The Baker's Dozen #46 The Last Hurrah (!!)

December 12, 2023 by David Vousden in Americana, Country, Interview, Pop, Singer-Songwriter, The Bakers Dozen

These days, with a seemingly inexhaustible amount of music available at the click of a mouse, it is easy to miss things in our search for instant gratification. The art of getting to know an album over repeated listens, allowing it to slowly reveal itself, is in danger of being lost. A case in point is the aptly titled ‘Modern Nostalgia’, the latest release from The Last Hurrah (!!), a project helmed by Norwegian musician/producer HP Gundersen. ‘Modern Nostalgia’ blends a distinctly European (Serge Gainsbourg/Marianne Faithfull) approach with the California sound of Gram Parsons and The Byrds, utilising a variety of singers and instrumentation along the way to reveal its charms. With this in mind, we caught up with HP Gundersen to learn more about HP and his collaborators in The Last Hurrah (!!).

The Baker's Dozen #43 Dave Foster

May 18, 2023 by David Vousden in Classic Rock, Interview, Pop, Prog Rock, Singer-Songwriter, Rock, The Bakers Dozen

Fans of Big Big Train and the Steve Rothery Band will need no introduction to Dave Foster. The guitarist and songwriter has been heavily involved with both in the last few years but dig a little deeper, and you’ll discover Dave’s solo career and his work with vocalist Dinet Poortman. ‘Glimmer’ is the second album from the duo and does a wonderful job of utilizing progressive instrumentation, including plenty of fluid, yet punchy, guitar playing from Dave, on a bunch of songs with striking pop sensibilities. Fans of the aforementioned acts, and a band we recently championed here at Red Guitar Music, League Of Lights will surely enjoy ‘Glimmer’ immensely. The album was released on CD/LP in April, with a digital release on May 19th, so go check it out. We caught up with Dave for a wide-ranging chat (anyone who starts out by mentioning Bob Seger’s Nine Tonight is alright in my book) about his musical tastes, career and choice in film (Wes Anderson is another big tick here at RGMHQ). Now if we can get him to elaborate on that Steve Vai story…

The Baker's Dozen #42 Jenny Don't and The Spurs

April 20, 2023 by David Vousden in Americana, Country, Interview, The Bakers Dozen

If you were very lucky, you might have caught Jenny Don’t and The Spurs on their recent UK tour, which included a show at the Ramblin’ Roots Revue in High Wycombe. The Portland, Oregon act were promoting their excellent ‘Fire On The Ridge’ release, an essential purchase for all lovers of old-school twangy country sounds delivered with maximum gusto and bags of attitude. Before they set out on the Europe dates, which will keep them busy through May, we caught up with bassist Kelly Halliburton who was incredibly generous with his time, resulting in a very cool edition of the Baker’s Dozen.

The Baker's Dozen #41 Jerry Leger

March 24, 2023 by David Vousden in Interview, Singer-Songwriter, The Bakers Dozen, Tour Dates

In 2005, nineteen-year-old Jerry Leger cut his first independently released album. Since then, the prolific singer-songwriter has recorded 10 additional albums under his own name, with the last 4 released via Cowboy Junkies' label, Latent Recordings. His latest release is a four-track EP 'Latent Uncovers' that features his take on songs by Lou Reed, Jeff Tweedy, Leonard Cohen and David Bowie. Red Guitar Music caught up with Jerry for a brief chat about his influences, and he reminds us it doesn’t get much better than Gordon Lightfoot.

The Baker's Dozen #40 Adam Masterson

March 23, 2023 by David Vousden in The Bakers Dozen, Singer-Songwriter, Interview

London-born but New York-based Adam Masterson recently released his second album ‘Time Bomb’ digitally with CD/LP to follow on July 21st. It’s been two decades since his debut ‘One Tale Too Many’ but Adam has kept busy releasing various EPs, shared stages with the likes of Tori Amos, Amy Winehouse and Stereophonics and guested with Patti Smith and Mick Jones (The Clash). We caught up with Adam for an enlightening chat about the music business in 2023 and how buying a Tom Petty record from a beach vendor in Turkey proved inspirational.

The Baker's Dozen #39 Craig Gould

March 20, 2023 by David Vousden in Singer-Songwriter, The Bakers Dozen, Folk, Interview, Americana

Craig Gould is an artist looking to make a difference. Following a run of singles, Craig will release his debut album ‘Songs From The Campfire’ on April 14th. The album is the centrepiece of Craig’s personal campaign to raise awareness of mental health issues, with ALL profits from the album and singles benefitting the CALM charity https://www.thecalmzone.net/. Please read on to learn more about Craig’s back story, the album ‘Songs From The Campfire’ and why he feels so passionate about this project. Singer. Songwriter. Storyteller. Campaigner. Craig is all these things, so it seemed an ideal time to get to know Craig a little better via The Baker’s Dozen here at Red Guitar Music.

The Baker's Dozen #37 Kaya Stewart

September 21, 2022 by David Vousden in Alternative Rock, Interview, Pop, Singer-Songwriter, The Bakers Dozen

Kaya Stewart will release her second album ‘If Things Go South’ on September 30th via Bay Street Records. Kaya released her first album via Warners while still in her mid-teens back in 2016 and is now an industry veteran at just 22. Co-written and produced with her father, Dave Stewart (Eurythmics, Daryl Hall, Tom Petty), it is Kaya at her most authentic, expressive self.“This record is one-hundred per cent who I am now,” she declares. “This is the Kaya I was working towards all along.” RGM caught up with Kaya to learn a little more about her and the influences that helped to shape the new record.

The Baker's Dozen #35 Lee Rogers

October 29, 2021 by David Vousden in Singer-Songwriter, The Bakers Dozen, Interview

Northern Irish singer-songwriter Lee Rogers might have seemingly taken a break from producing new music in recent years but today (October 29th 2021) marks the digital release of his ‘Dark Notions’ EP (those who prefer their music in a physical format will be able to snag a 10” vinyl in the near future) and Lee has a new album and touring plans in place for 2022. Needless to say this seemed like an ideal time to catch up with Lee and RGM found a man passionate about life, family and his music. From The Police via Cosmic Village to ‘Dark Notions’ RGM gets to know a little more about Lee Rogers.

The Baker's Dozen #34 Bob Madsen (The Grafenberg Disciples)

October 08, 2021 by David Vousden in Classic Rock, Hard Rock, Interview, Melodic Rock, Prog Rock, The Bakers Dozen

For the latest edition of the Baker’s Dozen here at RGM we caught up with Bob Madsen. Bob is a songwriter and bassist with a long list of musical ventures under his belt including 41POINT9 (with Brian Cline) and a project entitled Operation Paperclip with Tony Carey (Planet P Project/Rainbow). Bob’s latest release is The Grafenberg Disciples with singer Hans Eberbach that enables Bob to explore a host of pop, rock, jazz and funk influences. The first single from the album ‘No Words’ is a tribute to the late Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart with proceeds going to Cedar Sinai Special Research Program For Glioblastoma. Needless to say it seemed like an ideal time to discuss the record and get Bob’s thoughts on a host of other things including an exciting upcoming project with an artist who’ll always get the RGM team to sit up and take notice.

The Baker's Dozen #33 Jamie Telford (My Glass World)

September 23, 2021 by David Vousden in The Bakers Dozen, Singer-Songwriter, Rock, Jazz, Interview

The latest from My Glass World ‘Still Life With Machine Gun’ finds Scottish singer/songwriter Jamie Telford expanding on his piano playing roots in search of a more wide-ranging sound. Jamie has plenty to say on environmental and social issues, while the sound is warm and jazzy due to the sax and trumpet contributions of Sean Read. The result is an album (complete with an unexpected Bowie cover) that rewards repeated plays. RGM caught up with Jamie for a chat about his influences and the state of the world in general.

The Baker's Dozen #31 Al Ross

September 07, 2021 by David Vousden in Interview, Classic Rock, Blues, Country, Soul, The Bakers Dozen

The latest edition of the Baker’s Dozen finds Al Ross chatting to RGM about his earliest musical memories, the demands, frustrations and opportunities that came to light recording the ‘Blue Crystal’ album during the pandemic and his love of vinyl and classic film. Al Ross & The Planets can be a little tough to categorize with blues, classic rock and country influences delivered with a dash of soul that makes for a thoroughly enjoyable listening experience. You can check out their second album, ‘Blue Crystal’ on September 10th 2021, via Wienerworld on CD and download.

The Baker's Dozen #30 Dim Gray

July 01, 2021 by David Vousden in Alternative Rock, Folk, Prog Rock, Rock, The Bakers Dozen

Norwegian trio Dim Gray released their debut album ‘Flown’ digitally in 2020 and it is now available on CD or a 2LP set with four bonus tracks across the physical formats. The Dim Gray sound is difficult to categorize with modern progressive and art-rock rubbing shoulders with Nordic folk as the trio all bring markedly different influences to the table. Radiohead, Fleet Foxes, Steven Wilson, Sigur Rós and Susanne Sundfør all get a mention in the band bio, which should be enough to get the more discerning listener on board. RGM caught up with Håkon Høiberg, Oskar Holldorff and Tom Ian Klungland to discuss a wide range of topics such as those myriad musical influences. We also delved into why choosing a band name is not for the faint of heart, and that, underneath the surface gloss, reality TV can leave a positive impression when approached with an open mind.

The Baker's Dozen #29 Emily Wolfe

June 25, 2021 by David Vousden in Americana, Blues, Interview, Singer-Songwriter, The Bakers Dozen, Pop

With a brand new album ‘Outlier’ out today (June 25th, 2021) Emily Wolfe has plenty going on. The Crows Feet Records release marks a departure for the Austin, Texas singer-songwriter and guitarist whose fretboard talents recently netted her a signature model Epiphone guitar deal. For the new record, those blues-rock roots are given a genre-defying makeover with a host of other musical influences rising to the surface. RGM caught up with Emily for a quick chat about those influences, how a fiddle-playing uncle planted a musical seed and that buying a LeAnn Rimes tape really can lead to Queens Of The Stone Age.

The Baker's Dozen #28 Tim Bowness

June 23, 2021 by David Vousden in Alternative Rock, Electronic, Interview, Pop, Rock, Singer-Songwriter, The Bakers Dozen

Tim Bowness is probably best known for No-Man, the duo he formed in 1987 with multi-instrumentalist Steven Wilson, but this is only a small part of Tim’s expansive musical CV that includes a solo career (six albums and counting) plus work with David Torn, Nosound, White Willow and The Opium Cartel etc. One of these many and varied projects is Plenty a band originally formed in the mid-80s as a trio with Brian Hulse and David K Jones. It would be thirty years before Plenty would actually release their debut album ‘It Could Be Home’ in 2018, but their brand of melancholy indie-pop/art-rock in the vein of The Blue Nile and Talk Talk has a timeless quality and the trio are back with a new 2CD set due for release on June 25th 2021 the press release refers to as “Something old, something borrowed, but all blue” which sums things up rather nicely. RGM was pleased to catch up with Tim for a chat about his songwriting approach and their emotional impact, his early career plus recommendations for good TV shows and a fair bit more.

The Baker's Dozen #26 League Of Lights

March 10, 2021 by David Vousden in Electronic, Interview, Pop, Prog Rock, The Bakers Dozen

Farrah and Richard West aka League Of Lights will release their third album ‘Dreamers Don’t Come Down’ on March 12th via Eightspace (CD/Digital) with vinyl to follow on 23/04/21 via Plane Groovy. ‘Dreamers Don’t Come Down’ is a cool record on which the duo deliver pop hooks and sumptuous soundscapes in equal measure. RGM caught up with Farrah for a wide-ranging chat about musical influences, making the very best of things when your tour is cancelled and really important stuff like X-Men or Star Wars…

The Baker's Dozen #24 Lyle Workman

February 18, 2021 by David Vousden in Interview, The Bakers Dozen, Soundtrack, Jazz, Prog Rock, Rock

Lyle Workman will release ‘Uncommon Measures’ digitally on February 19th with a CD release set for 16/04/2021 via Blue Canoe Records. Lyle has enjoyed a varied career as a songwriter, composer and guitarist first enjoying a brush with fame as a member of Bourgeois Tagg, when the Todd Rundgren produced ‘I Don’t Mind At All’ became a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, before his skills as a songwriter and guitarist resulted in work with Beck, Sting, Frank Black, Norah Jones, Bryan Adams, Sarah McLachlan, Jellyfish, Ziggy Marley and Jazz great Tony Williams. Inspired by The Beatles at an early age Lyle is always on the lookout for innovative jazz and rock artists and still finds plenty of time for Better Call Saul and Fargo. Many thanks to Lyle for his time.

The Baker's Dozen #23 A.J. Croce

February 02, 2021 by David Vousden in Americana, Blues, Folk, Interview, Singer-Songwriter, Soul, The Bakers Dozen

Welcome to the first Baker’s Dozen of 2021 here at RGM. We’re very pleased to welcome A.J. Croce who checked in with RGM from his East Nashville home to chat about his influences (which ties in nicely with his new album ‘By Request’ due February 5th), a love of spy thrillers and how, by taking a look back at how musicians have adapted to change in the past, we might all be able to move forward post-pandemic. It’s a really good read and thanks again to A.J. for his time.

The Baker's Dozen #22 The Marriage

October 05, 2020 by David Vousden in Americana, The Bakers Dozen, Singer-Songwriter, Country

The Marriage (Kirsten Adamson and Dave Burn) released their debut album ‘Imagining Sunsets’ on October 2nd, 2020. Kirsten and Dave both come from musical backgrounds with Dave first picking up a guitar at the age of 7 and being signed by a major label at 15 while Kirsten spent her summers in Nashville with her father Stuart Adamson, the late Skids and Big Country singer and guitarist. Both have been playing in touring bands since their teens. ‘Imagining Sunsets’ is a generally sparse and gentle affair built on the duo’s lovely harmonies but they are more than capable of kicking up a storm as evidenced by album closer and latest single ‘Box and Burn It’. ‘Imagining Sunsets’ is well worth fans of all things Americana and country tracking down. One listen to ‘Floating In Space’ and first single ‘Dreamers’ should have you hooked. We caught up with Kirsten and Dave for a chat about their earliest musical memories, a really varied list of influences and their thoughts on the music industry in a pandemic.

The Baker's Dozen #20 Harrow Fair

May 22, 2020 by David Vousden in Folk, Interview, The Bakers Dozen, Americana

Canadian duo Harrow Fair recently released ‘Sins We Made’ via Roaring Girl Records. The album is their second and builds on the success of their very well received ‘Call To Arms’ debut. Harrow Fair comprises Miranda Mulholland and Andrew Penner and they should have been touring the UK this month but unfortunately, that was not to be. RGM caught up with Miranda and Andrew for a quick chat about their earliest musical memories, influences and the joys of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (you heard it here first). Many thanks to Miranda and Andrew and we look forward to welcoming them back to the UK as soon as it is safe to do so.

The Baker's Dozen #19 Dustbowl Revival

February 03, 2020 by David Vousden in The Bakers Dozen, Americana, Folk

RGM caught up with Z. Lupetin of Dustbowl Revival for the latest in our Baker’s Dozen feature. The Los Angeles based act released a cool new album ‘Is It You, Is It Me’ recently which has received impressive reviews (RGM Review). So please join us as Z. shares his thoughts on the music business, Michael Kiwanuka, Bill Withers, legendary LA venue The Troubadour and why we all need a lava lamp in our lives. Honestly, we do, we really do.