Exclusives

The second wave of artists to be announced for Black Deer Festival have been revealed, with the likes of Saving Grace, Jade Bird and Imelda May added to the bill. Tickets are available here. Black Deer Festival, now in its third year, have really gone for it this year, having booked Saving Grace – made up vocally of Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant and Suzi Dian – as well as Shooter Jennings, Wildwood Kin, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real and Sam Duckworth from Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. In addition to those acts, Shovels & Rope, Birds of Chicago, Wade Bowen, William Prince and The Goat Roper Rodeo Band have also been added. Speaking about the lineup, legendary singer Plant said that he recognises a lot of people on the bill having worked with them in years gone by and that he is very much looking forward to the weekend at Eridge Park. “This looks like a great bill,” Plant said. “I’ve worked alongside most of these people in recent times over here or over there…there’s power and beauty. I’m looking forward to it.” The Black Deer Festival lineup so far is: (First Wave) Wilco, The Waterboys, The Dead South, The Milk Carton Kids, Courtney Marie Andrews, The Felice Brothers, The Secret Sisters, Jack Broadbent Irish Mythen, Madison Violet, The East Pointers, Midnight Skyracer, Amy Montgomery, Native Harrow (Second Wave) Saving Grace ft. Robert Plant and Suzi Dian, Imelda May, Jade Bird, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Sam Duckworth, Shovels & Rope. Shooter Jennings, Birds of Chicago, Wildwood Kin, Wade Bowen, William Prince, Josh Okeefe, The Goat Roper Rodeo Band  

Temecula Road made their debut performance in Grand Opry House one to remember as they performed their brand new song Take Back. The trio – made up of Dawson Anderson and sisters Emma and Maddie Salute – made their Opry debut back in November, but this was their first time in the Opry House as that performance was held in the Ryman Auditorium. Take Back was something of a treat for those in attendance and watching on TV as it isn’t actually due for release for a fair few weeks yet, but it is due for release in the early part of 2020. The song was written by Anderson along with Ava Suppelsa and Steven Martinez, while it was produced by Andrew DeRoberts. The second song that Temecula Road performed on the night was their stripped back cover of the Eagles classic Desperado, which was received very warmly when they visited the UK in October for Country Music Week – and again when they supported Scotty McCreey later that evening. The group will be back in the UK very shortly for C2C 2020, with the group performing a number of sets over the course of the weekend. You can read our review of their October performance at CMW here.

The rest of the C2C 2020 line-up has been revealed, with the likes of Catherine McGrath, Austin Jenckes, Tenille Arts and Katy Hurt being announced. Tickets are available here. The names for the Town Square, Big Entrance CMW Hub in All Bar One, Icon Stage and the new Garden Stage have all been announced and there are some big names on the list, as well as a raft of up and coming artists from both the UK and the US. There will be additional sets from some of the Spotlight Stage artists too, with Twinnie, Niko Moon, Kyle Daniel, Mitchel Tenpenny, Gabby Barratt and Caylee Hammack all doing more than one performance over the weekend, while of course Kassi Ashton, Tenpenny and Willie Jones will be doing the C2C official aftershow parties at indigo. Also, The Shires will be in attendance in some capacity, as they will be hosting the Spotlight Stage on the Saturday in London, while there will also be a special album playback and Q&A in the O2 Blueroom. The full lineup for C2C 2020 is as follows: Main Stage (headliners in italic) Eric Church, The Cadillac Three, Charles Esten, Abby Anderson, Eric Paslay, Tenille Townes, Darius Rucker, Old Dominion, Old Crow Medicine Show, Runaway June, Luke Combs, Brett Young, Tanya Tucker, Jordan Davis Spotlight Stage Mitchell Tenpenny, Kyle Daniel, Gabby Barratt, Niko Moon, Kassi Ashton, Twinnie, Willie Jones, Caylee Hammack, Noah Schnacky BBC Radio 2 Stage at indigo A Thousand Horses, Catherine McGrath, Caylee Hammack, Filmore, Gabby Barrett, Jackson Michelson, Kassi Ashton, King Calaway, Kyle Daniel, Mitchell Tenpenny, Noah Schnacky, Robert Counts, Seaforth, Tebey, Temecula Road, Tenille Arts, Willie Jones C2C Official Aftershow Parties at indigo Mitchell Tenpenny, Kassi Ashton, Willie Jones, DJ Hish The Saloon – All Bar One by Night Kyle Daniel, A Thousand Horses, Robert Counts Town Square A Thousand Horses, Alex Hall, Angie K, Caylee Hammack, Everette, Filmore, Haley & Michaels, Holloway Road, Jackson Michelson, King Calaway, Kylie Morgan, Laura Oakes, Lisa McHugh, Niko Moon, Robert Counts, Seaforth, Tebey, Temecula Road, The Luck, Tim Hicks, Una Healy Big Entrance Stage Alex Hall, Angie K, Danny McMahon, Everette, Haley & Michaels, Jess Thristan, Joe Bucks, Kaitlyn Baker, Katy Hurt, King Calaway, Leslie Stevens, Matt Lang, Stuart Landon, Tebey, Temecula Road, The Luck, Tim Hicks, Una Healy CMW Hub – All Bar One Alex Hall, Austin Jenckes, Catherine McGrath, Filmore, Gabby Barrett, Kylie Morgan, Leslie Stevens, Niko Moon, Noah Schnacky, Tenille Arts, Twinnie Icon Stage Danny Burns, Haley & Michaels, Hayley McKay, Izzie Walsh, Jess Thristan, Joe Buck, Kaitlyn Baker, Laura Oakes, Lucy Grubb, Mabel & Huck, Matt Lang, Reverie Lane, Stuart Landon, The Luck, The Orange Circus Band, The Remedy Club Garden Stage Austin Jenckes, Catherine McGrath, Danny Burns, Danny McMahon, Hayley McKay, Holloway Road, Izzie Walsh, Jackson Michelson, Kaitlyn Baker, Katy Hurt, Leslie Stevens, Lisa McHugh, Lucy Grubb, Mabel & Huck, Matt Lang, The Luck, The Orange Circus Band, The Remedy Club, Tim Hicks O2 Blueroom The Shires album playback and Q&A, CMA Kixstart in conversation: Angie K, Everette, Kylie Morgan  

Old Dominion have shared their latest single Some People Do from their self-titled third album, just before they return to the UK for C2C 2020. You can listen to the song here. Some People Do follows in the footsteps of Make It Sweet, One Man Band and Never Be Sorry from the critically acclaimed third record, as the recent CMA Award winning Vocal Group of the Year step up their plans for their first C2C appearance since 2018. Speaking about the song, frontman Matthew Ramsey said that it is about trying to be the best person that you possibly can be for this closest to you, even though you know that despite that, you are still going to unintentionally hurt them at some stage. “It’s a breaking-point kind of song,” Ramsey said. “I think inherently we’re all good people and want to be good people, but no matter who you are, sometimes you hurt the ones you love. It’s about that desire to be the best person you can be for those people.” Old Dominion are made up of Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Whit Sellers, Geoff Sprung and Brad Tursi and were in the UK as recently as October, where they embarked on their biggest headline tour to date this side of the Atlantic, including an appearance at the Eventim Apollo in London. Ironically, Jordan Davis was their support for that tour and he will also be appearing at C2C this year, albeit on a different day to Old Dominion.

UK singer/songwriter Rumer will be releasing her fifth studio album ‘Nashville Tears’ on April 24, with the album being released on the label Cooking Vinyl. You can pre-order the album here. The album itself will be a cover album of sorts, with all 15 songs being written by Hugh Prestwood – a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer –and some of the tracks that are included are songs written by Prestwood, but never saw the light of day. Speaking about the record, Rumer said that she hopes that her new album will introduce people to a huge influence on her career and that she has every faith that they will appreciate that. “I can’t wait for more music lovers to discover Hugh Prestwood’s magnificent catalogue,” Rumer said. “I know without a doubt they’ll be as grateful as I am to have found him.” In addition to releasing the album, Rumer will be heading out on a brief tour to support ‘Nashville Tears’, which is only four dates in length but will see her perform in two countries and there is expected to be a bigger tour announced later this year. Rumer will be playing: May 14 – Town Hall, Birmingham, England May 16 – The Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, England May 17 – Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, England May 19 – Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, Scotland Tickets will go on sale to the public on February 7.

Yola was the big winner from the 2020 UK Americana Awards as she left with both the UK Artist of the Year and UK Album of the Year awards. The fifth incarnation of the awards took place in Troxy, London, as the demand for tickets forced the Americana Music Association to upgrade venue for the third time in three years. ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris compered once again on a brilliant night for UK Americana, with a number of special performances on the night from a host of talented artists, including Ferris & Sylvester, Ida Mae, The Felice Brothers and Elles Bailey. Other notable winners included Brandi Carlile, who won International Artist of the Year,  The Highwomen, who took International Album of the Year and Amy Speace, who won International Song of the Year. There was also a very special moment on the night as Miles Harris – Bob’s son – surprised his father by announcing that Bob had won the Outstanding Contribution to Americana Award, which was received by a standing ovation from those in the audience. The full list of winners is: UK Instrumentalist of the Year – Sîan Monaghan International Album of the Year – ‘The Highwomen’ by The Highwomen UK Song of the Year – Little Piece of Heaven by Elles Bailey International Artist of the Year – Brandi Carlile Grassroots Award – Mark Whitfield International Song of the Year – Me and the Ghost of Charlemagne by Amy Speace Bob Harris Emerging Artist Award – Ferris & Sylvester Trailblazer Award – Nick Lowe UK Album of the Year – ‘Walk Through Fire’ by Yola Outstanding Contribution to Americana Award – Bob Harris Best Selling Americana Album Award – Jade Bird UK Artist of the Year – Yola Legend Award – Lonnie Donegan Lifetime Achievement Award – Joan Armatrading

Jimmie Allen has shared an untitled new song on his social media channels that he wrote in the aftermath of basketball star Kobe Bryant passing away. You can listen to the song here. The world – both sporting and otherwise – was stunned when on January 26, a helicopter containing Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gigi and seven others crashed, leaving no survivors. Allen was one of the millions who was left devastated by the news and taking to this social media, he said that the feeling left him asking a lot of the same questions that he asked when family members extremely close to Allen passed away. “In the midst of losing my Dad, my grandmother and the tragedy Sunday with The Kobe Bryant, Gigi Bryant and Altobelli family, I found myself with tons of questions,” Allen said. “I wrote this song with Tate Howell, Cary Barlowe and Brandon Day.” From a music perspective, 2020 is shaping up to be quite busy for Jimmie Allen as he will be touring a lot – with a full US tour locked in (including a night at the Opry in Nashville), an Australian adventure booked and a European stint as well. Allen had a hugely busy 2019 as well, with a number of high profile supporters tours, appearances at C2C 2019 and was also releasing music videos from his breakthrough album ‘Mercury Lane’.

Eric Paslay will be returning to the UK very shortly after his C2C appearance as he has been announced to be main support act for The Shires. Remaining tickets are available here. Paslay will be a Main Stage act at C2C 2020, as he will be performing an ‘in the round’ of sorts with Tenille Townes and Abby Anderson, but be back on UK soil just over a month after to support Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes, who make up The Shires. Speaking about the announcement, the Grammy nominated artist said that he loves being over this side of the Atlantic and is very much looking forward to touring with the duo. “I’m always excited to return to the UK to play my music,” Paslay said. “The fans there are incredible and I have great memories from the times I’ve played before. I can’t wait to join The Shires this time around and share the stage to play some country music!” Eric Paslay will be playing: April 27 – Weymouth Pavilion, Weymouth, England April 28 – Princess Theatre, Torquay, England April 29 – Victoria Hall, Stoke, England May 1 – Engine Shed, Lincoln, England May 4 – Symphony Hall, Birmingham, England May 5 – Arts Centre, Aberystwyth, Wales May 6 – G Live, Guildford, England (SOLD OUT) May 8 – O2 Academy Bristol, Bristol, England May 9 – Cambridge Corn Exchange, Cambridge, England (SOLD OUT) May 10 – Royal Centre, Nottingham, England May 12 – Sands Centre, Carlisle, England May 13 – Beach Ballroom, Aberdeen, Scotland May 14 – Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Scotland May 15 – The Sage, Gateshead, England May 17 – Regent Theatre, Ipswich, England May 19 – Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, England May 20 – Barbican, York, England May 22 – New Theatre, Oxford, England May 23 – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, England May 24 – St David’s Hall, Cardiff, Wales May 26 – The Anvil, Basingstoke, England May 27 – London Palladium, London, England June 2 – Brighton Dome, Brighton, England June 3 – Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone, England June 4 – Bedford Corn Exchange, Bedford, England