April 2019

Millport Country Music Festival have announced that their secret headliner for the Saturday (August 31) will be none other than American artist Cam. It’s shaping up to be a rather busy summer for Cam on UK soil as she was recently announced for The Long Road Festival in early September, but in Scotland she will be taking to the stage as headliner. Cam was last in Scotland for C2C 2019 as a Main Stage artist and to date, she hasn’t properly toured north of the wall – only venturing into Scotland for C2C and now for Millport. The Diane singer joins the likes of American Young, Lockeland, Remember Monday, Morganway, Jade Helliwell, Laura Oakes and many, many more. There are still a number of names yet to be announced for Millport, with the festival organisers to drip feed the last remaining names to the public over the coming weeks. Millport Country Music Festival takes place between August 30-September 1. Tickets are available here. The Millport Country Music Festival lineup so far is: Cam American Young Lockeland Sydney Devine Remember Monday Sarah Jory Laura Oakes Danny McMahon Hotel Caledonia (Eagles tribute band) Izzie Walsh Morganway Gasoline & Matches Jade Helliwell Stevie O’Connor Kezia Gill Stuart Landon & Angels With Dirty Faces Backwoods Creek Kerry Fearon (from Keep It Country) Simon James & The Deep River Pilots The Scoundrels Elaine Lennon Zoee Have Mercy Las Vegas Carson City James & Wood Rick Lambert Greyhound Express Rodeo Stomp Disco

Birmingham based group The Adelaides will be one of a handful of UK acts that appear at CMA Fest 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee between June 6-9. The trio, consisting of Abi Phillips, Paris Georgia and Alicia Alba, will also be releasing a single titled Good Love in early June to coincide with the festival. Earlier this year, The Adelaides performed a staggering four sets at C2C 2019 and were also announced as support for Charles Esten’s UK tour, which includes a date at the fabled Royal Albert Hall in London. Speaking about the announcement in a band statement, the girls expressed their excitement to get to perform in America and believe it represents a huge chance for the group. “This is an incredible opportunity for us to play in the home of Country and at the world’s biggest Country event,” the girls stated. “We can’t wait to take to the CMA Fest stage. This is a huge endorsement of who we are as an act and we are so grateful.”  

Essex based artist Lisa Wright has been handpicked to support Jillian Jacqueline for her gig on June 1 at Hoxton Square Bar in London. Wright – who performed multiple sets at C2C 2019 to much acclaim – is currently the only support act scheduled on the night, which will see Jacqueline return to the UK for the first time since C2C 2018. 2019 is shaping up to be something of a very busy year for Jacqueline, who is getting married then immediately heading out on tour in the US, UK, Netherlands and Germany. In addition to her Hoxton Square Bar gig, Jacqueline will also be appearing at The Long Road Festival in September, while Wright is co-headlining a Nashville Meets London event with Austin Jenckes on May 29. Tickets for the gig are available here.

In every issue of Maverick, Eric Dahl – our Lifestyle Editor – runs his expert eye over the latest musical toys to be released into the world and the latest one to catch his attention is the Zikmi app that can help protect your guitar I’m a big fan of technology that expands our music or protects it. Zikmi is an awesome app that allows you to tag your instruments, amps and pedals, organise them inside the app and tag them to track where they are. You can also track guitar repairs, string changes and battery replacements per instrument. It is a community of like-minded instrument folks that play, collect or both. The Smart Tag, considering the amount of guitar thefts, is great insurance for your instrument and you can sell or buy on it too, or just maintain your own gear with the app.    

A new Maren Morris track in the shape of Kingdom of One has been released for compilation album ‘For the Throne: Music Inspired by the HBO Series Game of Thrones’. Morris, who is performing at Royal Albert Hall on May 31, is joined by a number of high profile artists across several different genres on the 14-track compilation album, including Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers, SZA, The National and Muse frontman Matt Bellamy. Fans of the ‘Girl’ artist were treated to Kingdom of One on April 12, but those hoping to own the song in physical form can now do so as the compilation album is officially released as of today (April 26). HBO show Game of Thrones is currently in its eighth and final series and is shown on Sky Atlantic in the UK. The track listing for ‘For The Throne’ is: Kingdom of One – Maren Morris Power is Power – SZA, The Weeknd & Travis Scott Nightshade – The Lumineers Hollow Crown – Ellie Goulding Baptize Me – X Ambassadors ft Jacob Banks Too Many Gods – A$AP Rocky & Joey Badass Turn on Me – The National From the Grave – James Arthur Me Traicionaste – Rosalia ft A.Chal When I Lie (Remix) – Lil Peep ft Ty Dolla Sign Love Can Kill – Lennon Stella Wolf at Your Door – Chloe x Halle Devil in Your Eye – Mumford & Sons Pray (High Valyrian) – Matt Bellamy

Country music star Sarah Darling will be returning to the UK in August for the Cambridge Folk Festival, who has been announced for the festival along with 11 others. Darling has a very healthy relationship with the UK and has frequently stated that she sees it as her second home, generating a huge fanbase over here in the process. This was emphasised at the recent C2C 2019 festival, where Darling performed several gigs that were at full capacity before embarking on a UK tour with Liv Austen as support – including a sell out at Bush Hall. In addition to Sarah Darling, Kerri Watt – another star of C2C and who supported Keith Urban at his O2 Kentish Town Forum show – has been announced, while the likes of Lucy Ward, Katie Doherty & the Navigators and Jack Broadbent will be performing. Also, Daoiri Farrell will be bringing his All-Star Celtic Session band, which includes the likes of Michael McGoldrick, Donal Lunny, Niamh Dunne, Seán Óg Graham, Donald Shaw and Robbie Walsh. The new announcements join Lucinda Williams, Nick Mulvey and Fisherman’s Friends on the bill and tickets are available here. The full line-up for Cambridge Folk Festival is: Lucinda Williams José González Nick Mulvey Richard Thompson Ralph McTell Tunng Fisherman’s Friends Lisa O’Neill Lil’ Jimmy Reed & the A Team Talisk Nancy Kerr, James Fagan & Friends Sam Sweeney Rura Jarrod Dickenson Karine Polwart Calexico and Iron & Wine Amadou & Mariam and Blind Boys of Alabama Graham Nash The Unthanks Gruff Rhys Robert Finley Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening The Rails McGoldrick, McCusker and Doyle Siobhan Miller Holy Moly & the Crackers The Tweed Project Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra Sarah Darling Daoiri Farrell’s All-Star Celtic Session feat. Michael McGoldrick, Donal Lunny, Niamh Dunne, Sean Og Graham, Donald Shaw and Robbie Walsh Roo Panes Jack Broadbent The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican Ryan Young and Jenn Butterworth Katie Doherty & the Navigators Kerri Watt Amy Montgomery Lucy Ward SING4SANE The Sisters of Elva Hill

American country star Cam will be performing at The Long Road Festival in September, with Jessie Buckley, Jillian Jacqueline, Suzy Bogguss and Rich Hall also being announced as part of the second wave of the line-up. The Burning House singer wowed the UK with her Main Stage slot at C2C 2019 and it has transpired that fans will not have to wait very long to see Cam in action again. In addition to Cam, Jessie Buckley – star of the film ‘Wild Rose’ – will be performing songs from the feature, while Grammy winning Suzy Bogguss will be bringing her country flair to Leicestershire. The acts join the likes of Kip Moore, Josh Turner, Asleep at the Wheel and LANCO. Speaking about the additions, Baylen Leonard – The Long Road Festival’s Creative Director – believes that the new additions to the bill will further enable attendees to fully experience what the genres on display have to offer. “With this latest addition of exciting artists to an already stellar lineup, you can experience the true width and breadth of Country, Americana, and roots all in one place,” Leonard said. “There truly is something for everyone. I can’t wait to welcome them and you to celebrate the music and the lifestyle at The Long Road.” The event takes place between 6-8 September and tickets are available here. The Long Road Festival line-up so far is: Rhinestone County Kip Moore Josh Turner Cam LANCO Suzy Bogguss Morgan Evans Eric Paslay Jillian Jacqueline Lainey Wilson Lauren Jenkins Crossroad County Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi Asleep at the Wheel Rich Hall’s Hoedown John Paul White Sam Outlaw The Steel Woods Thompson Square Suzanne Santo Jessie Buckley Sunny Ozell CoCo and The Butterfields Liv Austen CC Smugglers Jaime Wyatt The Cactus Blossoms Katy Hurt Matt the Electrician Leslie Stevens The Hanging Stars Robert Chaney Peter Bruntnell Carson McHone Native Harrow Rose Cousins William the Conqueror Beth Rowley The Grahams Front Country Lucy Blu Fair Country Charley Crockett Austin Jenckes Sam Lewis Ags Connolly Sean McConnell SUSTO Jake Morrell Ian Noe Beth Snapp Bill and the Belles Amy Speace Arkansas Dave Lockeland Drew Young Band

The Rising MOVING ON Renegade Maverick Records **** An exemplary follow up album After bursting on the scene in 2014 with their debut album ‘Coming Home’, fans of Northern Ireland band The Rising had to wait four years until they got a follow up, which is in the shape of ‘Moving On’. Lead singer Chantelle McAteer takes every given opportunity to show off her tremendous vocals, while the accompanying instrumental elements made up by Chris Logan (guitars, banjo, mandolin) and Brian Mellors (bass) merge expertly with her voice. The first half of the album is very strong, with the likes of Forgive and Not Forget, Even the Stars Fall For You and Reasonable (which has a superb bassline in) all standing out, while the second half is backed up by Take a Hint and Finally Found You, both of which are excellent. If there is any criticism to be levelled, it’s that the overall production of some of the tracks is a tad questionable – you get the feeling on the title track in particular that if the vocals were more polished, it could be a blockbuster of a hit – but this is outweighed by the overall quality of the songs themselves. Plus, if it really bothers you that much, go and see them live – these songs are sure to bring the house down as the trio continue their ascension in the music world. A thoroughly enjoyable listen from a band definitely on the up. Rob Ramsey www.therisingmusic.com

Fresh from the release of ‘Mr. Lonely’, we spoke to Jess Carson from Midland to find out everything possible about the track Mr. Lonely is out now, how have you found the reaction to it? It’s been really good. Country radio here in the US has jumped onto it – it was the most added song of the week that it came out, which is crazy for a song that has such a throwback, honky tonk feel. It’s exciting for us and it’s a song that despite the subject matter, which is quite tongue in cheek, is a feel good song. It’s a song to put on a Friday or Saturday night before you go out dancing and tear it up. Is the song indicative of the musical direction that you’re heading in for the new record? There are certain boxes that we check and will probably want to check on every album and this is like our honky tonk attempt. It’s got that Brooks & Dunn thing and that Garth Brooks kind of throwback – it’s an uptempo country song you can line dance to. We like to have as many different rhythms and as many different grooves on our albums, but this is definitely one that does that honky tonk thing. What inspired you to write the song? Musically, it’s a song that we want to play live – it’s fun to play live and it gets the crowd going. We’ve been on the road for three years, so we’ve figured out what kind of songs we want to play live in a set. Lyrically, I think it has very smart lyrics and it has a very flushed out character. It’s about this guy that there aren’t necessarily a lot of songs about, this kind of lothario type and we wanted to write a song about this guy. I think you get to know who he is pretty well in those three minutes. As a band you seem to love steel guitar, was there anything different about utilising it this time around? We feature steel on almost every song, but we’ve had the honour of working with Paul Franklin in the studio – who is probably the greatest living steel player. We also work with Dan Dugmore from time to time and he’s also in that same class, but Paul has just played with everybody. When you’re in the studio with Paul Franklin and you say, “hey, I think it would be cool if this song did something like…” and then you reference a George Strait song in the 80s, chances are it was him that played that steel part. He’s just the guy. How was it recording the song? We’ve got pretty much the same personnel as ‘On The Rocks’ in that we have Dann Huff, Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne producing, we have the same guys in the studio and the same studio itself. We have fun in the studio and we try to keep it light, but we work hard and we’ve got a crew together now that just works. We’re blessed in that way. When can we expect the next instalment from the upcoming album? I don’t know! I don’t know if we’re going to roll out another song before we release the whole album or what. I actually don’t know. I do know that the album is coming out in the late summer and if you want to hear the new songs, we’re actually playing five or six off the new record in our set, so come see us play!

UK country pop star Liv Austen has revealed that she will be releasing a double A side featuring tracks Detour and Whole Heart, which is set to be released on May 17. The double A side marks the first release from the Norwegian born artist – who recently supported Sarah Darling on her UK tour – since her debut album ‘A Moment of Your Time’ was released in October 2018. It will be available for physical purchase as a limited edition 7″ vinyl – only available by Austen’s website or at her gigs – as well as being available on all streaming platforms. Speaking about the two songs – which were placed together to represent a key part of her life – Austen explained that the two tracks are very personal to her with a lot of meaning and that writing the songs gave her a new sense of empowerment. “Detour and Whole Heart are very special songs to me because they came completely from a place of raw honesty – my mask is totally off in both of them. It’s fascinating to me how vulnerability and strength go hand in hand as much as they do; when I opened up and wrote about something so personal and painful, I felt more empowered than ever.” Liv Austen will also be appearing at The Long Road Festival this year and will be performing on the Friday (September 6).