Laurel Canyon Music

For fans and musicians of Folk, Americana, Country, Blues, Singer-Songwriter, Rock, Roots & Acoustic and music from the Laurel Canyon late 60’s/early 70’s era.

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Filtering by Tag: LCM Music News 2018

Fiona Bevan releases wonderful new EP 'Wild Angels Sweet Demons'

After spending a couple of years writing for other artists, the excellent singer-songwriter Fiona Bevan releases her brand new EP ‘Wild Angels Sweet Demons’. It's an EP of four songs of love, life, death, sex, imperfection, obsession and lush widescreen cinematic joy!

It was produced by Fiona’s longtime friend and Grammy-winning engineer Robin Baynton who has worked with Isaac Gracie, Mumford And Sons, Laura Marling, Coldplay, Florence, Arcade Fire. He also produced Fiona’s first EP 'Us And The Darkness'.

The new EP is available digitally and on vinyl today, with the CD available soon. All photos are polaroids taken by Chris Almeida

TOUR DATES

21 Nov @ Bath - Komedia

22 Nov @ Brighton - Patterns

24 Nov @ Exeter - The Phoenix

26 Nov @ Norwich - Arts Centre

27 Nov @ Ramsgate - Music Hall

28 Nov @ London - Islington Assembly Hall

30 Nov @ Cardiff - The Globe

1 Dec @ Liverpool - Arts Club

3 Dec @ Newcastle - Riverside

4 Dec @ Edinburgh - The Caves

5 Dec @ Birmingham - Institute 2

The Southern Companion to release their excellent new album in January

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We are delighted to announce that The Southern Companion will be releasing their new album “Shine A Little Light” on 25th January 2019 on their own label, Eleven33 Records. Pre order will be available from 21st November 2018 and when purchased digitally you will receive "Songbird" as an instant gratification download.

The band will be supporting the release with their first UK headline tour during February and March 2019. Dates to be announced shortly.

Fronted by singer/songwriter and guitarist Darren Hodson, The Southern Companion are made up of some of the UK’s finest session musicians , some of whom first met in the music room at school. Their CV’s include industry big hitters Tom Jones, Take That, Mel C, Lulu, Rumer, James Morrison, Pete Townsend, Dire Straits, Amy MacDonald, the list goes on and on.

After recording an “Under The Apple Tree” session for Bob Harris in 2016, an appearance at the C2C festival in London soon followed and a string of UK festivals that summer brought The Southern Companion firmly into the hearts of Country & Americana fans. 2 years of UK, European and USA tour dates came next supporting songstress Rumer and 60’s legend Lulu.

Multiple British CMA Awards, Live shows for The AMA-UK, National air play on BBC Radio 2 from Bob Harris, as well as a featured song in the upcoming smash hit movie “Wild Rose” feat. Jessie Buckley & Julie Walters, 2019 looks set to be a big year for the band.

“Americana blend that delivers a lot of impressive moments” – Maverick Magazine

“Wonderful band, I really enjoyed their set, We all love that song here” – Bob Harris – BBCR2

“A Mid-Atlantic Sonic Whirlpool where the US & UK currents meet” – AmericanaUK

“In a different place and time Darren’s voice would have made him a 90’s “modern rock” god and that’s a wonderful thing as far as I’m concerned” – Baylen Leonard / Bluegrass Situation

The award winning Lucas and King to release self titled debut album

Lucas and King - Album cover.jpg

Crowned ‘Fender Undiscovered Artist Of The Year 2018’ Southampton based duo Bo Lucas & Hayleigh King are set to release their highly anticipated self titled debut album on 23rd November. ‘Lucas & King’ promises to be a great fusion of Blues, Country, Sixties Pop and Roots. Their album launch will be at the prestigious Green Note in Camden on 26th November

With influences including Peggy Lee, Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly, The Kinks and Dolly Parton, the album features beautifully complex lyrics, sung by the sultry stand-out vocals of lead singer Bo Lucas, made all the brighter by Hayleigh King’s sympathetic and tasteful guitar accompaniment which in turn creates the cinematic backdrop of their sound. The album features elements of sixties pop, surf, garage and blues that take you from the empty and confined opener of ‘Brunswick Place’, through to the realities of love and life in ‘Maybe I Do’, to an existential crisis in ‘Shop Girl’, finishing on the dark noir obsessive ‘Nothing On You’. The duo have managed to create a timeless, but also fresh sound that is entirely their own. Upon meeting in Brighton at university, Bo Lucas (lead vocals and acoustic guitar) and Hayleigh King (electric guitar and backing-vocals) quickly cemented a musical connection, writing their first song ‘Crazy Heart’ within 15 minutes of first playing together.

Their DIY approach to music saw them playing at open mic's and local shows, resulting with the opportunity to tour with and open for Ray Davies - 50th anniversary tour, back in 2014. At short notice they burnt CDs on laptops, with handmade brown paper & cardboard sleeves stuck together, hand stamped with “Lucas & King” and handwritten track listings ready for the tour. In just a few years Lucas & King have stacked up many accolades and awards; the duo were finalists in Glastonbury Emerging Talent 2017 which saw them perform on Rabbit Hole, Avalon and Acoustic stage. Then in July of this year they were crowned winners of the prestigious ‘Fender Undiscovered Artist award’, hand picked by a panel of judges from over 2000 contestants; prize including a trip to LA, with gigs at the Fender factory in Corona California.

Lucas & King have also supported many respected overseas artists, such as Blind Boy Paxton, John Murry, The Americans and Colter Wall, all of whom have become avid fans of this very special duo.

You can pre-order the new album in the link below from Bandcamp

https://lucasandking.bandcamp.com/album/lucas-king

https://www.lucasandking.com/

Emily Mae Winters to release brand new second album 'High Romance'

The multi-award wining Cambridge based singer-songwriter Emily Mae Winters is releasing her brand new second album ‘High Romance’ through Pledge Music…and she needs your help and support.

For the release Emily has also been supported by the PRS Emerging Artist Fund in association with Pledge Music as well as through EFDSS (English Folk Song and Dance Society) Creative Seed Funding.

The new album will be recorded this December at London’s Urchin Studios with award winning producer Matt Ingram (Florence and the Machine, Laura Marling, Rae Morris, Lianne La Havas, Lewis & Leigh, Benjamin Francis Leftwich).

The album pre-sales and other exclusives can be found at Emily’s Pledge page at the link below.

Emily will also be on a UK album pre-release tour. Catch her if you can.

https://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/high-romance

Photo credit: Elly Lucas

Emily Mae Wintere HR Tour Poster.jpg

O&O to release debut EP ‘Truth Comes Out' on September 21st

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Following a packed summer of festivals including Cambridge Folk, Buckle & Boots, and Black Deer; tour dates and radio airplay across the UK including multiple BBC radio appearances, London-based Americana duo O&O have announced the Sept 21st release of their long-awaited debut EP ‘Truth Comes Out’, and revealed the lead single of the same name, available to stream now (listen here) and to download immediately for fans who pre-order the EP. Along with the title track, this new release features a total of four brand new songs including previous single ‘Tears In The Rain’, the video for which premiered last month on The Bluegrass Situation.

Orian Peled & Obadiah Jones comment “This summer has been momentous for us in getting to share our music with new audiences across the UK and we cannot wait to share our debut EP with everyone. This collection of songs came together over five busy months and several trips to Liverpool in the midst of our summer tour. Writing and recording the tracks one by one allowed us to try new writing styles and sounds as each new song was influenced by the ones that came before.”

Describing the single: “‘Truth Comes Out’ was inspired by the gritty sound we got from plugging Obadiah’s guitar into an old reel-to-reel tape machine that our producer, Alec Brits, has in his studio. That distorted sound led us into the most rocky territory we’ve explored so far and influenced the darker themes of betrayal in the lyrics.”

O&O will be showcasing songs from the new release at Apples & Pears in Shoreditch, London on Sept 14th. The EP is available to pre-order now on all platforms (Amazon / iTunes) and the single will be available to stream on Spotify soon.

The excellent The London Roots Festival grows bigger and better for 2018

The London Roots Festival 24th October - 18th November (formerly The London Folk & Roots Festival) is now in it’s fifth year. It’s grown from doing 6 shows in the first year to 32 in 2017 year across various size venues such as The Palladium, Bush Hall, Union Chapel, Shepherds Bush Empire, Oslo and many more.  Growing from strength to strength each year, 2018 promises to be bigger and better than ever.

This year's great line-up includes:-

  • Tom Baxter
  • Blind Boys Of Alabama
  • Joshua Burnside
  • Callaghan
  • Bruce Cockburn
  • Fisherman's Friends
  • Finbar Furey
  • Jake Morrell
  • Lindisfarne
  • Over The Rhine
  • Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys
  • John Smith
  • Sound Of The Sirens
  • Trampled By Turtles
  • Robert Vincent

In 2014 David Messer having promoted roots music for a number of years through DMP UK, decided to start a festival to give a platform for new and up and coming artists to play with known and established artists and to bring the best in roots music to London under one banner. So he teamed up with his friends at National Promotion company Kilimanjaro Live and created the The London Folk & Roots Festival, a multi venue event over two weeks in Oct/Nov.

It’s grown from doing 6 shows in the first year to 32 last year across various size venues such as The Palladium, Bush Hall, Union Chapel, Shepherds Bush Empire, Oslo and many more.

They have changed the name this year as they feel that folk comes under roots and they have an eclectic mix of folk, country, Americana, blues, singer songwriters and world music. We are very pleased here at LCM that this festival, is becoming a great part of London’s musical calendar.

If you are interesting in playing at the festival please send your info to david@dmpuk.com.

https://www.seetickets.com/tour/the-london-roots-festival

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Celebrating 50 Years

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF AMERICA’S GREATEST ROCK BAND - CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL

To celebrate this major anniversary, a brand new official video of the classic and iconic song “Fortunate Son” has just been released. Exciting times ahead as more announcement to follow, including a special release this autumn.

Craft Recordings proudly announces the 50th anniversary of America’s greatest rock band, Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was in the summertime half a century ago that CCR, a group that would reach sky-high success while retaining a resolutely rootsy, earthbound sound, released their debut album. This marked the beginning of an incredible legacy that was formed over just four years of unbridled creative output (1968-1972).

CCR's canon has become a staple in the Great American Songbook. Songs like "Bad Moon Rising," "Down on the Corner," "Have You Ever Seen the Rain," "Proud Mary," and "Up Around the Bend" have been ingrained into the pop-cultural consciousness—not just as classic rock staples, but as American standards.

As the United States speeds towards another anniversary of its own on 4th July, Craft is kicking off the CCR50 campaign by releasing an official music video (the first ever) for one of the band’s most enduring classics, “Fortunate Son,” a song as vital now as ever.

Beyond its anti-war sentiment, "Fortunate Son" is an anthem for the 99%ers, condensing a critique of elitism and class privilege into three simple, but powerfully defiant words: It Ain’t Me. Craft partnered with director Ben Fee (Band of Horses, The War on Drugs, The Lumineers, Aesop Rock) to give a whole new generation a visual entry point into the world of Creedence.

The song already has an undeniable place in history as one of the most visceral, attention-grabbing protest tunes of the Vietnam era. With the new video, Fee extends the reach of "Fortunate Son" even further. "For me, protest right now is just showing pure positivity in the face of division and anger." Says Fee, “I wanted to highlight the community and positivity that everybody shares…I wanted to show what America feels like when you actually hit the road and drive throughout the states."

Though the Vietnam war is decades away in the rearview mirror, the people CCR were speaking for in the song are still the heart and soul of America, and they're still the underdog, facing a whole new set of challenges. So, Fee turned the video into a celebration of their indomitable spirit, giving viewers a glimpse of the broad array of characters comprising the patchwork that is our country at its core.

In spotlighting the diversity and unconquerable spirit of America's so-called 99%, Fee created a concept as relevant to today's world as it is to the original 1969 setting of "Fortunate Son." "I met so many beautiful people," says Fee of the folks he shot for the video. "I went to the Taos Pueblo people, into their land, and met with the war chief, and they were very big fans of CCR. They were so welcoming because they knew the song and the band, and they really loved the idea of protest through positivity."

Fee’s video road trip took him across the country, from Los Angeles to Miami and all points in between. The footage captures people across America of diverse ages, cultures, ethnic backgrounds and locations (including Florida, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, California, Washington and Hawaii) to document the true spirit that makes up the fabric of the United States, for which CCR have been the soundtrack for 50 years.

In addition to the video, the half-century celebration will continue in the coming months to fill out the CCR story even further. Craft will be honouring the band’s musical legacy via a diverse array of media, products and events; including a special release coming this autumn. The fête will also provide fans with new ways to engage with CCR online–sharing their memories, streaming new content, and diving deeper into the band’s legendary history. Stay tuned to CCR50.com for more details, coming soon.

In the meantime, you can dig in to more from the Creedence Clearwater Revival catalogue (and build your 4th July playlists) via Apple Music (click here for the Essentials) or Spotify (click here for This Is).

Creedence Clearwater Revival’s 1968 self-titled debut album introduced the world to guitar-playing brothers John and Tom Fogerty, drummer Doug Clifford, and bassist Stu Cook, four young men out of El Cerrito in the San Francisco Bay Area. Though they emerged in a place and time where trippy psychedelic visions were the order of the day, CCR bucked the trends and instead tapped into a rich, traditional seam of American music that connected to blues, country, rockabilly, gospel, folk and R&B.

While their contemporaries were unfurling mind-bending musical excursions with elaborate productions, Creedence crashed into the upper rungs of the album and singles charts with songs that wasted nary a note or word, overflowing with raw soul and unbridled energy. Although the band members were only together for four years under the Creedence Clearwater Revival appellation, they managed to accomplish more than many artists do in their entire career – they released 14 Top 10 hits, six Platinum albums, and one Gold in just four intensely prolific years, all powered by John Fogerty's gut-level growl, with Tom Fogerty, Stu Cook and Doug Clifford providing just the right kind of gritty, in-the-pocket punch to propel CCR's vision.

The band's West Coast origins notwithstanding, Fogerty's voice contained echoes of everything from the Chicago blues bite of Howlin' Wolf to the Alabama twang of Hank Williams and the Memphis swagger of Elvis Presley, creating an archetypal example of Americana decades before anybody ever thought of using that term to define a musical genre.

For all the indelible guitar hooks and commanding vocals the CCR catalogue contains, their songs are more than catchy tunes. CCR was a people's band in more ways than one; hand in hand with the accessibility that made their music relatable to just about everybody, there was a strong sense of identification with America's common folks, the ones whose stories were told in the songs.

On tunes like "Born on the Bayou" and "Green River," Creedence harnessed the sonic hoodoo of almost dangerously deep, “swamp rock” grooves to propel vivid New Orleans imagery. "Long As I Can See the Light" floats luminously with the kind of sanctified soul feel that we've come to expect only from the South. And the spry country two-step of "Lookin' Out My Back Door" finds its feet in Nashville, at least in a spiritual sense. While CCR's signature song, "Proud Mary," is a Southern-soaked riverboat travelogue, with stops in Memphis and the Crescent City.

Even some of the covers of Creedence's tunes have become part of history—Ike & Tina Turner's sped-up, R&B-slathered 1971 recording of "Proud Mary" almost rivaled the original in popularity. And an astonishing array of artists, from Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson to R.E.M. and the Ramones, have recorded "Have You Ever Seen the Rain," to home in on the reach of just one of their profusely covered songs.

The group also performed a historic headlining set at Woodstock, and toured the world before disbanding in 1972. CCR's music endures today – still in popular rotation on the radio, and heard regularly in films and TV shows. Having sold over 30 million albums in the U.S. alone, Creedence received a rare Diamond certification from the RIAA in 2016, marking 10 million units in sales for their 1976 compilation album, Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits.

The appeal of Creedence Clearwater Revival isn't tied to any one era or milieu; whether it's 50 years ago or 100 years from now, all you need is a pair of ears to pick up on their sound. As John Fogerty once sang on a certain 1969 hit single, "Over on the corner there's a happy noise/People come from all around to watch the magic boys."

‘Sights & Sounds Of Tennessee’ Experiance To Debut At Waterloo Station: June 4th - 17th

Tennessee Invites UK Travellers to Experience the Soundtrack of America: performers include Gill Landry, Yola Carter, Kasheena Sampson & Robert Vincent

The beckon call of live music, complimentary Jack Daniel’s and an immersive multi-sensory experience will entice Waterloo Station travellers to delay their evening commutes and take a brief holiday in Tennessee at a special exhibit entitled “The Sights & Sounds of Tennessee” from 4th-17th June 2018.

The exhibit is part of a month-long campaign featuring the Tennessee destinations of Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville that follows British Airways’ introduction of its five-days-per-week nonstop service from London Heathrow to Nashville, the capital city and centre to the state. The Sounds of Tennessee exhibit at Waterloo and digital boards throughout London are to feature custom Spotify playlists that will serve as a formal invitation to British holidaymakers to visit Tennessee, one of the world’s top travel destinations for music lovers.

A special kick-off event, featuring Nashville recording artist Gill Landry, formerly of Old Crow Medicine Show, and AMA UK Artist of the Year Yola Carter, will take place at the exhibit on Monday, 4 June from 2 p.m. and include remarks by a Tennessee Department of Tourist Development representative.

Tennessee, located in the Southeastern United States, is the birthplace of seven different forms of popular music—blues, bluegrass, country, gospel, soul, rockabilly, and rock ‘n’ roll—and has more musicians per capita than any other place in the world. Tennessee is also home to world-renowned music attractions including Beale Street, Bijou Theatre, Bluebird Cafe, Blues Hall of Fame, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Graceland, Grand Ole Opry, Sun Studio, Ryman Auditorium and Tennessee Theatre.

‘Sights & Sounds of Tennessee’ visitors will stand atop a map of Tennessee and use headphones to listen to music recordings and other sounds one can only experience in Tennessee. Corresponding websites, accessible via mobile devices, enable visitors to virtually transport themselves to Tennessee destinations with 360-degree videos including a scenic vista overlooking the Great Smoky Mountains or one of the many blues clubs lining Memphis’ famous Beale Street.

Live music concerts will be held at the exhibit weekdays from 2 - 4pm, featuring music curated by the UK Americana Music Association (AMA UK) performed by some of the genre’s top artists, followed by a Jack Daniel’s Happy Hour from 4 - 6pm. Scheduled artists include:

Kashena Sampson, 5 June
Robert Vincent, 6 June
Danni Nicholls, 7 June
The Luck, 8 June
Bennett Wilson Poole, 11 June
Jake Morrell, 12 June
Worry Dolls, 13 June
Rob Heron, 14 June
Martin Harley, 15 June

“The UK is home to the world’s greatest travellers, many of whom have been coming to Tennessee for years to experience The Soundtrack of America and enjoy our southern hospitality, great cities, rich history and beautiful outdoors,” said Kevin Triplett, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. “The new nonstop service aboard British Airways makes reaching Tennessee easier than ever, and we look forward to welcoming even more of our friends from across the Atlantic in the years to come.”

On 4th May, the first new LHR - BNA flight (British Airways Flight 223; a Boeing 787-7 Dreamliner carrying 200 passengers) left London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) at 1545 local time and touched down at Nashville International Airport (BNA) eight-and-a-half hours later, initiating a five-days-a-week nonstop service from the United Kingdom to Tennessee’s capital city.

‘The Sights & Sounds of Tennessee’ exhibit is a joint effort led by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, working in partnership with BrandUSA, the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp., Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau and Knoxville Convention & Visitors Bureau, to formerly introduce Tennessee to Londoners through an interactive sight and sound experience in London’s Waterloo Station.

Photo credit: EPE

For more information please visit: www.tnvacation.com.

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