You Say - Dori Freeman

Our LCM featured artist today is US singer-songwriter Dori Freeman from Galax, Southwestern Virginia. She was named one of the “10 Country Artists You Need to Know” by Rolling Stone Magazine,  Now 24, she has been singing ever since she can remember, and took up guitar at fifteen. Her music is inspired by all veins of Americana, notably old Country and Blues. Dori draws heavily from her Traditional roots, juxtaposing her voice with modern, honest songwriting. Freeman learned to play guitar at 15 and soon began writing her own material. She grew up performing in her grandfather’s Front Porch Gallery & Frameshop, located on the historic Crooked Road. Her early introduction to musicians like Doc Watson, the Louvin Brothers, Linda Ronstadt, and Iris Dement have heavily influenced her music. She released her self titled debut album in 2016 to much critical acclaim. She is due to release her Sophomore album in October 2017. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is one of our favourite songs from her debut called called 'You Say.'

Ask Me To Stay - Jade Helliwell

We continue your look at the stars of this year's Buckle & Boots festival with our next LCM featured artist, Leeds based Country singer-songwriter Jade Helliwell. Jade belongs to the fast growing group of modern British New Country artists who are challenging the previously all-conquering American Country scene. Writing and singing her own, highly acclaimed songs, Jade’s style is a notably British blend of contemporary Country, with a hint of mainstream pop music. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is a wonderful live version of 'Ask Me To Stay' taken from her 2016 EP 'Forget The Night'.

Growing up listening to many styles of music, Jade always seemed to gravitate back to country music. She explains, “Like any young person I loved the latest chart music and I’ve been infatuated by my fair share of boy bands and girl power, but it was always country music that really inspired me. First the old country greats like Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton, then later artists such as Carrie Underwood, Kacey Musgraves, Lady Antebellum and, of course, Taylor Swift”. Jade takes all of these great artists as influence, and uses them to shape her own style. True to it’s Country music roots, Jade’s songwriting is often her way of telling stories, both of herself and of those around her.

Jade is happiest on stage playing her music live. She is constantly gigging and, along with her own regular shows, has performed at some of the best summer music festivals on the calendar such as Bingley Music Live, Oakwell Festival, Buckle & Boots and Galtres Parklands Festival with the likes of The Feeling, Human League, Dodgy and the mighty Chic! She has also been lucky enough to be invited to open up for some amazing artists such as The Christians, Thorne Hill, The Muldoon Brothers, The Dunwells, Southern Halo, Frankie Davies, Dawson Reigns, Turin Brakes, Graham Goulding and T-Rex.

In February 2017 Jade won the prestigious Yamaha Hoedown competition, securing a slot at the UK’s biggest Country Music festival, Country 2 Country (C2C) at the 02 in London. Jade is proud to be a Yamaha artist and can be seen playing a variety of Yamaha guitars on her live shows.

Her ‘Forget The Night’ EP was released on October 24th 2016, and stormed straight to number 2 on the UK Country charts on its first day of release, and reached number 47 in the iTunes UK Album charts. After unexpected success in May 2017 following a viral video of Jade singing which gained over 15 million views, her EP once again entered the charts peaking at number 1 on the UK iTunes Country charts and number 8 on the iTunes UK Albums charts.

Jade recently signed with ROAR Global management and looks forward to an exciting year including performances at FSA, Buckle and Boots Festival and the BCMA awards celebration.

Dodge Your Bullet - Gary Quinn

We continue our look at some of the stars of this year's Buckle & Boots festival with our next LCM featured artist singer-songwriter and festival organiser Manchester based Gary Quinn. A 4 time British Country Music Association Awards winner including most recently 'Male Vocalist of the Year 2016' and previously 'UK Songwriter of the Year' and consecutive 'Song of the Year' honours, Northern Irishman Gary Quinn has become one of British country music’s more established performers.  Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is one of our favourites 'Dodge Your Bullet' from his self titled 2013 album.

Gary cites U.S. country artists such as Garth Brooks and Brad Paisley as influences, while he has shared the stage with acts such as Phil Vassar, Kristian Bush and hall of fame songwriter Bob DiPiero. An accomplished performer, Quinn is just as comfortable with a pen in his hand and has recently collaborated with Grand Ole Opry member and Grammy winner Steve Wariner as well as Benita Hill (Garth Brooks) and David C Banning (Joey & Rory, Chris Cagle).
 
Having garnered international praise and an array of awards for his eponymous debut self-titled album, Gary teased the release of his new body of work with the single ‘Shame’ that was premiered by The Boot.com earlier this year and went on to debut at no.7 in the UK iTunes country chart. 'Shame' set the tone for the multi-award winner’s most personally insightful release entitled ‘I Remember’ which debuted at no.5 in the UK iTunes country chart. Quinn’s work stills sees regular radio airplay on the BBC and many of the top country stations in the UK and around the world including Chris Country, Downtown Radio, Nixa Country and 2Country Radio.
 
Quinn and his band have performed at one of Europe’s most prestigious country festivals ‘Country2Country’ in London on numerous occasions and Manchester’s ‘Buckle & Boots’ as well as festivals the length and breadth of the UK and Europe. Additional to his live appearances Quinn can be seen regularly on TV with his videos receiving airtime on regional and international TV programmes. Gary recently returned from Nashville having been invited to appear on Phil Vassar’s ‘Songs From The Cellar’ TV show recorded live from Phil’s home in Tennessee.
 
A regular performer at the Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival, he has performed alongside Nashville recording artists Carlene Carter, John Brannen and Nanci Griffith as well as opening for a CMA Songwriter Series show that included Clint Black and Bill Anderson. Quinn is also no stranger to performing in Nashville having played the CMA Music Fest and the CMA Global Artist Party at iconic venue ‘The Stage’ on Broadway. 

Boondocks - ORFILA

We continue our look at the upcoming stars of the recent Buckle and Boots festival with an excellent young sibling trio called ORFILA. Based in Folkestone in Kent our LCM featured artists today, Abi Orfila (vocals, backing vocals, piano, percussion), Louise Orfila (vocals, backing vocals, piano, guitar, percussion) and Matt Orfila (guitar, backing vocals, harmonica, banjo, ukulele) are already making waves on the UK Country scene. Winners of the Yamaha Soho Hoedown saw the trio play a coveted slot at the Country 2 Country music festival at the O2 Arena. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is a live cover of LBT's 'Boondocks' which showcases their wonderful sibling harmonies. 

They first performed together as a band in mid 2012 when they supported BBC Radio 2 playlist singer/songwriter Ben Montague. Originally intended to be a one off show their set of originals and covers was warmly received and the band decided to continue playing shows together. Later in the year they supported UK rock band Dodgy, Canadian folk artist Andrew James O’Brien and Irish folk legend Sharon Shannon as well as performing at various charity events and showcases across Kent.

2013 saw the band support some major artists such as Beverley Craven and the legendary Albert Hammond. In April Seasick Steve’s tour manager saw the band support Albert Hammond and was so impressed that he invited the trio to record their debut album at his midlands based Studio, The ‘Highbury Studios’, which is famous for producing hit albums from artist such as Duran Duran, UB40, Fine Young Cannibals, Steven Tin Tin Duffy, Everything But The Girl and Kodaline to name but a few. The album was finished off in Kent in 2014 and features guest appearances by Liam Genockey from Steeleye Span, Colin Gibson who played with the Shirley Bassey band and Jamie Crompton former guitarist with Suzi Quatro and drummer for Wishbone Ash.

The band released their debut album “Writing on the Wall” in summer 2014 and the release resulted in the band opening the main stage at the Gibraltar Music Festival (one of Europe’s biggest music events) alongside The Script, Rita Ora, Roger Hodgson (Supertramp), Tony Hadley (Spandau Ballet), John Newman, James Arthur, Maxi Priest, Scouting For Girls, Reef, Ella Eyre and Newton Faulkner. The band also received airplay on over 100 European Radio Stations including BBC Radio Shropshire and BBC Radio Scotland, and earned positive reviews in leading UK magazines such as Maverick and Rock Society. They were also chosen as featured artists on BBC Radio Kent (on the James Whale show) and featured on UK Country Radio and Country Music Radio Nashville. Their single “Come Back ” also reached number 9 in the Irish Country Music Charts.

In 2015 the band continued to play gigs including the legendary Bedford in London and featured on BBC Radio Kent numerous times for the Dave Cash Country Show. The band also began writing and laying down demos for their sophomore album which was recorded by Sean Genockey (an engineer who has recorded with Roger Daltrey) at Black Dog Studios in London. All tracks were written by the band and featured guest musicians Liam Genockey and Jessie Smart from Steeleye Span, Lee Pommeroy from Jeff Lynne’s ELO, the legendary pedal steel player BJ Cole, Melvin Duffy from Squeeze, Jamie Crompton from Suzi Quatro’s band and Wishbone Ash, John Hogg, Travis Toy and Tom Yankton both from Rascal Flatts’ touring and recording band and Liam Genockey himself who is a seasoned guitarist with Moke as well as being a session guitarist.

In early 2016 the band played at the inaugural Yamaha Soho Hoedown at Yamaha Music London which was a competition for UK country artists to win a coveted slot at the Country 2 Country music festival at the O2 Arena in London alongside Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town. The band were announced winners of the competition shortly after and played the sub-headline slot on the Big Entrance Stage at the O2 on the Sunday. The band received positive feedback, most notably from the organisers of C2C who described them as “brilliant.” The band are now also Yamaha supported artists.

Before the release of the album the band released a lead single “It Would Be You” which rose to the top 10 of the iTunes UK Country Chart in August and received extensive radioplay. The band then released “Never Slowin’ Down” shortly after which garnered critical acclaim from Dave Cash from BBC Radio Kent, the world’s leading country music and line dancing magazine Up Country as well as many more websites and magazines.

The band were invited to open up the main stage of the Gibraltar Music Festival for a second time in September 2016 and opened up for The Stereophonics, Jess Glynne, Paul Young, Brian Ferry, Europe, KT Tunstall, The Fratellis and Heather Small among others.

In 2017 the band have already played C2C once again, this time performing on two stages. They have been featured in the UK’s leading independent country music magazine Maverick, have gained extensive radio play and have supported UK country music legend Hank Wangford. 

ORFILA’s music has developed since their inception in 2012 to an original, distinctive sound with superb three part harmonies firmly rooted in the country music genre.

The band are also nominated for three UK Country Music Awards this year:

UK Country Album of the Year
UK Country Group of they Year
UK Country Artist of the Year

ME Mash-up #2 - Morgan Evans

We start this week looking at some of the excellent artists at this year Buckle & Boots festival in Stockport. We will sharing with you some musicians who haven't featured in the LCM Group so far. First up hailing from Newcastle in Australia, a steel and coal town on east coast, is singer-songwriter and our next LCM featured artist Morgan Evans. Morgan started young playing guitar at the age of 13.  He spent his teenage years seeing the country through the windshield of an old van as he toured in a band with his brother. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is a live mash-up some of his favourite songs including Tennessee Whiskey (Chris Stapleton), Girl Crush (LBT) and Blue Ain't Your Colour (Keith Urban),

Raised listening to artists like Garth Brooks, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Led Zeppelin, it was at the age of 17 when a Keith Urban concert changed his life. From that point on, he knew music was exactly what he wanted to spend his life creating. Signed to Warner Music Australia since 2012, he now continues his relationship with the Warner Music family in Nashville. To celebrate, Morgan put together a one of a kind loop-pedal mashup honoring some of his new WMN label mates, which he has now followed with a second video, featuring his country music favourites.

Morgan’s charisma and talent for engaging audiences led to his signing as the face of Foxtel’s Country Music Channel, which has already seen him nominated for an ASTRA Award and a TV Week Logie Award – a first for an Australian country music star. He hosts television coverage of the CMC Rocks music festival, artist interviews and the CMC Music Awards. He was joined in 2016 by international co-host Kelsea Ballerini for the live national broadcast.

A major career milestone was capped off when Morgan received a message from Grammy-winners Lady Antebellum informing him that he’d been awarded the prestigious 2015 'CMA Global Artist Award'. The award recognizes outstanding achievement by an international country star in furthering the popularity of country music in their home country. Morgan joins an exceptional list of previous winners including Tommy Emmanuel, Kasey Chambers and Lee Kernaghan.

Morgan played the historic Grand Ole Opry stage in May, followed by a performance the following evening at Nashville’s legendary Bluebird Café, and is currently in the studio working on new music with songwriter/producer Chris DeStefano (Dan+Shay, Rascal Flatts, Thomas Rhett).

Morgan is currently on a UK tour, catch him if you can....you won't be disapppointed 

• 26th JUNE - Oran Mor, Glasgow
• 28th JUNE - The Louisiana, Bristol
• 29th JUNE - The Borderline, London

The Fighter - Keith Urban ft Carrie Underwood

Two blockbuster Country music artists combine for our next LCM #TrackOfTheDay 'The Fighter' by Keith Urban and featuring Carrie Underwood. It's taken from Keith's 2016 album 'Ripcord' and won the CMT Music Award for 'Collaborative Video of the Year'. The track is a real earworm and I must confess the first time I heard the song on the radio, I thought it was Christina Aguilera doing the female vocal. Keith Urban co-wrote and co-produced the song with busbee.

It is about a man promising that he will defend and support a woman. Keith said of the song's evolution as "I was working with busbee that day; we were in London. I was actually driving to the studio to work on this other song we started, and I had most of it the chorus in my head, and it felt like I had most of the song in my head — the verses just had to flesh out. I walked into the studio and played the chord progression, and he built this track really quickly, and then I could sing over the top of it". He continued and said "it was just a very quick, quick song to write, because I literally thought about Nic and I and our relationship in the beginning, and some of the things we had said all went into that song.

Happy People - Little Big Town

Our next LCM featured artist are the multi-award winning Nashville based Country group Little Big Town. They released their excellent seventh studio album 'The Breaker' on February 24th. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is the upbeat and joyous 'Happy People'. It reminds us a lot of Shania Twain. Their previous single 'Better Man', which we also featured earlier this year was written by Taylor Swift.

Founded in 1998, the group has comprised the same four members since its founding: Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman (formerly Kimberly Roads), Jimi Westbrook, and Phillip Sweet. Their musical style relies heavily on four-part vocal harmonies, with all four members alternating as lead vocalists; Jimi & Phillip also play rhythm guitar.

Little Big Town are coming to the UK for a tour starting in late September, with their London date on the 5th October at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall. They are excellent live and a lot of fun. Highly recommended. 

Don't Lie To Me - Kate Ellis

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Our next LCM featured artist US singer-songwriter Kate Ellis is releasing her brand new debut album 'Carve Me Out' at a 'sold out' launch gig on Wednesday at the Green Note n Camden. Kate was born in Louisiana, raised in New York and is now based in London. Her emotional and seductive vocals take you into a world of private beauty, reflection and feelings. The music is always intimate and evocative, you listen and want to be there. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is the wonderful second single release 'Don't Lie To Me'.

Kate Ellis’ southern country-folk roots and musical heritage comes from her father, who once played guitar with Hank Williams on the famous Louisiana Hayride, where Elvis and Johnny Cash started out. Like her father, Kate was born in Louisiana home of the "Red River Valley" sung about by Pete Seeger and the "City of New Orleans” sung about by Arlo Guthrie.

I Be U Be - High Valley

We stay in Canada for today's LCM featured artists the multi award winning brothers Brad and Curtis Rempel better know as High Valley. Our LCM #TrackOfTheday is their latest single 'I Be U Be' taken from their latest album 'Dear Life' released in November. The song reached No.1 in the Canadian Country chart.

The brothers come from Blumenort in Alberta, a small community near the hamlet of La Crete. “We always describe ourselves as Dierks Bentley as a trio. It’s that new country kind of vibe,” says Brad Rempel, who along with his brothers Bryan and Curtis comprises High Valley “It’s not as pop as some contemporary country. Our music is a little more organic, a little more acoustic. We grew up singing harmony as a family and in church. There was always harmony and acoustic instruments, so our live show features a mandolin, an acoustic guitar, a bass guitar and three part harmony.”

The Canadian trio has opened shows for Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, LeAnn Rimes and Reba McEntire, earning a solid reputation as a must-see live act. High Valley’s “Broken Borders,” was named Album of the Year at the 2007 GMA Canada Covenant Awards in the country category while their hit “Back to You” was honored as Country Song of the Year. High Valley has also been among the nominees for Group of the Year at the Nashville-based Inspirational Country Music Awards.

“There’s a huge part of the population that really loves positive faith-based country songs. People want to hear songs with faith and hope instead of desperation and despair, and it does seem like there’s been a spike in the last few years,” Brad says referencing such faith-based country hits as Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take the Wheel” and Brooks & Dunn’s “Believe.” “People are searching just a for some encouragement and something to believe in.”

High Valley serves up that kind of music. Skilled musicianship combined with the sibling’s soaring harmonies create a fresh sound that has attracted a legion of enthusiastic fans from Canada to Central America, where the group has a strong fan base in Belize. “We’ve done 60 or so dates in Central America,” says Bryan. “Our sister used to teach at a Christian school there and she gave our CD to a radio station. The station invited us to come and tour. We’ve been back five or six times.”

The Canadian-born siblings grew up in Alberta on a farm in the rural community of La Crete. “When you leave Nashville, if you get to the Canadian border, you are only half way home,” says Brad with a laugh. “La Crete is parallel with Juno, Alaska, just as far north as Juno. Right now you can either cross the river on an ice bridge–so you are actually driving across the river–or you can take two and a half hours worth of gravel road to get there. It’s a pretty remote little town.”

The Rempel family relocated to Canada in a rather unusual fashion when the siblings’ paternal grandfather loaded his family onto a truck and drove them from Mexico to Canada. “Our parents were both born in Mexico in a Mennonite colony where they rode horse and buggy and had no electricity,” says Brad. “Then our grandfather bought an old gray truck and as a result, he got kicked out of the colony because that was against the rules to have a vehicle. So he packed up the family and immigrated to Canada with the family in the back of this truck. There were two families, four adults in the front and 20 children on the box and that’s how they made their move all the way to Canada.”

It didn’t take long for the brothers’ own musical aspirations to develop and they knew very early on what they wanted to name the band. “When I was a kid, I had a little tape recorder I used to do mock radio shows,” recalls Brad. “I was the deejay. I was the band. I was the advertising company and everything. The band was always called High Valley. So when we started our band, we just kind of naturally called it High Valley because that’s what I called every band in my little radio show.”

Brad was only 12 when the group began performing and Bryan was nine-years-old. Curtis, the youngest sibling, joined the group later on. “In 2001, we recorded for the first time in Nashville,” says Brad, “and the following year we spent 110 days on the road, even though we were still in school and had part-time jobs.”

In Hell I'll Be In Good Company - The Dead South

We head to Regina, Saskatchewan in Canada for our next featured band, high energy Folk and Bluegrass four piece The Dead South. The band are currently this side of 'the pond' on their 'Illusion & Doubt' album European release tour. With Nate Hilts' gritty vocals and aggressive guitar strumming, Scott Pringle's soaring harmonies and mandolin chops, Colton Crawford's blazing banjo licks and steady kick drum, and Danny Kenyon's prominent cello melodies, The Dead South blends elements of folk, bluegrass, classical, and rock which results in a unique, modern, and authentic blend of boot-stompin' acoustic music. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is the very catchy 'In Hell I'll Be In Good Company' the title track from their 2014 'Good Company' album.

Since the inception of the band, The Dead South has continually pushed the energy of their live shows, as well as pushed what is possible between four ordinary acoustic instruments. The unique abilities and viewpoints of each band member make The Dead South an impossible band to duplicate, and a fixture of the Regina music scene that will not soon be leaving.

They wear white shirts and black suspenders, black pants and travellers’ hats. They sing about murderous, estranged spouses and runaway lover cousins in a boot-stomping acoustic configuration that includes banjo, mandolin, cello and guitar, some whistles, hoots and hollerin’, and finger snappin’. Sometimes their fans dress up like them too and dance and sing the night away – but that’s not mandatory.

Montmarte - Sarah Darling

For our LCM #TrackOfTheDay 'Montmarte' we have a love story set in Paris by Sarah Darling. It's is co-written with the lovely and very talented Jenn Bostic. 'Montmarte' is a song about Sarah's honeymoon in Paris which is one of her favourite cities. We love the beautiful string arrangements. Elegant and classic, this song could easily be on a top movie soundtrack. Top quality video as well.

The song is from Sarah's new album 'Dream Country', which has been one of our favourites so far this year. Highly recommended by us, if you haven't checked it out already. It's currently on offer at Amazon if you are looking for a copy.

Stone - Whiskey Myers

We stay in the US for our next LCM featured band, Southern Country Rockers Whiskey Myers. This Texan seven piece make great and honest music. Fueled by larger-than-life performances honed tight from countless nights on the road their new 2016 album, 'Mud' finds the band scaling new heights of songwriting and musicianship, with searing guitars, soulful vocals, and indelible hooks.  Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is the excellent 'Stone' from their new album. 

While their approach to the music and humble, hard-working attitudes may not have altered, there have been developments in the Whiskey Myers world, most notably with the arrival of new faces. For the recording sessions, the band's five founding members—Cody Cannon on lead vocals and guitar, Cody Tate and John Jeffers on guitars, Gary Brown on bass, and Jeff Hogg on drums—fleshed out their sound with the addition of fiddler/keyboard player Jon Knudson and percussionist Tony Kent, who are both now full-time members. "They bring a great energy, and I think it's really helped our sound and makes the band more versatile," explains Cannon. "There's less room onstage now, but sometimes a family grows."

A glance through Whiskey Myers' lyrics will show you that Cannon is a man who chooses his words carefully, so it's little surprise that he describes the band as a family. The tight-knit group's roots stretch back decades into the red dirt of East Texas, where Cannon, Jeffers, and Tate first began playing together before rounding out their initial lineup with the addition Hogg and Brown (who is Cannon's actual cousin). They built up a rabid local following on the strength of their 2008 debut album, 'Road Of Life,' and then notched their first #1 on the Texas Music Charts with their 2011 follow-up 'Firewater.' It was 'Early Morning Shakes,' though, that introduced the rest of the world to what Texas already knew. The album cracked the Top 10 on the Billboard Country Chart, a remarkable feat for a fiercely independent band and a testament to their rigorous DIY work ethic and endless supply of passion and drive. Esquire called them "the real damn deal," while Country Weekly said they combine "greasy Southern rock riffs with countrified songwriting and Texas grit for something wholly unique," and Playboy dubbed them "the new bad boys of country music."

Even in the face of their rapidly-growing profile and expanding lineup, the band found they were able to pick up exactly where they left off when they returned to the studio for 'Mud.'

"We don’t want a high stress situation, and we don’t want to feel uncomfortable while we're recording, because we want to make sure everybody can get into their creative mode," explains Brown. "Dave has a laid back attitude as far as making music and that fits right in with the way we work. His ear is similar to ours and he has the same kind of vision for what the music should sound like."

What the music sounds like is raw, visceral emotion: pride, faith, desire, defiance. The songs on 'Mud' are stories of ordinary men and women standing up for their families and honoring their roots. Home is sacred ground for Whiskey Myers, not just a plot of land, but rather the cornerstone of an identity worth dying for. Fiddle-led album opener "On The River" steps back to frontier times when the struggle for survival was a daily one, while the epic title track promises a home-foreclosing banker "Ain’t no man gonna take it away / Because it's deep down in my blood / So step across the ol' property line / And you’ll die right here in the mud." "Frogman," written with Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes, follows a Southern man halfway around the world, as he risks his life to defend freedom and fight terror in the Middle East as a Navy Seal, and the Darrell Scott co-write "Trailer We Call Home" finds the beauty in simple things, concluding, "Times get tough but love is strong / Here in this trailer that we call home."

"Where you come from and where you grew up influences your music a lot," says Cannon. "As a band, we don't go into the studio with any preconceived theme. You just sit down and you write and the songs come out naturally."

As a result, Whiskey Myers' music fits neatly into no genre. Sure, it's heavily influenced by country music ("My first record was 'The Pressure Is On' / Ain’t it funny how your life can change with a song" Cannon sings on "Hank"), but the band credits everything from Alan Jackson and Waylon Jennings to Led Zeppelin and Nirvana as inspiration. "Some Of Your Love" channels old-school soul, while the bright, punchy horns of "Lightning Bugs And Rain" flirts with Rolling Stones swagger, and "Good Ole' Days" captures a stripped-down, folky vibe, as the whole band sat in a circle singing together live. It all adds up to what Cannon perhaps describes best as "no frills, no bullshit rock and roll." "The equipment we used on the recording process for this one was really important to the sound, too" he adds. "Dave has these amazing old amps and we recorded everything to tape for the first time. The piano was from, like, 1904 or something, and I don't think it's been tuned since. Little things like that make a big difference. It sounds authentic when you actually use the real, old gear."

In the end, there may be no better word for Whiskey Myers than authentic. This music is in their blood, and it flows as naturally from them as a spring feeding a mountain creek. While a record this good is sure to send their (lone)star rising higher than ever before, you can rest assured that success still won't be changing this band any time soon. They make music they're proud of that celebrates where they come from and makes people feel good. As far as they're concerned, that's all the success anyone could ever ask for.

Tabitha - Jenny Tolman

Our next LCM featured artist is the award-winning Nashville based Country singer-songwriter Jenny Tolman. The outside world never quite matches up with the vision most people carry inside them. Much of life is about figuring out how to reconcile the difference, and one of the best ways to do that is by writing. It’s how Hank Williams became a prolific legend, how James Taylor emerged as a classic artist and how Taylor Swift became a household name before the age of 20. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is a wonderful live version of 'Tabitha'. We really love Jenny's vocal and arrangements.

Twenty-year-old Jenny Tolman uses songwriting the same way. Soft-spoken in conversation, she’s bold and courageous behind a guitar, able to make sense of life’s challenges by putting them under a verbal microscope. Add in a melody and a fearless willingness to share her emotional journey and you have the kind of artist who sounds extremely familiar. Not because her voice mixes the smokiness of Shelby Lynne with the accessibility of your next-door neighbor, but because her stories are familiar. They’re not just hers – they’re stories that ring true for just about anyone who hears them.

“My music is very honest,” Jenny says matter of factly. “My goal is to help other people who are like me. I feel like if I keep myself hidden, then that’s not really going to help anyone.”

The songs are making an impact. “Damn Cigarettes,” a dark composition that investigates the dangers of addiction – to love or to nicotine – placed second in the country category in the highly regarded Unsigned Only songwriting competition, which features such notable judges as Rosanne Cash, Dustin Lynch and Craig Morgan. “Cigarettes” also landed Jenny an honorable mention in the International Songwriting Competition, placing her in the elite 1% among some 19,000 entries.

Jenny collects six of her most passionate pieces in her self-titled debut, an EP that ranges from the acerbic, bluesy opener, “Ain’t Got A Prayer,” to the sassy closer, “Spend A Little Time.” Along the way, Jenny adopts a glossy, fragile tone in “Don’t Ask Me Why (Opry Song)”; embarks on a dreamy, romantic bend in “Let It Go On”; and takes an assertive stand for self-reliance on “Crumbs In My Bed.” The EP hints at what’s to come, showing the multiple melodic emotions and specific lyrical imagery inherent in her writing, inspired by the likes of Miranda Lambert, Brandy Clark, Ashley Monroe and Kacey Musgraves.

Jenny's wonderful self titled debut EP is available directly from her website.

Love Will Find A Way - Chloe Chadwick

We head to the North East to meet our next LCM featured singer-songwriter Chloe Chadwick. 2017 is a proving to be a  very exciting year for Chloe as she will shortly be releasing her debut album 'Dustbowl Jukebox' at the end of June. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is the very catchy first lead single 'Love Will Find A Way', which was released yesterday.

Chloe was nominated for  'Best UK Female Country Artist' & 'Best UK Act' Presented by the UK Country Radio.COM Awards 2016)

Originally from Staffordshire and now based in the North East of England, Chloe has been part of the music scene since her teenage years, performing across Europe. She is performed at many festivals in the UK including at C2C at the O2 in Greenwich.

Chloe found her feet in pop and country music as a singer-songwriter releasing her debut singles 'Settle Your Heart' and 'Feels Like Home' before releasing a debut EP in 2015.

Chloe will be touring the UK this summer with her London date at The Sound Lounge, Tooting on the 15th July. You can also catch Chloe and her band at numerous festivals around the country. You can also pre-order Chloe's new album directly from her website.

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Jolene - Jenn Bostic, Michael Logen and Sarah Darling

Continuing a wonderful sold out UK tour, 'A Night In Nashville' starring some of our favourite US singer-songwriters returned to the Green Note last night. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay and their encore song, which they performed unplugged in the middle of audience was the Dolly Parton classic 'Jolene'. This new super version by Jenn, Michael and Sarah definitely has the wow! factor. The cover above was recorded at a UTAT session at the home of Bob Harris a few days ago. 

They just have a few dates left on this UK tour, but Jenn and Sarah will be back for some summer festivals and we have Jenn's new album due probably the early part of next year to look forward to.

Mystery - Michael Logen

Our next LCM featured singer-songwriter Michael Logen is currently on a UK tour with Sarah Darling and Jenn Bostic. Growing up in the small town of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, Michael learned to play guitar, piano and harmonica in living-room jam sessions with his family playing old Tom Paxton, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash songs. He started writing songs when he was 12 years old. After high school, he spent a year touring in the US and Canada playing shows in prisons before heading to Nashville to attend university. After graduation, he signed with Combustion Music and traveled through Spain, Italy and France where he wrote many of the songs that would become his debut album. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is a live version of one of Michael's favourite songs 'Mystery' from his 'New Medicine' album released last year. This live recording is part of a Sixthman Session in Atlanta.

Michael has performed around the world opening for such artists as John Hiatt, John Legend, India.Arie, Jonny Lang and Mat Kearney.

His songs have also been featured on TV shows “One Tree Hill”, “Parenthood”, "Nashville", "The Fosters", "Jimmy Kimmel", “Real World”, “Kyle XY”, “The Hills”, “Switched at Birth” and “Beauty and The Beast” among others.

Blending elements of folk and pop, his work brings the poetry and lyrical depth of the folk tradition into the infectious melodies and subtle grooves of a pop singer/songwriter.

After 2 recent European tours, Michael is now back in the studio writing and working with Grammy award-winning producer Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Norah Jones, Tom Waits, Modest Mouse), and wrapping up a new album.

https://www.michaellogen.com/

Wait For The Morning - Marty Stuart

For our next LCM showcase we turn to one of the stars of this years C2C in London, the multi Grammy winning Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is a sublime live acoustic version of 'Wait For The Morning' from Marty's latest album 'Way Out West. https://youtu.be/JZBsQwmvTJk

Marty Stuart arrived in Nashville on Labor Day weekend, 1972. “I came to Nashville from the land of Jimmie Rodgers, looking for a place, a place to belong inside the world of country music. It was a country boy Hollywood, the air castle of the South, a dream factory.” 40 years, a decade worth of hits and a full round of hillbilly stardom later, Marty has hillbilly rocked himself back to the bosom of traditional country music.

“When I reconnected with traditional country music I found myself, my calling,” says Marty. “The kind that is timeless, beautiful, beyond trend, the empowering force, the reflection of a people and a culture. The kind of country music that the working man and scholars alike call home. The job seemed to be to champion it, love it, protect it, care for its people, attempt to write a new chapter for it and to make sure that everybody understands that it’s alive and well in the 21st century.” Marty has done that with his acclaimed collection of country music memorabilia and treasures which currently tours across the country, and with his Marty Stuart Show on RFD TV which provides a platform for some of Nashville’s classic artists to perform on a nationally syndicated program.

“When I first came to Nashville . . . the most outlaw thing you could possibly do around here was to take country music and blow it up into rock & roll. Mission accomplished! Today, the most outlaw thing you can possibly do in Nashville, Tennessee is play country music.” With his latest album 'Way Out West' released in March to critical acclaim he is doing just that.

https://www.martystuart.net

Weird Thought Thinker - Joshua Hedley

Our next LCM featured artist could be very well be another Country breakout artist this year. Based in Nashville the excellent singer-songwriter Joshua Hedley is definitely one to watch. For years, Josh has been making a name for himself as Nashville’s right hand man. Known as the “mayor of lower Broadway” by collaborators and comrades, Josh is a fixture at Robert’s Western World, where he plays for tips with his band the Hedliners. The multi-talented singer-songwriter has played fiddle with Justin Townes Earle, Robert Ellis and Jonny Fritz. Now Music City’s favorite son is breaking out on his own. Joshua's soaring, velvet voice and jukebox-ready songs are 60s-era solid country gold. This live version of 'Weird Thought Thinking' from a LR Baggs session last year, showcase those wonderful vocals perfectly. https://youtu.be/HxkP1oAQwCk

As part of East Nashville’s close-knit brigade of musicians, Josh has no shortage of support from his friends and peers. He’s featured prominently in the 2015 documentary film 'Heartworn Highways Revisited', a follow up to the seminal 1976 cult classic music documentary about the 1970s Nashville songwriting community led by Guy and Susanna Clark. Heartworn Highways Revisited director Wayne Price calls Hedley the “breakout star” of the film. “Everyone in town loves the guy and knows he’s the real deal,” Price told American Songwriter. “If he wanted to go forward with being a frontman or a solo artist, he’s going to be the guy. He’s that talented.”
Unlike several of his peers, Josh is not trying to put a new spin on an old sound. His country music is your grandfather’s country music and it’s all the better for it.

Please check out Josh featuring on both Struggle Jennings and Yelawolf's new music as well.

http://www.joshuahedley.com/

No Heart Left Behind - Hannah Aldridge

ur next LCM featured artist the excellent US Singer-Songwriter Hannah Aldridge released her great second album 'Gold Rush' last week. You will be very pleased to know that Hannah is touring the UK in July with her London date at The Green Note on July 12th. Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is the first single from the new album 'No Heart Left Behind'. It really reminds us of Sheryl Crow.

https://hannah-aldridge.com

I'm Just Here To Ride The Train - Midnight Skyracer

The sunny is shining, so it's time for some bluegrass! Our next LCM featured band are a new recently formed Anglo-Irish 'supergroup' called Midnight Skyracer. The band have been described as 'Hard driving traditional and modern bluegrass with attitude'. For those eagle-eyed among you will spot the excellent folk sister duo Laura and Charlotte Carrivick. The full band line-up is Leanne Thorose (Mandolin & Vocals), Tabitha Agnew (Banjo & Vocals) Charlotte Carrivick (Guitar & Vocals), Laura Carrivick (Fiddle, Dobro & Vocals) and Eleanor Wilkie (Double bass & Vocals). Our LCM #TrackOfTheDay is a high energy cover of Mountain Heart's 'I'm Just Here To Ride The Train'. This very talented group of ladies will be one's to watch this year and we hope that they will be releasing new original material as well as great covers. https://youtu.be/3RH36tOLtps

Catch them live at this year Cambridge Folk Festival