Honey Ryder Guitarist launches Artist Development company with Staffordshire Songwriter

Guitarist and Producer Matt Bishop and Songwriter Charlotte Elizabeth have joined forces to create a new Artist Development company in Staffordshire. Matt and Charlotte met 18 months ago when Charlotte first started thinking about releasing an EP and after working so well together and developing a friendship, they noticed a gap in the market for other services. Charlotte said “After speaking to a number of artists, it became apparent that there is a gap in the market for development and support in the industry.  Many people are going into the studio to record their songs without any guidance or chance for development. We have found that they have nobody to co-write with, no access to a choice of musicians and no knowledge to develop themselves as artists” Matt added “Our partnership means we can offer everything an artist needs to develop from that first song right through to releasing a complete album. This takes stress and a heavy work load off the artist and allows them to focus on what they do best” Matt, known for his work as one third of UK Country Group Honey Ryder, has played The O2 as part of the annual Country 2 Country music festival, recorded in Nashville and is well known in the local area for being a member of Rock & Pop function band Live Wires. Charlotte’s debut EP, produced by Matt debuted in the iTunes Country Chart at number 4 when released earlier this month. Charlotte saw two of her songs declared Semi Finalists in the UK Songwriting Competition 2016. Matt & Charlotte will be offering a variety of different priced packages including the production of singles, EP’s & Albums, Music Videos, Photography shoots, PR & Radio and Artists Management. They will operate from Inspire Music Recording Studios in Fulford, Staffordshire but are also available to work nationally depending on artist requirements.

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Woody Pines

Visit Woody Pines http://www.woodypines.com/     April 5 The Atkinson Theatre, Southport April 6 Green Note, London April 7 Llandeilo Acoustic at The Angel, Llandeilo April 8 Playhouse 2, Shaw, Oldham April 9 Plough Arts Centre, Great Torrington April 11 B Bar, Barbican, Plymouth April 12 Wed 12  The Victoria Hall, Stockland, Devon April 13 The Square Tower, Old Portsmouth, Hants April 14 Brookside Farm, Salfords, Surrey April 15 Square & Compass, Worth Matravers April 16 Square & Compass Worth Matravers (Afternoon) Sun 16 Pebbled Vinyard (evening), Clyst St George, Exeter April 18 The Pump House, Louth, Lincs April 19 Eastgate Theatre, Peebles April 20 Acoustic Music Club, Kirkcaldy April 21 The CatStrand, New Galloway April 22 Glenbuchat Hall. Strathdon April 23 The Blue Lamp, Aberdeen     April 26th Hamburg GERMANY Hafenbahnhof April 28 Crailsheim GERMANY 7180 Bar April 30 Essen GERMANY #SoulHell     May 1 Lessens BELGIUM #Roots&RosesFest May 2 Dordrecht NETHERLANDS #De Melkbus May 3 Essen BELGIUM #Heuvelzicht May 4 Waardamme BELGIUM #Cowboy Up May 5 Vlissingen NETHERLANDS #Bevrijdingsfestival May 6 Ospel NETHERLANDS Moulin Blues festival     May 10 Bilbao, Kafe Antzokia SPAIN May 11 Madrid, Boite Live SPAIN May 12 Zaragoza, Rock & Blues Café SPAIN May 13 Barcelona, Rocksound Almogavers SPAIN May 14 Valencia, Loco Club SPAIN May 16 Cangas oj morrazo, Sala Son SPAIN May 17 Gijón, Sala Acapulco (Casino de Asturias) SPAIN   BIOGRAPHY If you’re wondering where the music of Nashville troubadour WOODY PINES comes from, look to the streets. It was on the streets as a professional busker that Woody first cut his teeth, drawing liberally from the lost back alley anthems and scratchy old 78s of American roots music, whether country blues, jugband, hokum, or hillbilly. Heavy rollicking street performances are the key to some of today’s best roots bands, like Old Crow Medicine Show (Woody and OCMS’ Gill Landry used to tour the country in their own jugband), and they’re the key to Woody’s intensely catchy rhythms, jumpy lyrics, and wildly delirious sense of fun. Woody traveled all over the streets of this country, road testing his songs, drawing from the catchiest elements of the music he loved and adding in hopped-up vintage electrification to get that old country dancehall sound down right. That’s why the songs on his new self-titled release WOODY PINES (released May 28 on underground label Muddy Roots Recordings) are so hot. This is gonzo folk music, the kind of raise-the-rafters, boot-shakin’ jump blues that used to be banging out of juke joints all over the South in the late 1940s, but now it’s burning into the earholes of a younger generation of Nashville kids, all looking for music with deep roots and something to hang on to. It’s tempting to call Woody Pine’s newest music “rockabilly,” and in fact he recorded the new album at Sputnik Studios in Nashville, famous for recording rockabilly and psych-twang heroes JD McPherson, Jack White, and Sturgill Simpson. But it might be more accurate to call Woody’s new songs “hillbilly boogie;” a rarely remembered genre of American music made famous by the Delmore Brothers. Hillbilly boogie sits at the exact moment when the buzzed- out, electrified hillbilly country music of Appalachia (which itself drew heavily from country blues), first hit the sawdust-floored honky-tonks of old Nashville and Memphis. It was the moment exactly before the birth of rock ‘n’ roll. Woody writes with a wink to this critical time on songs like “Anything for Love” and “New Nashville Boogie,” drawing in modern references at will to make his points. He also dives deep into the tradition, drawing up gems like the old gangsta- folk song “Make It to the Woods” from the Mississippi Sheiks. In Woody’s music, there’s never an idea that roots music should be a recreation of an older time. Instead, he taps the vein of this music that’s still beating today, finding common ground with the old hucksters and bar-hounds who created the music in the first place. When Woody Pines sings “when the train rolls by, I get a faceful of rain,” this isn’t some hipster dilettante twisting a faux-handlebar mustache and singing about old-timey railroads, this is a dedicated student of Woody Guthrie who used to hop freight trains to get from town to town. This is serious roots music that’s as much a way of life as an aesthetic choice. This music isn’t for dabblers; you gotta feel it in your bones. Let Woody Pines help. QUOTES “WOODY SOUNDS LIKE WILLIE NELSON SINGING A JOHNNY CASH SONG IN A 1930’S ALABAMA JUKE JOINT.WILDLY ADDICTING.  ONE MAGICAL ALBUM.” -NO DEPRESSION  “WOODY PINES IS THE BEST BAND I EVER HEARD IN MY LIFE I SWEAR…. I’M THEIR BIGGEST FAN NOW!” – BILLY JOE SHAVER AMERICAN ROOTS UK  “GO AND SEE THEM, YOU WON’T REGRET IT”!  “ROCK SOLID SEXY OLD TIME VAUDEVILLE HILL-BILLY GROOVE.” – SXIP SHIREY OF THE LUMINESCENT ORCHESTRII, NYC “A ROLLICKING, ENGAGING AMALGAM OF OLD-TIME BLUES AND JUG BAND SENSIBILITIES. “….WALKING DOWN THE ROAD HAS OVERTONES OF EARLY DYLAN IN ITS GUITAR FINGER-PICKING AND WISTFUL DRAWL.” – JIM GILCHRIST, THE SCOTSMAN “Woody Pines brings that low-key street corner style of performance to his stage show, but with all the polish and seasoned professionalism of a tour-bus-and-green-room rock stardom. Crackerjack musicianship goes a long way toward a band’s greatness, but showmanship seals the deal. Pines, on stage, is an old soul and natural performer, storied and steeped in the best of American music.” – Alli Marshall Mtn. Xpress, Asheville, North Carolina

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Kelsea Ballerini UK Bound For The First Time

Hard to believe that the acclaimed, award winning singer, songwriter Kelsea Ballerini is still just 23 years old. Without doubt she’s the most exciting new voice in contemporary American country music, the obvious heir apparent to Taylor Swift’s crown. On March 10th Sony Music Commercial Group UK, in conjunction with Black River Entertainment will release ‘The First Time,’ the phenomenally successful debut album from the exciting rising star. This special UK edition will feature 4 bonus acoustic tracks. “After having the opportunity to launch Kelsea’s career, we’re thrilled to take these additional steps to further it by introducing her to the global marketplace,” said Black River Entertainment CEO Gordon Kerr. “We look forward to a strong and successful partnership with Sony Music Commercial Group.” The RIAA Gold-certified album features the smash #1 US singles; the Platinum-certified “Love Me Like You Mean It,” “Peter Pan” and Gold-certified ‘Dibs,’ along with current hit single “Yeah Boy,” and fan-favourite “XO.” Each of the 12 tracks are delivered in her remarkable voice, a voice that belies her youth with a passion and spirit that make you sit up and take notice. Kelsea has sold over 300,000 albums in the USA, over 2 million singles, has 80 million YouTube hits, and is coming up for 250 million streams. Her life went into a tailspin when her parents divorced and she turned to songwriting for salvation after hearing Keith Urban’s ‘Stupid Boy’. Attracted by the gut-wrenching lyrics and raw story, she started to write her own songs, drawing inspiration from Kelly Clarkson, Shania Twain and Taylor Swift. At 15 she and her mother moved to Nashville from East Tennessee and the rest is fast becoming history. In 2015 Kelsea received Billboard’s prestigious ‘Rising Star’ at their Women In Music event while last year she received CMT’s Breakout Artist of the Year. This year she is nominated for the Best New Artist Grammy Award, as well as Best New Country Artist at the iHeartRadio Music Awards. She has also established herself as an incredible live performer, having opened for Lady Antebellum, Rascall Flatts, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban in addition to a sold out headline US tour last autumn. Rolling Stone called Kelsea Ballerini “one of the most unique new talents the genre has seen in a long time” and who are we to argue. Kelsea Ballerini is currently in the studio working on a new record due for release later this year. In the meantime the UK can enjoy this wonderful debut album and look forward to her touching down on UK soil later this Spring. 

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Country-pop singer Catherine McGrath announces UK tour & festival dates

Following her performance at London’s Hoxton Bar & Kitchen, country-pop’s newest rising star Catherine McGrath has announced a number of UK shows including support for US country singer/songwriter Canaan Smith on his March UK tour. Catherine has also just announced a third date with The Saturdays’ Una Healy and will now be playing at Bush Hall on the 15th May in addition to the February shows at London’s St Pancras Old Church on 15th and Dublin’s Sugar Club the following day. You can also catch Catherine performing at this year’s Country 2 Country festival at London’s O2 Arena on the 11th and 12th of March and The Great Escape in Brighton on the 18th of May with many more to come. Following a series of live in-session videos, Catherine has just revealed ‘Say You Love Me’ filmed live from Firepit Studios, showcasing her stunning voice which is winning the hearts of young fans across the country. This comes after the release of her debut EP ONE, which came out just before Christmas via Warner Bros. Records and saw Catherine dubbed as ‘Ones To Watch 2017’ by Amazon Music. The EP has so far clocked up almost 1 million streams on Spotify and features the three original tracks ‘Hell Would Have To Freeze Over’, ‘Cinderella’ and ‘She’ll Never Love You’ as well as her beautiful version of Jessie Ware’s hit single ‘Say You Love Me’. All four tracks have been added to numerous Spotify playlists including the UK and Global New Music Friday Playlists and lead track ‘Hell Would Have To Freeze Over’ reached #1 on the Very Nearly Nashville Playlist – with Catherine as the cover star – and #9 on the Spotify Viral Chart. Embracing her love for Nashville and country music while conserving her Irish folk roots and pop influence, Catherine’s songwriting talent is going from strength to strength. Writing of love, loss and life, her youthful touch relates to her audience and is as engaging as it is beautiful.

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Review: Emily Maguire A BIT OF BLUE

Emily Maguire A BIT OF BLUE Shaktu Records **** Haunting landscapes and imagery rich songs Emily Maguire, the British born singer-songwriter, has had a remarkable journey. Plucked from obscurity in 2007 to support Don McLean at the Royal Albert Hall, she has released 3 albums, written poetry and prose, published a book on the Bi-polar condition and suffered numerous health setbacks and challenges so it is no wonder that her songs aren’t three minute puff pieces about men. Produced by Nigel Butler, (K.D. Lang, Robbie Williams, Will Young), he has helped to transform this set of beautiful, broken images into a series of ethereal songs, linked by the binding narrative of lush orchestration, sparse instrumentation and the dream-like quality of Maguire’s voice. This is no easy listen – this isn’t an album to pop on in the kitchen whilst you make tea. This is one of those rare, wonderful beasts in today’s instant world that has to be loved. Every lyric needs a time and space to breathe, to settle and to be poured over. Melodies are in abundance here but are not necessarily evident on first listen, you won’t get to the end and have one of the songs lodged like an ear-worm in your brain – A BIT OF BLUE is not one of those albums, it’s a grower, it needs nurturing and like everything that is given a chance to flourish it will give back in spades, as long as you allow it to. Despite the fact that some of this album was recorded in Queensland, Australia and some in Ross-on-Wye there is a clear coherence and binding narrative running through the middle of it, linking all the songs together. Maguire’s haunting vocals and the beautiful use of piano and strings produce a lush yet sparse feel to many of the tracks. It is by no means an easy listen but who said music has to always be commercial and consumable? If you prefer your music deep, dark and dramatic, if you want every lyric on every line to have a meaning and not just placed there to advance a melody then A BIT OF BLUE might well be your colour. James Daykin www.emilymaguire.com

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Review: Kate Rusby LIFE IN A PAPER BOAT

Kate Rusby LIFE IN A PAPER BOAT Pure records 4.5 stars Another gem from the award winning Yorkshire folkie Soon to be celebrating 25 years in the folk business, Kate Rusby albums never fail to impress and LIFE IN A PAPER BOAT is up there with the best. Kate’s fragile but hauntingly beautiful vocals are perfectly suited to the mix of self-penned and traditional numbers. Producer husband Damien O’Kane has done a sterling job and there is nothing approaching a sub-standard track on the album. Rusby has surrounded herself with some of the best supporting musicians from the folk world with Dan Tyminski and Ron Block from Alison Krauss’ Union Station guesting on a couple of tracks. Her song writing is as innovative as ever and I really loved the imaginative lyrics on ‘Hunter Moon’ and the two songs with a seafaring theme, ‘The Mermaid’ and of course, the title track. Just one cover, Archie Fisher’s The Witch of Westmorland; a great tale of a witch with amazing healing powers. One bonus track is included; the catchy Big Brave Bill, a ‘Superman’ like character from Barnsley who comes to the rescue on numerous occasions and derives his strength from drinking Yorkshire Tea! The album runs for almost an hour but the quality fare on offer ensures the listener’s attention is never distracted. The beauty of this album is that it should appeal to a diverse audience rather than a strictly folk oriented clientele. John Roffey www.katerusby.com

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Garth Brooks joins lineup for February 8 tribute to Randy Travis

Joining the star-studded tribute to Randy Travis on February 8, 2017, will be CMA Entertainer of the Year, Garth Brooks. Tickets for the historic night are on sale now at all Ticketmaster locations and the Bridgestone Arena Box Office. “Mary and I are so blessed to have amazing friends all over this industry. Garth Brooks is an amazing artist who always entertains everyone in the house, I am humbled by his involvement,” said Travis. The event, titled 1 Night. 1 Place. 1 Time: A Heroes and Friends Tribute to Randy Travis, will also feature performances from over 30 artists including Alabama, Rodney Atkins, Kane Brown, Mark Chesnutt, James Dupre, Jeff Foxworthy, Montgomery Gentry, Ben Haggard, Chris Janson, Jamey Johnson, Alison Krauss, Neal McCoy, Scotty McCreery, William Michael Morgan, Joe Nichols, Paul Overstreet, Shane Owens, Michael Ray, Collin Raye, Ricky Skaggs, Kenny Rogers, Daryle Singletary, Michael W. Smith, The Bellamy Brothers, The Randy Travis Band, Ricky Traywick, Travis Tritt, Tanya Tucker, Josh Turner, Phil Vassar, Chuck Wicks, Wynonna, Chris Young with more still to be announced. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Randy Travis Foundation; a 501(c)3 non-profit that raises money for stroke research and rehabilitation. In October, Randy Travis was officially inducted into The Country Music Hall of Fame. The multi-platinum country giant suffered a massive stroke in 2013 and has since made miraculous strides towards recovery. He recently sang “Amazing Grace” at his Country Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony as well as the tagline to his iconic “Forever and Ever, Amen” at the 2016 CMA Awards in November alongside numerous country legends and stars.

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UK Americana Awards 2017 – Results

The second UK Americana Awards took place at London’s St John at Hackney this evening, rounding off two days of activities at this year’s Americana Music Association UK conference. In a wonderful night celebrating the thriving UK and International Americana music scene, an audience of guests, AMA-UK delegates, members of the music industry and the public were treated to performances from Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Richard Thompson and five time Grammy award winner Mary Chapin Carpenter. There were performances from UK artists Yola Carter, William the Conqueror, Peter Bruntnell, Danni Nicholls, Lewis & Leigh and Ethan Johns, alongside International Album of the Year Award winner Sam Outlaw. To mark the first anniversary of the launch of the Official Americana Albums Chart, Jools Holland joined Martin Talbot, CEO of the Official Charts Company, in presenting Van Morrison with the award for Best Selling UK Americana Album of 2016 for his album KEEP ME SINGING, which spent ten weeks at number one on the chart. Harry Shearer presented Richard Thompson with the AMA-UK’s Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his unparalleled contribution to, and continuing influence on, the UK’s roots music scene. Andy Fairweather Low introduced a video acceptance from Trailblazer Award winner Albert Lee. Devon trio Wildwood Kin received the prestigious Bob Harris Emerging Artist Award. The star-studded event, hosted by Bob Harris OBE, saw AMA-UK membership-voted awards presented by Imelda May, Kiki Dee, Jim Lauderdale, Timothy B Schmit, Angaleena Presley and Guy Fletcher OBE. Winners of the seven membership-voted Awards were as follows: UK Album of The Year presented by Imelda May Ghost by Lewis & Leigh (produced by Matt Ingram) International Album of the Year presented by Jim Lauderdale Angeleno by Sam Outlaw (produced by Ry Cooder and Joachim Cooder) UK Artist of the Year presented by Al Booth Yola Carter International Artist of the Year presented by Timothy B Schmit Sturgill Simpson UK Song of the Year presented by Kiki Dee The 4:19  by Lewis & Leigh (written by Al Lewis and Alva Leigh) International Song of the Year presented by Angaleena Presley Hands of Time  by Margo Price (written by Margo Price) UK Instrumentalist of the Year presented by Guy Fletcher Chris “CJ” Hillman

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Bill Kirchen Announces UK Tour

Bill Kirchen, the “titan of the telecaster”, returns to the UK at the end of February for an 11 date tour which takes in venues including the Half Moon in Putney and Leicesters Musician. Kirchens band for the tour will feature pub rock pioneers Austin DeLone and Paul “Bassman” Riley, with our very own Malcolm Mills on drums. Check out this recent live video for a taste of what to expect and find the upcoming dates below.   BILL KIRCHEN & AUSTIN DELONE AND BAND THE TITAN OF THE TELECASTER MEETS THE GODFATHER OF PUB ROCK Mar-17 18 London Troubadour 21 Sheffield Greystones 22 Leicester The Musician 23 Newcastle Live Theatre 24 Stourbridge Talbot Hotel 25 Leek Foxlowe Arts Centre 26 Bristol Golden Lion 27 Topsham Globe Hotel 28 Brighton Bleach 29 Havant Langstone Sailing Club 30 London Ivyhouse 31 Oxford Bullingdon Apr-17 1 London Troubadour 2 Whitstable Duke of Cumberland NEW ALBUM THUMBNAIL IMAGE

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The Round Up' hosted by Two Ways Home

Alt-country duo Two Ways Home are hosting a monthly Nashville-style writer’s round, starting this Friday 3rd Feb upstairs at the Metropolitan pub in West London. The first night features songwriters Catherine McGrath, Katy Hurt and Ann Bailey, and we’d love to have you there! The Round Up (hosted by Two Ways Home) featuring Catherine McGrath, Katy Hurt and Ann Bailey. Doors open 7:30pm The Metropolitan, 60 Great Western Road, Westbourne Park, London, W11 1AB Free Entry Facebook event here www.twowayshome.com

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