Brand new 'Black Deer' Country & Americana festival to take place in Kent in June

***LAUNCHING TODAY****

Black Deer Festival, Eridge Park, Kent (22nd - 24th June)

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The first acts announced include Iron & Wine, Passenger, Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit (UK Festival Exclusive), Ward Thomas, John Moreland, Eric Bibb, CC Smugglers, The Americans, Juanita Stein, William the Conqueror, Darren Eedens and the Slim Pickin's with more to follow..

Tickets now available from £115

Bringing you an experience like no other, Black Deer promises you a jam-packed weekend of celebrating all things Americana and Country!

Taking place in the beautiful surroundings of Eridge Park, Britain’s oldest deer park, located on the Kent/East Sussex border near Tunbridge Wells, just a mere 50 minutes outside of London.  You can expect an array of authentic americana-style meats, smokey whiskeys, bespoke custom bike showcases, storytellings from cultural pioneers, not to mention the incredible line-up of your favourite artists across the Americana, blues, roots, authentic country, folk and bluegrass genres.  This family-friendly event encourages people of all ages to completely immerse themselves in all aspects of this culture celebrated by millions on either side of the Atlantic and delivering an authentic, Roots-style line up to the UK.

The driving force behind Black Deer are no strangers to the festival world - having produced and directed some of the most loved shows in the UK including the Hop Farm Festival and Hyde Park’s Party In The Park. 'Entertee' have produced festivals featuring some of the world’s greatest Americana artists including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Eagles, Van Morrison, Patti Smith and Mumford and Sons.

Black Deer have teamed up with Supajam Education in Music and Media (SEMM), a multi-award winning educational provider set up by David Court and Nick Stillwell for  young people aged 16+ with special education needs and educational health care plans. The school support disadvantaged and vulnerable young people, many of whom have never achieved a qualification and currently have a 93% music diploma pass rate. The promoters of Black Deer have supported Supajam for many years offering employment opportunities to the students on many of their events.  Black Deer Festival has become the main focus of the 2017/2018 educational curriculum having given SEMM their own stage at the festival to manage, book and curate. The festival team will be supporting and working closely with these students all year.

The City Roots 2018 Festival, Cambridge (22/02-06/03)

Cambridge Folk Festival have announced the line-up for their second city-wide winter folk and roots festival

THE spirit of the world-famous Cambridge Folk Festival will inject the city with winter cheer in February and March, when Cambridge’s second city-wide winter folk and roots festival opens for two weeks of exceptional music and events.  

This great line-up includes McGoldrick, McCusker & Doyle, Wilko Johnson, Tom Robinson, Knight & Spiers, Megson, Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys, Ward Thomas, Wildwood Kin. Rich Hall and many more.

An all-encompassing Corn Exchange line-up includes: the soaring, Gambian sun-drenched chords of stunning Kora virtuoso and opening Festival headliner, Sona Jobarteh performing alongside Cameroon’s blues and jazz artist Muntu Valdo; the Americana-tinged sound of Wildwood Kin – crowned this year as legendary broadcaster Bob Harris’s ‘Emerging Artist of the Year’ -supporting Cambridge Folk Festival summer headliner, Ward Thomas; award-winning comic Rich Hall performing Hoedown– a withering dissection of Trump’s America which finishes as a celebration of Americana with stand-up, improvised ballads, and amazing musicianship...’Blissfully funny’ (The Guardian) and Cambridge born Tom Robinson with the 2-4-6-8 Motorway 40th Anniversary show. Tom is one of the founding team for BBC Radio 6, where he hosts three shows a week and has become known as a champion of new emerging artists via BBC Introducing.

At Cambridge Junction, an array of City Roots music is on offer: Chouk Bwa Libète bring drums, poetry and trance from Haiti’s vodou heartland; BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards winners Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys rediscover and renew the music of Sam’s gaelic heritage, transcending boundaries of trad and popular music; Cambridge Folk Festival favourites and three of the world’s finest folk musicians, Michael McGoldrick, John McCusker and John Doyle set the stage alight playing material from their latest album, The Wishing Tree and legendary ex-Steeleye Span fiddle player, Peter Knight joins forces with John Spiers, one of the leading melodeon players of his generation for an unmissable gig. Cambridge Junction also presents a very special evening at St Barnabas Church featuring BBC 2 Radio 2 Folk Award nominees Megson.

Appearing at renowned city music venue, The Portland Arms will be folk festival Club Tent sensation, Darren Eedens & The Slim Pickin’s - whether they’re held spellbound by a poignant ballad or jumping up and down as one to a stomping groove, Darren’s command of an audience is absolute!

Following the success of last year’s Creative Roots, the festival’s valuable professional development day will be held at The Portland Arms. Music industry professionals will once again gather to offer a career development day of workshops, talks and sessions, offering gems of advice and a wealth of experience.

Drop-in music sessions around the city; a special City Roots Family Day with free attractions including craft workshops, face-painting, storytelling, ‘Come and Try’ ukulele workshop and fun walkabout characters; plus what promises to be a sell-out City Roots highlight - a fascinating live interview, in association with the Cambridge Union Society, with charismatic Canvey Island rocker Wilko Johnson - and it’s safe to say City Roots will be one of the most anticipated events in Cambridge in 2018! 

Website: https://www.cambridgelivetrust.co.uk/folk-festival/city-roots

Dan Tyminski to release brand new solo album 'Southern Gothic"

Dan Tyminski has just announced that his brand new solo album 'Southern Gothic' will be released on the 20th October. This highly anticipated, exciting and interesting new album looks great from it's initial teaser trailer. 

The new album sees Dan mixing his roots music pedigree with a wide range of contemporary influences on 13 songs he co-wrote with some of country's best and brightest talents. Many of the songs were inspired by what Dan describes as his perceptions of "light and dark" and originally written for other artists, though he ultimately decided to record them himself. Co-writers on Southern Gothic include Sarah Buxton, Jesse Frasure, Ashley Monroe, Josh Kear, and the late Andrew Dorff.

Dynamic on stage, down to earth off stage, Dan Tyminski has the voice, instrumental chops, and charisma to be counted among the most recognizable and popular male vocalists on today’s bluegrass and country music scenes. Yet his demeanor – low-key and laconically sly – ensures that all the accolades are the product of his own innate gifts. 

Since 1994, his ace instrumental skill (mainly on guitar, but also on mandolin) and burnished, soulful tenor singing has been a key component of Alison Krauss and Union Station, arguably the most visible and successful bluegrass band in the modern era. 

'Southern Gothic' is out October 20th. Here is the full track list:-

1. "Southern Gothic" (Dan Tyminski, Jesse Frasure, Josh Kear)
2. "Breathing Fire" (Dan Tyminski, Cary Barlowe, Will Weatherly)
3. "Gone" (Dan Tyminski, Kyle Fishman, Nick Bailey)
4. "Temporary Love" (Dan Tyminski, Cary Barlowe, Jesse Frasure)
5. "Perfect Poison" (Dan Tyminski, Jesse Frasure)
6. "Devil Is Downtown" (Dan Tyminski, Ashley Monroe, Paul Moak)
7. "Hollow Hallelujah" (Dan Tyminski, Sarah Buxton, Jesse Frasure, Amy Wadge)
8. "Good for Your Soul" (Dan Tyminski, Sarah Buxton, Jesse Frasure)
9. "Wailing Wall" (Dan Tyminski, Sarah Buxton, Tofer Brown)
10. "Haunted Heart" (Dan Tyminski, Andrew Dorff, Cary Barlowe, Jesse Frasure)
11. "Bloodline" (Dan Tyminski, Cary Barlowe, Jesse Frasure)
12. "Wanted" (Dan Tyminski, Brad Rempel, Seth Mosley)
13. "Numb" (Dan Tyminski, Kyle Fishman, Nick Bailey, Ryan Ogren)

The Secret Sisters announce new London gig

The Secret Sisters have just announced a new date on the 5th November at London's prestigious Union Chapel in Islington. 

Advance tickets £21 are available from Music Glue

https://www.musicglue.com/union-chapel/events/1deb2e40-43cb-0135-1462-22e4bb2e4b25

There are two ways of handling a dangerous, raging river: you can surrender and let it carry you away, or you can swim against the flow. For The Secret Sisters, there was a point after the release of their last record when they could have chosen to do neither – instead, sinking to the bottom as the weight of the world washed away their dreams. They went from touring with Bob Dylan to losing their label, purging their team, filing bankruptcy and almost permanently trading harmonies for housecleaning.

But there's a mythical pull to music that kept sisters Laura and Lydia Rogers moving forward, and they came out with a biting and beautiful third LP, produced by Brandi Carlile , You Don't Own Me Anymore . Their first as New West signees, it's a document of hardship and redemption, of pushing forward when it would be so much easier to drown in grief. And it's a story about how passion and pure artistry can be the strongest sort of salvation – how art is left, like perfect grains of sand, when everything else has washed away.

CC Smugglers announce new single and UK Tour

Following the success of their single ‘Rhythm’, which made BBC Radio 2’s playlist, along with live sessions on the station and BBC 6 Music, and an incredible couple of years on the live scene - with sold-out headline shows across the UK and Europe, festival appearances including a headline set on Latitude Festival’s BBC Introducing Stage, and opening for the likes of Old Crow Medicine Show, Bruce Springsteen and Ward Thomas, among others - CC Smugglers have released their brand new single ‘Dirty Money’ to stream and download worldwide. The band have also announced a UK tour in October/November 2017:

• 18/10  Sticky Mikes Frog Bar, Brighton
• 19/10Junction 1, Cambridge
• 20/10  Club 85, Hitchin
• 21/10  Esquires, Bedford
• 25/10  The Crescent, York
• 26/10  Zephyr Lounge, Lemington Spa
• 28/10  Union Chapel (w/Keston Cobblers Club), London
• 29/10  Waterfront Studio, Norwich
• 2/11    Gullivers, Manchester
• 3/11    Old Market Assembly, Bristol
• 4/11    The Cookie, Leicester
• 6/11    The Bullingdon, Oxford
• 8/11    Bodega, Nottingham
• 9/11    Hug & Pint, Glasgow          
• 10/11  Sneaky Petes, Edinburgh
• 11/11 Bogbain, Inverness

Tickets onsale Wednesday 21st June at 9am. Support from All Our Exes Live In Texas (Aus) on all dates except London & Scotland.

In the words of lead vocalist & songwriter Richie Prynne: “[Dirty Money] is about remembering that even though in today’s consumer-driven world, it’s easy to think that having enough money will make you happy. Happiness is a state of mind, not a collection of possessions or a certain number in your bank account.

As touring musicians trying to make a name for ourselves this is very competitive and demanding industry, it is important to remember. Someone recently said to me “Richie, why the hell are you writing songs like this, we badly need some more money.” My response is, yes a business needs capital, but if I really needed money, I would probably go and get a job that paid lots.

Happiness goes way deeper than business capital and I think it’s good to remind ourselves. This song is us reminding ourselves.”

Yola Carter releases a wonderful new demo of 'It Ain't Easier'

Demo from the upcoming album "Orphan Country"

Yola Carter has just released a demo from her forthcoming album to stream on Soundcloud - 'It Ain't Easier'. In her own words: "Here's a demo of the song 'It Ain't Easier' from my new album. As I get closer to the end of writing it the more I'm falling in love with it. Falling in love doesn't make it easier though - just means you've gotta try harder to do right by it."

Yola is on tour throughout June, July & August, starting this Thursday at the Borderline in London. 

YOLA CARTER UK, EUROPEAN & CANADIAN TOUR DATES:

• 8th JUNE - London, The Borderline
• 21st JUNE - Banchory, Woodend Barn
• 23rd JUNE - Lerwick, Shetland, British Legion
• 24th JUNE - Sandwick, Shetland, Carnegie Hall
• 25th JUNE - Birnam, Birnam Arts
• 27th JUNE - Mull, An Tobar
• 28th JUNE - Stirling, Tolbooth
• 29th JUNE - Inverness, Eden Court
   
• 2nd JULY - Löderup, Solhällan – Rolling Rootsy Review, Sweden
• 4th JULY - Falkenberg, Hwitan – Rolling Rootsy Review, Sweden
• 5th JULY - Göteborg, Pustervik – Rolling Rootsy Review, Sweden
• 6th JULY - Oslo, John Dee – Rolling Rootsy Review, Norway
• 7th JULY - Stockholm, Kägelbanan Rolling Rootsy Review, Sweden
• 8th JULY - Uppsala, Katalin – Rolling Rootsy Review, Sweden
• 16th JULY - Bristol, The Lantern - River Town Festival
• 21st JULY - Barnsley, Under The Stars Festival
• 22nd JULY - Nottingham, Splendour Festival
• 27th-30th JULY - Calgary Folk Festival, Canada
   
• 5th AUG - Alberta, Canmore Folk Festival, Canada
• 10th-13th AUG - Edmonton, Edmonton Folk Festival, Canada
• 18th AUG - Winnipeg, Interstellar Rodeo, Canada

Buckle & Boots Festival, Stockport 23-25 June 2017 : Stage Timings

One of our favourite festivals last year was the excellent Buckle & Boots Country Festival nr Marple in Stockport. Held at stunning Whitebottom Farm nestling between the Pennines and a wonderful local park, this festival boasts a great line-up of Country and Americana music.. After its critically acclaimed debut last year, Buckle & Boots will be held this year on Friday 23th -Sunday 25th June (more details in the link below). Weekend tickets from £55 (Bargain!)

The main and paddock stages will once again host some of the brightest talents in country music from around the world. Friday evening sees the very welcome return of US singer-songwriter Sonia Leigh. Joining her on the line-up is the very talented Jenn Bostic fresh from her sold old UK 'A Night In Nashville' tour. The headliners will be The Southern Companion who won ‘Horizon Act Of The Year’ and ‘Album Of The Year’.at the recent BCMA awards

Saturday night sees the UK debut of 2016 CMA Global Artist Of The Year, Morgan Evans (Australia). Morgan has won 5 fan-voted Country Music Channel Awards, including Male Artist of The Year, and has hosted the CMC Music Awards from 2015 to 2017.  Jess And The Bandits also return for this year’s festival having firmly established themselves as one of the leading acts on the British country scene.. Seattle native Dylan Jakobsen headlines, sure to provide a high-energy show which has earned him praise all over the US. Saturday's main stage also sees the headline quality of Thorne Hill, Elles Bailey, Fred's House and Katy Hurt. The Paddock stage hosts LCM favourites including Journey Home, Dahlia, Beth Thornton, Lisa Redford and Devon Mayson.

The festival will draw to a close on Sunday night with another great line-up, including one of Nashville’s most sought-after musicians, Tucker, who has played and toured with a host of established country artists including Jason Aldean, Jimmy Wayne and James Otto. UK country stars and multi-BCMA award winners Laura Oakes and Gary Quinn will provide some terrific home-grown talent, bringing a wealth of festival experience and a stellar collection of fan favourites to the table. LCM favourite Sarah Darling is set to headline the Sunday night with wonderful material from her new ‘Dream Country’ album. One of the purest, most angelic voices in the business; you won’t want to miss her. The paddock stage on Sunday hosts another strong line-up: Backwoods Creek, Liv Austen, Kevin McGuire, Steve Young, Amy Westney and Orfila are stand-outs.

The Paddock Stage over the weekend will host a huge selection the UK’s best talent starting at 11am until evening. Fans will also have the opportunity to see an ‘In The Round’ show on each day after the phenomenal response to last year’s rounds. On Saturday, Sarah Darling teams up with Gary Quinn and Jenn Bostic, and Sunday sees Sonia Leigh taking the stage with Dylan Jakobsen and Jade Helliwell.

MAIN STAGE – FRIDAY:

11:00pm-11:55pm – The Southern Companion
10:00pm-10:40pm – Sonia Leigh
9:00pm-9:40pm – Jenn Bostic
8:00pm-8:40pm – Outlander
7:00-7:40pm – Kris Barras

MAIN STAGE – SATURDAY:

10:00pm-11:00pm – Dylan Jakobsen
9:00pm-9:40pm – Jess And The Bandits
8:00pm-8:40pm – Morgan Evans
7:00pm-7:40pm – Thorne Hill
6:00pm-6:40pm – Elles Bailey
5:00pm-5:40pm – Fred’s House
4:00pm-4:40pm – Katy Hurt
3:00pm-3:40pm – Kira Mac

MAIN STAGE – SUNDAY:

7:00pm-8:00pm – Sarah Darling
6:00pm-6:40pm – Gary Quinn
5:00pm-5:40pm – Laura Oakes
4:00pm-4:40pm – Tucker
3:00pm-3:40pm – American Young
2:15pm-2:45pm – Morganway

PADDOCK STAGE – SATURDAY:

7:30pm – Journey Home
6:45pm – Dahlia
6:00pm – Beth Thornton
5:15pm – Stew Mac
4:30pm – Melanie
3:45pm – Lisa Redford
3:00pm – Tucker
2:00pm – ‘In The Round’ (Sarah Darling, Gary Quinn, Jenn Bostic)
1:15pm – Devon Mayson
12:30pm – Vic Allen
11:45am – Roni
11:00am – TC Country

PADDOCK STAGE – SUNDAY:

6:45pm – Backwoods Creek
6:00pm – Ashton Lane
5:15pm – Liv Austen
4:30pm – Kevin McGuire
3:45pm – Steve Young
3:00pm – Amy Westney
2:00pm – ‘In The Round’ (Sonia Leigh, Dylan Jakobsen, Jade Helliwell)
1:15pm – Demi Marriner
12:30pm – Orfila
11:45am – Ceri-Rose
11:00am – Rebecca Walton

Early live session and interview by Bob Dylan (1961)

An excellent very early live session and interview from Bob Dylan on Oscar Brant's Folk Song Festival recorded in 1961. Bob must have been around 20 years old at the time of the recording. Find out about Bob's early influences and his early life with travelling carnivals.

He was in the studio to promote his first public concert.

Line up for Canary Wharf's Country Festival 'Nashville Meets London' announced

After a very successful two day Country music ' Nashville Meets London' festival at Canary Wharf last summer, we are very pleased to report that it is returning to East London. Held in the heart of London's eastern financial district on 22nd and 23rd July this free festival is definitely one you want to put in the diary. It is a wonderful mix of both visiting and homegrown artists curated and presented by the wonderful Baylen Leonard in conjunction with the Canary Wharf Group. The event this year is sponsored by The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD)  

The line-up this year includes some familiar LCM favourites:

Angaleena Presley, Ashley Campbell, Sam Outlaw, Russell Dickerson, Flats And Sharps, Lucie Silvas, Raintown, Kevin McGuire, Wildwood Kin and Jo Smith

SATURDAY 22 JULY

2-3.15pm Raintown

3.45-4.30pm Wildwood Kin

5-6.15pm Kevin McGuire

6.45-8pm Jo Smith

8.30-10pm Russell Dickerson

SUNDAY 23 JULY

1.45-2.45pm Angaleena Presley

3.15-4.15pm Flats and Sharps

4.45-5.45pm Ashley Campbell

6.15-7.15pm Sam Outlaw

7.45-9pm Lucie Silvas

Very exciting news as Kat Gilmore joins the 5* supergroup The Willows

One of our favourite award winning Cambridge based bands have this morning announced a very exciting new member, the very talented  Katriona Gilmore (of Gilmore & Roberts, The Albion Band) http://www.gilmoreroberts.co.uk/

Kat has been working extremely hard over the past few weeks learning the songs and The Willows are all set to debut their new line up this Saturday at the Spring Arts Centre in Havant.

This 5* Folk and Americana #Supergroup is definitely one to watch this year with their new 'all star' line-up. Catch them if you can on UK tour or at a festival near you.

Tickets are still available here: 
http://thespring.co.uk/whats-on/music/the-willows/

Exciting new London venue for Country songwriters in the round night the 'Round Up'

Alt-country duo Two Ways Home (Lewis & Isi) have confirmed that their popular monthly ‘Round Up’ song-writers night will move to a new Central London venue operated by 'CountryLine', the new online fan club for all of country music. As well as an app that puts country artists and experiences directly into your pocket, CountryLine has teamed up with the fine folks at Gail’s to launch a summer takeover of Gail’s Kitchen in London’s West End. CountryLine Café is a summer-long pop-up at Gail’s Kitchen, 11-13 Bayley St, Bloomsbury, London WC1B 3HD showcasing artists and experiences from the 'CountryLine' family. The 'Round Up' is usually held on the first Thursday of every month from 7:30PM

Starting with the next Round Up event on Thursday June 8th featuring Megan O'Neill & Owen Lloyd, and all through summer, the 'CountryLine' Cafe pop up will showcase the best of the UK’s thriving country music scene plus special guests from around the world, all fueled by an exclusive menu of the finest Southern hospitality from the award-winning team at Gail’s. Regular features will include songwriter rounds from the Round Up; live sessions from ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris’ Under The Apple Tree; and showcase sets from the most exciting artists in country music. 'CountryLine' Café aims to become London’s very own version of Nashville’s legendary Bluebird Café.

Follow CountryLine on Facebook and Twitter and download the new app from June 8th to keep up with everything country.

The new EP from Two Ways Home ‘Closest Stranger’ will be released to stream/download on June 2nd, and is available to pre-order now - more info at www.twowayshome.com.

Marty Stuart announces new UK and Ireland October Tour

After their very special set art C2C earlier this year the multi Grammy award winning Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives are heading back across the pond for a small UK and Ireland Tour before they join Chris Stapleton on his US tour.

• 4th October: Cadogan Hall, London
• 6th October: Town Hall, Birmingham
• 7th October: Sage 2, Gateshead
• 9th October: One Mor, Glasgow
• 10th October: RNCM, Manchester
• 12th October: Olympia Theatre, Dublin

Tickets on sale Friday 19th May at 10:00AM

Ticket link:   https://www.martystuart.net/events

Carolynne announces UK tour dates

Following the release of her debut EP 'Coming Back To Me' - which landed at #2 on the iTunes country chart and has been streamed over 40,000 times to date - and much-hyped return to live music at the Bob Harris-curated Under The Apple Tree night last month, Yorkshire country-pop singer Carolynne has announced two UK dates, co-headlining with The Abrams (Canada), with further tour dates to follow:

May 31st - London, The Borderline - TICKETS
June 1st - Manchester, Gullivers - TICKETS
 

"‘Coming Back To Me’ has hit written all over it and it will no doubt be a huge success" - CelebMix

"Her use of lyrical imagery and country instrumentation bring an authenticity to this release that can’t be faulted" - Lyric Magazine

"This EP goes on to cement Carolynne’s reputation as one of the UK’s finest country singers." - Outline Magazine

ABOUT CAROLYNNE:

For country singer-songwriter Carolynne, music has always been a priority. Though she's now had over 6.5m views on Youtube to date and has been featured extensively on national radio, print and television across the UK, her story starts at the age of just fourteen, when her family of “country music fanatics” inspired her to hit the road joining five-piece Country band 'Sundown'. After several years of touring the UK, at eighteen she left her family home in Yorkshire, heading for London to pursue her career in music, before long signing a contract with BMG and starting to work as a published songwriter. The next couple of years took her abroad to Sweden, where she spent time writing for other pop artists while developing her own songwriting style & sound, a blend of country, rock and pop. As well as collaborating with some great songwriters she continued to work as a touring performer across the U.K.

This allowed Carolynne to hone and develop her unique style of performance, which would eventually catch the eyes and ears of X Factor judge Gary Barlow when she later appeared on the show as a finalist. Gary described Carolynne as “supremely talented” with a voice that “just oozes Country”. With the X Factor propelling her into the public eye in front of millions of viewers & being the first UK contestant to bring Country music to the X Factor stage, Carolynne’s next move was unexpected for someone in her position; knowing she wanted to fulfil her dream as a songwriter, she headed to the heart of country music and the home of many of her influences - Nashville, Tennessee.

During her five months spent travelling across the USA, from Nashville to Arizona and L.A., she performed at every opportunity, and had the chance to work with, among others, Grammy award-winning songwriter Jeff Silbar (Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson), who as well as penning songs for the country elite in Music City also wrote the award-winning hit ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’ .

Carolynne's debut single 'I Love You But Shut Up' was released in 2015, attracting strong support from the mainstream and country media - including a slot on the BBC Radio 2 playlist and a live acoustic session on Terry Wogan’s Sunday show; national TV appearances including Channel 5's The Wright Stuff - and publicity across high-profile press and magazines such as Maverick, Country Music Magazine and The Independent, Since then, Carolynne has taken time away from the spotlight to work on new material, an EP written and produced with longtime collaborators The Elements and mixed by Ash Howes (One Direction, Ellie Goulding, The Corrs).

She’s continued to perform live in between writing and recording, including, to much acclaim, an appearance at London’s Country to Country (C2C) 2016 festival at the O2 arena for the third consecutive year, and a two-night residency at London’s Live at Zedel, prompting Jennifer Selway at the Daily Express to describe her songs about heartbreak and desire as having “true country style”.

Thanks to the attention she draws at her energetic live shows and extensive media coverage, Carolynne's music has been heard by country fans all over the UK and beyond, building up a combined social media following of over 133k followers in the process, so it’s safe to say fans are eagerly awaiting her next move. As she told Country Music Magazine, who highlighted her as a ‘Shooting Star’ artist early in 2017, the title of her brand new debut EP ‘Coming Back To Me’ is “about coming back to music, because I’ve lost my way with music at points in my life, I’ve fallen in and out of love with it but it always finds its way back to me…”

Carolynne's ‘Coming Back To Me’ EP is out now.

www.carolynneofficial.com

Martin Simpson to release new solo studio album - Trails & Tribulations

• Artist: Martin Simpson
• Album: Trails & Tribulations
• Genre: Folk, Americana, SInger-Songwriter
• Released: 1st September, 2017
• Record Label: Topic Records
• Tracks: 13 (+6 Deluxe edition)
• Formats: Standard & Deluxe CD, Digital Download & Standard Vinyl.

World-renowned guitarist, singer and songwriter Martin Simpson releases his 20th solo album  ‘Trails & Tribulations’ on September 1st, 2017 via Topic Records. The new studio album is his first new solo work since 2013’s critically acclaimed ‘Vagrant Stanzas. 

‘Trails & Tribulations’ is a collection of songs about nature, about travels and about real life stories. There are traditional songs, poems and contemporary songs by great writers, and songs that I had to write because nobody else knew what I wanted to say. I travel, I learn songs, I write and try to get better at the skills required for me to do my job. I look at the world as I pass by, on the road, out of the train window, or as I stop and pay close attention to the square foot under my nose. There is so much to see and to hear and to inspire and to try and understand. I had a huge amount of fun playing and recording these songs, using different instruments, different noises, old friends and new ones, all of whom brought so much to the mix.    Martin Simpson, April 2017.

Produced and engineered by the renowned Andy Bell, ‘Trails & Tribulations’ features some of Martin’s most innovative playing yet, showcasing his virtuosity on a variety of instruments including acoustic guitars, resonator guitars, lap steel guitar, electric guitars, 5 string banjo and ukulele.

The album also includes a host of excellent guest musicians including Ben Nicholls (Double bass and electric bass guitars), Toby Kearney (drums and percussion), Nancy Kerr (fiddle and viola), Andy Cutting (diatonic accordion and melodeon), John Smith (electric guitar and backing vocals), Helen Bell (strings), Amy Newhouse-Smith (backing vocals) and for the first time on record his daughter Molly Simpson on vocals.

Hand in hand with his long and storied solo career, Martin has been central to seminal collaborations like The Full English, The Elizabethan Sessions and Simpson Cutting Kerr. He has worked with a dazzling array of artists from across the musical spectrum: Jackson Browne, Martin Taylor, June Tabor, Richard Hawley, Bonnie Raitt, Danny Thompson, David Hidalgo, Danú, Richard Thompson and Dom Flemons, to mention a few. He is consistently named as one of the very finest acoustic, fingerstyle and slide guitar players in the world and is the most nominated musician in the history of the BBC Folk Awards, with a remarkable 31 nods. A true master of his art.

As a small taster of the new album we have included the audio of Martin's new cover of Jackson C. Frank’s ‘Blues Run The Game’.

Born In Bristol - 'The Untold Story Of The Birth Of Country Music'

A excellent new documentary about the birth of Country Music. Highly recommended.

LONDON, UK: Celebrating the 90th anniversary of the birth of country music, Tennessee music superstar Marty Stuart yesterday hosted the UK premiere of the documentary, ‘Born in Bristol’, which tells the story of the of the 1927 recording sessions in Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia, an event Johnny Cash called, “the single most important event in the history of country music.”

Stuart hosted a 30-minute question-and-answer session moderated by BBC Radio personality Baylen Leonard prior to the screening, which was held at the O2 Cineworld Cinemas as part of the C2C (Country to Country) Music Festival in London. Stuart, appearing at C2C in support of his new album, ‘Way Out West’, appears in the film, which tells the story of the July 1927 music recording sessions organized by Victor Recording executive Ralph S. Peer, where music legends including Jimmie Rodgers and The Carter Family were discovered.

Speaking about the evolution of country music from those humble record sessions in Bristol 90 years ago, Stuart said, “I’ve always said that country music, to this very minute, is such as diverse place…it doesn’t matter where you get on. Whether it’s the Brothers Osborne or Eric Church or Florida Georgia Line or Taylor Swift, or the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers, or Merle Haggard or somewhere in the middle, just get on board and start listening. You will find something that applies to your life—something that speaks to you, I’m sure.”

Produced by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development and Virginia Tourism Corporation and directed by Sundance Award-winner Chusy, ‘Born in Bristol’, which received shortlist consideration at the 2016 Cannes International Festival of Creativity, was filmed on location in Bristol, which straddles the Tennessee-Virginia state line in the U.S., and Nashville.

‘Born in Bristol’ features re-creations of the 1927 recording sessions, as well as appearances by Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley, Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill, Ashley Monroe, Sheryl Crow, Ashley & Shannon Campbell and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, each of whom contributed music tracks to the 2015 release ‘Orthophonic Joy: The 1927 Bristol Sessions Revisited’, produced by multi-Grammy Award-winner Carl Jackson and featuring an historical narrative by Eddie Stubbs, the voice of the Grand Ole Opry. The release of ‘Orthophonic Joy’ coincided with the grand opening of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol, Tenn./Va.

“We like to say the soundtrack of America is made in Tennessee, because our state is the birthplace of no fewer than seven different forms of American music—country, bluegrass, gospel, the blues, rockabilly, soul and rock-and-roll,” said Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam. “We invite visitors from around the world to see and hear our music where it was born and is still going strong today.”

“Quality films have been produced on nearly every genre of music. But this documentary takes a deep dive in addressing the spark that lit the country music flame. What came from those two weeks in 1927 spawned an industry and launched careers of artists, songwriters and producers now enshrined in the Country Music and Rock & Roll Halls of Fame among others,” said Commissioner Kevin Triplett, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. “Jimmie Rodgers’ first recordings were made during those sessions. George Harrison was inspired by Rodgers’ music before he even got his first guitar. There are hundreds of stories like that. This film celebrates those stories and the ingenuity of Ralph Peer and the mountain music traditions of Ernest Stoneman, the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers. In Bristol those stories are preserved and promoted every day at the Smithsonian-affiliated Birthplace of Country Music Museum.”

The Q&A session with Marty Stuart and Baylen Leonard will be broadcast at a later date on Chris Country, the UK’s 24/7 country radio station and official media partner of the ‘Born in Bristol’ premiere.