Page 238 – Maverick Country

Interview: Vince Gill – The Mayor of Music City

20 grammys and countless hits later, Vince Gill is still at the top of his game, writes Paul Sexton. On our way to Nashville’s hallowed Ryman Auditorium, we mention to a record-company person that we’re going to meet Vince Gill. “Ah yes,” they reply, with a warm smile. “The Mayor of Nashville.” It may be an honorary title, but Music City has no greater ambassador than a 20-time Grammy winner genuinely loved and respected by everyone involved in the business, and many more besides. He’s one of those for whom no surname is required: it’s just Vince, country music’s close family friend, Nashville’s favourite adopted son for decades. Not bad for a bluegrass picker and Beatles fan from Norman, Oklahoma. When we meet backstage at the famed venue, known to all as the Mother Church of Country Music, Gill is sitting alone in a small room strumming and studying potential tunes for an appearance at an all-star radio showcase. We tell him about his affectionate appellation. “I haven’t been paid yet,” he laughs warmly. “But I love it here, I love to help out, I love to chip in and do my part, and I think I always have, ever since I’ve been here. I made my first trek here 42 years ago, and made one of my very first records here. So I’ve always been drawn to the city. I love the community of it, the spirit of it, the kindness of it. This place is surrounded with a lot of really kind people, and it makes you willing to want to help out.” There was, he confides, at least one moment of doubt, very early on. “I moved here from Southern California, which is 75 and sunny every day. I showed up here and it was 17 below zero. It was freezing. ‘What have I done?’ “I didn’t move here until ’83,” Gill continues, “but I made a boatload of trips here to work on records, and work with other people and tour, so I had about eight good years of a lot of time in Nashville and always felt like I would wind up here. That opportunity was finally the right time to come, and I’m not going anywhere else, that’s for sure.” All this time later, it was only right that, as the CMA Awards prepared to mark its 50th event last November, the all-star single Country Forever that marked the occasion featured Gill among its all-time greats, alongside Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Charley Pride, Ronnie Milsap, Randy Travis et al. As he prepares to turn 60 in April, Gill is a statesmanlike representative of the music and the city he adores. But his role is far more than that of a country figurehead. He’s as deep in the trenches of recording, performance and collaboration as he always was, and his diary for last year was as packed as ever, with two album releases inside just seven months. His elegant, 14th album in his own name, Down To My Last Bad Habit, was followed in September by a delightful new endeavour with his part-time compadres The Time Jumpers, entitled Kid Sister. Time traveller 2017 looks every bit as eventful. After finishing last year with his Christmas At The Ryman shows with his wife of nearly 17 years, Amy Grant, he’s swiftly back out on the road, and in March will reunite with his pal Lyle Lovett, for the third year running, on a nine-city US schedule. The humour, you can bet, will be bone dry. On 12 February, Vince has a date at the 59th annual Grammy Awards, courtesy of not one but two nominations for that Time Jumpers set. As both an ever-active songwriter and a fervent traditionalist, both will have given him great satisfaction: Kid Sister is nominated for Best Americana Album, and its title track, his own composition, is up for the Best American Roots Song gong. Down To My Last Bad Habit, I tell him, would be worth the price of admission for the title alone. He laughs. “The title track is a song I wrote with Big Al Anderson, who was part of a pretty legendary band here in the States called NRBQ, a lot of people’s favourite rock ’n’ roll band in history. “I got the title from a conversation at breakfast. I was talking to a friend and said ‘What are you up to?’ and he said ‘Well, I’m doing alright, I’m down to about my last bad habit,’ and I said ‘Man! May I please have that? I want to write a song with that in it.’” This was, by design, an album often displaying the crossover, soft-rock side to which Vince’s magnificent, mellifluous voice and dexterous guitar playing are so well suited. Indeed, four years before he made his debut in his own name with the Turn Me Loose record of 1984, Gill’s honeyed tones infiltrated the American pop Top 10, when he sang Let Me Love You Tonight, with his early band the Pure Prairie League. “It’s fun for me,” he says of the solo album. “I don’t think it’s a very traditional country record for me, in that I did a record two years ago with Paul Franklin, the great steel player, called Bakersfield, where we played half Buck Owens songs and half Merle Haggard songs. Then when I play with The Time Jumpers, that really gives me the opportunity to invest in a lot of traditional country music – real twangy, the stuff I really love. “So this record, I had a little more freedom to chase myself as a guitar player, and not try to have it be so steeped in that [tradition]. But there’s one on there that’s a real traditional country song I wrote for George Jones after he passed — another one of our great icons that should be on the Mount Rushmore of hillbilly singers.” The song in question is the typically graceful album closer, Sad One Comin’

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Chris Janson hits top 20 with Holdin' Her

News / Editor

The rise of ACM Top New Male Vocalist nominee Chris Janson has been one of the feel-good stories of Country Music in the past few years. A native of Perryville, Missouri, the singer – who once lived in his car in between performances on Nashville’s historic Broadway – has become one of the most respected singer-songwriters in the format today. His debut Warner Brothers single, “Buy Me A Boat,” hit the top of the Mediabase charts – and has since been certified Platinum for sales of over one million copies, establishing the singer as a force to be reckoned with inside the format. The song – and album of the same title – were named to many 2015 “Best of” lists, including both the Billboard Top Country Singles and Albums of 2015 critic’s list. Janson scored on the same list again in 2016 with the heartfelt ballad “Holdin’ Her,” which currently sits inside the Top 20. Yet, Janson isn’t solely defined by his own hits. He has penned top-ten hits for Tim McGraw (“How I’ll Always Be,” “Truck Yeah”), and LOCASH (“I Love This Life”). Janson also had three of his compositions included on It’s About Time, the latest album from Hank Williams, Jr. – and even lends his signature harmonica licks on the set, as well. But, where Chris Janson’s star perhaps shines the brightest is on the stage. A road warrior, Janson played well over 275 dates in 2016, and his energetic stage show caught the attention of industry website Sounds Like Nashville, who praised the singer’s September show in Knoxville. Janson’s itinerary included one sold-out performance after another in 2016, and he looks to kick things up a notch in 2017, as he joins the Sam Hunt tour, as well as his own solo sets. Janson also joins Tim McGraw and Faith Hill for select dates on the Soul2Soul Tour. One other place that has become something of a regular home for Chris Janson has been the stage of the world-famous Grand Ole Opry. The singer has performed there close to two hundred times in his career, and looks forward to each appearance there. No matter where you see him in concert, there’s one thing that is certain. Chris Janson makes the most of each and every opportunity to shine – and the fans, as well as the industry, are taking notice. “I like to play any size venue, any size town,” he says. “I love my work, and the more that I can add to that schedule, the better.”

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AMA UK artist of the year Yola Carter announces European festival dates

News / Editor

Tipped as ‘one to watch’, the Bristol Americana songwriter won the UK Americana Music Association (AMA UK) vote as UK Artist of the Year 2017 and has now announced a run of festivals in the summer following her recent headline tour. Following a year that saw the release of her debut solo EP ‘Orphan Offering’; acclaimed live performances in London and Nashville and in between; and worldwide coverage in publications like The Guardian, NPR, The Times and No Depression, British country-soul singer and songwriter Yola Carter has announced a run of UK & European festival dates over the coming months: 8th April 2017 – Ramblin’ Roots Revue, High Wycombe UK 29th – 30th April 2017 – Kilkenny Roots Festival, Ireland 14th May 2017 – Dart Music Festival, Dartmouth UK 21st July 2017 – Underneath the Stars, Barnsley UK 24th – 27th August 2017 – Tønder Festival, Denmark Carter was named ‘UK Artist of the Year’ in the UK Americana Music Association (AMA UK) Awards in February, and was presented with her award by Al Booth, Editor of Specialist Music at BBC Radio 2. She also performed twice at the prestigious award ceremony in London, opening the night and later as part of a finale singing ‘Will The Circle Be Unbroken’ alongside all the evening’s performers and nominees. In her own words: “We did it! This might be a solo project but it has taken a team to get things done. I’ll be heading back into the Studio to record from next week so keep an eye out new recordings and clips in the spring!”

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Review: Hat Fitz & Cara AFTER THE RAIN

Top Picks / Editor

Hat Fitz & Cara AFTER THE RAIN Independent Release *** Vintage meets modern in a drum fuelled, foot stomping showdown. Australian Hat Fitz and Irish born Cara Robinson are a husband and wife team based ‘down under’ that are a unique combination of hill-style Gospel blues and stripped back, drum driven roots topped off with clear, strong vocals from Cara and deep, rich, growly tones from Hat Fitz. AFTER THE RAIN is their fourth album, released on the back of some strong live performances throughout Australia, Canada, Europe and the UK, indeed Cara was awarded the Australian Female Blues Vocalist of the Year award in 2015 so they clearly both know how to work up a tune. The album opens with ‘Going Home’, a short song that only really gets going in the last third, but when it does, it’s glorious. A big gospel chorus leads us home but it seems to be over all too soon. This is followed by first single ‘Doing it Again’ an up-tempo, drum fuelled bonanza that gives us an insight into their married life and creative process. Other songs keep that unique yet traditional sound that the pair have. ‘After the Rain’ has a military drum beat and huge gospel chorus. ’Tank Man’ is a boogie-woogie piece with Fitz on vocals and a healthy dose of slide guitar. ‘Try’ is a mid-tempo, foot stomper dripping in muddy Blues, a song straight off ‘The Commitments’ soundtrack 25 years too late and ballad, ‘Rosie Hackett’ has a quiet, Clapton-esque beginning before it develops into a Celtic infused number with Cara sounding uncannily like Adele in places, particularly during the ‘just one touch’ refrain. Most of the songs on AFTER THE RAIN come in between 2 minutes 50 seconds and 3 minutes 40, which often leaves you with a feeling of wanting more. Some would argue that this is a good thing but I would have liked to have seen more experimentation, more ambition. There are some lovely ideas and great musicianship on this album, both Hat Fitz and Cara are clearly accomplished at what they do but overwhelmingly I was left wanting more than just a three minute foot stomp. If drum driven, bluesy-roots style foot stomping is your thing then Hat Fitz & Cara might well do it for you – an enjoyable but ultimately short experience. James Daykin www.hatfitzandcara.com

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Ward Thomas Announced as C2C Opening Act

Live Events, News / Editor

22 year old twins Catherine and Lizzy are set to have another incredible year. They’ve just been announced as the official opening act for the prestigious C2C Festival at the O2 on March 10th, kick off a 22 date UK tour on April 28th and have a summer of key festival dates. Ward Thomas will also be making their first visit to Australia in March to play the prestigious CMC Rocks festival with Dixie Chicks and Little Big Town amongst others. Already, they’ve sold an incredible 16,000 tickets for their spring tour with a number of shows already sold out while their acclaimed ‘Cartwheels’ album has sold over 75,000 copies since entering the UK charts at number 1 last September. Major festival appearances include Latitude, Isle of Wight, Cornbury, Harvest with more to be announced soon.

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Laura Oakes, Jake Morrell & Emily Faye added to 'The Round Up'

Live Events, News / Editor

As February draws to a close, it’s nearly time for another of Two Ways Home’s songwriter night ‘The Round Up‘, at the Metropolitan in London. While the band are hard at work on their third EP in the studio and due for another trip out to Nashville in April, these unique events give them a chance to showcase their latest songs and invite a few friends along to do the same. The next round is on March 2nd, and will feature Laura Oakes, Emily Faye, and Jake Morrell, who will be also playing C2C this year. Two Ways Home host ‘The Round Up’ with Laura Oakes, Emily Faye and Jake Morrell Thursday 2nd March 2017 – 7:30pm The Metropolitan Pub (upstairs), Westbourne Park 60 Great Western Road, W11 1AB London, United Kingdom

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Interview: Eric Church – Badass Country

Blast From The Past, Exclusives, News / Editor

Crossover country king Eric Church talks to Country Music’s own Teri Saccone. Just because he’s been heralded as the crossover king of country with his rock ’n’ roll swagger, don’t make the mistake of presuming that Eric Church sees himself as being confined to any musical categories whatsoever… “The interesting thing about country is that it’s such a big umbrella,” Eric says. “It’s so broad that it can include a lot of things. Personally, the heart of country for me is Americana music.” Church has been deemed “outlaw country” for his slightly subversive lyrics and sometimes rebellious nature. Furthermore, he and ultra-tight band The Outsiders are cohesive and explosive both on stage and in the studio, the latter evidenced on five incredibly commercial yet critically-praised albums. Country Music magazine sat down with the North Carolina native and found that although practically worshipped in the USA, he remains focused, grounded and engaged. Assuredly, this singer-songwriter has tapped into the galvanising nature of music: “Funny how a melody sounds like a memory” is the chorus from his monster hit Springsteen, essentially a fan letter to The Boss. Church grew up in the picturesque and sleepy enclave of Granite Falls, North Carolina, where he was both high school valedictorian and basketball star. Definitely a weird hybrid when you also consider there was music in the mix. When not shooting hoops or studying, Church was practising guitar, as he’s a self-taught player who preferred songwriting to socialising as a teenager. In November last year, Church released Mr Misunderstood with zero promotion nor even an announcement, which was audacious for not only its bold and quiet birth but also the fact that he managed to keep the music off the radar from even his record label until he actually released it. Mr Misunderstood came about largely due to Church experiencing an almost otherworldly visit from his songwriting muse. “The songwriting spigot was turned on full blast and the songs spilt out for a reason. I’ll never know why, and no one expected an album at the time. Rather than putting it on a shelf to fire up the promotion machine, we just dropped it out there. We kept it a secret until the day it came out. In order to do that without fanfare and publicity we had to buy our own record processing factory in Germany.” That small factory will remain under the ownership of Church, at least for now, so he reports: “The good news is, with vinyl, there’s lots of demand. And there’s not a lot of places that do that.” Quiet Moment The intensely productive period that gave rise to Mr Misunderstood was definitely a welcome occurrence but it was an absolute fluke, an aberration according to Eric. “I’ve had nothing since that happened last summer,” he adds with a laugh. “There are no more songs right now dying to come out like there were suddenly inside me last year. Whatever it was that happened to me during that time is gone. Nothin’ ever since,” he explains as a cheeky smile spreads across his face. Mr Misunderstood was also different from other albums because Church didn’t attempt to get into a songwriting frame of mind in order to get focused on his music and lyrics, as he’d done previously. It was just as though proverbial lightning struck and he caught it in a bottle. “Normally with songwriting I’ll take my time, try to separate myself from home and family distractions. But this album was totally unplanned and it was different, as the songs came to me so fast that I wrote one song, which immediately led to another and then another and so on. It was almost embarrassing that they came to me like they did and I felt I was losing my mind at one point getting all of these songs coming through me – and they felt like the best songs of my career, too.” Growing up in the South, Church was immersed in the bluegrass tradition, and he is versed on the guitar, banjo and mandolin staples of that scene. “I grew up playing a host of instruments but guitar is my first choice and it’s what I use as my writing tool.” Although there remains a south/north cultural divide in the US, Church is no Southern apologist. “I am proud of being from the South and I can’t shy away from that, and I think it’d be a crime to hide from that,” he admits. “I’d prefer people to not like me or my music rather than me pretending to be something or someone I’m not. It’s who I am. I’m a Southerner. Period.” What Church has always been on some level is a rebel of sorts, a reputation he has earned over the last few years. He and his band were fired from an early tour when opening for Rascal Flatts for essentially blowing them off the stage. “I’ve always been competitive and I am musically competitive too,” he admits. “I don’t always play by the rules and maybe we played too long and a little too loud for them.” Another aspect of Church and The Outsiders’ live shows is that they tend to encompass not only the hits but also the odd rare track from early on in his career. Mixing things up is interesting not only to his hardcore fans, but to Eric too. “I know most fans come to see us to hear the big hits. For me, it doesn’t always have to be about that big song,” he says. “The fans also love it when they hear maybe Lightning or Can’t Take it With You. And that’s who the show has become more about. It’s the people who have been there for the long haul as much as the newcomers. There’s always going to be people coming on and falling off fan-wise depending on what you’re doing commercially – that’s the nature of the business. But our fanbase is built on those

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Nashville comes to Millport!

Live Events, News / Editor

Now in its 23rd year, Millport Country Music Festival is proud to welcome Nashville artists and the cream of UK country music to the beautiful Isle of Cumbrae in the Firth of Clyde, a short ferry ride of less than 10 minutes from Largs. The Core Festival will run from Friday evening, 1st September 2017, through the weekend until late on Sunday, featuring many country and tribute bands, together with the Grand Parade on the waterfront at 2pm on Saturday 2nd, line dancing, children’s entertainment and much more. Under the cover of a huge marquee, situated on a site adjacent to the Core Festival, concerts for 3,000 people will be held on the Saturday and Sunday afternoons/early evenings. Recently signed to Big Machine in Nashville and fresh from the success of their latest album, ‘My Universe’, THE SHIRES will headline the Saturday 2nd September line up. In his first ever appearance in Scotland, MARK CHESNUTT, with 14 US country No 1s and 23 top 10 singles to his name and a new album ‘Tradition Lives’ just released, will close out the concert element of the festival on Sunday 3rd September. Direct from Nashville will come three rising country artists, DAVID RAY, MORGAN FRAZIER and ADLEY STUMP, to provide support over the weekend. Adding to the excitement will be the appearance of Glasgow’s own ASHTON LANE, with their full band, on Sunday 3rd September. Patrons will be able to buy ‘Access All Zones’ passes for the entire weekend or choose between the concerts on each day or just enjoy the core festival. A VIP option will also be available for those who want to guarantee a position close to the concert stage. Advance concert tickets and core festival wristbands are available from http://www.ticketline.co.uk/millport-country-music-festival . More information on the Millport Country Music Festival is available at www.millportcountrymusic.com A representative of the Festival said “We are delighted to be able to take the Millport Country Music Festival to a new level this year. We believe that the line up on offer for the concerts and core festival will establish Millport as the must-go festival destination for country music fans in the UK this summer”

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The Mavericks new album Brand New Day out March 24

News / Editor

The genre-defying Mavericks are declaring their independence and stepping out on their own with Brand New Day, the first studio album released on Mono Mundo Recordings, the label they founded in 2016. Brand New Day is the follow-up to the widely praised albums Mono (2015) and In Time (2013). Flashing the same exhilarating, beyond-category style that has defined the Mavericks, the new album introduces a collection of taut, energetic, economical songs sure to be embraced by both original fans of their top-10 albums and hit singles of the ‘90s and a new generation of listeners who have joined the party since their triumphant 2012 reunion. It is the mature and timely work of an exciting and underestimated American band that has embraced its own destiny. “This is the first studio record on our own label, and it is an important component in the band’s history,” Malo says, “but the real goal was just to make a great record.” The new collection – co-produced like its immediate predecessors by the band’s golden-voiced singer Raul Malo and Niko Bolas (Neil Young, Warren Zevon, Melissa Etheridge), who is partnered with the band in the new Mono Mundo imprint – features the core members of the group since their reformation: Malo, drummer Paul Deakin, guitarist Eddie Perez, and keyboardist Jerry Dale McFadden, along with auxiliary members “the Fantastic Four” filling out the set’s brawny sound with their signature accordion and horns. Free and truly independent for the first time in their career, the Mavericks were able to write and record without watching the clock. The process began in 2015 with a session at Capitol Studios in Hollywood, where the band cut two new songs by Malo and songwriting partner Alan Miller. Further writing and studio dates continued in Nashville amid a busy touring schedule over the course of the next year. Deakin says, “It was different than going in and recording a record in five or six days. I don’t think it would have happened if we hadn’t taken over so many aspects of our business – we’ve become more and more autonomous with every aspect of it, from the management to the record label. It’s a very empowering and very exciting time for us to be doing this. It makes us feel like you can do anything that you want, and I think that comes through.” Malo adds, “My thinking is always that you can make the best record you can make if you really labor over the parts, the editing, the songs, take your time. I wanted to specifically get to the point where you’re trimming the fat off the songs and making as succinct and as concise a good little pop record as you can make. That was really the goal.” The album contains a diverse selection of originals that show off the Mavericks’ always multi-faceted musical personality, including the boldly upbeat title song, the tejano/bluegrass flavored “Rolling Along”, the intensely romantic “Goodnight Waltz,” the blues-fueled “Ride With Me,” and the thematically pointed “Easy As It Seems” and “Damned (If You Do).” Brand New Day flexes the category-defying approach that has been a unique hallmark of the Mavericks’ sound since the band’s top-20 hits on the country charts. The album’s 10 new songs seamlessly merge strains of Tex-Mex, Cuban bolero, R&B, blues, country, and rock ‘n’ roll. “I came up with a new category called ‘non-gen’,” Deakin says with a laugh. “We don’t seem to operate with many preconceived parameters. Raul’s writing, which in my opinion…keeps getting better every time we go back in the studio, doesn’t limit us to any one format. It’s a band of audiophiles. Honestly, before we go on stage and after we get off stage, we’re listening to music from every imaginal genre. I think that appreciation of all music naturally comes through when we make records.” Malo says that one of his early inspirations, a fondly remembered 1960 pop aria by Elvis Presley, not only continues to drive his vision of the Mavericks’ music, but also helped define the process of creating the unit’s first studio release on their own. “My whole life, I’ve been wanting to write ‘It’s Now or Never’,” Malo says. “That was the record for me when I was a kid. That just blew my mind. It connected all these worlds musically, opera, pop, rock ‘n’ roll, R&B. It connected everything for me. The inspiration here was writing that kind of song, making that kind of record.’ Malo sees the expansive music on Brand New Day not merely as an expression of his personal roots, but also as a nod to the richness of their artistic sources. He says, “I live in Nashville, but I’m still as Cuban as if I was in Miami. But American music is such a beautiful landscape, and there are so many things to draw from. As a Latino, you’re trying to assimilate into this culture, and you’re taking it all in, and some of it grabs you by the throat and you can’t let go of it. All of it is part of your vocabulary. It’s all Americana, and now more than ever those differences, and that inclusion, need to be celebrated and need to be talked about.”

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The Week’s Announce New Album ‘Easy’

News / Editor

Easy, the highly anticipated new album from rising Nashville-via-Mississippi band The Weeks, is set for release on Lightning Rod Records. The new video for “Talk Like That,” the album’s first track, debuts today featuring live footage shot entirely by the band’s own drummer, Cain Barnes. The Weeks recorded Easy over the course of two weeks at Memphis, TN’s Ardent Studios with producer Paul Ebersold. The band left Nashville to record in order to disassociate themselves from their everyday routines in the city, and to find a halfway point between their two homes old and new, Mississippi and Nashville. “Memphis has always been the capitol of North Mississippi to us, says guitarist Sam Williams. “We went there to be at Ardent. We knew Paul had learned everything from John Frye and John Hammond so we figured that was the spot. It’s important to keep those historic studios alive and not let them become museums.” Of the record, frontman Cyle Barnes says, “We called it Easy because every time I make music with these guys, it’s easy. It feels good. But the other side of it is there’s nothing easy about being in a band. There’s nothing easy about staying together for ten years and still wanting to make music. We have the hardest and easiest job on the planet. But it works for us.” Thematically, Easy explores new ground for the band. Bassist Damien Bone explains, “We just wanted to make a rock record. We weren’t as concerned making it a southern rock record. The southern thing is always going to part of what we do. ” To celebrate the release, the band will tour North America extensively this spring. Further announcements are forthcoming. The Weeks is twin brothers Cyle (vocals) and Cain (drums), Sam Williams (guitar/vocals) and Damien Bone (bass). Formed when its members were in high school in Jackson, Mississippi, the band self-released its debut EP Dog Days in 2006. More than ten years and a handful of critically acclaimed albums later, the band has relocated to Nashville and toured extensively worldwide with Kings of Leon, The Meat Puppets, North Mississippi Allstars, Local H and many more.

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