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Ahead of their first ever UK tour, Maverick sat down with Keifer and Shawna Thompson – who make up the duo that is Thompson Square – and found out what to expect  You will be in the UK for September for the Long Road, then you’ve got a UK tour on the back of that as well. How are you feeling about that? (Shawna) It’s a bucket list thing. Since we started Thompson Square, we had always talked about going over or trying to get over there to play and to see it coming to fruition is pretty crazy. We just can’t wait. Is there any reason why it’s taken such a fair while to get over the Atlantic? (Keifer) We’ve been asking for years and we just weren’t really allowed to do that. Now we’re in a place where we can do what we want, so the first thing that we put on the agenda was to figure out a tour in the UK. Unless UK fans visited America to see you guys play, they won’t really know what to expect from your live show – so what does a typical Thompson Square show entail? (Keifer) It’s the greatest show on earth! We try and put on the same kind of show that we like to go and see, so like a pseudo Springsteen situation, where you have tempo and rock songs, then you have story songs and sad stuff and have this full range of different kind of music – which is what we write and what we record. (Shawna) Acoustically our shows are a little more low key, though. (Keifer) Oh yeah – our acoustic shows are just a stripped down versions of the big one. (Shawna) We love it though, it’s like a guitar pool in Nashville and we just like to share where the songs came from and how we found the songs if we didn’t write them, or what inspired each other’s songs as we’re playing our set. (Keifer) You have to remember, we started out acoustically too and we’ve always loved that format. We do about 30 shows a year in America, so we experimented and did it a couple of years ago and we just loved it, so we just kind of kept it going. To be able to go over there and to my knowledge, with listeners or fans over there who…I’m probably going to say this completely wrong, but the UK audiences don’t mind listening to songs and they don’t mind diving into the lyric, then going back and going through somebody’s catalogue. It’s going to be really cool to be able to strip this stuff down and play for everybody.  

Ahead of her UK and Europe tour – including a slot at Long Road Festival – Maverick sat down with Lauren Jenkins, who is very excited about her upcoming dates How are you feeling about your upcoming European tour? Are you kidding?! I’m so excited!! You’re performing at The Long Road, but for people who haven’t seen you before, what might they expect from your set? Something very, very honest. It all depends on how they are feeling as to what songs I play – if they are up for a very introspective song, then that’s what they will get and they might cry. Or if they just want to have a good time, then that’s what it will be. It’s been a busy festival year for you in the UK, with C2C as well – do you feel you’ve left a lasting impression over this side? I think so. I had some fans from the UK and Europe who came to my shows in England who were at CMA Fest and I was shocked that they were there. They came over at CMA Fest, came to my shows and they are going to be there again when I’m there in September, so I know there will be a lot of familiar faces that were on my journey. At C2C, they gave me a shout that they are going to be the shows in September, so I think that’s a really positive sign. A couple of the headline shows are sold out or are close to selling out, so that’s also crazy. I think something worked when I was there in March. From your experiences, how would you say European audiences are different to American ones? I love playing anywhere, but there is something about the European audience that just feels like they genuinely really respect music and also do their research. I’m a huge lover of music, so if I go to a show, I will look up the opener and listen to their back catalogue so that I’m familiar with the music and I thought that was something that only I do, but when I got over there, people were singing songs that were deep cuts and songs that America has had access to for a long time, but nobody really knows. They knew them and they knew all the lyrics and I was blown away. I just think there’s a different level of appreciation – and maybe for art at all levels, I feel with the European audience – and that’s a really big thing. Most of the time over here in America, you have to work really hard to earn a crowd’s attention and over there, I felt like everybody was in a party with me from the moment that I walked on stage, which is an overwhelming feeling. It’s only a brief European tour, can we expect to see you back anytime soon? Absolutely, 100%! Like literally, maybe two months later…I mean probably not, but fingers crossed! You can buy tickets for Lauren Jenkins’ tour here and you can read a full feature with Lauren in the upcoming September/October issue of Maverick, which is available very soon

Ferris & Sylvester have shared a new single in the form of I Dare You, which has been released just before the duo embark on a headline UK tour. You can listen to the track here. Speaking about the single in a statement, the duo stated that it shows a somewhat darker side of them than perhaps shown before and that they are very excited to play it on the live circuit. “We’ve gone over to our dark side with I Dare You,” the band said. “It felt important to get this song out there. We made bold choices with it and it’s very unapologetic. We think this song shows another side to us, it blends dark folk with explosive rage and is grounded by our live performance, as all our songs are. We can’t wait to play it on the road.” The band’s headline tour is certainly a big one and it also includes dates at AmericanaFest in Nashville (September 10-15) and Rivfest in Warrington (September 28), while they had to add another London date after the first one at OMEARA sold out. Ferris & Sylvester will be playing: September 3 – Boiler Room, Guildford, England September 4 – The Horn, St Albans, England September 5 – OMEARA, London, England* September 6 – OMEARA, London, England September 16 – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham, England September 17 – The Bullingdon, Oxford, England September 18 – Metronome, Nottingham, England September 19 – Green Door Store, Brighton, England September 20 – Think Tank?, Newcastle, England September 22 – Stereo, Glasgow, Scotland September 23 – Mash House, Edinburgh, Scotland September 25 – Lost Lane, Dublin, Republic of Ireland September 27 – Phase One, Liverpool, England September 29 – The Wardrobe, Leeds, England September 30 – The Portland Arms, Cambridge, England October 1 – Deaf Institute, Manchester, England October 3 – Forum, Tunbridge Wells, England October 4 – Frog & Fiddle, Cheltenham, England October 6 – Sin City (Fringe Fest), Swansea, Wales October 8 – Old Bakery, Truro, England October 9 – Phoenix, Exeter, England *denotes sold out date Tickets for all Ferris & Sylvester gigs are available here.

Lockeland have released their second official single in the shape of Drive, which has been released ahead of their UK festival appearances. You can see the audio video below. [wpdevart_youtube]QhxDbWtTgzk[/wpdevart_youtube] The upcoming American trio – made up of singer Kyndon Oakes, guitarist Mark Vikingstad and Susie Brown – have been making a big impression in the country music scene over the last few months, with a stellar performance at CMA Fest and the success of their debut single ‘Til the Cows Come Home raising the profile of the group. Vikingstad and co-producer Michael Boris (Sean Spence being the other co-producer) come from different parts of New York, while Oakes hails from Australia. The trio met in Nashville to “lock the lands” and thus, Lockeland was formed. Speaking about Drive, Oakes said that it had been in the pipeline for almost a decade and was initially planned for a solo campaign, but everything fell into place when it came into the band format. “Mark, Susie and I wrote this about seven years ago,” Oakes said. “The opening first line just flew out of my mouth. I originally recorded it as part of my solo project; Lockeland just brings it home.” Lockeland are looking to make the very most of their trip to the UK and have a few other dates pencilled in, including a headline date in London. Lockeland will be playing: August 30 – Millport Country Music Festival, Millport, Scotland (acoustic) August 31 – Millport Country Music Festival, Millport, Scotland September 2 – Jimmy’s, Manchester, England September 4 – The Crescent Community Venue, York, England September 8 – The Long Road Festival, Leicestershire, England September 9 – The Troubadour, London, England

It’s the final countdown to The British Country Music Festival that launches in Blackpool at the spectacular, indoor Winter Gardens entertainment complex, 13-15 September 2019. With five stages hosting over 100 artists, the inaugural festival celebrates some of the UK’s leading Country and Americana singer-songwriters with Sarah Darling, Ward Thomas, and Catherine McGrath claiming the headline slots on each of the three days. Produced by Fit The Bill Ltd in association with The Blackpool Entertainment Company, this annual event looks set to stake its claim as the leading festival showcasing the best of British, as well as celebrating the impact the UK is having on Country music and the artists that are making Nashville sit up and take notice. Martin Blore, Executive Producer from Fit The Bill explains: “This is such a creative time for UK Country music, our singer-songwriters are delivering amazing work and we have so much to be proud of as a nation. Artists are producing music and lyrics that genuinely reflect British values and finally we have our own unique Country sound that is establishing the UK as cutting edge in this genre.” He added: “Our festival line-up delivers some of the best musicians and writers and we have a great mix of headliners and emerging bands. We hope that the Green Room will become a hub where new talent can learn from established artists and ideas and advice can be shared for the benefit of the industry in general.” Hosting the main stage in the stunning Empress Ballroom on Friday and Sunday evening is Country Hits radio presenter, podcaster, music producer and TV judge Matt Spracklen. Having studied in Nashville, his knowledge of the Country music scene in the UK and across the pond makes him the perfect choice to introduce the evening headliners. He will also be hosting DJ sets on Friday and Saturday to take the party into the early hours. Star in the making Twinnie, will make her debut as festival host for the main stage on Saturday night, as well as performing her own set packed with songs that have made the BBC Radio 2 playlist throughout the summer. Support artists include Honey Ryder, The Adelaides, Megan O’Neill, Worry Dolls, Danny McMahon, Jake Morrell, Beth Rowley and Laura Oakes. One of the UK’s leading Country music record producers Tim Prottey-Jones will be performing with his new band The Fatherline and he will also be hosting a Songwriter’s Carousel on the Saturday afternoon with Twinnie, Jake Morrell and The Luck. For dance enthusiasts, The Long Haul band will provide live music on Friday and Saturday afternoon in the Winter Gardens Pavilion. The Horseshoe Promenade will provide opportunities for shopping and there is a restaurant, pop-up food traders and a café inside the venue. With the World Firework Championships and the illuminations in full glow, there is a sub theme of neon at the festival with the tagline ‘where the lights are shining’. Festival goers are encouraged to dress up and make the most of the indoor location. Tickets are available here.

Charley Crockett has revealed that his new album ‘The Valley’ will be released in the UK for November 22, which is set to be a hugely personal affair. You can pre-order the album here. The 16-track album focuses on Crockett’s upbringing in Texas and was recorded just a week before Crockett underwent life-saving open heart surgery in January this year. Speaking about the album, Crockett said that the songs on ‘The Valley’ offer more depth about himself than anything he’s done previously. “My story’s wilder than people can make stories up,” Crockett says. “These songs that I’ve written on this record, it’s all really autobiographical and they’re about as much depth as I’ve been able to capture writing about myself” News of the album release date will be welcomed by Crockett’s fans, some of which will be gearing up to see the artist for his UK tour in September. Crockett will be embarking on a six-date UK tour, which includes stops at London, Manchester, Glasgow and a festival appearance at The Long Road. Charley Crockett will be playing: September 1 – Oslo Hackney, London, England September 2 – Prince Albert, Brighton, England September 4 – Night & Day Cafe, Manchester, England September 5 – Broadcast, Glasgow, Scotland September 6 – The Cluny, Newcastle, England September 7 – The Long Road Festival, Leicestershire, England

Recently, Maverick’s Lifestyle Editor Eric Dahl – who is based in Nashville – checked out the Country Music Hall of Fame! You can see the video below. [wpdevart_youtube]jrghSVAGChg[/wpdevart_youtube]

UK country music fans can relive the events of CMA Fest 2019 tonight (28/8/19) on Sky Arts, with a three-hour broadcast to begin at 10:15pm. Filmed during Nashville’s 48th annual festival in June, the television special showcases more than 30 of today’s hottest hits performed by the biggest names in music as they hit the stage during the four-day festival. You can catch performances by Lil Nas X joined by Billy Ray Cyrus and Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini and The Chainsmokers, Brothers Osborne with Brooks & Dunn and Ashley McBryde, Brantley Gilbert and Lindsay Ell, Tim McGraw and Luke Combs, Maren Morris and Brandi Carlile, and Carrie Underwood with Joan Jett. Additional performers include Dierks Bentley, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Dan + Shay, Florida Georgia Line, Chris Janson, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Midland, Old Dominion, Pistol Annies, Rascal Flatts, Blake Shelton, Thomas Rhett and Brett Young. Thomas Rhett returns to host “CMA Fest” for a fourth year, first co-hosting the special in 2016, while Kelsea Ballerini returns for a third year. Special guest host Bobby Bones appears for the first time. “CMA Fest” is executive produced by Robert Deaton.  Four-day passes for CMA Fest 2020—which takes place in Nashville Thursday through Sunday, June 4-7 —are available for purchase at CMAfest.com

Mere days before the start of his overseas tour, Eric Paslay has announced the details of his upcoming new record ‘Live in Glasgow’. Paslay will be venturing around the world as of August 29, stopping off in the UK, Australia, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Scandinavia, but the live album was taken from his shows in the Scottish city of Glasgow from last year. The album will include hits such as Barefoot Blue Jean Night and Friday Night and speaking in a statement regarding the album, Pasley said that he felt a special connection with Glasgow and that he has no doubt that the album will replicate the feel and vibe of the night. “The first time I played in Glasgow, I fell in love with the fans’ passion and energy and knew immediately we had to record my live album there,” Paslay said. ” It was a blast.  If we were able to capture even half of the good vibes that were in that room that night, we made a great record.” The tracklist for ‘Live in Glasgow’ is: 1) Song About A Girl 2) Barefoot Blue Jean Night 3) Angel Eyes 4) Amarillo Rain 5) Even If It Breaks Your Heart / Learning To Fly 6) Here Comes Love / On The Road Again 7) High Class 8) She Don’t Love You 9) Less Than Whole 10) Friday Night In addition to a slot at The Long Road Festival, Paslay will also be appearing at Bush Hall (London), Oran Mor (Glasgow) and Band on the Wall (Manchester) in September. Tickets are available here.