Tag: brit pick

Brit Pick: Curse of Lono

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Artist: Curse of Lono
Hometown: London
Latest Album: 4am and Counting

Sounds like: War On Drugs by way of Cowboy Junkies: dark Americana with vivid lyrics and a brooding, almost Lou Reed vibe.

Why You Should Listen: Genre names have been done to death but how about “Amerigothic?” Bet you haven’t heard that one before. Throw in “cinematic” and “atmospheric” and you’ll be somewhere close to the sound of Curse Of Lono, who won this year’s Bob Harris Emerging Artist Award at the UK Americana awards.

Formed in 2015, the group took their name from the title of a Hunter S. Thompson novel. So is this gonzo music? Well, there are certainly plenty of references to drugs in the band’s early oeuvre. Lead man Felix Bechtolsheimer, grandson of billionaire Karl-Heinz Kipp (and brother of Laura, Olympic gold medallist in dressage), used their first album to exorcise his heroin addiction. And even as the band have abandoned their electronic edge and recorded much of their second album in Joshua Tree, California there’s a certain haunting sound that has stayed with them.

The six-piece’s new release, 4am and Counting, is an album of previously-recorded songs that takes you into their late-night world. Picture the scene. They’ve played a gig, are chilling out afterwards, and start jamming around their set list. This time there’s no pounding sound system or fancy production, just simple, analog recording gear. A couple of friends join in and together they turn familiar tunes into something completely different.

So the big electronic sound that came out of “Way to Mars” on As I Fell has, by the time the clock strikes 4am, been turned into something rootsy; pedal steel is provided by legendary session musician BJ Cole. On “Welcome Home” from another previous project, Severed, Bechtolsheimer’s blistering slide solo takes a step back to allow the harmonica to shout Americana from the rooftops. And it all feels like Curse of Lono’s true habitat.

Photo credit: Dani Quesada

Brit Pick: Roseanne Reid

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Artist: Roseanne Reid
Hometown: Edinburgh, Scotland
Latest Album: Trails

Sounds like: In her authentic Americana accent: Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams. In her home-grown voice: A folky Eddi Reader

Why You Should Listen: With her stripped-back style Roseanne Reid emphatically demonstrates how less is more. In a voice that evokes East Tennessee rather than her native east coast of Scotland, Reid delves into the human condition without a surplus word or note throughout her debut album, Trails. Teddy Thompson’s production hones the sparseness to the point that you could be sitting on her porch listening to song after song.

Reid sounds as if she’s been singing roots Americana for years. Take ‘Amy,’ where a very simple guitar line gives way to the aching regret of unrequited love. Lucinda Williams comes to mind here as does Gillian Welch on ‘Levi,’ wherein Reid offers a sympathetic shoulder to one rejected in love. But, be in no doubt, Reid is an original. She sings ‘Out in Space’ in a soft Scottish lilt.

If you need any endorsement before giving Reid a go, then how about Steve Earle? That’s him duetting on ‘Sweet Annie,’ a collaboration that occurred after Reid had attended one of his Camp Copperhead songwriting workshops. She can also already count Elton John, who has been playing her on his radio show, among her biggest fans.

Roseanne Reid has been immersed in music since learning guitar aged 12. Her dad is Craig Reid of The Proclaimers, whose record collection of country, folk, and gospel enthused young Roseanne. But it was Mum who taught her to play guitar.

In spite of her famous father, Roseanne went her own way, starting on the local folk club circuit, often open mic nights. Reid’s unique form of Americana may soon have fans on both sides of the pond very willing to walk at least five hundred miles to hear her. In fact, she has just been announced as an official showcasing artist at Americanafest in Nashville in September.

Photo credit: Bianca Cecilla

Baylen’s Brit Pick: Marry Waterson & Emily Barker

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Artist: Marry Waterson & Emily Barker
Hometown: Marry is from Kingston Upon Hull, Yorkshire; Emily grew up in Bridgetown, Western Australia, but now lives in the UK
Latest Album: A Window to Other Ways

Sounds like: A folkier Liz Phair and Lucinda Williams

Why You Should Listen: Is there such a thing as a superduo? There probably should be. And if there were, this pair would be the definition: Emily Barker, named UK Artist of the Year at last year’s UK Americana awards, has a devoted following in her adopted homeland; Marry Waterson, meanwhile, bears the name of British folk royalty. The two women met at a songwriters retreat organised by Liverpudlian singer-songwriter Kathryn Williams, and their connection, born out of a mutual respect and appreciation, was so strong they decided to keep the partnership going after back in the “real” world.

For all their individual, independent success, it turns out that this collaboration suits them very well indeed. Marry hails from the Waterson-Carthy folk clan – her mother Lal, uncle Mike and aunt Norma have lifetime achievement gongs a-go-go — and her vocal style certainly echoes her famous forebears. But Barker’s Memphis-drenched vibe pushes her sound into new realms and while A Window to Other Ways is very much folk it is also at times quite indie rock.

It’s also no-holds-barred on the lyrics front, which speak powerfully of the world we’re all living in right now. Take “Little Hits of Dopamine,” a fantastically trippy reflection on “one-click communication.” “I’d rather be rock’n’rolling, but you just keep on scrolling”, the women croon in different octaves, as text message sounds bing in the background.

At no time are you ever in any doubt that these two have something to say and no one is getting in their way — which sums up their music, too. This project captures a special moment when two great musicians find unexpected synergy – while the songs themselves keeps a close eye on all the little things that make up a life. Sometimes you just know people were meant to meet and this is one of those times.

As a radio and TV host, Baylen Leonard has presented country and Americana shows, specials, and commentary for BBC Radio 2, Chris Country Radio, BBC Radio London, BBC Radio 2 Country, BBC Radio 4, BBC Scotland, Monocle 24, and British Airways, as well as promoting artists through his work with the Americana Music Association UK, the Nashville Meets London Festival, and the Long Road (the UK’s newest outdoor country, Americana, and roots festival). Follow him on Twitter: @HeyBaylen

Photo credit: Rosie Reed Gold

Baylen’s Brit Pick: Greg Holden

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Artist: Greg Holden
Hometown: London, but now taking up the LA life after a stint in NYC
Latest Album: World War Me

Sounds Like: Jack Savoretti, Joe Pug, Butch Walker

Why You Should Listen: Some people seem to be able to turn their hand to anything. Take Greg Holden — at first glance, the Scottish-born singer-songwriter leads a charmed existence. At least, that’s how it seems if you follow the blog that documents his globetrotting travels and the Instagram that captures his delicious vegetarian meals. He’s a great writer, an ace photographer, and he has even used his musical talents for good. His charity single “The Lost Boy,” inspired by Dave Eggers’s book What is the What about Sudanese refugees, raised tens of thousands of dollars for The Red Cross and helped build schools in Africa. “Boys in the Street” was written for Everyone Is Gay, an organization that helps LGBTQ youth.

Still, if you dig beneath the surface you find that Holden has had his own trials and tribulations. Now he’s taken his battle scars and made beautiful music with them. Born in Aberdeen, Holden grew up in Lancashire in the north of England, and didn’t even play guitar until he was 16, when a friend introduced him to Bob Dylan while he was working at a fast food restaurant. From then on, he knew he had to learn to play so he could sing those songs — and he knew he wanted to one day live in New York.

But he almost quit music eight years ago. Holden’s record label went bust, and he nearly did too: mired in debt, he reached a crisis point midway through a tour of Europe. Out of that difficult time came the songs on the album I Don’t Believe You, including powerful evocations of loneliness, discouragement, and drinking too much.

Life turned around for Holden with “Home,” the song that went on to become a major hit for American Idol’s Phillip Phillips (and won the approval of fellow Brits, Mumford & Sons). His new single, “I’m Not Your Enemy,” was written with his friend Garrison Starr, who I’ve long been a fan of, just after the election — you know the one I mean. It’s an answer song to a world gone mad. Greg Holden is an artist who wants to do good, a tall order for anyone nowadays, but I feel safe with him leading the charge.

As a radio and TV host, Baylen Leonard has presented country and Americana shows, specials, and commentary for BBC Radio 2, Chris Country Radio, BBC Radio London, BBC Radio 2 Country, BBC Radio 4, BBC Scotland, Monocle 24, and British Airways, as well as promoting artists through his work with the Americana Music Association UK, the Nashville Meets London Festival, and the Long Road (the UK’s newest outdoor country, Americana, and roots festival). Follow him on Twitter: @HeyBaylen

Photo credit: Greg Holden

Baylen’s Brit Pick: Lonesome Shack

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Artist: Lonesome Shack
Hometown: London via Seattle
Latest Album: Desert Dreams (available March 1)
Sounds Like: The Black Keys, The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Rayland Baxter

Why You Should Listen: Lonesome Shack moved to London from rainy Seattle, so you imagine they feel right at home with the British weather. Desert Dreams, their third album, is the kind of music that promises to warm you up from the inside out: the perfect thing to listen to when Storm Erik is battering at your door and the UK papers are predicting a snowbomb. If you like a bit of blues — of the hill country or desert variety – mixed with some backwoods boogie and a dash of psychedelia, then Desert Dreams is for you. (Check out the BGS premiere of the title track at the end of the story.)

Ben Todd (the fingerpicking frontman of the trio) was clearly dreaming of warmer climes when he wrote these songs last winter. Perhaps he was thinking back to the early 2000s, when he spent four years living in a shack he’d built himself in the Gila wilderness in New Mexico. It was there he taught himself to play blues tunes from old recordings while living off the land. In the years since he’s honed his unique sound with the help of drummer (and graphic designer) Kristian Garrard and bassist Luke Bergman.

It should be said that, while honouring the past, this record sounds as bright as a new penny. That about sums up the feel of this recording: planted in yesteryear but cultivated firmly in the now. I for one will have it on standby to see me through the inevitable four months of winter we still have to come, before the London sunshine shows up for about a week. The album doesn’t drop until the 1st of March – but I can’t see springtime reaching us before then.

Speaking about the title track, Ben Todd says, “I wrote this album in sequence and ‘Desert Dreams’ was the last song I wrote. I see it as a postscript to the album, with a different feel, a dreamy lightheartedness. In the studio we had never played this song before as a band and after we ran through it a few times we recorded this live, first take. It tells the story of a dream sequence that touches on fears of ‘desertification’ that you hear about in the Southwest US where fertile land becomes useless after human impact plays its course, but in this case it’s an imagined city that fills up with sand. I worked at an adobe brick manufacturer in New Mexico and most of my job entailed shoveling sand and clay proportionately into a cement mixer to be poured into brick forms. Memories of this show up in the song: ‘I dreamed I was digging clay’ and ‘It takes sand and clay to begin to build the city up again.’ The chorus is an adapted quote from the book The Quick and the Dead by the great southwestern writer Joy Williams.”

As a radio and TV host, Baylen Leonard has presented country and Americana shows, specials, and commentary for BBC Radio 2, Chris Country Radio, BBC Radio London, BBC Radio 2 Country, BBC Radio 4, BBC Scotland, Monocle 24, and British Airways, as well as promoting artists through his work with the Americana Music Association UK, the Nashville Meets London Festival, and the Long Road (the UK’s newest outdoor country, Americana, and roots festival). Follow him on Twitter: @HeyBaylen

Photo credit: Holly Birtles

Baylen’s Brit Pick: 10 Bands Who Deserve Love in 2018

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The UK scene is as varied as it is exciting, even with doing an article each month, I haven’t really scratched the surface. There are so many fantastic UK acts that deserve some love, so with it being the end of the year, and the season of giving, let’s have a quick-fire round of artists that are worth some time in your busy ears. All are worth an entire Brit Pick, but time is short, and you have present to wrap so let’s get to it.

Yola

Yola is someone who is no stranger to BGS but she’s dropped her last name (Carter) and has a new single out, “Ride Out in the Country,” with a long-awaited new album on the way in 2019. She’s one to watch for sure. Country Soul at its finest, like taking off a pair of tight shoes, Yola soothes the soul.

O&O

London duo O&O formed in Liverpool via Israel and Colorado, with harmonies for days.

Treetop Flyers

Treetop Flyers have been rocking the UK scene for a while now but their 2018 self-titled album and appearance at Americanafest in Nashville kicked it all up a notch.

Emily Barker

Emily Barker has a lovely bluesy Memphis sound, she’s from Australia, but we’ve adopted her and she’s adopted us and everyone is happy. She’s a leading light on the UK scene and was named UK Artist of the Year at the UK Americana Awards in February.

The Marriage

A duo from Edinburgh and London, The Marriage are masters of sublime truth telling.

Hannah White

Hannah White has worked hard providing a space for homegrown acts to perform at her Sound Lounge initiative in London and has fought local government and developers every step of the way to do so. She’s a mighty fine artist as well, and one who gives back.

The Luck

The Luck are a brother/sister duo with a touch of the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac about them–what’s not to love?

Noble Jacks

Noble Jacks will get your feet stomping and raise any roof that’s not nailed down properly.

 The Hungry Mothers

Aside from having an amazing name, the Hungry Mothers combine dreamy folk with indie soundscapes.

Lucas & King

Finally, Lucas & King sound like they stepped out of the ‘60s in the best way. I love them.

So there you go, an embarrassment of riches from these isles to get you through the holiday season. If you want even more, dig into my personally-curated playlist and enjoy:

As a radio and TV host, Baylen Leonard has presented country and Americana shows, specials, and commentary for BBC Radio 2, Chris Country Radio, BBC Radio London, BBC Radio 2 Country, BBC Radio 4, BBC Scotland, Monocle 24, and British Airways, as well as promoting artists through his work with the Americana Music Association UK, the Nashville Meets London Festival, and the Long Road (the UK’s newest outdoor country, Americana, and roots festival). Follow him on Twitter: @HeyBaylen

Photo of Yola: Alysse Gafkjen

Baylen’s Brit Pick: Hudson Taylor

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Artist: Hudson Taylor
Hometown: Dublin, Ireland
Latest Album: Bear Creek to Dame Street

Sounds like: Simon & Garfunkel, Bear’s Den

Why You Should Listen: Once again I’ve ignored the clear and simple rules of picking a British act and this month gone for an Irish one instead. Rules are meant to be broken right? Besides, they have moved to London, and Ireland is just over there *points west*! In that spirit this month’s …ahem… Irish Pick is Hudson Taylor, a rule-breaking Folk/Americana band fronted by multi-instrumentalist brothers Harry and Alfie Hudson-Taylor.

You might already know these guys, as they have millions of streams, appeared on American TV a few times and toured the states loads, playing sold-out shows with Gabrielle Aplin and Hozier. You’re a busy person though, so you might have somehow missed them, but fear not, they embark on their own headline tour of the states in January after wrapping their second European tour.

If you do already know them… Apologies, let’s treat this like a refresher. If they are new to you, here’s what you need to know. They started off busking on the streets of Dublin, then went further afield to include cities all over Europe. Soon they were releasing self-titled EPs and opening for Jake Bugg and The Rolling Stones. Yes, The Rolling (expletive) Stones!

Critical acclaim and a label deal followed and not once did they follow the rules. They can’t be easily boxed into a certain genre. They are indie, folk, and Americana but not entirely. They have been embraced by millennials and old folkies alike and their cross-genre radio play is just as impressive as their streaming numbers, not an easy feat nowadays.

Have a listen or go catch them on tour and get hip with what the kids are listening to these days. Turns out in the case of Hudson Taylor at least, it’s the same thing we are all listening to. Finally we can have something wonderful in common. They might be young but as their song says, they have an Old Soul.

Photo credit: Brandon Herrell

As a radio and TV host, Baylen Leonard has presented country and Americana shows, specials, and commentary for BBC Radio 2, Chris Country Radio, BBC Radio London, BBC Radio 2 Country, BBC Radio 4, BBC Scotland, Monocle 24, and British Airways, as well as promoting artists through his work with the Americana Music Association UK, the Nashville Meets London Festival, and the Long Road (the UK’s newest outdoor country, Americana, and roots festival). Follow him on Twitter: @HeyBaylen

Baylen’s Brit Pick: Elles Bailey

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Artist: Elles Bailey
Hometown: Bristol, England
Latest Album: Wildfire

Sounds Like: Mollie Marriott, Jo Harman, Bonnies Tyler and Raitt, with a touch of Amy Winehouse.

Why You Should Listen: I love a husky voice and Elles Bailey has it in spades. Of course a voice that sounds like it’s had more nights out than me and smoked more cigarettes than Maggi Hambling (art school reference for you there) isn’t enough to make a great album, as wonderful as that voice may be.

So it’s good news that Elles combines that voice with sharp-edged lyrics, a soulful bluesy sound, country roots sensibilities, and top notch musicianship. Combine all that with a contemporary edge and you’ve got yourself a great new hope of British music. The smokey voice, by the way, doesn’t come from either cigarettes or art school; it’s the result of a stint in hospital when she was a child. Elles doesn’t dwell on that though and neither should we. It’s just another reminder of how sometimes light comes from darkness; she’s embraced it, turned it to her advantage.

I’d known of Elles for awhile and played her on my radio shows plenty but I only got to catch her live at the opening party for last month’s Nashville Meets London festival, and she blew the roof off the place. She has an easy, engaging stage presence and is the only artist in three years of the festival to start her set at a grand piano. A grand piano always adds a bit of oomph doesn’t it? She’s also a dab hand at a self-deprecating story, which makes you love her all the more.

All that aside, she could just stand stock still centre stage and sing her songs and that would be plenty, they are that good. Her latest album Wildfire was produced by Brad Nowell, tracked in Nashville, and features Grammy Award-winning guitarist Brent Mason and Musicians Hall of Fame keyboard player Bobby Wood, so all the boxes are checked in the Real Deal category. She’s appearing at The Long Road festival in England in September, thank God it’s an outdoor festival, I don’t think the insurance would cover another roof blown off by Elles Bailey.

As a radio and TV host, Baylen Leonard has presented country and Americana shows, specials, and commentary for BBC Radio 2, Chris Country Radio, BBC Radio London, BBC Radio 2 Country, BBC Radio 4, BBC Scotland, Monocle 24, and British Airways, as well as promoting artists through his work with the Americana Music Association UK, the Nashville Meets London Festival, and the Long Road (the UK’s newest outdoor country, Americana, and roots festival). Follow him on Twitter: @HeyBaylen

Photo credit: Alex Berger

Baylen’s Brit Pick: Olivia Chaney

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Artist: Olivia Chaney
Hometown: Florence, Italy but grew up in Oxford, England and now lives in London so we are claiming her.
Latest Album: Shelter

Sounds Like: Eliza Carthy, Joanna Newsom, Johnny Flynn, Laura Marling

Why You Should Listen:

Sometimes you just need to step outside your box, leave your comfort zone, and proactively NOT stay in your lane. Olivia Chaney not only does all those things but she’s made me do them too. I like to think I’m a pretty open minded guy, who loves music, not just genres, but when it was suggested to me that I take a look at Olivia Chaney for this month’s Brit Pick, at first I balked.

Folk isn’t really my wheelhouse, or so I thought. Then I listened to her striking new album, Shelter. Then I listened again. And again. I was no longer sitting in my studio on a busy city street with sirens constantly screaming by, I was roaming around a charming cottage that is older than America on the Yorkshire Moors in the rain without an umbrella or a care in the world.

Knowing that Olivia nestled down in said cottage to work on this album and watching the video for “House on a Hill” that was shot there obviously helped with that vision, I didn’t just conjure it up out of nowhere, but the music certainly fits. With eight original songs, and lovely versions of Purcell’s “O Solitude” as well as “Long Time Gone” made famous by the Everly Brothers, all produced by Thomas Bartlett, this album is a gem whether folk is your thing or not.

By collaborating with The Decemberists, sharing stages with Robert Plant and Zero 7, and citing Edith Piaf AND Sonic Youth as inspiration, Olivia Chaney has no intention of staying in her lane, and we are all better for it. She’s currently on a North American tour through August including dates with Patty Griffin and Bruce Hornsby.

Photo: Nonesuch Records

As a radio and TV host, Baylen Leonard has presented country and Americana shows, specials, and commentary for BBC Radio 2, Chris Country Radio, BBC Radio London, BBC Radio 2 Country, BBC Radio 4, BBC Scotland, Monocle 24, and British Airways, as well as promoting artists through his work with the Americana Music Association UK, the Nashville Meets London Festival, and the Long Road (the UK’s newest outdoor country, Americana, and roots festival). Follow him on Twitter: @HeyBaylen

Baylen’s Brit Pick: Bennett Wilson Poole

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Artist: Bennett Wilson Poole
Hometown: Rural Oxfordshire. Well, that’s where the group was dreamed up but two-thirds are from South London and one-third from Oxford proper.
Latest Album: Bennett Wilson Poole

Sounds Like: Hard to pin down but at a push I’d say Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young but there’s something of the Tom Petty about these guys and a little Schoolhouse Rock. Maybe a bit of Belle and Sebastian…. As you can tell they are pretty eclectic.

Why You Should Listen: Here’s the thing, I’m writing this in a pub. Try not to judge me, I’ve just moved and my broadband hasn’t been installed yet. However, even if I had Wi-Fi in the studio, I might be writing this in a pub anyway because: A) We do a lot of important things in pubs in the UK; and B) I can think of no finer three fellas to spend the afternoon in the pub with.

Individually each of these guys are musical heavyweights in the UK. Danny Wilson is the mighty leader of Danny and The Champions of The World and formerly Grand Drive, who has been moving and grooving since before Americana was even a word in the UK. Robin Bennett is one half of the swoony brother group Dreaming Spires and Saint Etienne. Tony Poole is from Starry Eyed and Laughing (a.k.a. the English Byrds), all-around wizard of a producer, and master on the electric 12-string Rickenbacker.

Listen to any of these guys individually and you’re already having a great day, all together and you’re looking at a great week if not month. The three work wonderfully together, leaving egos at the door, each taking turns on lead vocals but joining in on perfect harmonies when the song calls for it.

Sonically the album is varied, rich and layered with echoes and mirrored sounds. Lyrically it’s just as deep with songs inspired by the murder of UK politician Jo Cox (“Hate Won’t Win”) and harrowing photos of refugee boats in the Mediterranean (“Lifeboat”). I hope I’m not damning them with faint praise when I say this is a well-rounded album in every sense of the word. An album for our times. Some say trio, I say UK Americana supergroup

As a radio and TV host, Baylen Leonard has presented country and Americana shows, specials, and commentary for BBC Radio 2, Chris Country Radio, BBC Radio London, BBC Radio 2 Country, BBC Radio 4, BBC Scotland, Monocle 24, and British Airways, as well as promoting artists through his work with the Americana Music Association UK, the Nashville Meets London Festival, and the Long Road (the UK’s newest outdoor country, Americana, and roots festival). Follow him on Twitter: @HeyBaylen

Photo credit: John Morgan