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Credit: Stacie HukebaKim Richey is one of those unsung heroes of americana who have been around for ages, releasing an album every few years without huge fanfare, but whose work within the industry, working with higher-profile musicians, has earned huge respect amongst her peers.Richey came late to the party; she was 37 when she signed her first record deal with Mercury Records. “I think when you’re older, I had more of a sense of myself, and what I was and wasn’t willing to do to get a record deal“, she says. It may or may not be coincidental that Richey’s…
European Talent Exchange presents the summer results of 2026, with 256 shows confirmed for 115 European artists from 32 countries at 73 partner festivals across 28 countries. These summer bookings highlight the continued international momentum of Europe’s most promising emerging artists. Artists showcased at Eurosonic Noorderslag (ESNS) automatically join European Talent Exchange (Exchange), one of the longest-running and most successful platforms of the European Union’s Creative Europe Programme. Coordinated by ESNS, the programme connects emerging artists with a network of around 130 partner festivals across Europe and beyond. “ESNS has meant a great deal to our career. Suddenly, we’re appearing…
Well that’s it from us for this sweltering week, and we leave you dear reader with a brand new track from Drew Danburry’s Icarus Phoenix outfit which he describes as “an upbeat fiendishly danceable song about being part of a cult and all the joys involved.” As he notes, “I met someone who survived a cult and explained in detail the things he went through. Some might argue that as an ex-Mormon myself, I survived a cult as well.” It’s taken from a new EP called Gallop which is due June 25th. Drew plays our Americana 25 festival in November…
New personal horizons are explored, reverting to the sound of the 70s.Led by frontman and founder Tony Dekker, Great Lake Swimmers have been around since the early 2000s. The band has evolved through a shifting lineup but maintained a consistent homespun sound captured on their nine studio albums, the latest of which is Caught Light.True to their tradition of recording in unique, rural environments (previous recording locations include old silos and country churches), Caught Light was recorded in a studio in the Ganaraska Forest in Ontario. However, there were also some changes to their usual approach, with Dekker passing on…
Photo credit: Andrew FrolishWhen Kiefer Sutherland strode onto the stage at Norwich’s Adrian Flux Waterfront, the response from the packed crowd was immediate and thunderous. There was no slow build into the evening: Sutherland and his outstanding band launched straight into Down Below with pounding drums from Phil Wilson and the first flashes of the twin-guitar brilliance that would define the night. Chris Hillman, initially on pedal steel, drew out rich, cinematic notes while Ashley Wilson fired out a searing electric guitar solo. From the outset, this felt less like an actor indulging a musical side project and more like…
You see what he did there?Multi-talented singer, songwriter, and musician Jim Keller is to release Vinylly!, a collection of 14 of his finest songs from the last 15 years, and his first-ever European vinyl release. Out today, May 29, the collection will be on Continental Song City Records. The album includes songs spanning Keller’s late-career renaissance, four decades after he and his band, Tommy Tutone, topped the US charts with 867-5309/Jenny. It’s available to order here.Born and raised in New Jersey, Keller found fame after moving to San Francisco, where he launched Tommy Tutone in the late 1970s. Despite their…
Kevin Jarvis photoTo say Ben Vaughn has had an eclectic musical career would be a gross understatement. He grew up in the Philadelphia area, and his journey into music began when a kind uncle gave him a Duane Eddy record. It literally changed his life. He formed his first ‘proper’ band in 1983: the Ben Vaughn Combo. They had a five-year career and released two albums to excellent reviews. Rocker Marshall Crenshaw was mighty impressed with what he heard and covered a track from the band, I’m Sorry (But So Is Brenda Lee), for his Downtown album.This was the start…
There are rock biographies, and then there are monuments. Johnny Rogan’s Timeless Flight: The Definitive Biography of the Byrds, first published in 1981, belongs firmly in the latter categoryRogan was a twenty-something and still at Oxford when he completed the original book, and it’s very much the work of youthful enthusiasm. There’s a sense that every detail matters, that no session musician is too peripheral to interview, no contractual dispute too dry to document. I’ve got the 1989 revised edition, and he mentions in the introduction that it was up until that point 13 years’ worth of effort. It remains…
2000trees has added two more bands to its line-up in the form of Static Dress and Tigercub. Static Dress, who are gearing up to release their new album Injury Episode tomorrow (May 29), will be headlining The Cave on the Thursday night of the festival. Tigercub will be playing the same day on the Main Stage, replacing Thursday who have sadly had to drop out. They’ve also added some new names on the Word Stage, including Andrew O’ Neill’s History of Punk, Jamali Maddix (Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Taskmaster), Pierre Novellie (Mock the Week, Mash Report) and Rachel Fairburn (All…
Throwing Muses skipper Kristin Hersh has announced that her new solo album, Sugar On Blackstone, will be released by Fire Records on September 18. Watch a video for the new single “Dark Eyed Junco” below: “He was a ‘Dark Eyed Junco’ and I was a light-eyed weirdo,” explains Hersh. “We’d play basketball until after dark then, when we couldn’t even see the hoop any more, so that we didn’t have to go home. After our stepfather moved in, it wasn’t a home any more.” Pre-order Sugar On Blackstone here and peruse Hersh’s comprehensive UK/EU tour itinerary below (tickets here): 26…
The organizers behind Gloucestershire’s premier alternative gathering, 2000trees Festival, have expanded their massive 2026 billing with a wave of fresh musical additions, dedicated comedy stages, interactive kids’ programming, and vital charity partnerships. Held at Upcote Farm near Cheltenham from 8th to 11th July 2026, the multi-award-winning event has tracking to be its biggest-selling edition to date.On the musical front, independent post-hardcore outfit Static Dress has been drafted to headline The Cave stage on Thursday evening, joining a daily heavyweight lineup anchored by main stage bill-toppers Alkaline Trio, Funeral For A Friend, and Neck Deep. Power-rock trio Tigercub has also been…
The organizers behind Bloodstock Festival have unleashed a comprehensive update detailing the packed array of non-musical entertainment, gallery exhibitions, retail options, and eco-friendly schemes arriving at Catton Park, Derbyshire this August. Running from 6th to 9th August 2026, the landmark 25th-anniversary celebration has already completely sold out of weekend tickets, though limited day spaces remain available.On the musical front, logistical adjustments have triggered a running order shuffle for Saturday’s schedule. While all artists remain locked in, Of Mice & Men and Death Angel will now perform on the Sophie Lancaster Stage, whereas Nevermore and Urne have moved up to the…