Woman Oh - Stephanie O

'Woman Oh' Written and performed by Stephanie O Produced by Peter Lyons Recorded at Noatune Studios Mastered at Metropolis Coming to all good digital stores soon.

We take a trip to Paris on the Eurostar to meet our next LCM artist and firm favourite the very multi-talented Stephanie O. It's always exciting when Steph releases new music and our LCM #SongOfTheDay is her latest single and a perfect summer song, the infectious  'Woman Oh'.

When you start out retro, you don’t expect to become an original, but that is exactly the position that British singer-songwriter Stephanie O finds herself in. Originally hailing from London, Stephanie came to the music scene in her teens as founding member of vintage swing-pop harmony group The Puppini Sisters; before leaving several years later; intrigued by a world outside her dressing room and with a drive to strike out on her own. Having worked with and performed alongside artists such as Michael Bublé, Carole King and Cindy Lauper; her eclectic influences and experiences percolate her music. Stephanie O is a mesmerising artist that loves to take her audience on a journey with her. Her sound is a beguiling blend of pop-jazz that is driven by her powerfully expressive voice and lyrics. 

Stephanie pursued a dream of moving to Paris late last year, delighting in a new musical playground to inspire, create and collaborate and the results flourish in her new work. Having spent the last few months hopping between studios in Paris and London to record with producer Peter Lyons; her music carries a fresh new sound and great energy. Her new single ‘Woman Oh’ is out now. 

Photo Credit: Lily Rault

https://www.stephanieomusic.com/

A Better Me - Rebecca Riedtmann

It's very exciting times ahead for our next LCM featured artist Surrey based Americana, Blues and Country singer-songwriter. Rebecca Riedtmann.  Rebecca is releasing her brand new single our LCM #SongOfTheDay 'A Better Me' and headlining an album pre-launch gig on Thursday 16th August at 229 in Great Portland Street. Special guests on the night include Peter Donegan and My Girl The River. The gig is hosted by our friends at Talentbanq. There are still a few places available, if you would like to come along. 

The beautiful 'A Better Me' ‘is taken from Rebecca's forthcoming debut album 'Not All Who Wander Have Lost Their Way’. Rebecca's heartfelt lyrics and smoky delivery are complemented by beautiful harp from Tom Moth, a key member of the world-conquering Florence and the Machine.Tom Moth has also performed with other LCM favourites like Paul Mosley. The short film animation, ‘Starless Night’ was made by Carl Luc Campbell.

Rebecca Riedtmann writes and plays enchanting Americana and soulful blues. She is currently looking forward to releasing her debut album. Surrey-based Rebecca has been steadily establishing her unique place on the UK Americana scene over the last few years. She has been seen on BBC1 TV and at the Isle of Wight Festival. Recent performances also include Black Deer Festival and venues such as the Bedford, the Brunswick and the Sound Lounge, where she was featured among artists to look out for in 2018 by journalist-broadcaster Paul Sexton.

https://www.rebeccarie.com/

Gently (I Want To Sleep At Night) - Sarah Riches

Our next LCM featured artist is Birmingham singer-songwriter Sarah Riches. Sarah released her wonderful debut album, ‘Come Around, in November 2016. The album calls to mind artists and songwriters including Carole King, Dusty Springfield, The Carpenters, Fleetwood Mac, and Burt Bacharach, as well as more recent artists such as Norah Jones, and Rumer. Sarah’s mellow and soothing voice is the perfect accompaniment to the album’s varied and multi-layered instruments, backing vocals, and harmonies. Our LCM #SongOfTheDay is a live version of Sarah's latest single 'Gently (I Want To Sleep At Night). We think it is perfect Sunday listening.

Sarah demonstrates versatility in her writing style and vocals. She is also the lead vocalist for band 'Telegraph City' who write with an Americana twist. She has also played various roles in musical theatre across the West Midlands. Her most recent performances were as Woman 1 in Songs for a New World with Night Project Theatre, and as Serena in Fame at Sutton Arts Theatre.

Sarah is currently involved in the development of a brand new musical 'The Stars That Remain' written by her producer Adrian Kimberlin. Sarah will be appearing in the premiere of this new musical in November 2018 in Birmingham at The Old Joint Stock Theatre.

Run Wild Horses - Aaron Watson

Our LCM featured artist today is Texas singer-songwriter and US Country star Aaron Watson. We are big fans of Aaron here at LCM HQ and have been greatly enjoying his latest album 'Vanquero'. Our LCM #SongOfTheDay is his latest single, the very catchy 'Run Wild Horses'.

Aaron will be headlining with his band in London on the 7th September at The Dome in Tufnell Park. He will also be at the new 'The Long Road' Festival' in Leicestershire the following day. Catch him if you can.

Aaron Watson isn’t interested in what someone else thinks he should do. But instead of getting lonely as he sidesteps expectations, he’s gaining followers––hundreds of thousands of them. Delivered with a warm smile and fueled by a wild spirit, Aaron's rebellion echoes the land that helped make him.

Aaron remains strikingly similar to the people that still dot his native West Texas. They’re a rugged people, proud of home but humble and hardworking, the first to help a neighbor but also fiercely independent. And he is unquestionably one of them. “I’ve always considered myself an anti-rock star,” he says, his drawl cracking slightly as he grins. “People don’t like me because I’m a rock star. People like me because I’m just like them.”

Throughout his 17-year career that spans a dozen albums and more than 2,500 shows throughout the U.S. and Europe, 39-year-old Aaron has stubbornly and sincerely identified with the everyman, even as he’s proven to be the exception to the rule.

The latest evidence of Aaron's homespun singularity is 'Vaquero', an ambitious 16-song set of character-driven storytelling, level-headed cultural commentary, and love songs for grown- ups that promise to further solidify his status as one of today’s finest torch-bearers of real country music.

https://www.aaronwatson.com/welcome

Troubadour Boy - Daisy Chute

With some very exciting solo and future band projects currently in progress our next LCM featured artist is the multi-award winning London based independent singer-songwriter Daisy Chute. Edinburgh-born, half-American, hyphen-loving Daisy is a multi-instrumentalist with a particular penchant for the banjo. Formerly of Decca’s platinum-selling classical group 'All Angels', she is currently working on her début album of original songs with producer and songwriter Tim Baxter (Andy Burrows, Editors, Nick Mulvey, Jasmine Thompson). With a super pure vocal the very talented, popular and highly skilled Daisy is in great demand.

Our LCM #SongOfTheDay is Daisy's latest single and one of our favourites from her live set, the wonderful 'Troubadour Boy.  The great new video is released today with the new single released last Friday and available to purchase. Daisy is one of our LCM 'Ones To Watch' in 2018 together with her new band HEARD.

Daisy is a regular in the London music scene and an award-winning singer and songwriter having just been awarded first place in the Coffee Music Project singer-songwriter competition, Daisy has been taught and mentored by rock royalty Sir Ray Davies, featured as a vocalist on Radiohead's latest album 'A Moon Shaped Pool', and even got the thumbs up from Sir Paul McCartney after a performance at the Royal Albert Hall. One of Paul Sexton's 'top music tips' for 2018, Daisy's music has been compared to Simon and Garfunkel and Joni Mitchell (BBC Radio Kent) and her voice has been described as “Exquisitely delicious. Delicate, like a gossamer-winged creature made out of spun gold." Tony Moore (Soho Radio, The Bedford)

With special thanks to Daisy's musical partner-in-crime Tim Baxter and videographer-extraordinaire Bartek Podkowa.

Music and Lyrics by Daisy Chute and Tim Baxter
Produced and Mixed by Tim Baxter
Mastered by Mazen Murad (Metropolis Studios)

Vocals, Guitar, Drum: Daisy Chute
Double Bass: Will Collier
Cello: Tristan Horne
Rhodes and Hammond: Tim Baxter

Video: Seven Hills Films
Director: Bartek Podkowa
Crew: Emily Waldron, Leiah Yvonne Kwong

https://www.daisychute.com/

Wildfire - Mandolin Orange

We take a trip today to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to meet our next LCM featured artists Andrew Marlin & Emily Frantz better known as the excellent US duo Mandolin Orange. Our LCM #SongOfTheDay is a live version of one of our favourite songs from their 'Blindfaller' album, the beautiful, timely and thought-provoking 'Wildfire'. The video is taken from a Sawyer Session filmed in front of the Gyre structure in the North Carolina Museum of Art’s sculpture garden.

'Wildfire' stands as the perfect metaphor to represent the spread of ideas. An idea that acts as the spark; the conflict that ensues, that moves with the energy and the power to burn a whole forest. It starts with an idea long ago that led to the US revolution and to the birth of America. Andrew Marlin uses Joseph Warren, whose death made him a martyred symbol of the American Revolution, as an example of an unnecessary death resulting from the wildfire of conflict in the colonies. 

"It should have been different, it could have been easy. His rank could have saved him, but a country unborn needs bravery........And it spread like wildfire..... From the ashes grew sweet liberty, like the seeds of the pines when the forest burns....It should have been different, it could have been easy. But too much money rolled in to ever end slavery. The cry for war spread like wildfire.  The day that old Warren died, hate should have gone with it. But here we are, caught in the wildfire. Civil war came, civil war went. Brother fought brother, the south was spent. But its true demise was hatred, passed down through the years. I was born a southern son In a small southern town where the rebels run wild. They beat their chest and they swear: ‘We’re gonna rise again’ "But pride has a way of holding too firm to history.......And it burns like wildfire".

America now finds itself at another crossroad—the feelings of frustration and the desire to change have led to new conflicts spreading like 'wildfire'. Many headline the news today. Will the American people learn from the past and move forward.

http://www.mandolinorange.com/

Lie Like Me - Ward Thomas

Already with a UK Country number one album to their name, our next LCM featured artists are Hampshire based sisters Catherine and Lizzy Ward Thomas. They will be releasing their highly anticapated third album 'Restless Minds' on October 5th and our LCM #SongOfTheDay is the album's very catchy first single 'Lie Like Me'. 

Following the release of their #1 album, ‘Cartwheels’ (2016), Ward Thomas return on scorching form with their third album, ‘Restless Minds’. As 24 year old females who have fought their own way to success and as sharp-eyed songwriters who have long looked outwards for inspiration, they didn’t have to come up with a theme for the album, they tapped in to the zeitgeist without even trying. Observational and opinionated, ‘Restless Minds’ documents their coming of age in an era of anxiety and the impact of social media on a generation for which ‘the truth’ has become a tenuous term. There are songs on the album which touch on gender equality, others explore mental health issues and a couple relate to their own relationship as twins growing up and growing apart.

Written between London, Nashville and Hampshire, ‘Restless Minds’ never stands still musically. Country influences which shaped ‘Cartwheels’ still surface on some songs, less on others. Harmonies still play a large part, but both pushed themselves solo to adapt to punchier sounds. First single 'Lie Like Me' comes with a deceptively sweet, flirtatiously upbeat, guitar-led backing which takes Ward Thomas into new territory and widescreen album opener No Filter shifts back and forth from stately to dreamy with piano, percussion and electronics. Restless Minds is an album for old fans and new.

“We’ve never worked so hard on songs in our lives,” says Catherine. “We had to prove that we’ve progressed and, fingers crossed people will agree.”

http://www.wardthomasmusic.com/

Time Is Everything - Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno

They say they serendipity is a wonderful thing, especially when looking to discover great new music. A lovely recent example are our next LCM featured duo Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno. Vivian is a songwriter, singer, and guitarist from Lexington, Virginia and Riley is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter from Seattle, Washington. Both are young interpreters of old mountain music. Vivian released her debut album in March and our LCM #SongOfTheDay is a lovely live version of the title track 'Time Is Everything'. The video was filmed at at Forest Hills Cemetary in Jamaica Plain, MA by Sean Trischka.

Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno are tapping into the deepest parts of American music, taking old songs that have seldom been heard and presenting them next to their own timeless and visceral originals. When they are not performing as duo, they’re often found sitting knee to knee, playing under the canopy of trees at fiddle festivals across the country, such as the gathering where they met in June of 2016. Across any campground, or concert venue, the echos of their vibrant and magnetic harmonies ring out.

Vivian Leva of Lexington, Virginia grew up playing and performing with her parents, Carol Elizabeth Jones and James Leva, learning traditional songs from their sources and honing her rhythmic guitar style. This past June, Vivian recorded her debut album 'Time is Everything' in close collaboration with Riley Calcagno during an inspired session at Studio 808A in the small town of Floyd, VA. She released this album of original music on March 2nd, 2018 on Free Dirt Records.

Riley, of Seattle, WA spent his earlier years playing with the widely recognized band The Onlies, described as “masterful” and “deliciously well-crafted” (Kithfolk) and developing his own distinct authenticity on the fiddle and banjo.

Together, Vivian and Riley have toured across the country, in living rooms and concert halls. As individuals, they have shared the stages with and played, both nationally and internationally, in the bands of Elvis Costello, Rhiannon Giddens, The Lost Tribe Of Country Music, and Bruce Molsky to name just a few. To this collaboration they bring both the steady hands of experience and a refined taste for American music, yet still a youthful abandon that can’t be forced. In 2018, they will be on tour internationally to support Vivian’s new release and bring their distinct brand of old-time and country to a festival, hall, bar, or fireplace gathering near you.

http://vivandriley.com/wp/

Hold My Hand - Elizabeth and Jameson

We stay with fast rising UK duos with our next LCM featured artists Elizabeth and Jameson. Bedford based Hannah and Griff formed the new duo previously as 'Supermoon', before changing the name last year. Both are multi award winning as part of other established groups (Griff in Fred's House and Hannah in Said The Maiden). This is a very interesting new combination and one we think will do very well. As a taster our LCM #SongOfTheDay is the beautiful and tender new single 'Hold My Hand' taken from their four track 'The Second Phase' EP.  

Playing all over the UK with the trio Said The Maiden, Hannah Elizabeth's influences are very much planted within traditional folk roots.  This is in stark contrast to Griff Jameson's recent musical history, having penned a string of quirky rock/pop anthems for Fred's House. Together, Elizabeth & Jameson arguably offers the best of both backgrounds; this is simplistic, classic song writing at its best: a stripped back, harmony-driven sound with guitar, violin and exquisite vocals.

Having already opened up for the likes of Scott Matthews, Jon Allen, Bob Fox, Greg Russell, Jack Rutter and Richard Digance, the duo are also receiving critical acclaim for their debut EP ‘Supermoon’, along with an NMG Award nomination for Best Folk, Roots, Country & Acoustic Act… and an ever-growing fan base.

With a new limited edition live album recently released and a new EP planned, the future is looking rosey for Hannah and Griff. 

https://www.elizabethandjameson.co.uk/

Tears In The Rain - O and O

One of the fast rising duos currently in London are our next LCM featured artists the wonderful Americana Folk Pop couple O&O. O&O are Colorado-native, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Obadiah Jones and Israeli vocalist, Orian Peled. The two met while studying for a Music BA at Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) where they had the unique opportunity of a one-on-one songwriting session with Sir Paul. Obadiah and Orian have been very busy since settling in London. releasing some great and memorable music as well as performing around the UK, including some major Country, Americana and Folk festivals. Their live show features the duo's distinctive, close-harmony sound with an Americana flare, imagine Fleetwood Mac meets The Civil Wars. With a brand new EP promised, our LCM #SongOfTheDay is the beautiful and sublime 'Tears In The Rain'.

Obadiah and Orian comment “The video for ‘Tears In The Rain’ is our second collaboration with filmmakers Jordan Rawi (director) and William Fielding (director of photography). We shot the whole video in one day at the historic Clementi House in Notting Hill. We wanted the video to reflect the uncertainty of where the relationship in the song stands and add a haunting element. In the video, the two characters are in a mysterious pursuit of each other through the many rooms of the quirky house, but whether or not they could ever find each other again is open to the viewer’s interpretation.” 

After select shows in NYC, Nashville and Colorado, O&O relocated to London and released their debut single, 'Traveling' in June 2017. Featured on Chris Country Radio's New Music List and Richer Unsigned's Best of August 2017 playlist.Although new to the London scene, O&O have made their presence felt on the live music circuit this last year with support slots for artists such as Australian Music Award nominees, the Germein Sisters, ahead of the band's appearance at the 2017 Isle of Wight Festival.

Cat And The Fiddle - The Gothard Sisters

We take a trip to the Pacific Northwest today to meet our next LCM featured artists the very talented and multi award winning Greta, Willow and Solana better known collectively as The Gothard Sisters. They released their wonderful latest album 'Midnight Sun' recently in May and our LCM #SongOfTheDay is the very catchy lead track the 'Cat and the Fiddle'.

The Gothard Sisters are a dynamic musical group of three sisters who play contemporary Celtic music. Through 10 years performing, touring and writing music together, the optimistic style of their music and performances continue to resonate with their fans, building a loyal international following.

Their latest all-original album release, 'Midnight Sun', reached #6 on the Billboard World Music charts as the highest ranking debut on the chart, and the Gothard Sisters have performed in venues large and small all over the country, including a concert at the Kennedy Center's Millennium stage in Washington DC, performances with Disney Cruise line in Europe, music festivals and performing arts venues nationwide. Writing and recording near their home in the Pacific Northwest between touring nationally, the band has released 7 albums and has performed over 1,000 live shows over the course of their career.

https://www.gothardsisters.com/

A Thousand New Moons - Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage

Our LCM featured artists today are the wonderful Cambridge based Folk duo Hannah Sanders and Ben Savage. Hannah and Ben have recently released their latest album 'Awake' in May and our LCM #SongOfTheDay is their latest single the lovely 'A Thousand New Moons'. We have a full LCM review of the new album for you shortly and it is certainly worth exploring further.

Hannah and Ben are currently on tour in sunny Canada, so please go along and see them live if they gig near you. All the details are on their website.

Huddled round a single microphone, singing intimate duets with just mountain dulcimer, dobro and guitar Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage are an acoustic duo that look & sound classically timeless, yet feel refreshingly unique. Fleetingly, they may evoke a memory of Gram & Emmylou, Shirley & Davey, or Gillian & David but their warm distilling of musical influences from both sides of the Atlantic produces a refined sound that is decidedly their own. 

Their unique unplugged presentation creates a widescreen, cinematic soundscape with open spaces and atmosphere, giving their beautifully pure vocals room to share the songs’ emotion and narrative. The material is as joyful and fun as it is intense, but the common factor is the duo’s warmth and confidence in each other; their natural ease and connection is clearly evident on the recorded music, and a genuine pleasure to witness on stage. 

https://www.hannahbenmusic.com/

Ophelia - The Lumineers

We head to Denver, Colorado today to meet our next LCM featured artists Wesley Schultz, Jeremiah Fraites and Neyla Pekarek, US Americana/Folk Rock band The Lumineers. The Lumineers are one of the unlikeliest success stories of the past few years. A scruffy independent Americana trio out of Denver, their irresistible anthem “Ho Hey” took the world by storm in 2012, followed by a second #1 single “Stubborn Love” and their third charting single “Submarines”, all carrying them on a journey from the Grammys to the presidential iPod, from the top of the charts to the Hunger Games. Our LCM #SongOfTheDay is one of our favourites from the band the wonderful 'Ophelia', the first single taken from their 2016 second album 'Cleopatra'. 'Ophelia' personifies fame as a dangerous temptress

In the spring of 2005, childhood friends Wesley and Jeremiah began to collaborate, writing together and playing gigs around New York. After battling the city's cutthroat music scene and impossibly high cost of living, the two decided to expand their horizons. They packed everything they owned, nothing more than a couple suitcases of clothes and a trailer full of musical instruments and headed for Denver, Colorado. It was less a pilgrimage than act of stubborn hopefulness.

The first thing they did in Denver was place a Craigslist ad for a cellist, and the first person to respond was Neyla Pekarek, a classically trained Denver native. As a trio, they began playing at the Meadowlark, a gritty basement club where the city's most talented songwriters gathered every Tuesday for an open mic and dollar PBRs. Neyla softened Wes and Jer's rough edges while expanding her skills to mandolin and piano. And so The Lumineers sound took shape; an amalgam of heart-swelling stomp-and-clap acoustic rock, classic pop, and front-porch folk.

In 2011, an eponymous, self-recorded EP led to a self-booked tour, and before long The Lumineers started attracting devout fans, first across the Western US, then back in their old East Coast stamping grounds. Young, old and in-between, they're drawn by songs like "Ho Hey" and "Stubborn Love," Americana-inflected barnburners in the vein of the Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons. They're drawn by songs like "Slow it Down" and "Dead Sea," slow, sultry ballads that suggest the raw revelations of Jeff Buckley and Ryan Adams. They're drawn by the live Lumineers experience—a coming-together in musical solidarity against isolation, adversity, and despair.

The roots revival of the last few years has primed listeners for a new generation of rustic, heart-on-the-sleeve music—the kind that nods to tradition while setting off into uncharted territory. The Lumineers walk that line with an unerring gift for timeless melodies and soul-stirring lyrics. Powered by passion, ripened by hard work, The Lumineers have found their sound when the world needs it most.

Photo credit: David McClister

http://www.thelumineers.com/

Heart To Love - Passenger

Our LCM #SongOfDay is the great new single 'Heart To Love' from Brighton based singer-songwriter Mike Rosenberg aka Passenger. It's taken from Mike's brand new album 'Runaway' due for release on the 31st August. Pre-orders are available from the link below. 

We really like this heartfelt and catchy new song from Mike. The video was filmed in Las Vegas and the location perfectly fits the themes of the song. If you have been 'searching for a heart to love or.....diamonds in a pile of coal' .........this could be for you.

Mike is currently on a world tour with the very talented Lucy Rose supporting but unfortunately the London date in September has now sold out. But watch his website carefully as you might get a tip on a secret London busking performance.

https://passengermusic.com/

Don't Let It Die - Carousel

Released July 27, 2018 T. Eatherton: Vocals, Electric Guitar, Bass C. Hobart: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion S. Holburn: Vocals T. Shaer: Cittern, Harmonium, Fiddle T. Strike: Drums -- Recorded, engineered and produced by Peter Waterman of Longcroft Recording at SS2 Recording. Mixed by Rees Broomfield at SS2 Recording. Mastered by Doug Van Sloun at Focus Mastering. Artwork by C. Asher.

One of the fast rising young bands in UK Americana and our LCM 'Favourite New Artist 2017' are the great Southend based band Carousel. We are thrilled that they are headlining our next LCM gig at the Green Note in Camden on the 26th September as part of their UK tour. Our LCM #SongOfTheDay is their latest single the very catchy and rockin' 'Don't Let It Die' recently released on the 27th July via Longcroft Recording. Catch them if you can.

Carousel are a 4-piece Indie Americana music collective, based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. Fusing influences from the worlds of americana, country, folk, rock’n’roll and roots music, their influences range from Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Johnny Cash to the modern day Americana stylings of Nathaniel Rateliff, Phoebe Bridgers and The Lone Bellow.

Talking about the new single, the band explain "‘Don’t Let It Die’ was written as an open letter to creative minds. Within the lyrics, we wanted to encapsulate the feeling of being inspired but misunderstood, as many of us artists are. Equally, we felt the need to reiterate how important art is to society. It is so crucial that art plays its part in people’s lives in times of political and social struggle, that they welcome it in and find some respite within.”

Following appearances this summer at Cambridge Folk Festival, Beautiful Days Festival and Black Deer Festival, Carousel will be playing their heartfelt, engaging music on an 8 date headline UK tour in September / October:

facebook.com/carouseluk
instagram.com/carousel_band_uk
twitter.com/carouselbanduk

Half Way - The Sisterhood Band

Our LCM featured artists today are a very talented US duo with a rich musical heritage, who played a storming set at yesterday's 'Nashville To London' festival. Both very good singer-songwriters in their own right, Ruby Stewart and Alyssa Bonagura combined to form The Sisterhood Band. Their music is an organic blend of the open melodies of classic West Coast folk and the magnetic swagger of timeless rock n' roll, powered by Alyssa and Ruby's soaring richly textured harmonies and effortless chemistry. Both ladies have strong musical DNA. Alyssa is the daughter of Kathie Baillie & Michael Bonagura (the core of country band Baillie & The Boys) and Ruby's father is rock icon Rod Stewart. As a lovely flavour of their music our LCM #SongOfTheDay is a great live version of 'Walk Away' taken from their recently released debut EP 'Summer Setlist'.

If you would like to see Alyssa and Ruby live in London they will be supporting Steven Tyler at the O2 Kentish Forum on the 7th August.

The pair met through a group of musical friends while both working on their solo careers. Immediately bonding over growing up in the music business and sharing a mutual love and idolization of folk goddess Joni Mitchell, it wasn't obvious to them that their friendship should turn professional until they were jamming on some Joni songs backstage after seeing a Rod Stewart gig together. He listened to their glistening harmonies of a song or two and told them "you two should start a band." 

After only a year of knowing each other, the duo are capturing attention immediately all over the globe, and recently signed their first record deal with Sony Music Nashville on stage at their 3rd & Lindsley show.  They've written and recorded their first EP which features the theme song “Tenderize My Heart” for the Stewarts & Hamilton's show on E!, performed at Fashion Weeks in Milan and Miami, landed a slot on the main stage at CMC music festival in Australia, opened for Gary Clark Jr. & Steven Tyler, made guest appearances at Rod Stewart's Vegas show at Caesar's palace and were the opening act on Sir Rod's summer and winter stadium tour, while headlining their first club tour in the U.K. After making their Grand Ole Opry debut on the eve of the historic solar eclipse, the girls are currently recording and producing their debut album in Nashville, TN.

Their meeting was happenstance, but the music they create together can only mean that nothing is ever truly coincidence. Voices of sirens, lyrics of poets; these two musical heirs are soul sisters are messengers of the music in their hearts. Two very different worlds colliding with one common thread makes the music they create one of a kind. Fresh sounds, haunting melodies, and signature voices and harmonies are what set The Sisterhood apart from any other female group in today's popular music.  

Photo credit: Matthew Berinato

http://www.thesisterhoodband.com

Wasteland - Cerian ft Robert Taira Wilson

CERIAN ft. Robert Taira Wilson Debut single "Wasteland" out 27.07.2018 Recorded, engineered and mixed by John Merriman at Crown Lane Studios Mastered by Dave Turner at 360 Mastering INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/cerianmusic/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/cerianmusic TWITTER: https://twitter.com/CerianMusic YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/Cerian SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/cerianmusic

We have something very special for you today. Our LCM featured artist is the very talented London based singer-songwriter multi-instrumentalist Cerian  We had the absolute pleasure of having both Cerian and Daisy Chute headline our 5th anniversary gig recently. One of our favourite songs in their set was our LCM #SongOfTheDay the beautiful 'Wasteland'. Just released on Friday, it's Cerian's wonderful debut solo single. We love this version, which also features the very talented Robert Taira Wilson. Cerian is one of LCM 'Ones To Watch' in 2018.

Produced by Cerian, "Wasteland" has a dark ethereal folk pop feel; twinkling harp plucks are juxtaposed with its electronic manipulation, and intricate guitar contrasts with orchestral drums and eight-part choral backing. As the first of 5 songs to be released this year forming an EP entitled "Caught in the Dark" due for release in February 2019. 

A lifelong insomniac, Cerian is almost completely nocturnal, and these profoundly personal songs have grown out of her struggle with both the literal and internal darkness felt in the isolation of the early hours of the morning, when she would stay awake writing until dawn.

Written just as she was trying to gain the confidence to share her own music with the world for the first time, Wasteland explores those feelings of loneliness and paralysing fear. Cerian explains: “In the dead of the night, terrifying existentialism takes over: seemingly frozen in time, you feel unable to traverse the space between where you are and where you want to be. The precipice of the unknown future is calling, but you don’t know if you’re going to fly or fall, if you can find the courage to jump.”

Lyrically, it's the drama and fear of the unknown that draws you in: "The precipice calls me, singing my name, but it sounds like a warning; play it again". Featuring Robert Taira Wilson, the single showcases a soulful duet of Cerian and Robert's perfectly complemented voices dramatically building through entrancing soundscapes evocative of London Grammar and Active Child, to create a piece of beautifully crafted dark pop.

Having sung on Radiohead's latest album, and with artists such as U2, Sam Smith, Imogen Heap, Guy Sigsworth, Laura Mvula, Tom Chaplin and Amber Run, "Wasteland" represents Cerian's first offering as a solo artist in her own right.

Photo credit: Tom Leishman

http://www.cerianmusic.com/

Be A Man - Lauren Ray

It's a very exciting time ahead for our next LCM featured artist, London based singer-songwriter Lauren Ray. She is just about to release a brand new EP entitled 'Inside The Silence' complete with a launch gig at The Troubadour in London on the 2nd August. Our LCM #SongOfTheDay is the smooth and wonderful lead single 'Be A Man'. 

With a South African/Polish father and English/Irish mother, Lauren and her siblings grew up living in South Africa, Poland, Austria and the UK. After studying Anthropology at Sussex University, Lauren has since been performing and song writing in London, LA and Nashville, slowly building up a loyal fan base and writing with hit songwriters such as Martin Sutton (LeAnn Rimes) and Ian Dench (Beyoncé). As an independent artist, Lauren took things into her own hands to record and self-release her critically acclaimed debut album ‘We Will Need Courage’. With Lauren’s velvety smooth and effortlessly sultry tones, highlights on the album include singles ‘Come To Me’ and ‘Drive’ which received big UK regional radio support as well as support from BBC introducing.

Lauren's unique vocals soon caught the attention of US DJ/Producer Jason Ross who invited her to collaborate on his releases 'Me Tonight' and ‘I Will Be There’ which together have over 1 million streams on Spotify alone and reached #1 and #2 in the Beatport Trance charts.

Fresh from supporting Lucy Spraggan on her sold out UK tour, Lauren was then invited to be the official support for Rebecca Ferguson’s UK tour which included dates at London’s Shepherds Bush Empire, Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall and Manchester Academy 2.

With her first European tour just announced supporting Anastacia, a new single and EP on the way (and more recording time scheduled in for the year) Lauren shows no sign of slowing down and has been flagged as an artist to watch in 2018.

http://www.laurenraymusic.com/

Photo credit: whatchristophersaw

Lay It On Down - Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Our next LCM featured artist Kenny Wayne Shepherd is one of the world's best young blues rock guitar players. Nominated for five Grammy's and a host of other awards, Kenny's music is well worth exploring. Still barely in his 30s, the Louisiana born but now LA based axeman and singer-songwriter has been selling millions of albums. With a host of top ten singles shining a light on the rich blues of the past and moving ahead with his own modern twist on a classic sound he has championed since his teens. He met Stevie Ray Vaughan at 7 and shared the stage with New Orleans legend Bryan Lee at 13. As an adult, he continues to create genre-defining blues-infused rock n' roll. Our LCM #SongOfTheDay is a great acoustic version of the title track of his excellent #1 album 'Lay It Down'.

Photo credit: KWS On Tour Inc.

https://www.kennywayneshepherd.net/

It Ain't Over Yet - Rodney Crowell ft Rosanna Cash & John Paul White

We head to Nashville today to meet our next LCM featured artist the Grammy winning singer-songwriter and producer Rodney Crowell. Born in Houston in 1950, Rodney has released twenty albums in four decades, with five consecutive number-one hits. His honors include two Grammys, an ASCAP lifetime achievement award, and membership in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Our LCM #SongOfTheDay is the personal and reflective 'It Ain't Over Yet' where Rodney is joined on the song by the wonderful Rosanna Cash and John Paul White. It's taken from his 2017 album 'Close Ties'.

Please also check out Rodney's latest album 'Acoustic Classics' released a couple of weeks ago.  His critically acclaimed memoir 'Chinaberry Sidewalks' is also well worth getting.

Rodney has had five number one singles on Hot Country Songs, all from his 1988 album 'Diamonds & Dirt'. He has also written songs and produced for other artists. He was influenced by songwriters Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt. Roddney played guitar and sang for three years in Emmylou Harris' "Hot Band". He has won two Grammy Awards in his career, one in 1990 for Best Country Song for the song "After All This Time" and one in 2014 Best Americana Album for his album "Old Yellow Moon".

https://www.rodneycrowell.com/