The Next Time - Liv Austen

Our next LCM #TrackOfTheDay is one of my favourite new songs the mega catchy 'The Next Time' from the lovely and very talented Norwegian born but London based singer-songwriter Liv Austen. Liv is one the the leading stars of the UK Country community and it was an absolute joy to have her perform for us at the Green Note earlier this year, where she played this song live. Liv was also joined on stage by Jessica Sharmen, who co-wrote the song with Liv. The multi-talented Jessica has also co-written big hits for bands like Ward Thomas and The Shires. Recently signed to Paul Hardcastle's NUA Entertainment label, Liv is simply going from strength to strength. We can't wait for Liv's new album. 

Liv discusses the background to the song. 'I wrote this song with Jessica Sharman, who is now one of my favourite co-writers. In this writing session I was stressing out about a person who was constantly letting me down, and I had just about come to the conclusion that I had to remove this person from my life. Jess was amazing and helped me write a sassy and fun song about it, instead of sitting there wallowing in my own misery! I felt so elated after the song was finished. She brilliantly sat by her laptop and typed down everything I said about the situation, one of which was "he keeps saying he will do better 'next time, next time'... But what he doesn't understand is that this was the next time." And that's how the title was born. I also remember that when we had written the first verse and pre-chorus, Jess was frantically playing the last chord we had and shouted "sing! Sing whatever comes to mind, go!!" and I just sang "ooooh", like the melodic hook that you hear in the chorus. It just happened, and it felt so organic and fun!

Recording the song was really good fun too. I recorded this as one of the first tracks on the album, I was so confident about it and knew it would be a contender for single. I recorded it at my label's studio with my co-producer and engineer LOFT, and my other producer Jon Wright. We had a brilliant time throwing ideas around for it, and it was so fun being a co-producer on my own music, finally. I think both of my producers were surprised at how pop I was willing to go with this track. They repeatedly went: "really?" with some of the stuff I suggested. But I am so proud of the result!

Take It From Me - Jarrod Dickenson

We travel to Brooklyn today to meet our next LCM featured artist Texan Jarrod Dickenson  Jarrod has released his latest album 'Ready The Horses' through Decca on the 29th September and he is currently on a UK tour with two London dates on the 18th and 19th October at St. Pancras Old Chuch (with the first one already sold out)  We really like Jarrod's music here at LCM and think it's a fusion of Folk, Americana, Blues, Soul, Country and Rock and Roll. He is definitely another musician to have to your radar and well worth seeing live. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is his wonderful latest single 'Take It From Me' taken from the new album.

Storytelling is something of a Texas tradition. Tall hats and even taller tales are woven into the fabric of The Lone Star State, and singer-songwriter, Jarrod Dickenson can spin a yarn with the best of them. Hailing from Waco, now based in Brooklyn, Jarrod spends most of his time on the road bringing his own particular brand of soulful Americana to a wide variety of music loving audiences around the globe.

Jarrod's critically acclaimed album 'The Lonesome Traveler' and his subsequent EP 'Songs From Willow St' paved the way for him to tour the UK, Ireland and Europe extensively over the last several years. Breakout performances at Glastonbury and Larmer Tree Festival, along with recent tours supporting legendary artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Don McLean and The Waterboys have earned Jarrod a formidable and loyal fan base across the globe, including BBC radio hosts Dermot O'Leary, Cerys Matthews, Huey Morgan, Janice Long, Robert Elms and Alex Lester.

Bondurant Women - The Texas Gentleman

It is not every day that you have a video sponsored by 'Crazy' Eddie, but today is the day. Our next LCM featured artists are Dallas based Country & Rock n Roll band The Texas Gentleman. They have just released their debut studio album 'Tx Jelly' and our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is the vintage retro 70's funk feeling, very catchy and fun 'Boundurant Women', which we think is very CSNY.

Sometimes, authenticity can sneak up on you. The first sounds you hear on The Texas Gentlemen’s debut studio album, 'TX Jelly', is that of a band slowly coming together.

It’s deceptive, because it creates the impression these Gentlemen might be hesitant about their first record, but any hint of uncertainty vanishes as the core quintet, Beau Bedford, Nik Lee, Daniel Creamer, Matt McDonald and Ryan Ake tears into the opening track, Habbie Doobie, a low-slung piece of vintage country-funk that slams out of the speakers and announces The Texas Gentlemen as a force to be reckoned with.

This Lone Star-bred collective takes its cues from some of the iconic acts of the past — the quicksilver brilliance of The Wrecking Crew, The Muscle Shoals Swampers (who backed everyone from Aretha to Wilson Pickett), Booker T. and The M.G.’s, and Bob Dylan’s one-time backers The Band are the most obvious examples. Bedford, who shares chief engineering and producing responsibilities at Dallas’ Modern Electric Sound Recorders, assembled The Texas Gentlemen as an all-purpose backing band for an eclectic array of singer-songwriters, including Leon Bridges, Nikki Lane, and more.

In 2016, the Gentlemen were lured out of the studio to the Newport Folk Festival, where they were joined by iconic troubadour Kris Kristofferson, making his first Newport appearance in more than 45 years. Rolling Stone called it one of the festival’s “most exciting sets.”

Kristofferson so enjoyed collaborating with The Texas Gentlemen that he enlisted them to reprise their roles in a series of critically acclaimed Texas concerts. Of Kristofferson and The Texas Gentlemen’s appearance at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth, music critic Preston Jones wrote “The [instruments] would slowly coalesce around Kristofferson’s gnarled but still potent voice, creating an electric sensation of the past fusing with the present.”

That deft fusion of before and right now is possible thanks to the musicians’ unswerving dedication to simply playing to the best of their abilities, trusting their instincts, and letting the music guide them. Case in point: TX Jelly was created in less than a week — four days, start to finish — at Muscle Shoals’ singular FAME Studios.

Pared down from the 28 songs the Gentlemen recorded in that 96-hour span, TX Jelly effortlessly connects way back to what’s next, summoning the spirits of American songcraft even as it heralds the arrival of 21st century talent. Cut live, with little use for the blinding polish and careful presentation of so much modern music, TX Jelly oozes with skill backed up by that hard-won authenticity.

TX Jelly moves between contemplative and raucous, encompassing the full breadth of the American experience. The music touches on blues, soul, folk, country, rock and gospel — from first track to last, you can feel The Texas Gentlemen reaching deep inside themselves and finding what’s genuine — what illuminates the truth of the country’s rich, complicated and singular artistic history — and delivering it the only way they know how: real, raw and righteous.

A River Runs Between - The Changing Room

For our next LCM featured band we head to Cornwall the home of the multi-award winning The Changing Room. Featuring as it's core the very talented Tanya Brittain and Sam Kelly, the band are rapidly become a force to be reckoned with in the UK Folk World. Tanya and Sam are regularly joined by Jamie Francis (Stark) and Evan Carson (The Willows) 

Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is 'A River Runs Between' from their debut album 'Behind The Lace' released in May 2015. The song was also the title track of their debut EP. The album has guest appearances by Jon Cleave (Fisherman's Friends), Tim Ashton (3 Daft Monkeys), and John McCusker. All songs are in English, although the band also performs in Cornish, and the album delivers ten original songs inspired by Cornish pre-occupations including fishing, rowing, sharks, dancing, pirates and real ale.