away from the fans! They fire me up. That’s why we decided to throw a stadium show on the beach at the FloraBama line – just the world’s biggest Keg In The Closet show – so I could see the No Shoes Nation doing what they do best.” In that spirit, Chesney began figuring how to present his music with new intensity. The same care that went into The Big Revival, his 13th number one country album debut that’s yielded the GRAMMY-nominated multiple week number one American Kids number one Til It’s Gone and the fast-rising, Wild Child with Grace Potter, was applied to what may be the hardest-hitting tour yet from the singer. “Every time, I want people to have the best night of their lives…,” Chesney explains. “I take that very seriously. I’ve heard enough stories about people planning their summer around coming to see us, and when you know that, you wanna always give ’em more and better, trying to think what else? But, you know, these songs are the reason people come – and I don’t ever want to take away from the music.” Chesney scoured the globe looking for the most cutting edge ways to present the music. The PA – providing clearer sound at stadium-sized levels – is from Australia; the first of its kind being used in the States. The Clay Paky Mythos lighting system is also a North American first, brought over from Italy after a late night “shoot out” in a parking lot from the company’s Bergamo factory that clearly proved to add a deeper and brighter dimension to the overall lighting package. “It’s all part of it,” Chesney says. “How it looks, how it sounds, how you feel. I had the time to really seek out what was special… really find things that are innovative; even if it’s just the quality they deliver. I’ve got some of the best people in the business out on The Big Revival Tour, folks who’ve worked for Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC, Lady Gaga… They get putting music across in big places, but they also understand that to me – and the fans – the songs are important.” The video screens are some of the biggest and most impressive on the road right now. Delivering over 2,300,000 pixels, there are six hand-held cameras, a jib for the stadiums and two robotic point-of-view cameras – all controlled from a central position and called live every single night, allowing for maximum spontaneity. The additional footage has been shot in New Orleans, Mexico, the Caribbean, Maui, Positano, the road, the fans and anywhere people come together in the name of music. Having sold in excess of a million tickets on each of his headlining tours, Chesney is the only country artist in Billboard’s Top 10 Touring Acts of the Last 25 years – with only 12 years as a headliner.

UK-based singer/songwriter Sarah McQuaid was keen to ensure that her fourth solo album Walking Into White got at least a few full-length listens before being subsumed into playlists – so she’s performing the whole thing live, track by track, as the first half of each concert on her forthcoming April-May UK and Ireland tour (see full details of dates below). Released in February on the USA-based Waterbug label, Walking Into White has already drawn praise from critics. The album was officially launched on March 6 at the first concert on Sarah’s currently underway Netherlands-Belgium-Germany tour, where both the live album performance and the more relaxed second half (incorporating greatest hits from Sarah’s previous CDs as well as an encore rendition of Jerry Jeff Walker’s classic Mr Bojangles) earned a rapturous reception from the audience. “It’s all done live on the night,” Sarah explains, “but Martin has to do a lot from the desk end to make it happen. On Low Winter Sun, for example, before I start the song proper, I play a chord on the guitar which he samples and turns into a lovely lush wash of controlled feedback that turns up later in the song as a background and underpinning for the bell peal that I’m playing on the guitar. “And on Jackdaws Rising, I start by laying down a 5/4 time stomp and handclap pattern that he turns into a percussion loop repeating through the song, while each part of the three-part round also loops until I get to the final repeat of the first part. It’s like walking a tightrope – incredibly difficult to get the timing right, but when it works it’s amazing!” See https://youtu.be/ZcGNbm4yfD4 for a video of Sarah’s performance of ‘Jackdaws Rising’ at the album launch show on March 6 in Steendam, Netherlands.

Award-winning Nashville based singer songwriter Sonia Leigh will co-headline her first ever-European tour. Coming straight off of her smash summertime single, Put It In Your Pocket, Sonia Leigh has brought yet another hit to the table with her latest independent release, When We Are Alone, which debuted on Sirius XM The Highways’ On The Horizon. Co-written and produced by Danny Myrick, (She’s Country, Jason Aldean), Leigh says, When We Are Alone is “a progressive step” for her musically. Sonia will begin her co-headlining tour with Sasha McVeigh throughout the UK in April. The ‘Mind the Gap Tour’ will kick off in London at Water Rats on April 8 and continue across the United Kingdom as well as a stop in Dublin, Ireland. “Touring the United Kingdom has been a dream of mine my whole life. I am energized and eager to share my music here. I am very passionate about bridging the gap between U.S. artists and artists from all over the world. Working together with up and coming artists like Sasha McVeigh is just the beginning.” says Sonia. Sonia Leigh performed at the 2nd annual C2C: Country-to-Country festival. and along with an impressive UK tour on the horizon, When We Are Alone has quickly begun to turn heads.

Due to overwhelming demand Country to Country 2016 will now take place over three nights at The O2, London. Between 11th and 13th March we will be bringing the absolute best in country music once again. The festival will start on Friday evening followed by the full weekend of activities you’ve all come to love. In the main arena there will be performances from the world’s biggest country stars as well as emerging talent from the UK and Europe. Country fans can get their hands on early bird tickets for the three days from Friday 13th March at 9am. Tickets will be available from the following: www.axs.com/c2c /08448 24 48 24 and www.gigsandtours.com / 0844 811 0051. Announcement of the full talent bill will be later in the year along with more exciting news about other shows. C2C 2015 saw Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum, Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean, Lee Ann Womack, Brantley Gilbert, Brandy Clark and Kip Moore take to the main stage as well as launching the brand new satellite stage which saw performances from UK talent such as The Shires, Ward Thomas, Sam Palladio and upcoming Nashville artist Sam Hunt.

In a ground-breaking chart first, The Shires – Crissie Rhodes and Ben Earle (from Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire) – have become the first British country band to reach the Top 10 in the Official UK Album Chart with their debut ‘Brave’, released this week. The duo, who recently became the first UK signing to the re-launched Decca Nashville label, have today reached No.10 in the charts. Having overtaken Hozier, and just behind Paloma Faith, The Shires now sit comfortably alongside mainstream pop acts such as Kelly Clarkson, Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith. Official Charts Company Chief Executive Martin Talbot, confirmed this unprecedented achievement, “This is a fantastic feat by this young British country duo. No UK country act has ever made this kind of impact on the chart before – it is truly remarkable.” The Shires’ record-breaking chart position is further evidence of the current cultural shift of country music moving eastwards from Nashville. From Dolly Parton’s Pyramid Stage set at Glastonbury last summer, to the increasingly successful annual Country to Country Festival at The O2 (at which The Shires are performing four times this weekend), and the popularity of recent hit musical TV show ‘Nashville’, never before has the country music genre had such a following in this country. Young British artists are now identifying with country singers such as Taylor Swift and Kacey Musgraves, who have re-defined the genre by eradicating old stereotypes and appealing to a much younger audience. BBC Radio 2’s Bob Harris comments on the phenomenon: “I’ve been doing the country show for 15 years now, and in the whole of that time I’ve never known things to be quite as exciting as they are today … Country is now appealing to a completely new, young generation” After forming in 2013, The Shires very quickly attracted industry fans and mainstream radio support, sparking much interest from the press in the rapidly growing popularity of country music in the UK. “It’s a chance for country, one of music’s most maligned genres, to have its day in the sun” – Q magazine While other pop or folk acts have hit the upper reaches of the Official Singles Chart with individual country songs (for instance, Lena Martell or Jimmy Nail), no act has made such an impact at the upper levels of the Official Albums Chart with a genuine country album – as verified by the UK branch of the Country Music Association. Director of BBC Music and CMA board member, Bob Shennan, comments: “From the very first play, The Shires have proved to be a class act. They also prove that a British artist can create authentic country music – and the fact that BBC Music has supported them via BBC Introducing and now Radio 2 is testament to their obvious talent and songwriting ability. We hope they can take Nashville by storm!” As country music continues to penetrate British culture, today it is The Shires who are firmly at the forefront. As the Sunday Times declared, “Country is being reborn – in Bedford”.

Blues legend Walter Trout has announced his plans to return to stages across the world in 2015. Following a liver transplant and extensive rehabilitation, the esteemed Bluesman feels strong enough to resume his career of fifty plus years. Trout has said: “The last year has been one where the blues truly came calling, and I came face to face with death more than once. My wife moved me to Nebraska to improve my chances of getting a life-saving liver transplant, and after a long wait, I got my new liver on May 26th, 2014. Since then I have been filled with immense gratitude. Gratitude for the fans who supported me via fundraisers, cards, messages, thoughts and prayers, for the donor and his or her family, for medical science, for my family, and for life itself. “Everything matters more to me now. Now, 7 months after my transplant I feel like a new man. I have strength and energy. In some ways I feel like I am in my 20s again! The past couple of years of playing I was getting dizzy spells, severe cramps in my hand and forearm and played many shows in severe pain. It turns out that was a result of my deteriorating liver. That is gone now! I am able to play better than I have in years. I feel reborn. I cannot wait to get back out on the road again and do what I love to do for my fans. The future looks great!” Walter Trout will make appearances across Europe and North America in the coming months. His first public appearance will take place on June 15 in London at the Royal Albert Hall as part of Lead Belly Fest. Additionally, Trout will take the stage for the first in North America at a venue where he has long history – The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, California on July 10. His itinerary is a work in progress with dozens of additional dates planned for 2015. Confirmed appearances include: June 15: London, Royal Albert Hall July 10: California, San Juan Capistrano, The Coach House 21: Iowa, Davenport, Redstone Room 23: Iowa, Sioux City, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 25: Minnesota, St. Paul, Lowertown Blues Festival 31: Connecticut, Norwalk, Infinity Music Hall July 1: Maryland, Annapolis, Ram’s Head 2: Delaware, Wilmington, Riverfront Blues Festival 7: New York, Niagara Falls, Bear’s Den @ Seneca Casino 8: West Virinia, Wheeling, Heritage Blues Festival 14: Illinois, Chicago, Buddy Guy’s Legends 15: Wisconsin, Wausau, Big Bull Falls Blues Festival August 10 – 11: Nevada, Las Vegas, Big Blues Bender September 17: Stockton, Arc 18: Glasgow, ABC 20: Holmfirth, Picturedrome 21: London, Forum 24: Leamington, Assembly 25: Frome: Cheese & Grain 28: Amsterdam, Carre December 1: Hamburg, Fabrik 2: Berlin, Kesselhaus 3: Bochum, RuhrCongress 6: Munich, Feriheiz

Best Country Solo Performance Something in the Water Carrie Underwood Label: Sony Nashville Best Country Duo/Group Performance Gentle On My Mind The Band Perry Glen Campbell & Julian Raymond, songwriters (Glen Campbell) Track from: Glen Campbell, I’ll Be Me Soundtrack Label: Big Machine Records Best Country Song I’m Not Gonna Miss You Glen Campbell & Julian Raymond, songwriters (Glen Campbell) Track from: Glen Campbell, I’ll Be Me Soundtrack Label: Big Machine Records Best Country Album PLATINUM Miranda Lambert Label: RCA Nashville Best American Roots Performance A Feather’s Not A Bird Rosanne Cash Track from: The River & The Thread Label: Blue Note Records Best American Roots Song Rosanne Cash & John Leventhal, songwriters (Rosanne Cash) Track from: The River & The Thread Label: Blue Note Records; Publishers: Chelcait Music admin. by Measurable Music LLC, a Notable Music Co./Lev-A-Tunes Best Americana Album THE RIVER & THE THREAD Rosanne Cash Label: Blue Note Records Best Bluegrass Album THE EARLS OF LEICESTER The Earls Of Leicester Label: Rounder Best Folk Album REMEDY Old Crow Medicine Show Label: ATO Records

Striking Matches are returning to the UK this May following on from their debut headline shows at the Borderline last year, both of which selling out through word of mouth after their astounding performance at The O2 Arena’s C2C festival last March. With the Nashville duo’s fresh and Fleetwood Mac inspired approach to country music. The dates will be a showcase for their debut album NOTHING BUT THE SILENCE, produced by Grammy-winning T-Bone Burnett, who has worked with the likes of Robert Plant, Allison Krauss, Elton John, Roy Orbison and Counting Crows. It is set for release on March 23 through Caroline International. Striking Matches latest single Missing You Tonight, is a beautiful, country anthem that takes the listener deep into the heart of Nashville. Their songs, including When The Right One Comes Along and‘Hanging On A Lie’have been featured on More 4’s hit drama series Nashville and recorded by the show’s stars Sam Palladio and Clare Bowen, which has opened the door to a host of new fans both in the US and internationally. Striking Matches are the first artist to sign to the newly revived label, I.R.S. Nashville, and have toured with the likes of Vince Gill, Ashley Monroe and Hunter Hayes. The band will play in the UK on: Friday 8 – Union Chapel, London Sunday 10 – Deaf Institute, Manchester Monday 11 – Oran Mor, Glasgow Tickets are available for pre-order this Friday, February 6