News

Rising US group LANCO have surprised their fans by releasing two songs in the shape of What I See and Old Camaro, which form part of the ‘Lessons Learned’ two-pack bundle. You can listen to both tracks here. The five-piece, which are made up of Brandon Lancaster (frontman), Chandler Baldwin (bass), Jared Hampton (keyboards), Tripp Howell (drums) and Eric Steedly (guitar), were due to release their follow up album to their colossal debut ‘Hallelujah Nights’ this year, but for one reason or another, this just hasn’t happened. However, fans will rest easy with the news of the two songs – of which, What I See has been chosen to be their next single from that upcoming record, following in the footsteps of Rival. Speaking about the song, Lancaster opened up about the idea for the song and how it came to them and how places that we see and think nothing of can have huge significance to someone else. “We had the idea for What I See after our bus picked us up in this little random parking lot with just a rundown bar and restaurant,” Lancaster said. “To us, it might have been insignificant as we were just passing through, but to someone, it could be a landmark. “This could be the place where someone spent all their Friday nights or had their first fender-bender in high school. We started talking about all our upbringings and realised that we all have those places in our own towns that meant something to us whether it’s the football field or just an exit sign. “Though insignificant to most, they are part of our stories, so this song shines a light on the idea that ‘there’s more than meets the eye.’” Earlier this year, LANCO embarked on a full UK tour and also sub-headlined The Long Road Festival. They are now gearing up to support Miranda Lambert on her 2020 Wildcard Tour.  

At The Long Road Festival, Maverick caught up with Morgan Evans, who cannot wait for his Australian homecoming tour and has a lot of love for the UK It’s been roughly a year since the album came out now, how have things changed for you since its release? Man, everything has kind of changed. It feels like 10 years ago, you know, but also about 20 minutes ago in a really cool way. We couldn’t have come over and played the rooms we played and to the people we’ve played to without it and that’s just a small example of what’s been happening everywhere in the States and in Australia as well. To see people just connecting to this music…as a songwriter, that’s the biggest thing that you hope for and yeah, it’s been incredible. The Day Drunk video went live recently and was shot in reverse, what was the reason for that? Did you find inspiration from the video for The Scientist by Coldplay? I did love that – and the Jack Johnson one too! For this album cycle particularly, I just wanted to challenge myself to do different things with videos. The first one we did was basically a one shot at the whole thing, this 15 second shot in slow motion for Kiss Somebody, which was ambitious and took all day to get one 15 second shot, but then for this one we were like, ‘let’s do something crazy, let’s do a backwards wind up’. Honestly, it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but I do feel that the way the video came out captures the same energy as the song, which I think is what you are looking for in a video. [wpdevart_youtube]ESaC2lTkH-g[/wpdevart_youtube] How have you found being back in the UK? It’s awesome, man. You probably hear this from everyone, but you hear it because it’s the truth. The fans here remind me of Australia in the way country fans here are under served – American fans have Tim McGraw one week, then Rascal Flatts the next and Luke Bryan the next week, so the fans here really appreciate it when you show up. You can see that by the way they do show up, but also the way they know every song – it’s not just the radio hits they know, they know everything. We travelled from Dublin to Glasgow the other day and the airline lost all of our gear – all my loop gear, computers, everything. All I had was my guitar and so I just played the album from track one to track 11 sitting on a stool and this whole crowd knew every word and that’s a perfect example of what the crowds are like here. I hope you got that gear back… Well, as we hit the last chord pretty much, my tour manager got a call from the airline and they were like, ‘hey your stuff has showed up and you have to come and get it in the next half hour!’ How you feeling about going back home to Australia? Really good man, they’re the biggest venues I’ve ever done and we are doing a couple in a couple of cities in a row, which is pretty awesome. I’m not sure if you guys have the same thing here, but sometimes when you leave somewhere like my hometown or my home country, people won’t react to it in a positive way. They are like, ‘wasn’t it good enough for you here?’ or whatever, but man, I went back there to play shows for the first time exactly a year ago now actually and it was the best feeling ever. It was like a celebration of ‘yeah, you’re doing great, good on you’ and all you ever want it to make your hometown proud of you and for me, I think the whole of Australia feels like that to me. You’ve supported some huge artists like Rascal Flatts, Chris Young and Dan + Shay, but what have you learnt from those slots and playing in front of bigger crowds? Probably more than I even really know, but there are two main things. The first one is having great people around you and to be great to them. My favourite touring experiences have been on those tours like that, it’s just a pleasure to be around these people and you get really sad at the end of it, but also the show works better as everyone is having a good time and everyone is putting in all their energy because they want to make it great. The other thing I probably learnt from Rascal Flats more than anyone, is that to just stay hungry and to keep reaching until you are better. They have been doing it at top level now, playing 20,000 people a night for 20 years and their show is as good or better than any other that I’ve seen this year. The energy they put into the video content and the way that it all flows…it’s really impressive to see them at their stage in their careers, still reaching and being really relevant. It’s that success breeds success mentality, isn’t it? Absolutely – Keith Urban is another good example of that as well. He’s from a similar era like 20 years ago now, but still crushing it on the radio and still filling these places up. It’s inspiring to be around.

At The Long Road Festival, Maverick sat down with UK artist Katy Hurt, who talked us through the changes to her live show and what she’s working on at present Hey Katy! It seems you’ve got a new bass player, what happened there? I think we are a very busy band and we are on the road all the time and I think life sometimes gets in the way a little bit…and yeah, it got to the point where it was getting a little bit complicated, so Ace had to go his separate ways, which is a real shame because I’ve been playing with him for two and a half years. But Joe has stepped in and he’s doing an exceptional job, and I’m very, very grateful. We call him Bear and the transition has been as good as it could possibly be and we are very happy with Joe. You seem to put a lot of effort into your live shows and you’ve got a huge entrance now, how did that come about? I have no idea. We have rehearsals and stuff and we practice all the music a lot, but the entrance is kind of on the fly – we kind of just do it and if it works, it works and if it doesn’t, the band make fun of me afterwards. We’ve done over 100 shows this year so far, so it’s kind of given us time to perfect certain parts of the show and put together what I think is a pretty good show now, but it is constantly evolving and constantly changing. Including a gong, it seems… The gong is a big feature now, yeah. When was that included?  Well, I ordered a back drop to the stage – my very first stage back drop with my name on – and I was put in charge of ordering it…and I ordered the wrong size. It’s about three times the size it was supposed to be and it would probably be just about the size of the main stage – like, it’s huge! I tried to unroll it in my house and we had to go outside. So then I was like, ‘now what do we do?’ and we said, ‘well, why don’t we just put a sticker on the gong instead? It’s probably a safer idea.’ So now I have the gong with my name on and a giant backdrop if anyone wants to book us for a really big stage! It’s been a busy few months for you with the release of the ‘Unfinished Business’ EP and you alluded on stage that you were working on things for an album…? I am working on it, yeah. What material have you got so far and how is it coming along? Well, I’ve been writing songs since I was 13 and Gab (Zsapka, guitarist) and I wrote the whole EP together and we’ve been working together for just over three years, so the amount of work we have and the number of songs we have has been gradually growing, especially when we are on the road together all the time as we find it really easy to write that way. We have sent about 70 songs back and forth to our producer who did the last record, so there’s a whole life’s worth of work, kind of, that feels like it’s going to go into this album and we are currently at the stage where I’m trying to figure out what I want it to be and what I want it to say. Some of my songs are very rock country, some are pop country and some are traditional, so I’m thinking about what way do we go and whether we include all of them. We are working on it, it’s going to be a long process, but I’m very excited to kind of dig in and get recording and see where it goes.  

Miranda Lambert has offered the next glimpse into her next record ‘Wildcard’ with the release of her latest single, Tequila Does. You can watch the lyric video below. [wpdevart_youtube]ZAmD9U2hH4A[/wpdevart_youtube] The track follows in the footsteps of It All Comes Out in the Wash and is very much in the mould of the types of song that Lambert would’ve been brought up on. Speaking about the track, Lambert said that is very much a country song and that it makes her happy writing songs of that nature, while also saying that it makes her feel free within the world. “Tequila Does is country and country music makes me happy,” said Lambert. “No matter how rock or edgy or scorned you can get, when you come back to a country song with a steel guitar, it makes my soul feel like it’s on fire.” You can pre-order ‘Wildcard’ here.

Jason Aldean has released the video for We Back, which has made a big impression since being released as the lead single from his upcoming album ‘9’. You can see the video below. [wpdevart_youtube]23nlI9t4TlM[/wpdevart_youtube] Directed by Shaun Silva, the video utilises eight 360-degree cameras to give viewers a completely different perspective of an Aldean live show, picking up on a variety of small details. Speaking about the video, Aldean said that Silva has given viewers something very unique and that he has never seen a music video like it before. “We’ve put out music videos in the past from our tours, but Silva put a really cool spin on this one,” said Aldean. “Fans are going to feel like they are on stage with us, which is something I’ve never really seen pulled off like this before.” ‘9’ is the aptly named ninth solo album to be released by Jason Aldean and you can pre-order the album, which is due to be released on November 22, here.

It’s fair to say that Alex Milanian – otherwise known as L Protector – hasn’t had the easiest of lives, but the artist channelled those experiences and put them into his self-titled lo-fi album and spoke to Maverick about it At the heart of country music are songs that come from deep places, laying yourself bare and pouring out your emotions, feelings and experiences into tracks. It’s not only therapeutic for artists, but also allows for connection with the public who are going through similar things. For UK/Iranian singer-songwriter Alex Milanian, that was exactly what he was going for with his recent album under the moniker L Protector, which explores his darkest and most challenging moments. Ultimately, Milanian wants the album to be something to help the younger generation and that penning his experiences and life choices is something that he finds very easy and rewarding. “At the very core of it, I wanted it to be an anti-drug album – especially for young people and all the people that are thinking about that kind of road ahead,” Milanian says. “If I have one thing in my life that I will be proud of, it will be if a few people can get that message through it and they can avoid that kind of life. “It’s also about what it’s like to be a human being – to experience love, grief, joy, pain…all things like that. To me, the easiest thing is to write about what I’m experiencing and been through. I get something out of writing it down and kind of exercising it from my life.” The album itself has a very DIY feel to it and that is very much the case – as an independent artist, Milanian hardly has the funds to book out a studio in Nashville for three weeks to get everything right and instead had to do everything himself – meaning that every note and every word was composed by him. “I recorded this album in my front room with my friend, who built me a computer because I’m a real technophobe. I had one microphone and I recorded it all myself, wrote it all myself, played it all myself and arranged it all myself. “It was a real low profile thing in my front room and then I had another friend, who is a professional engineer, mix it for me. I love that type of music you know, I really love sparse, basic instruments from the heart.” Listening to the album and it is clear that Milanian is really opening out every part of his soul – it isn’t uncommon in country for people to be overly honest, but this takes it to the next level. Despite that, Milanian believes that while the content may be hard hitting for some, there is enough in there that everyone can relate to in some capacity. “There are some really heavy songs and very sad in there and I think that it’s a very powerful album. It might be too much for some people, but there’s a lot of redemption in there and a lot of joy and there are songs about love as well. “If anyone can get what I’m trying to get across about the album, it’s that it’s about the human experience. That kind of thing appeals to everyone as everyone experiences love, heartache and grief.” For those who like their music to be strong, heavy and completely honest, than you need to give L Protector’s album a spin.

Brothers Osborne have revealed that they will be returning to the UK in 2020 for what will be their biggest headline tour to date this side of the Atlantic. You can get tickets from 9am on October 11 here. Between December 2018 and June 2019, the duo performed a sold out show at O2 Kentish Town Forum in London and played Download Festival 2019, making them the first band to play both C2C and Download, but are clearly keen to become more of a household name in the UK. The special guests for the tour will be announced in due course. The news comes ahead of the next Brothers Osborne record to be released, which will be a live album in the shape of ‘Live at the Ryman’. This is scheduled for release on October 11, though an exclusive to the UK CD release will be on October 25. Brothers Osborne will be playing: May 10 – O2 Institute, Birmingham, England May 11 – Junction, Cambridge, England May 12 – Roundhouse, London, England May 14 – Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, Scotland May 15 – Albert Hall, Manchester, England May 16 – Stylus, Leeds, England

Upcoming UK artist Louise Parker has recently released her fifth single of 2019 in the shape of Story of Love, which is dedicated to her partner. You can listen to the track here. It’s been a very busy year for Parker, who is currently in Austin, Texas recording and writing new music, while this single is also the first to be released under her new management. Speaking about the song itself, Parker explained that she hasn’t always been lucky when it comes to finding love, but believes she has that now – even if she struggles to convey that on a daily basis, hence the inspiration for the track. “Story of Love is the love child of my Disney princess dreams and real-life happiness,” she said. “I’ve always fallen in love really easily, I wear my heart on my sleeve and more often than not, that has got me into a lot of trouble. “However, the further into my 20s I get and with the right partner, the more comfortable I am with myself. Even though I write songs, I can be a terrible communicator, so I wrote this for my partner to verbalise all the good and happiness they have bought into my life.” In terms of UK based gigs, Parker will be returning to her homeland near the end of 2019 to gear up for a run of performances in 2020.

Fresh after headlining C2C 2019, Keith Urban will be returning to the UK in 2020 for a seven-date run as part of his European tour. Tickets are available from October 10 at 9am here. Prior to C2C – and the one-off special show at O2 Kentish Town Forum in London a few days prior – Urban hadn’t performed in the UK for almost 12 years, but now seems to be making up for lost time with his second UK appearance in two years. There were only four dates announced initially, but due to intense demand for tickets, Urban has now added a number of other dates to his UK leg. In addition to the UK, Urban’s European tour will also see him perform in the Netherlands (Amsterdam), Germany (Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne, Hamburg and Berlin), Denmark (Copenhagen), Sweden (Stockholm) and Norway (Oslo). Keith Urban’s UK dates are: May 5 – Eventim Apollo, London, England May 6 – Eventim Apollo, London, England May 8 – O2 Apollo, Manchester, England May 9 – O2 Apollo, Manchester, England May 12 – O2 Academy Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland May 13 – O2 Academy Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland May 14 – O2 Academy Birmingham, Birmingham, England

At Millport Country Music Festival 2019, Maverick spoke to Kerry Fearon, who performed two sets over the course of the weekend.  How have you found Millport? I couldn’t see much of it on the first day because the rain was so bad yesterday, but the second day it looked a lot prettier! It’s really cute. You keep yourself very busy in the music world, how is the radio work going? Good! I just recently finished a show with Downtown Country – they are in Northern Ireland and in the same building as Downtown Radio and Cool FM. I was with them for four years, but now I’m doing my own show now on community radio, which has given me more scope to do whatever I want. At the minute, I’m pushing more into more rootsy stuff, Americana and even folk Bluegrass. These are all aspects of country music that I love and it means I can have guests in too, so I’m really happy to do that. Going back to your music, a new single came out in June – how’ve you found the reception to that? Yeah, I think it was June. It’s my version of the Bob Dylan track To Ramona and it’s been doing well, it’s been getting a good lot of airplay. It’s still getting airplay too, so I’m delighted with it. In terms of new music have you got anything on the horizon? Last year, I released my debut album and to me, it was very radio safe and very traditional country. I love traditional country and I love the honky tonk sound as well, but it was very radio safe, so To Ramonawas the first step of my next project. I have some more songs recorded and I will be releasing maybe a single again in maybe October/November time – I’m still going with country, but I’m leaning more towards rootsy Americana stuff, so I will see how it goes. Is there anything you’re working on at the minute that you’re finding very exciting? I have a few duets lined up and it’s exciting to be able to work with other artists, but apart from that, a cousin of mine called Dave Murphy is a songwriter from New Jersey and he has got six albums out already. I decided in March to send his music out and he got some airplay in Glasgow, so I’ve put together a two-week tour for him and another songwriter called Paul Sacks. I’m really excited about that.