Americana Music Festival, Nashville - September 2022

15 OF THE BEST FROM AMERICANAFEST 2022

With AmericanaFest cancelled in 2020 and out of bounds for overseas travellers for the scaled-down event last year, Lonesome Highway arrived in Nashville hugely enthusiastic about meeting friends old and new and, most importantly, seeing as many acts as possible over the festival. The inevitable clashes resulted in missing numerous artists and bands on our radar but we did manage to see over 70 acts during the festival.

Delayed flights and missing luggage failed to dampen the festival and once more it delivered a host of memorable moments from acts ranging from traditional country, alt-folk, indie, gospel, bluegrass, soul and Americana.

The temporary closure of Cannery Row deprived the organisers of three venues that traditionally offered the punters fifteen acts from which to choose, each evening. Newer venues such as the The Wash at Eastside Bowl and Riverside Revival compensated although, given their locations, logistically made it difficult to hop from venue to venue each day.  Favourites like The Station Inn, The Basement, 5 Spot and Exit Inn, represented the old guard of established rooms that have fortunately managed to keep their doors open despite the pressures from vulture developers. Dee’s Cocktail Lounge really came into its own this year, presenting a genuine country honky tonk, hosting excellent shows and being managed by the most welcoming staff. The legendary Tuesday night at The American Legion continues to grow, attracting vast numbers of listeners and dancers.

With over 70 shows attended, it’s a thankless choice highlighting the ones that really hit our sweet spot, but here are the 15 that stood out for us.

Shannon McNally @ Dee’s Cocktail Lounge

Not an official festival showcase but who would miss the opportunity to see this luminary host one of her September residencies at the best bar in Nashville? Outlaw country and soulful blues from an artist and band that appeared to be having as good a time as their captive audience.

Kelsey Waldon @ Riverside Revival

A reminder, if we needed it, of just how good Waldon’s new album NO REGULAR DOG is. A smile-inducing set from the word go, alongside killer playing and that classic country voice.

Jesse Daniel @ 6th & Peabody

Filling the dance floor with his opening number and with a crack six-piece band, it’s little wonder that Daniel is consistently selling out shows as his reputation continues to rise.

 S.G. Goodman @ Riverside Revival

An incredible performance from Goodman included the festival highlight for us, with a stunning intro to her opening track Work Until I Die. Pure class.

Kristina Murray @ Dee’s Cocktail Lounge

J.P. Harris described Kristina as the finest country voice in Nashville when he introduced her on stage a number of years back at AmericanaFest. Her show was a reminder of those sage words and a performance that brought to mind Emmylou and her Hot Band in the mid-70s

Jim Lauderdale @ Exit Inn

An artist that has captured the shifting colours of Americana over the years, Lauderdale’s latest offering GAME CHANGER is as ‘country’ as it gets. It featured strongly in the set and his infectious smile never left his face from start to finish.

 Sunny Sweeney @ The Wash at Eastside Bowl

Sassy, funny, and in splendid voice throughout, Sweeney and her band demonstrated exactly why MARRIED ALONE is one of our favourite albums of 2022.

Shawn Williams @ Dee’s Cocktail Lounge

Very few artists can perform a solo set for eighty minutes and hold the listener’s attention from start to finish. Williams achieved that and more with her raw vocals, slick guitar playing, and most of all, killer songs

Whitehorse @ The Wash at Eastside Bowl

Husband and wife team Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland have been quite experimental with their releases in recent years. Their latest album, I’M NOT CRYING, YOU’RE CRYING, is full of twang and swing and their showcase included lots of both, capped off with a measured cover of Gram and Emmylou’s We’ll Sweep Out The Ashes In The Morning.

Lyle Lovett @ The Wash at Eastside Bowl

A masterclass of cool and an extremely moving set from Lovett, with exceptional playing from Jeff White on guitar, Luke Bulla on fiddle and Viktor Krauss on bass.

Margo Cilker @ The Basement

It was a family affair from Margo Cilker, with her husband and sister on stage with her. On first hearing of her new material, we can expect her next recording to match the lofty heights of 2021’s POHPRYLLE.

Amy Ray @ The Wash at Eastside Bowl

Few artists have been as fiercely devoted and outspoken in defense of equal rights, gender equality, environmental issues and the survival of Native American communities as Indigo Girl, Amy Ray. Those passions and generosity of spirit were evident in a breath-taking set that included selections from her recently released album IF IT ALL GOES SOUTH.

Jaime Wyatt @ Exit In

Deprived of the opportunity to tour her 2020 album NEON CROSS due to the pandemic, Wyatt was in fine fettle.  Sounding glorious and looking elegant in a dazzling outfit, her set was delivered with maximum verve and gusto.

Florence Dore @ Dee’s Cocktail Lounge

The surprise package of the week for us. When you have members of Son Volt    (Mark Spencer) and The DB’s (Will Rigby, Gene Holder)  in your band, you can   expect a blistering set. That’s precisely what we got, an all-killer and zero-filler performance that had me first in the queue at the merch desk for Florence’s new album HIGHWAYS & ROCKETSHIPS.

Brennen Leigh / Kelly Willis / Melissa Carper @ Robert’s Western World

Three high-spirited friends inviting you into their world of country, roots and bluegrass in the only genuine downtown honky tonk in downtown Nashville, the legendary Robert’s Western World.

Reviews and photography by Declan Culliton

The Handsome Family @ Liberty Hall, Dublin - 17th September 2022.

Two acts at the opposite ends of everything played in Dublin last night. The Handsome Family was my choice, no contest. The fact that they were both performing on the same night was certainly a topic not to be wasted as the trio came on stage, and Rennie Sparks introduced herself as ‘Garth Brooks’, her husband Brett as ‘Garth Brooks’ and their percussionist, Jason Toth, by that name also. There then followed something of a rant from Brett which was not exactly appreciative of the big G. He told us that the day Garth Brooks started flying around the stage on a wire was pretty much the end of country music. Would Hank Williams Senior or Junior have done that, he mused, while adding “ he’s (Brooks) symptomatic of everything we’re trying to destroy.” Rennie commented that they had come here to get away from American flags and cowboy hats and here they were amongst a veritable sea of such cheaply sourced items.

The trio then proceeded to playing songs from their rich back catalogue that included such titles as Don’t Be Scared, So Much Wine (a Christmas song, they noted), Back In My Day, 24 Hour Store, Octopus, The Bottomless Hole, Weightless Again and of course the well received Far From Any Road, the song used so effectively as the theme for season one of True Detective. The song had also been used, briefly, in the film Lost City which starred Sandra Bullock. Brett said that he liked Bullock, as they had both been in Odessa, Texas, facilitating another comment about a fan letter received by a knowledgeable person who had discovered their music through Real Detective!

Rennie played her Hofner bass and banjo, while Brett was seated and played acoustically, with percussionist Jason Toth on drums, percussion, xylophone and Omnichord, adding much to the overall sound. Pedal steel and electric guitar player Alex McMahon, who had accompanied them on their UK and Irish tour to date, was absent due to his upcoming nuptials, but undoubtedly his playing would have added another layer of excellence to the delivery of the songs (as reported by LH writer Eilís Boland, who attended the Belfast gig a few days earlier). Although, as they say, you don’t miss what you don’t know. What we do know is that the sonorous voice of Brett contrasted with Rennie’s harmonies and effective musical contributions, and although Brett has previously dissed his guitar playing ability, it held together well.

The lyrical aspects of Rennie’s writing should not be overlooked either as it has a magical (or perhaps more correctly mystical and mythical) quality that is close to unique and that husband and wife collaboration produces something that is very special. Not, perhaps, for the boot scootin’ brigade but much appreciated by the attentive audience. Those in the know know that it is also the stage comments and exchanges that are very much a part of a Handsome Family show.

In one particularly long rant about the viability of music, Brett reasoned that once you buy an expensively imported vinyl album its scratched, ice ring recordings were the answer for Rennie! She then told Brett she would give him 50 bucks right there if he’d just play the song! And so it went on, with asides about other such topics as a song being a blatant rip off if anyone could spot it. There was a tale of a car alarm going off at night when they lived in Chicago. It gave out the message “I’m being tampered with” - which he said was true in the end, tampered with by the disgruntled neighbours. As regards items for sale, Rennie said she would be selling her hat, a spectacular black feathered affair, which she described as perhaps a mammoth’s eyebrow, and would be for sale, but it would need to be fed.

They promised some new music next year and played two new songs, one written based on the things Rennie said in her sleep during lockdown, which she tried to cope with by resorting to sleep aided by sleeping pills. One repeated phase that she spoke, but had no memory of, was the phase “Come into the circle, Joseph”, which may or may not be the actual title of the song. The other song was written as a performance closer and it was played as the final song in a two song encore. Goodnight was a good place to end what was an enjoyable family night out.

The opening act was chosen by the band and was an engaging set by another former Chicago resident, singer/songwriter Daniel Knox. A bearded and long-haired piano player, he was fittingly unique in his delivery which at times reminded me of the string of Randy Newman and the music of Scott Joplin - but then that’s just me! He arrived onstage with a sheaf of printed lyrics, and after each song he dramatically took a page, scrunched it up, and threw it on the ground. The between song exchanges were also amusing. Star Trek, Mr Rogers and the local burger chain Supermacs all came in for comment. He had a voice that went from baritone to, on occasion, falsetto and had a percussive and melodic playing style that was perfect for his lyrical themes and Mr Knox, judging from the numbers at the merch table, made a lot of friends here too.

Goodbye Mr. Brooks, I’ll be sticking with this particular family in the future. Handsome is as handsome does.

Review by Stephen Rapid. Photograph by Kaethe Burt O’Dea

HURRAY FOR THE RIFF RAFF @ WHELAN’s DUBLIN - 31st August 2022

‘Thanks for not forgetting about me and coming out tonight,’ remarks Alynda Segarra, three songs into Hurray For The Riff Raff’s thirteen-song set at a crammed Whelan’s.  It’s over nine years since Alynda and her band charmed punters at the Kilkenny Roots Festival with an acoustic set of gypsy folk songs. Eight albums and as many line-up changes later, Segarra and her chosen players continue on a musical path that has found the New Orleans-based singer, songwriter, musician, and poet continuing to experiment to great effect across multiple genres of folk-influenced music.

An ultra-passionate writer and performer, Segarra’s writing has often dealt with personal issues of the past. Her latest project LIFE ON EARTH took something of a U-turn, visiting more present day and political issues of American colonialism and injustice, alongside the challenges of survival while surrounded by a world in disarray.

As expected, much of tonight’s setlist draws heavily from the current album. Introducing patched drums and retro analog keyboards, the sound on the album is a slight departure from the band’s previous work and alongside their salsa-influenced rhythms the songs work magnificently in the live setting.

She instantly connects with the audience, opening the set at pace with Wolves, swiftly followed by the dance inducing Pierced Arrows.  The guitar driven Pointed At The Sun captures the frustration, possibly semi-autobiographical, of an artist struggling to remain creative.  ‘You can take my life, but don't take my home,’ she sings proudly on her gentrification anthem Rican Beach, taken from her last record, THE NAVIGATOR. Speaking passionately from the heart, she introduces Precious Cargo as an indictment of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, closing the song with the chant, ‘No, me no never see no handcuffs, ‘til I get to the U.S.A.’

The Body Electric is dedicated to all the survivors of violence against women and minorities, and she adds that a similar motivation inspired Saga, based on Christine Blasey Ford’s Senate testimony about her sexual abuse. Segarra and her three sidekicks returned to material from THE NAVIGATOR for two encores, Hungry Ghost and a powerful delivery of Pa’lante, closing what was a spectacular return to Dublin.

Segarra’s career has progressed from the stage shy performer of a decade ago to being the Patti Smith of her generation. An avid commentator on social injustice and inequality, her performance this evening was further evidence of an artist that can capture the intensity of post-punk, rap, folk, and New Orleans’s Street music and mould them into something quite beautiful.

Also worthy of a mention is support act Sister Ray. Her delicate songs dealing with interpersonal suffering and emotional survival were played to an attentive and appreciative audience who hung on to her every word.

Review and photograph by Declan Culliton

Marty Stuart & his Fabulous Superlatives @ Indigo-O2, London 26/8/22

It was Lonesome Highway’s first visit to this impressive, more intimate venue (seated capacity 2800), part of the huge O2 Arena complex. First up was Sam Williams, performing songs from his debut album, Glasshouse Children, accompanied only by an acoustic guitar player. The album’s title song and Can’t Fool Your Own Blood showed that he has some potential as a songwriter, though many of his songs are co-writes and he leans towards a country pop sound, with vocals reminiscent of Dylan LeBlanc. He had a relaxed stage presence, cutting quite a dash in his cerise velvet suit and glittery boots, and wearing his grandfather’s white Stetson. He referred a couple of times to the pressure accompanying his legacy - he is the son of Hank Jnr, and grandson of Hank - which he struggles with and wants to be identified as a person and artist in his own right. Time will tell.

Marty Stuart then hit the stage with his Fabulous Superlatives and we were treated to a whirlwind 90 minute set of outstanding songs and instrumentals, covering the gamut of country music from bluegrass to Western Swing to gospel to Americana. Marty has a huge set list from which to choose, and wastes no time between songs, so anxious is he to put on a good show. Old favourites like Tear The Woodpile Down, This One’s Gonna Hurt You, Time Don’t Wait and Tempted were interspersed with many cover songs, where Marty generously pays tribute to other stalwarts of the genre. His blistering solo mandolin version of Orange Blossom Special is preceded by an extended affectionate anecdote of his meeting with the writer, Ervin T. Rouse. Travis Tritt’s The Whiskey Ain’t Workin’, Waylon’s I’ve Always been Crazy and Marty Robbins’ El Paso are superb. Marty’s generosity also extends to allowing his band to shine individually, so we were treated to guitar maestro Cousin Kenny Vaughan’s version of his own song Country Music’s Got a Hold On Me; Handsome Harry Stinson emerged from behind the drum kit to play guitar and sing, mostly notably Woody Guthrie’s Pretty Boy Floyd; and Prof Chris Scruggs switched to upright bass for a phenomenal performance of Surfari’s surf rock anthem, Wipeout. We were also treated to some new songs - Friend Of Mine already sounds like a classic, while Sitting Alone was surprisingly Byrds-like, right down to Kenny Vaughan’s Rickenbacker guitar. Suffice it to say that the (below capacity) audience went home with a smile on their face and a satisfied mind.

Review and photo by Eilís Boland

The Felice Brothers @ Whelan’s, Dublin - 9th July 2022

‘From Francis of Assisi to the fans of AC/DC, we all shall live again,’ sings Ian Felice on the closing song of an electric show by The Felice Brothers at Whelan’s. The lines from We Shall Live Again are a fitting statement to a memorable return by Dublin’s favourite sons, and daughter, to the same stage as their previous pre-pandemic gig in late January 2020.

The Felice Brothers have evolved musically and in personnel from their swashbuckling appearance at The Sugar Club in Dublin in 2008.  That initial line-up included third brother Simone Felice and their raucous Pogues like stage show was the order of the day back then.

Understandably, with seventeen studio albums in their back catalogue, they have experimented - not always with absolute success - but they have hit a purple patch in recent years with both UNDRESS (2019) and FROM DREAMS TO DUST (2021), showcasing Ian Felice’s continuing maturity as a classic American songwriter. Their current line up is also arguably their strongest and longest lasting. Brother James joins Ian, playing keyboard, accordion and occasional lead vocals, Jesske Hume plays bass and Will Lawrence on drums.

Drawing in the main from their most recent album, they wow a packed house with a nineteen-song setlist that includes two encores. It’s the second last date in their tour of the U.K. and Ireland and they’re in sparkling fettle, with the ever-smiling James in particularly buoyant form and the often-withdrawn Ian in equally cheerful and engaging relaxingly with the audience. When a pint of Guinness is placed on the front of the stage by a punter, tongue in cheek, he reminds the doner that the band is a four-piece, resulting in another three beers finding their way to the stage.

It’s difficult to select the highlights of a show that sparkled from start to finish, but the selections from the new album are particularly impressive. Kicking off with Jazz on the Autobahn, six of the opening seven tracks are from that album. Silverfish, Valium, Let Me Come Home, Inferno and All The Way Down follow that opener and other showstoppers include Days Of The Years, Cherry Liquorice and their anthem, Whiskey In My Whiskey.   Ian’s raspy vocals, poetic lyrics and distorted guitar sound is ably supported throughout by a well-oiled rhythm section, upbeat accordion and keyboards, and four-piece harmonies.

The Felice Brothers have perfected the art of blending rowdy rock ‘n’ roll with showstopping skeletal folk ballads. Both are presented to perfection this evening confirming their growing status as one of the most complete and impressive live acts on the roots circuit. All in all, a triumphant return and exhilarating evening’s entertainment.

Review and photograph by Declan Culliton

Black Deer Festival

When it first opened in 2018 Black Deer Festival was an ambitious, if not outright audacious event with an astonishingly modest attendance of around 4000 guests on its busiest day. It was a surreal privilege to witness artists like Iron & Wine, Jason Isbell and Passenger headlining such an intimate open-air occasion. Surreal, but unsustainable. Yet when the festival returned the following year, word had spread and ticket sales nearly tripled! The site and the atmosphere were transformed and Black Deer became a fully-fledged fixture on the UK festival calendar, almost overnight. What happened next; 2020, 2021, we know. The festival "took a break" with the promise of its third year being bigger and better than ever, and ... it was pretty great!

The setting in Eridge Park is beautiful: From the main entrance and general campsite you can glimpse the extent of the site nestled among lush stands of enormous oak trees, with golden hills rolling out in every direction. At only 15 minutes drive from Tunbridge Wells, an hour's train ride out of London, it feels like the middle of nowhere. With limited mobile reception too, it feels like the middle of nowhere! The perfect place to immerse yourself in three days of non-stop live music, dancing, eating, drinking and socialising.

On the point of mobile coverage, the festival operates a cashless payment system for all bars, food vendors and retailers, so loading credit onto your account before arriving ensures you don't need to rely on signal for managing your finances. You can of course top-up at the kiosks onsite, if you don't mind a bit of patient queuing. Communication is obviously a whole other concern, though the site is reasonably compact without being crowded so you're never too far from finding friends.

The stages are managed precisely to schedule - something that shouldn't be taken for granted - so arranging meeting times and locations based on the timetable is simple. The site offers a range of excellent quality catering within the arena and campsites (shout out to the fabulous folks at Canny Coffee who were a delight to do business with first thing each morning) and the pricing is standard, around £10-12 per dish. For meat-lovers and BBQ fans in particular there's a good selection; fries loaded with spicy pulled meats, succulent ribs and gourmet burgers, as well as all the Live Fire cooking demonstrations. The hotdog and chilli eating competitions were less appetising to witness but the commentary was at least entertaining.

A sense of community and culture has been integral to the growing reputation of Black Deer as a festival of Americana and this is evident in each distinct area of the arena. Outside The Roadhouse an array of vintage cars and custom motorbikes lends the place an air of gritty rebelliousness which, somewhat ironically, drew crowds all day and night. Meanwhile, inside the venue saw some of the loudest rock, roots and blues acts of the weekend, including His Lordship and Franky Perez who were names on everyone's lips following their energetic performances here.

While counter-culture and culinary niches were being entertained at one end of the arena, the opposite side hosted a wealth of activities to keep underage attendees occupied, ranging from the very popular slacklining and skateboarding workshops, a rock-climbing tower and zip wire, lawn games, instrument workshops and an interactive wooden construction site. The Young Folks area is also well sheltered among trees and tents which made a nice retreat for those with very young children wanting to escape the elements (a very relevant consideration, more on this in a moment).

Whether it was in response to feedback from previous years or perhaps a sign of the times, there seemed to be fewer traders occupying the previous "Black Deer Mercantile" area. Nevertheless, bohemian festival fashion and typical country attire was popular and these stalls added to the community atmosphere of The Outpost area adjacent Haley's Bar which also encompassed a silent disco, axe-throwing and the Arkansas Porch Sessions. As one of the major supporting partners of the festival, Arkansas Tourism hosted daily unplugged performances by three charismatic and talented storytellers native to the state: Dylan Earl, Willi Carlisle and Jude Brothers. While each artist delivered a full set over at The Roadhouse Acoustic Stage to rapt audiences these more intimate showcases were a real demonstration of the power of country and folk songs to draw people in without fancy embellishment or even amplification.

Praise should go to festival organisers for the abundance of drinking water taps and well-serviced loos within the main arena (another success that can't be taken for granted), although the campsites experienced water shortages every day which was less-than desirable, tending towards downright unpleasant. Friday was absolutely scorching sunshine with temps in the mid-30s while Saturday followed this up with sickly humid conditions, ultimately building to a lighting storm that forced the premature closure of the festival during that night's headline performances. Credit for the calm but rapid evacuation of the arena should go to patrons and security staff, who ensured the ground condition was near pristine when the arena reopened on Sunday morning. Unfortunately, some patrons were left waiting out the storm, dangerously unprotected at the shuttle bus departure point. Hopefully organisers will learn from this incident and seek to implement some kind of shelter for future events, to ensure the safety and comfort of attendees in all weathers.

And so, on to the music:

If each day of the festival could be summed up by a single emoji it would read "flames", "lightning bolt", "prayer hands". Weather aside, Friday's line-up was a hot one. Returning favourite Irish Mythen was the first voice to resonate out of The Ridge Stage. Her powerful delivery elevated the emotion of songs like Tullamore Blues while her humour and sincerity engaged seemingly everyone within earshot. Alongside her sat Aussie transplant Emily Barker and Virginia native Caroline Spence, the trio exchanging songs and stories "in the round", warming up for each of their own main sets later. Barker included songs from her most recent album A Dark Murmuration of Words, a collection of songs inspired by climate change, sometimes devastating, sometimes optimistic, and every bit stunning in her clear, sweet voice. They were eventually joined by the delayed Imelda May who made up missed rounds with turns of song and poetry, appropriating the intimate setting to showcase her more tender side before unleashing a blistering Main Stage set of full on blues rock, soul and gothic pop.

Franky Perez opened the Main Stage with a set that incorporated buoyant, crunchy guitar riffs and a horn section; music you could dance to, or rather, music you couldn't help but dance to. On The Ridge Stage Caroline Spence gave a more subdued and intimate performance that was every bit as soul-stirring. Her songcraft is the gold standard in Americana and her latest album, True North, is a tonic for modern life. On songs like Scale These Walls and the Lori McKenna co-write The Next Good Time she displays a vulnerability that feels almost too raw for public display, while underscoring the power and strength that real honesty and insight affords us. Special mention has to go to the delicate guitar and pedal steel accompaniment of CJ Hillman who embellishes Spence's songs with such intuitive grace every time they perform together.

While songwriting is always at the core of the genre it was a thrill to see so many full bands elevating great songs and performances across the weekend. Friday saw the likes of William The Conqueror, Jinda Biant and Israel Nash tearing up stages with passionate, guitar-driven, bluesy rock. It was a relentless afternoon and evening building to Shovels & Rope's magnetic roots rock show. The duo are as enthralling to watch as they are to listen to and The Ridge Stage overflowed with fans eager to get a glimpse of the dynamic pair as they worked through songs from their latest record Manticore and a rapid-fire selection of hits from their catalogue. Faced with a headline choice between James, Foy Vance and the Ozark Holler Hootenanny (featuring Dylan Earl, Willi Carlisle, Jude Brothers and guests), the "sensible" decision was made to wind down, after a long and loud first day ,with alt-folk trio Wildwood Kin at Clash Magazine's Roadhouse Takeover. It was a very good decision as their audience was immediately enveloped in a sonic chrysalis, emerging nourished by the beauty of the Devon trio's divine harmonies. The set opener Headed for the Water was enough to make you forget all about your sunburn and muscle fatigue for a few hours.

There was a density and closeness in the air on Saturday, for sure, but there was also magic. The Ridge Stage once again opened with a Songwriter Session and for anyone asking "What was the best set you saw at the festival?", dear reader, it was this. Cam, Kezia Gill, Lade Nade and Robert Vincent. There's an unexpected and rare joy in seeing a lifelong memory unfold before your eyes, though this is surely at least half the premise of live music, and what these four artists delivered in just 75 minutes was worth waiting almost three years to witness. Cam opened the show, unleashing her other-woman's-apology-anthem, Diane, with only acoustic guitar and her powerhouse vocal setting an impossibly high standard to follow. And yet Kezia Gill matched that energy with her own romantic take on a good time in Nashville, Country Song, but not before inviting Cam to join her in a brief duet of Diane, admitting it was one of her favourite songs ever. The goosebumps have still not subsided from this moment. Embracing her own unique charm and charisma, Lady Nade drew the audience into an exquisite rendition of her song Wildfire, consciously opening up deeper emotional realms with every subsequent round of songs. Robert Vincent built on Nade's foundation of candid honesty with a healthy balance of self-deprecation and the cutting social commentary of Conundrum. Songs about love, grief, self-acceptance, guilt and wonder, and the stories behind them, offered with unhurried sincerity; each one forming a layer of healing and reconciliation around fans whose hearts have been starved of this kind of intimate human connection for the last two years. Having the night's headliners all cut short was disappointing but if you saw this set you got your money's worth out of the weekend.

Simeon Hammond Dallas is a star in the making, at least if the music industry could contain her effervescent and raunchy country-blues into something as sleekly definable as "star in the making" music. Her performance on the Ridge Stage displayed the confident independence of spirit that imbues her songs with authenticity and the authority that comes with lived experience. One to watch, if you weren't already.

Another breathtaking performance on the day came from the offensively talented, instrument swapping four-piece Darlingside, blending songs from their most recent LP Fish Pond Fish with new arrangements of older favourites like Go Back and The Ancestor. It is a delight to see this band blindside unsuspecting festival audiences everywhere they go; even among the musically savvy crowd of Black Deer they gathered new devotees to their unique brand of quirky folk.

Courtney Marie Andrews shone iridescent in both her attire and performance on the Main Stage. Her set showcased new songs from her upcoming album Loose Future while somewhat laying to rest the Old Flowers era of heartache and disillusionment that listeners have embraced since that albums release in the summer of 2020. Her all-star band featured Norwegian Spellemannprisen award-winning country artist Ole Kirkeng, percussionist Dominic Billett and multi-instrumentalist Jerry Bernhardt, each contributing effortless grace and gravitas to her songs as required. Andrews was typically bewitching, whether alone at the piano or with her band, particularly on the explosive set closer Near You.

It seems rude to ignore the biggest names on the Main Stage; Wilco and The Waterboys both impressed with very different performances that represented their respective audiences and musical styles. The pairing also demonstrated a genius bit of scheduling, especially given the meteorological event to come, in having a UK-exclusive performance followed up with a multi-generational, crowd-pleasing but relatively ubiquitous, live act. Were we disappointed not to dance arm-in-arm with strangers to The Whole of the Moon? Absolutely! Will there be another opportunity, perhaps this year? Taking nothing for granted these days, it's still quite possible.

Sunday's proceedings began slightly earlier than previous days with the jubilant Powerhouse Gospel Choir blessing the day after the storm with the festival's annual Gospel Brunch - including free waffles! Those seeking an alternative spiritual experience could turn to the mellow, instrumental glory of Yasmin Williams on the Main Stage. Her transcendent playing pairs perfectly with the gentlest midsummer sunshine over verdant countryside, and fresh-brewed coffee.

The final, spellbinding Songwriter Session brought together honey-voiced Canadian William Prince, English folk-singer and guitarist John Smith and Pennsylvania-via-Brighton duo Native Harrow. Each of these acts can silence a room in their own right - and did, later in the day - so as stage companions they were exquisitely understated. The pleasure of the exchange and a mutual respect, from songwriter to songwriter and between artists and audience, was very nearly tangible.

Sunday was steeped in reverence: Blue Rose Code's (I Wish You) Peace in Your Heart and jazz-infused rendition of Amazing Grace; the mere existence of Van Morrison and his Caledonian soul; and the deep philosophy and theology that informs the music of Hiss Golden Messenger all contributed a welcome serenity to the final day of the festival. That was perhaps disrupted a little by the raucous closing performance of Talisk in Haley's Bar but no-one would complain in the presence of such musical genius.

Review by Kendall Wilson

Courtney Marie Andrews @ Liberty Hall, Dublin - Thursday 23rd June 2022

This was a night of many conflicting emotions as Dublin welcomed back a favourite daughter to the city. Courtney Marie Andrews has been coming to play in Ireland for quite some time now and her vulnerability has never appeared more apparent before. She takes to the stage in a beautiful summer dress, a new hairstyle and a look of determination to get right into the heart of matters. Without her band dynamic, this is a rare opportunity to see Courtney Marie in all her quiet resonance and her open sensitivity.

This is a rescheduled show which dated back to October 2021 when her European tour supporting the OLD FLOWERS album saw her pulling out of the Dublin date at very short notice. There was plenty of negative feedback at the time, especially as Courtney Marie had played Belfast the previous night and rumours of Covid were not seen as being genuine, amid rumours of poor ticket sales and other matters.

Well, she started the night by saying that ‘I finally made it.’ She also references the missed date later in the show and praises the audience for their quiet attention in listening to her songs. Reference is also made to her joy at being back in the ‘land of storytellers,’ where every taxi driver she meets either has a tale to tell or a song to sing. If this seems a little staged, then it certainly did not come across that way and Courtney Marie spoke both honestly and without affectation.

One thing that has never been in doubt is the incredible talent that she possesses. Both as a songwriter and a musician, her light shines brightly and in this intimate setting, her beautiful songs carry a haunting quality. She has led a nomadic existence since her teenage years and the ending of a decade long relationship, back in 2019, was the back-drop to the cathartic nature of that OLD FLOWERS album. The old ghosts of the past still linger of course, for all of us, and without the full band sound, Courtney Marie is seen at the centre of her power tonight. A number of the songs are changed for solo guitar performance and the poignancy of the lyrics really hit home as a result. Another great benefit of this honest and bare performance, is the absolute pleasure of witnessing her prowess on the guitar. She is such a lyrical player, with a seemingly effortless fluidity across the strings. Her timing and dynamic is also so well honed now, that we are aware of being in the presence of an artist at the very top of her craft. It’s the little embellishments in the playing that set the hairs on the neck tingling and of course, having one of the most powerful and pure vocal tones on the circuit is no hindrance either. Courtney Marie soars and swoops around the song structures and colours everything in a sweet sense of perceptive insight and rueful yearning.

Across a set list that includes seventeen songs, we are treated to many old favourites and a few new songs from her upcoming album, LOOSE FUTURE (due October next). Her most recent album, is given pride of place with wonderful versions of Break the Spell, It Must Be Someone Else’s Fault, If I Told and Burlap String. A change of instrument, mid-set, sees Courtney Marie move to electric piano for superb renditions of Ships In the Night,  and the title song, Old Flowers.

HONEST LIFE (2017) is represented with Rookie Dreaming, How Quickly Your Heart Mends, Table For One and a really interesting new arrangement of the ever-popular favourite, Irene. A highlight is the intensity and nuance of Near You, a real tour de force. The new album title track, Loose Future is played and another (Me and Jerry?); both sounding like worthy additions to her increasing body of work.

Courtney Marie speaks of her upbringing in Arizona, her Grandpa and his liking for a drink or two, and her time spent in Portugal where she felt unknown and free. I get the sense that she sees herself at something of a crossroads right now. Perhaps the self reflection of Covid lockdown, coupled with the restless urge to keep finding new outlets for her self-expression and her creative muse. She finished the show with the wonderful May Your Kindness Remain, a message that there is more that binds us together than keeps us separate.

The opening act was Lola Kirke, promoting her latest album, LADY FOR SALE. She is both an actress and a songwriter, now living in Nashville and originally born in London, before moving to New York. Her easy presence and pleasant songs were enjoyable and well-received by the attentive audience while the anticipation grew for the lady of the moment. It is always a pleasure to see Courtney Marie Andrews in a live setting and if some of the crowd found her set a little short on dynamics and variation, then the solo nature of the performance gave good reason to take that view. However, I found the performance engaging, gentle, honest and understated. Welcome back anytime!!

Review and image by Paul McGee

Kelsey Waldon/Arlo McKinley/Emily Scott Robinson @ Workman's Club, Dublin -22nd June 2022Bottom

When the great John Prine passed away in April 2020, he left not only an enduring legacy in his timeless music but he also left the ongoing opportunity for young artists to develop their music careers, via his independent record label, Oh Boy, founded back in 1981. The label has gone from strength to strength ever since, even turning down an offer from Sony to buy it. Before he died, John signed Kelsey Waldon to the label in 2019 and added Arlo McKinley in 2020.  These days, the management of the label is carried on by his wife, Fiona and her son, Jody Whelan, as label chiefs. During Covid lockdown in 2021, Jody contacted emerging star, Emily Scott Robinson, and asked her to join the label, making her the most recent addition to a richly talented, and extended musical family.

The label represents all that is good in people management, always putting the best interests of their artists front and centre, a strategy that has produced a very healthy relationship among all involved and which ensures that the influence of John Prine continues across the generations.

The Cellar Bar is the perfect venue for intimate, acoustic evenings and, with Fiona Prine in attendance, we were treated to the last night in the Oh Boy European tour, which showcased the many gifts that these three most recent acquisitions bring to the label. It has been a quick tour, across seven dates, and visiting Germany, Holland, England, Scotland and Ireland. Perhaps it was fitting that the final night was hosted by Dublin as Fiona Prine was welcomed by the enthusiastic crowd who shared in her obvious joy at the event.

The range of talent was very impressive with the superbly gifted singer-songwriter Emily Scott Robinson taking the opening set, armed with just her acoustic guitar and a warm, welcoming smile. It was Emily’s Irish debut and she certainly impressed, drawing lengthy applause from the crowd who quickly realised that they were witnessing the unveiling of a special talent. Emily has a beautiful voice, comfortable at all ranges and filled with rich nuance and inflection in her delivery. She has a very natural stage presence and her easy conversation between songs had everybody enthralled. There is no doubt that we are catching Emily at the start of what will be a very big career as she continues to develop her art. Included in her short set tonight were songs taken from her most recent album, American Siren (2021), and she performed Lost Woman’s Prayer, Let ‘Em Burn, Things You Learn the Hard Way, Cheap Seats and Old Gods with both subtle charm and some impressive guitar playing. She also included the single, Time For Flowers, a song that was instrumental in getting her that initial Oh Boy interest which led to her joining the artist roster. Her insights into the human condition are a real treat across her three albums to date, and her way with words is a gift that elevates her music to increasingly impressive levels. Quite superb…

Arlo McKinley has also released a few albums and his understated onstage persona is laced with an impressive laconic drawl. His vocal delivery is powerful and reminiscent in part of Steve Earle. Starting out with the excellent We Were Alright from his 2020 album, McKinley impresses with his committed performance and his genuine raw talent. Bag Of Pills from the same album is another highlight as the superb lead guitar parts of Chuck Light colour the performance and lift the arrangements. The dynamic between the two musicians is very strong and despite not introducing his partner, you can see the obvious energy between McKinley and Light. Stealing Dark From the Night Sky (from an upcoming release), and a cover of the John Prine classic How Lucky (from Pink Cadillac), and dedicated to Fiona Prine, are other stand out moments. A new song, I’m Falling Again, gets an airing and an older song, This Damn Town, is also performed with a great dynamic. A cover version of John Deere Tractor (L. John Hammond) is dedicated to the memory of his Mother and it sums up this gentle soul, despite his somewhat gruff image, as one of the newly lauded talents on the current Country scene.  

Kelsey Waldon last visited Dublin in February 2020 as part of her album tour. She makes reference to the fact that it’s better to be back under happier circumstances, with the then-looming threat of Covid now a reality that we deal with on a daily basis of taking care. She plays both Kentucky 1988 and Very Old Barton from that album, White Noise/White Lines. There is a new album due shortly, No Regular Dog, and Kelsey gives the attentive audience a sneak preview with tracks, Sweet As Love and Backwater Blues, dedicated to her Dad, as she recounts growing up in North Kentucky in a house that was built on stilts to avoid the regular flooding that occurred in the area. It sounded like something right out of the novel, Where the Crawdads Sing… Another track from the forthcoming album, Simple As Love, is dedicated to the fact that she is now in a long-term relationship, has quit drinking and that life is good.  Kelsey is an assured performer and a fine guitar player, highlighted by the powerful delivery and her voice blending sweetly into the rhythm and melody of her reflective songs.

The night draws to a close with all the musicians taking the stage for a rousing version of the John Prine classic, Paradise. It celebrates the joyful feeling of just being in the moment and allowing the music to sweep everyone away to a place beyond our daily push and pull. A pleasure to have been there.

Review and photographs by Paul McGee

Sierra Ferrell @ The Button Factory, Dublin - 22nd June 2022

Nashville, Tennessee may be well known as a ‘ten-year town’ for artists to make an industry breakthrough but West Virginian Sierra Ferrell tore up the rule book when she arrived in Music City just over four years ago. A residency at the legendary American Legion weekly honky tonk nights as a member of the band The Cowpokes brought her to the attention of the big wigs at Rounder Records, who took little time in signing her to their label. The release of her debut album LONG TIME COMING on that label in 2021 drew universal critical acclaim and was a Lonesome Highway Album of The Year last year.

Due to Covid restrictions, her gig previously scheduled for The Workman’s Club was postponed and eventually rearranged for the larger venue, The Button Factory. The show was the opener of her European and U.K. tour, where she will play sell-out shows and festivals over the coming weeks before heading back Stateside to continue touring there for the rest of the year.

To say that her performance at The Button Factory was a triumph is possibly an understatement. From her opening song In Dreams to the set closer Jeremiah, she enthralled the large attendance with her knockout vocal range, polished stage presence, and deft guitar and fiddle work. Accompanying her on stage were two of Nashville’s finest players. Grammy Award winner and much sought-after session player Geoff Saunders played upright bass, with fiddle and mandolin parts performed by founding member of The Stray Birds, Oliver Bates Craven, with both also providing harmony vocals.

Ferrell’s eclectic musical style has been branded as everything from gypsy jazz to swinging bluegrass. Whatever the pigeon-hole she’s placed in, her talent and styling have drawn her to punters of all ages. The normal audience for roots and Americana audiences in Dublin have age profiles north of fifty, so it was particularly refreshing to witness that the majority in attendance fell well below that age category and seemed to know every musical twist, turn and lyric offered to them.

Understandably the set included the best part of her LONG TIME COMING album, particular standouts being Silver Dollar, Bells of Every Chapel, and West Virginia Waltz. The latter, a co-write with upright bass player Geoff Saunders, was given a somewhat slower treatment than the studio version and included stunning harmony vocals from Ferrell and her side men. Also included was a remodelled version of  Charlie Poole & The North Carolina Ramblers’ Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down and two new songs destined for her next album titled I’d Do It and Foxhunt. She also visited her early recordings on Bandcamp with Rosemary and Lighthouse. Another of the many highlights of the show was the crowd favourite At the End of the Rainbow, which included an additional ‘vocal only’ chorus where she invited the audience to take part.

Having finished the evening to rapturous applause with the most requested song of the evening Jeremiah, she returned to the stage with the band to encore with a rollicking version of the classic Osborne Brothers bluegrass song Lonesome Feeling, bookending what was a spectacularly successful opening tour night.  Given the quality and professionalism on show, Ferrell is far from at the end of her musical rainbow and is only on the maiden voyage of a career that is very much and rapidly in the ascendancy.

Review and photography by Declan Culliton

Westport Folk & Bluegrass Festival 2022

There’s always a temptation to keep it to oneself when one is aware of a little gem of a festival like  Westport Folk & Bluegrass, but spread the word one must! As proud ‘friends of the Festival’ this year, Lonesome Highway enjoyed a three day feast of top class old time, bluegrass and folk music from Europe and the US, all located within a few minutes walk within the centre of the ‘boutique destination’, the small town of Westport in Co Mayo. Somehow, this festival manages to  programme a mainly free series of performances and sessions in various venues around the town, and only the three main evening performances had a paid ticket.

SLO County Stumblers (named after San Luis Obispo County in California, where they now call home) brought their progressive hard driving old time music to the main stage in the Town Hall theatre on the first night. Based on the string band tradition of the 20s and 30s, perfect for barn dancing, they also hosted a fun Square Dance in the Clew Bay Hotel, where locals got their first taste of that Southern US tradition. The fiddle-banjo transatlantic duo of Gabrielle Macrae and Barry Southern (The Horsenecks) also wowed the main stage with their traditional American roots music, some original songs and some standards, all performed with faultless musicianship and soulful harmonies.

Ireland was represented by several acts. Brendan Butler is a well know bluegrass mandolin player and singer from Cork. He was joined by his son Louis on guitar (one to watch), and the father-son harmonies were exquisite, along with their well chosen selection of old time, bluegrass and country standards and a few originals, enhanced by their high lonesome vocals. At one performance, they were joined by Tim Rogers (a Vermonter who has made his home in Ireland for many years and is also a member of the organising committee) on fiddle, and Freda Hatton (another local member of the committee, and an accomplished Irish traditional musician) on Irish harp! Also from Cork came the Long Way Home duo, comprising Kylie Kay Anderson (from the US) and Owen Schinkel (from the Netherlands). Their blend of mandolin and fiddle old time music was a good fit for the festival, and they played a full part in the many sessions, and were spotted attending the mandolin workshop conducted by Dan Beimborn (US) who flew in from London especially for the event.

The CornMaiz String Band brought their Appalachian tunes, dance and lore from Eastern Kentucky. Band leader Carla Gover is also a superb educator in Appalachian culture, and her flat footing demonstrations were especially popular. She also took part in Footworks and Fiddles, a workshop in both Irish and Appalachian dance styles, with Bernadette Nic Gabhann. Germany’s Johnny & The Yuahoos were a revelation, with their serious bluegrass chops and progressive approach to the music. Most of all, they were great fun, and I look forward to see their return again soon.

The StillHouse Junkies from Colorado were as dynamic live performers as I had anticipated from their recordings, and it was obvious why they were named IBMA Momentum Band of the Year in 2021. Despite being jet lagged, they too threw themselves headlong into the sessions, as well as battling a poor sound system in one of their pub gigs. But the Saturday night theatre concert allowed them to shine as they deserved. The highlight among highlights was the Chicago band, The Henhouse Prowlers, who are also Bluegrass Ambassadors with the US State Dept and have played all over the world. Led by banjo player and charismatic founder, Ben Wright, the besuited four piece cut a dash both musically and visually, all weekend, culminating in their Main Stage performance on Saturday night.

The Folk component of the festival was rounded off by the superb pairing of old friends, Tony Reidy and Seamie O’Dowd, who treated their rapt audience to two hours of song swapping and storytelling on the Sunday night.

In addition to the aforementioned, Lonesome Highway unfortunately missed several band performances, including local stalwarts The Clew Bay Critters, The Jumper Cables (CZ), Yonder Boys (Germany), as well as the always popular Gospel Hour in the beautiful Holy Trinity church.

Many thanks to Uri, Sarah, Tim and Freda for their hard work in yet again producing a welcoming and musically excellent event. Roll on 2023!

Report by Eilís Boland

Omagh Bluegrass Festival 2022

After the inevitable hiatus of the past three years, Bluegrass Omagh returned for what should have been a joyous celebration of its 30th anniversary, on 28 & 29 May 2022.  The festival was the brain child and labour of love of Richard Hurst and his band of merry men and women, all of whom worked at the Ulster American Folk Park (part of the National Museums of Northern Ireland- NMNI), the perfect location for what evolved into, perhaps, the best bluegrass festival in Europe. Over the 29 years during which he was the main organiser, Richard built up connections with key personnel in the US (especially N Carolina), Canada and Europe, enabling him to consistently attract the top bluegrass and old time acts to this little corner of the island. In fact, the festival became so well known and appreciated by the bluegrass fraternity in the US that it was nominated for the prestigious IBMA Event of the Year in 2015.

With the prospective retirement of some of the regular staff, NMNI decided to farm out the production for 2022 to Snow Water Ltd.  On the positive side, the weather was mostly favourable for an outdoor event and there were some decent bluegrass and old time acts. Slocan Ramblers (Canada) were most impressive - not only do they have the bluegrass chops but they were inventive and progressive in their attitude and approach to the music, even if they were unfortunately programmed for the graveyard slot on a cold Saturday night, by which time most people except a few hardcore fans and stragglers had left. Seth Mulder & Midnight Run (USA)  were slick and entertaining, all competent players of hard driving bluegrass with a modern edge, with attempts at slapstick humour. It was heartening to see our very own Northern Irish family bluegrass combo, Cup O’Joe, on the bill. The Agnews (Tabitha on banjo, Benjamin on bass and Reuben on guitar) grew up attending this festival and have gone on to perform all over Europe and the US to acclaim. They are currently augmented by Tabitha’s husband, the accomplished American mandolinist David Benedict, formerly of Mile Twelve. Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno (USA) are a young duo steeped in old time music (see our review of their stunning self-titled debut album in 2021) and they entertained fans, both old and undoubtedly new, with their beautifully crafted original songs and instrumentals. Cork-based Long Way Home, comprising mandolinist Kylie Kay Anderson (Utah) and dobro player Owen Schindler (NL), were also on their first visit and their blend of bluegrass and roots music impressed. Aaron Jonah Lewis (USA) had played here previously with the Corn Potato String Band and he attracted many to enjoy his playing and educating about early American music, on fiddle and banjo. The Broken String Band (NI) are well known to regulars, and were the only local or Irish bluegrass band to play at the event.

Considering the absence of an A-list bluegrass band on the bill, and the inexplicable inclusion of local folk and rock/country covers bands, it shouldn’t have been a surprise that the majority of the regular faithful Irish and British bluegrass fans stayed away this year. Ticket prices also rose by 66%. Most attendees always welcomed the inclusion of a few local folk acts on the bill, but not on the Main Stage at peak times when there was little or no alternative to chose from. Another big disappointment expressed by many punters was the absence of the usual compère, Frank Galligan, who was the heart of the event, with his wit, eloquence and, above all, his deep knowledge of and passion for the music and its purveyors.

Two Northern Irish bluegrass musicians (and characters, in the best sense!) Mel Corry (banjo) and Geordie McAdams (fiddler and storyteller) have sadly passed away since the last festival but their absence was barely mentioned. There were only three stages this year, instead of the usual five or six, and there was unfortunate sound bleed from the very loud Main Stage, which marred the audience enjoyment of the acts on the Log Cabin Stage. Food concessions were limited and there were long queues at peak times, with the burger van even running out of chips on Saturday evening. Camper vans were no longer being allowed to park overnight, and there were complaints of long waits at night for the shuttle bus to the designated camp grounds at the Rugby Club. Many attendees didn’t appreciate being asked to have their bags searched for alcohol (by outside security staff), something which is unprecedented at what has always been a family friendly, safe and peaceful festival. It remains to be seen if this formerly renowned festival has a future and, indeed, there are rumours of alternatives for 2023. Let’s hope that the goodwill and transatlantic friendships forged over the past thirty years will not all be lost.

Report by Eilís Boland

Jesse Dayton and Dean Maywood @ Whelan’s Dublin 27th April 2022

‘Did me and the band pass the audition’, asks Jesse Dayton tongue in cheek after a blistering return to Whelan’s as part of his whistlestop Irish tour which also takes in dates at Belfast and Kilkenny Roots Festival. The band in question is a duo on this occasion, Texan Jesse joined by his long-time bass player Chis Rhoades. Despite the somewhat stripped-down arrangement and with them both perched on chairs, the full-on energy of Dayton’s set was never far from the surface from his opener Daddy Was a Badass to his closing encore of George Jones’ The Grand Tour. As is customary with Dayton’s shows, he communicated the history of each song on the setlist in illuminating detail. Recalling having been brought to his first live music show by his father to witness the immortal George Jones, he added ‘George didn’t show up.’ The rearranged show for the following week fared slightly better when a well inebriated Jones eventually staggered on stage and propped up by the microphone began to sing. The eight-year-old Dayton asked his father what the problem with George was. The simple reply he received was ‘that’s country music son.’  On a more solemn note, while introducing the song Miss Victoria (Beautiful Thing), he spoke emotionally about the eighty-two-year-old black lady that helped rear him and introduced him to some legendary black artists.  

Tales of encounters with Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt also featured and the first live rendition of a song from his next recording, Angel In My Pocket got an airing. The album is being produced by Shooter Jennings whose father Waylon employed a young Dayton as a guitar player. Dayton also modestly recounted strokes of good fortune at various points in his career. The title of his best-selling single I’m At Home Getting Hammered (While She’s Out Getting Nailed), came about while eavesdropping on a conversation between two jerks in a bar. On hearing those lines, he dashed out to his pick-up truck, found a hamburger box napkin and scribbled down those words. Other strokes of luck - modestly related by Dayton - included a commission by film director Rob Zombie to record the soundtrack to a film and more recently being offered a book deal by Hachette’s to write his memoirs. Subsequently published and titled Beaumonster, a play on his homestead Beaumont, Texas, it’s a series of memoirs of his colourful career in music. 

Aside from the hilarious tales recounted, the songs were a blast, Townes Van Zandt covers Loretta and White Freight Liner Blues both got an airing as did Tom T Hall’s Memphis, with Dayton recalling playing that song while touring with Buddy Miller some years back. May Have to Do It (Don’t Have o Like It) was a call and response with the audience before he unleashed Holy Ghost Rock N Roller transforming the front of the stage into a dancefloor. 

Dayton’s vocal deliveries, and crisp and soaring guitar playing were top drawer and well supported by Rhoades on bass and backing vocals. He spoke fondly of his love of Rory Gallagher, being blown away by Thin Lizzy’s Live and Dangerous tour back in the day, and his Irish ancestors (Sullivan’s and Corry’s from Cork). and genuinely seemed to be enjoying the night every bit as much as everyone in attendance. A great show, a great showman, and a very special night from an artist who seemed to be enjoying every minute as much as his audience. 

The show opener slot was filled by Donegal’s Dean Maywood, whom we last saw when he performed at The AMA UK Festival in Hackney two years ago. A talented tunesmith and guitarist, Maywood’s set was played to pin-drop silence - no easy task when performing to a Jesse Dayton crowd. His set included Jane, Louisiana, and Silver Dollar from his self-titled EP, and a new song Daddy Came Home, kicking off what proved to be a great night’s entertainment.

Review and photography by Declan Culliton.

Country 2 Country Festival 2022 Dublin & Glasgow

3Arena, Dublin. March 11th – March 13th 2022.

It has been a long road travelled by everybody since March 2020 when Covid arrived in Ireland and changed our lives forever. Here we now are, 24 months later, with Saint Patrick’s weekend in the city and new hope in our hearts. In a way, this journey also sums up the C2C weekend that has just wrapped up in Dublin, with the sense of joy in coming together in celebration of music and community the abiding message over the three days. 

So, twelve acts played, with a common goal to deliver both enjoyment and quality. Whether they all achieved this, in the end-result, is determined somewhat by your particular tastes when it comes to country music and what it may mean to you in 2022. 

As a music genre, country has continued to grow beyond all expectations over the decades since the 1950s, when it first gained widespread appeal with national radio and television exposure in the United States and beyond.  The old traditionalists would be appalled by the modern take on the genre and the manner in which it has been changed by urban influences, as other music genres infected the original pure strain with the passage of time. Long gone are the days of rural living where the music remained local and folks were happy to exist in relatively confined geographical areas. With migration to the cities and the change in post-war American values, a new style of music became the order of the day. You either adapt or you die.

Friday

Tenille Townes had the onerous task of kicking everything off with a set that commenced at the early time of 5.30pm and ran for some 40 minutes. She gave everything to a small crowd, in trying to establish both an atmosphere and rapport, with an energetic performance and songs taken mainly from her 2020 release, The Lemonade Stand. Songs like White Horse, Girl Who Didn’t Care and a cover of the Joan Jett song, I Hate Myself For Loving You, are all high intensity. She mixes this rock-chick side with a more studied approach in softer songs like Jersey On the Wall, I Kept the Roses and Somebody’s Daughter. Overall, given that it’s way too early for a gig in the first place, Tenille is a victim of the sound gremlins that had the drums and bass way too loud in the mix. Her vocal had to strain at times and fell out of synch with the band, but she won a warm round of applause by the end of her set.

Scotty McCreery followed with a 5-piece band and a big vocal delivery. The presence of pedal steel adds a nice dynamic and songs like, Same Truck,  Feelin’ It, Damn Strait and It Matters To Her, are all well received and delivered with energy. His is a commercial sound with plenty of evidence that country is indeed the new Pop music. A song for his grandfather, Five More Minutes, is somewhat different to his more up-tempo numbers, and This Is It captures a memory of when McCreery proposed to his now-wife. As a winner of American Idol back in 2010, he certainly has the voice and, with a number of successful albums to his name, a career that has seen him gather both momentum and popularity.

Brett Young is next to take the stage and his second appearance on the C2C bill (he also appeared in 2018) sees an increasing maturity in both song delivery and stage presence. His is a soulful voice and one that emotes the song sentiment very well. The absence of a bass player seems strange and the fact that his songs are mainly in commercial, radio friendly territory wins him plenty of new fans. Hits like 1,2,3, Mississippi, You Didn’t and You Ain’t Here To Kiss Me are well known and the growing crowd sing along. Equally, In Case You Didn’t Know and Weekends Look A Little Different These Days celebrate a new-found domestic bliss, his wife and young daughter, and a new perspective on the things that matter. A great cover version of the John Hiatt classic, Have A Little Faith In Me is superbly delivered with just Young and his acoustic guitar. He has five album releases over a ten-year career to date and is certainly poised for continued commercial success.

Darius Rucker is well known to Dublin audiences. Whether through his early success as the main vocalist with Hootie and the Blowfish, or his subsequent activity in pursuit of a solo career in country music, Rucker is an assured performer with a fine voice. He mixes his set between cover songs and a selection from his four solo albums, together with some old Hootie and the Blowfish hits. He is all about delivering a good time experience and his easy way with the audience is evident right from the start. Favourites like, Southern State Of Mind and Don’t Think That I Don’t Think About It are performed alongside covers of the excellent Hank Junior song, Family Tradition (with both Brett Young and Scotty McCreery joining Rucker onstage for a sing-off). Hootie hits like Only Wanna Be With You and Let Her Cry are performed, and sound as vibrant as ever. The popular hit, Valerie (The Zutons), made famous by Amy Winehouse, sits alongside Wagon Wheel, and the fact that the original chorus to this song was written by Bob Dylan in 1973, with the verses added in 1998 by Ketch Secor of the Old Crow Medicine Show, is completely lost on an audience who are channelling Nathan Carter in their recognition. History In the Making, Hands On Me, Beers and Sunshine, all show the prowess of a crack band with solo slots highlighting the rich talent on stage. A really energetic conclusion to the first day.

Saturday  

Hailey Whitters is a songwriter from Iowa and a new talent to most folks on this side of the big pond that separates USA from Europe. Her new album, Raised, has just been released to increasing critical acclaim, and her track record of writing songs for artists such as Little Big Town and Alan Jackson, among others, is not to be ignored. She has a warm stage presence, a down-home personality and a winning smile. Her band includes the superb fiddle player, Wesley Halls, who is a member of Flatland Cavalry, and his playing elevates everything about her set. Whitters is traditional country in every way and a breath of fresh air at the start of another music marathon. She should not be able to convince the audience to turn on their mobile phone lights at 5.30pm in the afternoon, but she pulls this off to great success, although her vocal was drowned out occasionally as the sound balance and volume was bedding down for the evening, Whitters delivers a strong performance and wins plenty of admirers. Her songs, Janice At the Hotel Bar and Heartland are well received and How Far Can It Go features a tribute to Trisha Yearwood with a section that includes She’s In Love With the Boy. The song, Ten Year Town tells her tale of trying to make it in Nashville and the cover of Take Me Home Country Roads (John Denver) is played with just an acoustic guitar and Whitters sweet vocal. A very strong performance overall.

Flatland Cavalry follow and they are a 6-piece band from Texas with a few albums under their belt already. They are new to this reviewer but I’m immediately struck by their musicality and fine ensemble playing. With the aforementioned Wesley Halls on fiddle, and main singer-songwriter, Cleto Cordero on honeyed vocals, they are an instant hit with the crowd. Songs from their new album, Welcome To Countryland, include No Ace In the Hole, Some Things Never Change, A Cowboy Knows How and Country Is – a song that captures the disparate nature of people and the narrow definitions that we place on things that we don’t understand. Older songs such as Old School and Stompin’ Grounds are full of personality and Duelling Banjos starts off with the signature sound of the Deliverance movie soundtrack, before the band kick into gear with some terrific soloing across a steady rhythm. Drummer Jason Albers and bass player Jonathan Saenz are really tight and locked-in as a unit and they provide the engine for the rest of the band to take flight. They also include another cover of Take Me Home Country Roads and leave the stage to a standing ovation – the first time I can ever recall this happening for an act who played this early. Definitely a highlight. 

Ashley McBryde is a true force of nature and takes to the stage on a mission to deliver with all barrels blazing. Her return to playing live music has her completely energized as she rocks out with her very impressive band across a showet that is drawn from her recent albums. It’s amazing to think that in 2018 she released her album, Girl Going Nowhere, as a statement of where her career had taken her over the previous twelve years. It proved to be a turning point for her and songs like A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega, Livin' Next to Leroy, and Radioland form a core part of her set tonight. McBryde is the real deal with a superb voice and a genuine love of being able to bring her music back to her army of fans in Ireland. She last performed at C2C in 2019 and her placing on the bill reflects the great strides that her career has taken, even allowing for the last two years of lockdown. Her latest album, Never Will, is represented with the songs, Voodoo Doll, Hang In There Girl, One Night Standards and the wonderful Sparrow. The title song, Girl Going Nowhere, is a really strong statement of her resilience and her refusal to just quit, and a cover version of the Allman Brothers, Midnight Rider, shows all the subtle nuance that her band display. Women Ain’t Whiskey is a new song that really hits home in a stellar performance, with McBryde emoting “Thank you for choosing to be inside this moment.” A real star and a joy to be part of this experience.

Luke Combs closes the show tonight with a performance that has the capacity audience in the palm of his hand and singing along to every song. His 8-piece band really deliver a quality performance over ninety minutes, pushing the dynamic and the atmosphere to great heights. In front of it all is the powerful vocals of Combs, his impressive stage presence and his ability to drop-kick full cups of beer into the excited audience as he shotguns another can in a performance that excites and delivers a big statement. Combs has his reflective side too and tells of his upbringing in a modest home with hard-working parents. He had never been on an aeroplane before the age of twenty-five and now, seven years later, has travelled much of the globe with his music. He is humble and speaks about his wife and their first baby, which is due in a couple of months. Indeed, he recalls his song Beautiful Crazy, written for his now-wife, before they had started dating – what a cool chat-up line; to be able to play her a dedicated song! 

His ballads are delivered impressively and the crowd really create a special atmosphere around these performances. She Got the Best Of Me, Forever After All, Five Leaf Clover and Even Though I’m Leaving, are all superbly performed and highlight the powerful, yet emotive vocal range of Combs. He can rock it out with the best too, and songs Cold As You, Houston, We Got A Problem, I Like It, I Love It / It’s A Great Day To Be Alive and Lovin’ On You are filled with great lines and riffs. A cover of the Brooks and Dunn song, Brand New Man, is followed by My Kinda Folk and Hurricane in a real tour de force display of the power lines that Combs is riding along these days. A really intense experience for all involved and the perfect ending to a great day of music.

Sunday

In a departure from previous years, tonight sees the introduction of three young artists who are currently making their way in Nashville and building their respective careers. Tiera Kennedy, Priscilla Block and Morgan Wade take their seats on high chairs and trade songs in between conversation and stories around their experiences and song-writing. All three artists display fine talent and a confidence borne of hard graft around the bars and venues of their adopted hometown. Kennedy hails from Birmingham, Alabama and released a debut EP last year. She has a soulful voice and her confident delivery on songs like Be Kind and Found It In You is impressive. Block has a debut album, released this year, and she has keen observational skills with songs like My Bar and Peaked In High School, cleverly constructed and full of personality. Wade is full of hidden depths and her persona is somewhat removed from the other two artists. No question about her talent on songs like Take Me Away, Wilder Days, and The Night, showing a real emerging talent. Her album, Reckless, was released last year to a lot of positive acclaim.  

Russell Dickerson is something of a strange experience and is the most removed act from anything resembling country music in his frenetic performance. He looks too pumped up as he strides the stage, self-preening and flirting with the video cameras that project the side screen images for the crowd. His choice of material is also debatable and at one point he combines, I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Whitney Houston) with Shut Up and Dance With Me (Walk the Moon). This is straight pop music played by a four-piece that are way too loud, with the drums and bass pounding and killing any sense of melody. It’s not his greatest hour and the less said the better.

Kip Moore has a really big following if you are to go by the army of fans that punch the air and know every song lyric. The words are defiantly shouted out by the noisy crowd as they reach increasingly high levels of fervour during a set that is pure, out-and-out, Rock music. Moore has played at C2C on three occasions now (the other two being 2015 and 2018). He has a gravel voice that resonates, almost with Springsteen inflections, and his stage presence is lean and mean. A bottle of Jack Daniels is conveniently passed around during the performance (coloured water, anyone?) in an act of portraying the image of hard-drinkin’ and hard-livin’ troubadours. He slows it down occasionally with songs like Hey Pretty Girl, That Was Us and She’s Mine, but apart from such brief moments of respite, it feels to me like I’m being pummelled into submission.  The 6-piece band are fully committed to delivering on a commanding performance, but it just doesn’t sound like country to me. Some of the songs that had the audience going wild were, Beer Money, Wild Ones, Somethin’ ‘Bout A Truck and The Bull, all well received by the converted, but lacking in both variety and interest.

Miranda Lambert closes this weekend as the headline act and she delivers a very professional performance which spans most of her album releases. Her voice is as resonant as ever and Lambert knows how to work a crowd with her performance. She has an 8-piece band to deliver these twenty-plus songs, and she owns the stage with an elegance and poise that comes from the confidence of being a headline performer for so many years. Lambert also starred at the C2C in 2016, and the band is very much the same personnel over the six-year gap. They play with an assurance and a swagger that really brings to life songs like, White Trash, Kerosene, Famous in a Small Town, If I Was a Cowboy, Only Prettier, Actin' Up, Bluebird, Tin Man and The House That Built Me.  A John Prine cover of That's the Way That the World Goes 'Round is really strong and Mama's Broken Heart is another cover song in a set that really delivers. Little Red Wagon and the closing, Drunk (And I Don't Wanna Go Home), a cover of a new song written by Elle King, leaves the audience wanting more. Sadly, the lights come up and there is no encore to close the final night of this country music extravaganza. However, Lambert has confirmed her status as one of the leading lights of country music and her talent is shining brightly.

Reflection  

It has been a real treat to witness live music on this scale after two years of waiting in the wilderness. Both artists and audience fed off each other and the energy was palpable across all three days of the festival. Top marks to the organisers who stuck rigidly to the scheduled time slots for each artist and who worked seamlessly to have the right stage set-up in place for every act. The onstage management was inspiring to witness as drum risers and other platforms were moved into place, and guitar/ keyboard racks assembled for the various acts. Well done to all the roadies and crew who made this possible and added to a very positive experience.

The lack of any pop-up stages outside the main auditorium remains an issue, with both Glasgow and London in a position to offer greater variety in this area. Perhaps the Dublin venue doesn’t lend itself to spotlight stages, but I found myself wondering why some local artists could not be given an opportunity to display their talents. 

Other observations include the alarming lack of music from the artists on the merchandise stands. No CDs is perhaps a sign of the way music is being digested these days, but the lack of vinyl was surprising, given the recent resurgence in this area. There were plenty of overpriced t-shirts, sweat shirts, baseball caps and mugs, masks, wrist bands etc. 

The alarming presence of cowboy hats was also a strange reality. So many folks trying to be authentic, when the true meaning of the cowboy hat and country and western music has been long lost in the sands of time. Happily, there were no six-guns attached to the dress code and the relative absence of cowboy boots was a blessing. I don’t recall any of the performers having a cowboy hat either.

I have to wonder about a fan base that increasingly ignores the origins of pure country music, hats and all, in favour of a new crossover-pop sound. It seems to me that the mixed messages reflect a genre in transition, yet again, and looking more towards a future that continues to mix hip-hop and pop influences into a gumbo that is no longer definable. With Garth Brooks due to arrive later this Summer in Dublin, the prospect of any reincarnation is sadly unlikely. 

MCD played a really important role in bringing all this variety of country music to Ireland and heartfelt applause to them for their planning and execution. It’s a huge logistical nightmare to move these twelve artists around the venues over three days. Transport, hotels, equipment, instruments, personnel - so much that has to fall into place. Long may they bring new music to these shores, but I find myself wondering if there is room for a Legacy Artists weekend, perhaps over two days, that would include bands of a certain vintage that would attract an audience that listens more than it wants to party. The doors at Lonesome Highway are always open …  

Review by Paul McGee

C2C Glasgow 11th- 13th March 2022

Country music has always been as much about escape as it has been about grounded authenticity, whether that’s leaving an abusive relationship, breaking gender or class stereotypes, or simply getting a Friday night off from a tedious day job to go out drinking and dancing with friends; a great country song offers performers and their audiences the chance to get some distance from life’s struggles. Two years to the day since the Covid-19 pandemic was declared, C2C - Country To Country returned to Glasgow, and Oh! how we needed it!

There’s usually some debate over C2C line-ups and what passes for country music these days; distorted guitars this, synthesised beats that, too folk too pop too Lil Nas X. But in the absence of any live music for the last two years, especially from international touring artists, that frustration seems to have faded from the conversation, replaced by genuine and grave concerns about the environmental and social structures of our world literally crumbling before our eyes. C2C was not a place to air grievances in 2022; it was a refuge and a homecoming for our country music family. That’s not to say the festival or the genre is beyond critique but simply that fans recognise the importance of finding and sharing joy in the moments we have, perhaps more than ever. Country music itself has a few dozen metaphors for how to see life through in hard times; on Friday night at C2C the lyrical lessons began with Hailey Whitters.

If you were scripting the perfect post-pandemic country music festival, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better opening song than Fillin’ My Cup, a song about finding the good in life’s mixed bag, which Hailey delivered with all the charismatic energy of a debutante and a headliner in one. 

“You can't appreciate the sugar if you never had the salt
Ain't it nice and sweet even when it's on the rocks?”

She may still be a newcomer to UK audiences but her performance and songcraft reflect the time and effort she’s put into breaking through, now, after 14 years in Nashville. Ten Year Town is an origin story echoed by several artists over the course of the weekend but as introductions go, Hailey’s is easily the most impactful. It’s hard to pick a favourite moment from her set, every song is a full episode, each with great characters, settings and stories; Boys Back Home is a tender reflection on growing up in a rural community while Janice at the Hotel Bar is loaded with a lifetime’s wit and wisdom, somehow distilled into four and half minutes with a catchy chorus. Perhaps though, it’s the set closer, Heartland, that really sells what Hailey is all about; while the chorus rhyming alone is a songwriting masterclass, its themes of staying grounded and holding true to your path are as timely and timeless as country music gets.

Following up on the main stage, the only named band to feature all weekend, was Flatland Cavalry. The notable absence of ‘legacy’ acts at this year’s festival may have left a gap, sonically, in what is usually quite a holistic programme but the inclusion of this Lubbock, TX outfit managed to tick off a handful of the more traditional sub-genres and styles, as they honky-tonked and two-stepped their way through a set that was heavy on harmonies, while balancing banjo and fiddle with ripping guitar solos. No Ace in the Hole is a combustible number, one primed for open-air events, while Country Is coaxed an early evening singalong out of the straight-from-work crowd. The band’s “Texas countryfied” rendition of Take Me Home, Country Roads had folks up dancing in the stalls which was as surreal as it was delightful, after two years listening to music in relative isolation.

Not to be ignored, Tenille Arts gave a classy acoustic performance on the Spotlight Stage which had been relocated to the back of the arena where it debuted in 2018. Whether this was due to audience feedback or crowd control measures in light of social distancing, it seemed to work this time around and these low-key performances produced some truly special moments for artists and fans alike. Tenille Arts’ radio-friendly crooning was an ideal palate cleanser to transition Friday evening into Friday night and the crowd had well and truly settled in by the time Ashley McBryde took to the main stage.

Ashley has been working her way up the bill at successive C2C events, first debuting on London’s Spotlight Stage in 2018. She played second on the main stage at Glasgow in 2019 and was the talk of the festival from there on out. The next time she plays it will be as the headliner. For years to come. Her songs are second-to-none; vivid, powerful vignettes of tragic and flawed characters, real situations, and raw emotions, all fortified by the sincerity of her delivery. Opening with rocking murder ballad Martha Divine was a statement of intent that Ashley and her band came to play hard. They guided the audience through a well-constructed set that showcased the depth and breadth of country storytelling with a heartland rock bent. Driving songs, praying songs, cheated and (award-winning) cheatin’ songs, break-up songs, radio songs, all-American songs; this set had everything. The quiet disbelief of Girl Goin’ Nowhere countered with the longing of Sparrow, before closing with the unguarded honesty of One Night Standards was a rollercoaster worth the price of admission.

Then it was Luke Combs’ moment to shine. He certainly has the accolades to justify his top billing but still had to deliver something special to claim the night from his openers. Instinctively he left it all on the stage with a 23-song set that included covers of Brooks & Dunn, Tim McGraw and Travis Tritt, as well as a seemingly endless string of hit singles from his expanded 2-LP catalogue. The fact that only 7 of those songs came from his debut album and yet every one was as good or better than the last, speaks to the strength of the songwriting powerhouse and performer that he has become. Even Though I’m Leaving hits the heartstrings with such velocity it’s hard to be in the room, while Hurricane feels like it might blow the roof off the place. It’s no exaggeration to say he put in overtime, wrapping up his set with two minutes until curfew, he came back out after apparently agreeing a penalty fee to play his two-song encore. It was worth it to close out with a 9-minute rendition of Beer Never Broke My Heart that saw Luke hi-fiving, hugging, shaking hands or taking selfies with next to everyone along the barrier. It might have been confronting for some fans but for others it was the surest sign of “normality” shown in a long, long time, and for that alone it was welcome.

Saturday saw a dynamic shift in the Hydro as more fans, now free of weekday work commitments, were able to attend from earlier in the evening and party harder into the night. Glasgow seems to strike it lucky with the line-up rotations between cities each year because Saturday nights always go wild. It may have started out sensibly enough with a songwriter round but the rest of the night was a riot! Russell Dickerson’s RnB-infused pop country dance party got the audience loose and limber before Kip Moore unleashed his set of rock-heavy anthems. Was any of that vaguely country? Gateway country, at a push. It was good fun though, and those guys really put on great live shows.

The Introducing Nashville songwriters showcase that opened the main stage was a fantastic way to fit more talent into the programme while minimising the risk or complications inherent with moving large touring parties around amidst a global pandemic. The three artists who ultimately performed, Priscilla Block, Morgan Wade and Tiera Kennedy, had their own distinct approach to songwriting and performance and it was wonderful to journey into each of their songs and come out the other side a little transformed by it. Priscilla’s Like A Boy displayed stunning vulnerability while Morgan’s performance of Met You took the air out the room. Tiera closed out the set with an unreleased song, Alabama Nights, that was more fun than anyone should have before teatime on Saturday.

Over on the Spotlight Stage another two talented acts offered up acoustic performances. Brittney Spencer was captivating, her voice sweet but commanding, and her frank lyrics on Sober & Skinny cut right to the heart. Rising star out of Rockwall, TX, Erin Kinsey was one of the youngest artists to perform in the main arena this year. Her songs had an effervescence about them, some rapid-fire phrasing and probably the only lyric to reference Paramore at C2C, ever.

The arena was packed out for headliner Miranda Lambert. Fans had waiting almost five years for her return and when it finally came, she more than made up for the delay. With a seven-piece band behind her Miranda fired through her catalogue, serving up hit after hit and hit. Four songs from 2019’s un-toured Wildcard album received rapturous applause.

“And if the whole wide world stops singing
And all the stars go dark
I'll keep a light on in my soul
Keep a bluebird in my heart”

Bluebird elicited an emotional singalong that had clearly been bottled up for the last couple of years, while Miranda’s solo performance of Tin Man silenced 12,000 people. US artists regularly say how much they love playing to UK audiences because of this active listening and reverence for storytelling but seeing it action again after such a long period without, really crystallised the magic of that experience on both sides of the microphone. The set also introduced three songs from Miranda’s forthcoming album Palomino. Recent singles If I Was A Cowboy and Strange (the latter released just the day before) were received like canon while Actin’ Up sounds likely to become a fan favourite for future Saturday night shenanigans. More dancing, drinking and singing ensued to Miranda’s fast-paced cover of John Prine’s That’s the Way That the World Goes ‘Round, and equally up-tempo Mama’s Broken Heart. There was hardly a moment to catch breath in the 22-song set before it wrapped up, rather appropriately, with Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home).

The final night of C2C in Glasgow was one for the loyal 2020 ticket holders as three of the four main stage acts were primed to play the festival when it was cancelled just 24 hours ahead of opening. The silver lining for the first act on stage, Tenille Townes, was that her set was upgraded not once, but twice: from the songwriters showcase to a stand-alone Spotlight Stage slot, and lastly to a full band set opening the main stage, after Runaway June had to pull out. Her performance on Sunday evening proved what many fans already knew; she should have been playing that gig all along. Her effortless stage presence belies her powerful and angst-ridden vocal style, and songs like Jersey on the Wall – I’m Just Asking and I Kept the Roses evidence an earnestness and maturity that make her so accessible as a songwriter and storyteller. Girl Who Didn’t Care and set closer Somebody’s Daughter could have been plucked straight from millennium-era Saturday morning CMT.

Fans of 90s mainstream radio especially would have found a lot to enjoy on Sunday. Not only was an actual alt-rock legend headlining (in GRAMMY-winning country veteran Darius Rucker) but the melting pot of influences embodied by Tenille Townes, Brett Young and Scotty McCreery offered flavours of neotraditional country, soul, RnB and pop. At times it sounded – and felt – like revisiting an earlier life, a sweet kind of escape in itself. The contemporary style of Callista Clark stood out all the more in this mix, her influences sounding more Taylor than Trisha, and that’s no disrespect to her performance. The bluesy Real To Me comes straight from the heart, as does the confident and clever It’s Cause I Am. Callista’s another act who’ll hopefully make the leap from Spotlight to main stage in the near future.

The final headline set of the weekend then belonged to Darius Rucker. It was only his second time at C2C but clearly, he is an artist whose appeal transcends genres or festival stages. He is a seasoned entertainer and it was obvious how much he relished performing live in Scotland again. As with Miranda the night before, Darius pulled hits from all throughout his catalogue (including three iconic Hootie & The Blowfish numbers) and the crowd danced and sang along to all of them zealously. The six-piece band carved out an easy-going set with natural swagger, rolling through Southern State of Mind, For The First Time and many people’s lockdown party jam, Beers And Sunshine. Darius worked the stage from end to end, keeping the audience fully connected with the energy of his performance. A subtle push of the tempo landed the band at their final song of the night – everyone’s final song for the weekend – Wagon Wheel. What more could anyone ask of Country To Country’s triumphant return than to close out The Hydro with Wagon Wheel?!

Well, the house music that actually played the audience out, after Darius and band left the stage and the lights came on, was Country Roads, Take Me Home.

Review by Kendall Wilson

Sam Amidon @ Flowerfield Arts Centre, Portstewart - 06/03/2022

Causeway Coast & Glens Council had the foresight to offer free tickets for this gig to mark the resumption of live events in their flagship Flowerfield Arts Centre. And so it was that, on a rare crisp sunny Sunday in winter, on the beautiful North Antrim Coast, a privileged bunch of us forsake the lure of the beaches to enjoy an afternoon with Vermont native, Sam Amidon. Steeped in music from childhood, Amidon started his performing career as a teen playing Irish fiddle music, but today he entertained us with acoustic guitar and open-backed 5 string banjo. He has spent most of his music career so far breathing new life into the ‘music of the people’, folk songs that are sometimes centuries old. He does write original songs, but his set today concentrated on his unique interpretations of both American and English folk and Old Time standards, which were warmly received by the listening audience in the intimate auditorium.

Kicking off with his unusual version of the well known Appalachian song Little Maggie, we were introduced to his dynamic, almost plucking, style of playing on his frailing banjo, held high on his chest. Then it was on to his mahogany top acoustic Martin guitar for No Sir, an English folk song that also made its way to the US. Between songs, Amidon set the audience at ease with his anecdotes and interesting facts about the tunes and his life on the road. Other highlights were the high tempo As I Roved Out, where he talks to his banjo between the lines of the song, and Dry Bones in the Valley, one of the less well known songs from the Harry Smith Anthology. There was even a cover version of a Tim McGraw song, My Old Friend, and an amusing road story to explain how that came about. Time Has Made a Change In Me, a song that his parents sang to him in childhood, became a singalong in that perennial tradition of folk concerts, and the nostalgia wasn’t lost on the raptured audience. 

A most fitting start to the resumption of live music and arts events - long may it continue.

Review and photograph by Eilís Boland

The Remedy Club @ The Grand Social - December 8th 2021

Such a delight to be present at live music again. So close to Christmas, and with new lockdown restrictions being rolled out in Dublin, it was not clear whether this gig would actually proceed. Happily, Aileen and KJ were given the all-clear and, despite a reduced crowd, as a result of the confusion, we were treated to some superb playing and excellent entertainment. 

The opening act on the night was Gráinne Hunt, a singer-songwriter who has been part of the fabric of the Irish music scene since her first release back in 2015. She has a very confident stage presence and her fine vocal sits nicely with a fingerpicking guitar style and rhythmic delivery. Grainne included songs from her latest album, Top Secret, which surfaced in late 2019. Both, Let Go and Breathe, were impressively performed and a cover version of Closing Time (Tom Waits) was also very interesting, with a suitably different arrangement and open tunings. Another song, Unacceptable, was co-written after an experience with trying to get motor insurance as a professional musician. The response by the company employee, to Grainne’s confirmation of her full-time career, was “unacceptable” and of course, the seed of a song immediately started growing! Great instincts will get you far in the music business and she certainly has all the talents to succeed.      

The Remedy Club setlist was taken from their two albums and, across seventeen songs, they serve a strong reminder of just how polished Aileen and KJ have become, both as performers and songwriters. Their signature Roots sound is expanded with the presence of a full band to fill out the arrangements and old favourites like,  I Miss You / When Tom Waits Up / Big Ole’ Fancy and Come On, sound fresh and vibrant. The newer songs are also very strong and highlights like, Fire and Gasoline / Let the Good Times Roll / Time Won’t Wait For Me / Seeing You Again and Reclaim, deliver both quality and resonance.

A cover version of Wild One (Phil Lynott) was dedicated to the memory of good friend and musical talent, Gavin Ralston, who sadly died in 2019. It formed part of a two-song acoustic set with just KJ and Aileen holding court in fine style. The other song was Django, itself a tribute to the memory of Django Reinhardt, and KJ really showcases his dexterity and touch with a sublime guitar performance. Indeed, his playing is of the highest order throughout, always interpreting the song dynamic and adding lots of subtle fills and runs as the melody unfolds. His playing is both understated and innovative, as it lifts the band performance.

All songs from the latest album, True Hand True Heart, were featured as Aileen warms to the joy of being onstage again. She sings with a seductive bluesy tone and showed her powerful vocal range on songs like Reclaim and I Survived, the latter as a final encore that saw her crown a really energetic and engaging performance. An additional encore song,  As the Crow Flies (Tony Joe White), was dusted off from the time when Aileen and KJ performed as, B and the Honeyboys, back in a previous life. 

 The band was comprised of Mark Colbert on drums, Podge Kilbride on keyboards, and Aongus Ralston on bass (brother of Gavin). All three musicians played with a creative economy, always serving the songs and adding great colour to the arrangements. Aongus is a superb bass player and has a warm musicality that adds to the easy flow of Mark on drums, always playing in the pocket and adding some nicely timed rhythmic cadence across the full set. The keyboards of Podge add great traction to the overall sound and his interplay with KJ’s guitars was both impressive and superbly nuanced.

I Got You is a song that KJ wrote for Aileen and it’s performed with the loving care that the lyric suggests; almost a Sonny and Cher memory as Aileen sides up to KJ and gives him ‘that’ look! The stage presence is always confident and poised as Aileen chats with an easy charm between songs, sometimes poking gentle fun at the constraints of being married to a musician who gives Christmas gifts of songs (the aforementioned, I Got You); at others, reflecting on the real frustrations of trying to maintain a career as musicians during Covid lockdown. It’s been twenty-one long months since they last performed as a live band, and that was meant to launch their new album.  The ensuing tour was cancelled and here we are, all this time later, the band playing with just a few rehearsals, and turning in a stellar performance. It was a very enjoyable evening and, if you were looking for the perfect antidote to the Covid blues, then this was it – an ideal remedy if you’ll excuse the pun.

Review and photo by Paul McGee

Malojian @ The American Bar, Belfast - Oct 3, 2021

Malojian (aka Stevie Scullion) kicked off his 5 week run of Sunday afternoon gigs in The American Bar by playing his debut album, THE DEER’S CRY, in full. He has handpicked a different opening act for each show, and today we were treated to a short set from Mandy Bingham. Accompanied as always by her partner Graham, Mandy admitted to being nervous since it was her first gig since lockdown. She needn’t have worried, however, as she quickly settled in, no doubt partly due to the warm reception she received from the sold out crowd. Graham’s atmospheric lap steel (and occasionally electric bass) is the perfect foil for her delicate vocals and finger picked guitar, and we were treated to mostly new songs Mandy had written during lockdown. Firebomb was particularly impressive, and it will be available soon as a single, produced by Malojian.

Then we were transported back in time to ten years ago when Malojian released his debut album into the world. Solo, he played the songs in the order in which they were listed on the album (which was a diy effort in a simple brown cardboard cd sleeve, hand stamped on his kitchen table,  the original run long sold out). Accompanying himself either on his acoustic Alvarez or his classic electric Rickenbacker, we were off on an odyssey through the whimsical world of the mind of Stevie Scullion! The Deer’s Cry was the alternative name for the St Patrick’s Breastplate prayer, Stevie explained, and that gave us some insight into ‘where his head was at’ when the album was being written and recorded. A few of these songs were in existence during his time with his former band, Cat Malojian, which he had formed with banjoist Johnny Toman, but by now that band had imploded and THE DEER’S CRY was created in the aftermath. ‘I’m never gonna live my life with my back against the wall’ in The Deer’s Cry is reiterated again in Checkmate ‘I don’t want to be a pawn in no-one’s game’. True to those aspirations, Stevie has ploughed his own furrow successfully as an independent artist, to the extent that he is in charge of his own record label and is starting to attract other artists into his Style Records stable. Recorded on a shoestring in various places, with his core band of Mikey Mormecha and Joe McGurgan, to whom he dedicated the last song, The Glue, he explained that it was somewhat of a miracle that this album ever saw the light of day. 

Not exactly known for his easy stage banter, unusually Stevie was in a (relatively) talkative mood and we heard some hilarious anecdotes about the inspirations for some of the material, and about some of the escapades the band got up to at that time. The Old Timer, accompanied by the Rickenbacker today, gets me every time and the unlikely inspiration for Do You Believe was quite a surprise to this reviewer.

All the gigs sold out very quickly but the audio-visual team of Chris McCorry and Colm Laverty are expertly live streaming the gigs via Stage Left, so you can experience them for yourself even if you weren’t lucky enough to grab a ticket.

Review by Eilís Boland

Brigid Mae Power - The Sunflower, Belfast -10th Sept 2021

 Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter was alive this week with an almost palpable air of giddy anticipation with the return of live music and arts events, post-pandemic. Even though there were still some restrictions, the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival (cancelled completely in 2020 and postponed this year from its usual early May slot) returned with a bang. 

Galway based Brigid Mae Power admitted to being quite nervous for her very first live gig in almost two years and admitted to feeling ‘rusty’, but she needn’t have worried. The necessarily small but appreciative audience, in the intimate room that is the upstairs venue in The Sunflower Bar, was respectfully supportive and equally glad to be there. Kicking off with the never more appropriate You Have A Quiet Power, she did indeed demonstrate that quiet power over a 70 minute set of solo interpretations of her own folky songs and a couple of covers. This reviewer hadn’t experienced a live Brigid Mae Power gig before and wasn’t very familiar with her work, so was pleasantly surprised to have enjoyed it quite so much.

Most of the set was taken from her acclaimed 2020 album HEAD ABOVE WATER, which was co-produced by herself, husband Peter Broderick and Alasdair Roberts. Without the luxury of a full band tonight, Power used only her electric Squier Telecaster (quietly strummed or finger picked), and occasionally a harmonium, to accompany herself and nothing more was needed. Her sweet and simultaneously powerful voice and unusual vocal stylings carried off her songs with a quiet confidence, despite her initially timid stage presence. On a City Night, I Had to Keep My Circle Small (where she easily reached those ‘impossibly high notes’!), Wearing Red That Eve and We Weren’t Sure were exquisite. I haven’t heard a better cover of Dylan’s classic One More Cup of Coffee, taken from her upcoming EP of cover versions, BURNING YOUR LIGHT. Also from that EP we were treated to the traditional May Morning Dew, a nod to her traditional Irish roots in Galway, via London. A new song, the dream-inspired Mother in the Sky was given a first airing, and Prine’s Angel from Montgomery was a welcome favourite.

For the encore, there was a call from a possibly inebriated audience member to ‘play the harmonica again’ and an amused Power obliged by treating us to Let Me Hold You Through This from her debut album.

Confiding that she didn’t enjoy her on-line gigs because every little mistake felt magnified and unforgiven, I’m sure we all join with her in the hope that we will never again have to return to those  miserable days.

Review by Eilís  Boland

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival - Various Locations : 3rd October 2020

Those of us who were lucky enough to be able to tune in to watch the online special version of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2020 Let the Music Play On were treated to a riveting three-hour documentary exploring some of the best of contemporary American roots music. This was the 20th anniversary of the festival which was set up by the late billionaire Warren Hellman and, thanks to his philanthropy, it has continued annually since his passing in 2011. Uniquely, the festival is completely free to attend, and attracts crowds of hundreds of thousands to the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco every October.

The pre-recorded documentary film, thanks to the well-funded organisation left behind by Hellman and involving many of his family, boasted very high production values. The musical performances were pre-recorded in various locations in the US (both indoor and outdoor) and indeed Ireland (Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi) and consisted of beautifully lit themed sets. The pieces were stitched together by tongue in cheek links from Californian musicians Chuck Prophet and Tre Burt, filmed on location in Golden Gate Park.

The proceedings kicked off with an affectionate portrayal of Warren Hellman himself from family and musician friends, and a chronicle of his unlikely friendship with Hazel Dickens. Hazel, who passed away herself not long before Hellman, was a much admired pioneering bluegrass musician who was also a champion of worker’s rights and of feminism. What began as a ‘strictly’ bluegrass festival evolved within a few years to become the ‘hardly strictly’ celebration that it is today.

Importantly, the aim of the festival this year was to raise much needed funds for Artist Relief, a philanthropic organisation that is providing much needed help for musicians (in the US) who are, of course, struggling more than most during the pandemic. The HSB company itself has donated $1m to the fund, and during the documentary funds came tumbling in from the appreciative audience.

 The running theme that stitched the whole event together was the evolution of the 5-string banjo music and its sociopolitical significance since its arrival in the US with African slaves in the nineteenth century. Parallel with this ran the clear anti-racism message of equality for all, regardless of ethnicity.

 Also notable was the strict adherence to social distancing and mask wearing (by all except the singers).

The traditional Country music of artists like Emmylou Harris & Buddy Miller, Jimmy Dale Gilmore & Butch Hancock, Robert Earl Keen and Steve Earle was played with both passion and purpose, while new artists such as Aaron Lee Tasjan, Tré Burt, Amythyst Kiah and Yola delivered a mix of Folk, Blues and new Country with a gritty edge to complement their more contemporary sound.

Sierra Ferrell gave an arresting performance and Steve Earle & the half-grass Dukes (with Tim O’Brien & Dennis Crouch) played with great energy and verve (“Ladies & Gentlemen, notice at no time do our fingers leave our hands.”)

Rhiannon Giddens appeared with Francesco Turrisi for a fiddle & percussion masterclass and she also spoke about the traditions of the Banjo at various points, interspersed with performances from Alison Brown and the Black Banjo Reclamation Project, also masters of the instrument and its place in the roots of musical communities and ethnic identity.

Los Coast were one of my favourite ‘unknown’ discoveries with strummed electric guitar and cello lifting a rendition of the classic, A Change Is Gonna Come, along with the soulful vocal delivery. Gospel trio The Sons of the Soul Revivers were also an interesting act, as indeed was the funky soul performance of Fantastic Negrito. The wonderful fiddle playing of Carrie Rodriguez was highlighted on the traditional, Frío En El Alma, a Mexican ballad and Bonnie Raitt delivered a sublime Blues performance on Shadow Of A Doubt.

Birds of Chicago delivered American Flowers with gentle power but the highlights for me were the heartfelt tribute to John Prine, when a variety of artists sung Paradise, with its references to the Peabody Coal Company and strip mining, together with the final rendition of Woody Guthrie’s This Land Is Your Land based around an existing Carter Family tune and including an additional verse from Steve Earle that called out Mr Trump.

Other standout performances included Buddy Miller’s curated performances from his Nashville home, including Kieran Kane with Rayna Gellert, The McCrary Sisters and (of course!) Jim Lauderdale and Emmylou.

Festival founder, Warren Hellman, had a vision and a deep passion for bringing people together and this uniquely FREE Festival, with no corporate sponsors, delivered a 20th Anniversary that did his memory proud and honoured his generosity of spirit.

Never before has it been more important to reach out to each other and the format of this online festival was completely successful in achieving this feeling across the 3 hours of archive footage, varied insights from assembled interviewees and lots of wonderfully diverse music.

The 3 hours went by quickly, which is always a good sign of enjoyment levels, the themes of Daybreak, Day and Dusk were well co-ordinated and with pledges in excess of €250,000 received from the virtual audience, it was an unqualified success on all levels. Congratulations to the event organisers and all the hard work from the technical staff behind the scenes.

The documentary is available to stream until Oct 11 - do not miss it!

Review by the Lonesome Highway Team.

Courtney Marie Andrews Live - Nashville

Courtney Marie Andrews at The Parthenon Nashville 26th September 2020

‘From this Arizona desert, to your cold English shores, I’m sending you my love and nothing more’. 

The final words from Courtney Marie Andrews’ album OLD FLOWERS are also her parting declaration to this breath-taking performance, streamed live from The Parthenon in Centennial Park, Nashville.  

She’s seated at the piano in the centre of the large hall, where she has presented the ten songs from OLD FLOWERS in the same sequence as they appear on the album. It’s quite a striking setting – a large rug is placed in the middle of the stately room, sparsely decorated with flowers, candles and a Wurlitzer electric piano, guitar, pedal steel console and microphones.

Accompanying her are vocalist Erin Rae, who also adds percussion on occasion and multi-instrumentalist Matthew Davidson on pedal steel, electric piano and violin. Both these players leave the stage for that final song Ships In The Night, as if to give Andrews the breathing space and privacy to perform the song without distraction.

The atmosphere gently reflects the melancholic sentimentality of Andrews’ fifth album which addresses the breakup of a nine-year relationship. 

Released in July of this year and without the option of an album launch to a live audience, this evening’s setting, somewhat ironically, perfectly captures the tenderness, vulnerability and delicacy of the album. The communication between Andrews and her musicians is minimal yet respectful, and there’s no conversation or introduction to the songs. Why would she? 

The lyrics spell out heartache, acceptance and resilience, drawing the listener into every track with the pain and confessions clear and raw. The imposing camera work captures her in close up, spotlighting facial expressions that suggest emotions of fragility, even exasperation.

Her vocals are crystalline, beautifully supported by Rae’s gentle tone and the musicianship is exquisite throughout. Guilty, Old Flowers and Together or Alone feature Andrews’ vocal and electric piano and only Rae’s backing vocals. Carnival Dream is one of the most potent offerings from the album and here she expresses it vividly with the song’s climax adorned by Davidson on electric violin and Rae adding percussion as Andrews agonises: ‘Will I ever let love in again.’ How You Get Hurt is another highlight with confiding vocals enriched by wisps of pedal steel.  If I Told finds Davidson switching to piano on another song of sensitivity, sadness and optimism.

Throughout, Andrews draws you in to every intense song; you get the sense of a wound not yet quite healed. But you are also reminded of the incredible talent she possesses as a songwriter, singer and musician.  

Review by Declan Culliton

Daddy Long Legs with Trouble Pilgrims @ The Sugar Club, Dublin - 29th February 2020

Storm Jorge may have been raging outside, but New York trio Daddy Long Legs were brewing up their own gale at a well attended Sugar Club last Saturday night. Their Dublin show was the final date of their European tour and it was obvious that they fully intended to enjoy the experience every bit as much as the punters, who had braved the wind and rain to catch the band’s return visit to Dublin.

When the New Yorkers were made aware that The Trouble Pilgrims included three members Ireland’s first New Wave / Punk band The Radiators from Space, they booked them as support act. In previous bands, prior to the formation of Daddy Long Legs, guitarist Murat Arturk and drummer John Styles included early Radiators songs in their sets, so it was no surprise to find them at the side of the stage enjoying the opening set. It proved to be the ideal warm up, engaging the audience with their familiar drive and swagger. They featured material from their current album DARK SHADOWS & RUST, all delivered with maximum attitude. It was no surprise either, that Styles - with beer bottle in hand - joined the Dublin band on stage for his requested Radiators song Enemies. The song may be over forty years old but it was blasted out with as much energy and venom from Pete Holidai and his cohorts, as it was back in their heyday.

What followed was a scorching and relentless onslaught of blues driven rock and roll from the The New Yorkers. Togged out like a throwback to a 1960’s R&B outfit, they are made up of lead singer, harmonica player and occasional rhythm guitarist Daddy Long Legs (Brian Hurd), who struts around the stage like a demented Lee Brilleaux, ripping out harmonica breaks and machine gun vocals. Arturk on guitars (and classic shapes and poses) and Styles on drums complete the trio. Renowned for their no nonsense and full on live sets, they hardly drew breath from the onset and had the front of stage  heaving with dancers three chords into that opening number. With the energy of The Ramones, the swagger of Dr. Feelgood and the stompy blues of John Lee Hooker, they blasted out song after song in rapid fire speed, including Evil Eye, Glad Rag Ball, Pink Lemonade and a host of others whose titles escaped me in the relentless frenzy. Through endless tours and full on performances like this, Daddy Long Legs have earned the reputation of one of the hottest blues/punk bands treading the boards these days. Their welcome return visit to Dublin certainly got the thumbs up for anyone that weathered the Storm Jorge to savour a stand out night of raw and no-nonsense rock and roll from New York’s finest blues stompers and Dublin’s Godfathers of punk.

Review and photographs by Declan Culliton