News, reviews and more
Welcome to the Maple Leaf, the regular RGM column that brings you news of the best sounds emerging from Canada. Since the decade turned we’ve been deluged with music but have meticulously sifted to bring you a carefully curated consignment of Canadian confections. Or something.
Read MoreToday, February 28th sees the release of the latest single ‘Devil’s In Town’ from the wonderfully monikered Silas J. Dirge. The single is the second release from his upcoming sophomore album and follows the rather wonderful murder ballad ‘Flowers On Her Grave’ a tale of death, vengeance and homicidal cows… Mr Dirge aka Jan Kooiker might be familiar to some readers from his time in alt-country act The Information. More about Silas J. Dirge follows:
Read MoreIt’s time once again to delve into the murky depths of the RGM inbox. The first edition of this new feature was surprisingly well received so we’re back with part two. Please join us as we share a quartet of impressive releases that reinforce the theory that there’s plenty of great music if you know where to look.
Read MoreSpanish act Morgan will release a UK single ‘Another Road’ on February 21st 2020 to coincide with a London show at Colours in Hoxton on the 25th. Morgan might be a new name to many in the UK but the band have two albums and plenty of road miles on the clock with shows as far afield as Brazil. More about Morgan and their Colours showcase follows:
Read MoreThe new decade has only just dawned but the RGM inbox is already full to bursting with great new music from a range of genres. We listen to all sorts of stuff here at RGM and believe that you can’t beat the thrill of discovering new music, so please join us as we delve into the RGM inbox. You never know your new favorite artist might be just a click away.
Read MoreThe Maverick Festival will return over the weekend of July 3rd - July 5th 2020 which, as I’m sure you all already know, is 4th of July weekend. This seems to be particularly fitting as Paul Spencer and the Maverick team have been bringing the very best in Americana to the leafy surrounds of Easton Farm Park, Suffolk for many years. The first names for 2020 have been announced with a nice mix of returning favorites and new names including Grammy winning singer-songwriter Steve Forbert and Canadian force-of-nature Terra Lightfoot. More info about the Maverick Festival including ticket prices follows:
Read MoreIf you’re feeling the November chill, there are few better ways to warm your winter-wary bones than to cosy up with a hot cup of Canadiana. The best new bands and balladeers of Canada continue to throw out little sonic gems and, once more, we find ourselves spoilt for choice as we bring you the latest cluster of musical magic that is the Maple Leaf Roundup.
Read MoreThe summer may have been hot and hazy, long and lazy but that hasn’t stopped the songsmiths of Canada. They’ve been beavering away over there, cooking up more musical missives and sending them eastward. At usual here at RGM, we’ve gathered them all up and sifted through hours of tunes to bring you the very best of the bunch. So, to ease you into the autumn months we humbly offer to you the tenth instalment of the Maple Leaf Roundup.
Read MoreNow, didn’t I tell you we’d be back in flash? The Canadian goodness continues to arrive, an exotic salve for all our little-islander woes, so here we are again with our regular column devoted to the best new music from Canada. Aaron Goldstein’s awesome Espanola record managed to fast-track straight to a full review, hence its omission here but his countrymen and women have provided plenty more to satisfy our Maple Leaf cravings, so, read on and feast your ears on the musical crème de la crème …Canadienne.
Read MoreCanadian trio The East Pointers recently released a new single ‘Wintergreen’ from their upcoming third album due late 2019. The guys are on the top of their game with ‘Wintergreen’ a track that beautifully melds their modern take on a traditional folk sound with a catchy pop hook. The single is an ideal taster for the album ‘Yours To Break’ which I’ve been lucky enough to hear and East Pointers fans are in for a real treat as the album delivers superb vocal harmonies, impressive instrumental chops and, most importantly, great songs. In other good news, the trio will return to the UK in January of 2020 for a run of dates. More about The East Pointers and those tour dates follow:
Read MoreHello and welcome to the very first Red Guitar Music competition. For our first run at a giveaway, we wanted to start with a bang so we’ve got together with the good folk at Maverick Festival and some of the acts performing at the 2019 event to offer up a pair of weekend tickets plus two sets of CDs with a Maverick Festival 2019 connection. A prize guaranteed to leave even the relative Americana newbie able to hold their own over a pint in the pub. Please read on for full details of the prize and the various ways to enter the competition:
Read MoreThe RGM inbox has been very busy of late so we thought we’d corral a selection of recent news items all in one place. We listen to a wide range of stuff here at RGM from the biggest names to newer artists just starting out so you never know what you might find. Discovering new music is always exciting so we urge you to take a moment and check out the selection of recent news. Your next favourite artist might be just one click away.
Read MoreThe Black Deer Festival will return to the leafy confines of Eridge Park in Kent on June 21st - 23rd 2019. The festival recently won Best New UK Festival at the AIF Independent Festival Awards 2018 and is looking to build on that momentum in 2019. The lineup looks strong with Band of Horses, John Butler Trio, The Staves, The Mavericks and legendary singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson already announced. Recent additions to the bill include Billy Bragg, Ethan Johns (solo), Yola, Treetop Flyers and Sam Morrow while a few of RGM’s personal favourites are also set to appear including The Sheepdogs, Ferris & Sylvester and Worry Dolls. Much more about the festival including ticket details follows:
Read MoreOh, Canada! How we are overwhelmed by all your musical offerings! Yes, our cousins over yonder have been working harder than ever since our last Maple Leaf column and here at RGM we have been hand-selecting the very best of the bunch so that you, dear reader, can sample (probably) the very finest in new Canadian music.
Read MoreAfter a brief period of winter hibernation our Canadian friends have re-emerged, bright-eyed as ever and begun sending their musical magic across the water to us once again. 2019 looks like it will hold riches aplenty and we feel it our duty to share with you some of the very best new Canadian releases in this, our first Maple Leaf roundup of the year.
Read MoreAmigo The Devil’s Everything Is Fine was one of my highlights of 2018. Macabre and gothic but not without humour ‘Everything Is Fine’ is a terrific album (RGM review) and I urge you to track it down and give it a listen. With just a banjo for company Amigo has stripped down ‘Hell And You’ from the album for his Grotto Sessions project and you can check out the video for the track and learn more about Amigo The Devil here at RGM.
Read MoreWelcome to Red Guitar Music in 2019 and a Happy New Year to all our readers. 2018 was a banner year for RGM as we increased our readership by a little over 50% so we’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who’s taken the time to read, share or comment and to all the PR companies, labels and artists who’ve been in touch since we launched in 2014. RGM was established to shine a light on the music we liked and to, in some small way, help to promote both established artists and new acts looking to break through. A quick look at an RGM inbox overflowing with great music tells us this will continue, but who are the artists to look out for in the early months of 2019?
Read MoreThe good folk of Canada continue to shower the RGM inbox with their musical missives and we’re delighted to be able to share with you another selection of exciting new tunes from over the water.
Read MoreCanadian singer-songwriter Steve Brockley has released ‘A Fire, The Cold To Fight’ the first single from his new album ‘Is Not Was’ due January 25th 2019 via Afterlife Music/Membran. Sometimes a first look at the the cover of an album is all that is required to get you interested and ‘Is Not Was’ just looks right. Judging a book by its cover might not be a scientific approach but I’m pleased to report that 'A Fire, The Cold To Fight' is more than enough to build anticipation for ‘Is Not Was’. You can judge for yourself as the single and a little more about Steve Brockley follows:
Read MoreNorth Carolina Americana/folk duo Mandolin Orange will release a new album ‘Tides Of A Teardrop’ on February 1st 2019 via Yep Roc Records. The video for ‘Golden Embers’ from the new record is out now and is sure to please fans of the band. It’s a superb, heartfelt song with an equally impressive video. A tour of Europe, including a London date, has also been announced with tickets on sale November 30th. The video for ‘Golden Embers’, more about Mandolin Orange and the tour dates follow:
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