Jeffrey Foucault
Brought up in Wisconsin, now living in the foothills of the Berkshire mountains, Jeffrey Foucault (www.jeffreyfoucault.com) would love to live in Ireland, but on a cold February Dublin night, the last night of a short tour of the UK and Ireland supporting Chris Smither, his thoughts were very much of his home, and his wife of only a few months. His 2004 album Stripping Cane is an acoustic collection which demonstrates rare artistry and talent, and a voice which is rich and world weary, and the perfect vehicle for his poetic songs. In the rock’n’roll surroundings of the Temple Bar Music Centre dressing room Barry Jones spoke to Jeffrey about his songs, and his influences, and which part of Ireland he’d like to call home. Interview date: 15 February 2005 Read more... Updated Tuesday, February 15, 2005 | | Willy Vlautin (Richmond Fontaine)
Richmond Fontaine headlines this year’s final night show at the Darvel Music Festival here frontman, Willy Vlautin talks to Festival PR, Mike Ritchie about Darvel, touring, writing music and books... as well as Scottish home cooking. Read more... Updated Monday, November 14, 2005 | | Isobel Heyworth
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"Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them". The sweet voiced Isobel Heyworth falls into the latter category, with her unassuming and a little shy off stage presence, a transformation is made when she clutches her acoustic guitar and starts to sing and sooth souls with her comforting music.
Having created an album; ‘Close Your Eyes’ that contains her tranquil sound without a blip on a budget far less than that of a Channel 5 documentary, the charming and soulful North West songstress; Isobel Heyworth giggles in the face of the merciless cash happy music purveyors out there today. The album title is a wise instruction to follow upon listening to the second track; ‘Falling Through The Cracks’, as it possesses enough depth to float you away. The full band’s comforting and strolling guitar led accompaniment punctuates the stirringly warm Carole King and Joni Mitchell type vocals, exposing the folly of cheap words when it comes to heartfelt emotions. Isobel talked to David Adair about her music and provide us with an insight into what motivates her to produce such ethereal, friendly and welcoming music. Read more... Updated Monday, November 14, 2005 | | Chris Smithers
Chris Smither has had a career which has spanned forty years without ever managing to become a household name. Widely admired for his distinctive guitar style, and laid back delivery, he has a large and loyal fan-base, including Bonnie Raitt, who know just how good his acoustic blues based songs are. On Chris’s latest album, Train Home (2003), Bonnie Raitt adds vocals to a version of Bob Dylan’s Desolation Row which really benefits from the skilful guitar arrangement. Barry Jones met up with Chris early in 2005, in Dublin, and chatted to him about his career, his hobbies, his guitars, his foot-tapping accompaniment and his, fairly lengthy, “lost weekend.” Read more... Updated Tuesday, November 01, 2005 | | Deadstring Brothers
Detroit has a reputation as a “Music City” in much the same way as Liverpool, Manchester and Seattle do. Any attempts to categorise the musical movement are valid only briefly before someone else comes along to buck the trend while maintaining the tradition. The Deadstring Brothers are a far cry from Motown and the more recent “garage” sound that Detroit is know for, yet their sound does have familiar references, including The Band and early 70’s Rolling Stones, and what could be wrong with that? They tour the UK regularly owing to increasing demand and their new album Starving Winter Report has, unusually, been released in the UK some months before the US release. In between sound check and an outstanding performance at Hell’s Ditch at “the big house”, The Vines in Lime Street, Liverpool, Barry Jones chatted to singer, guitarist Kurt Marschke. Read more... Updated Thursday, October 20, 2005 | | NQ Arbuckle
Originally from Montreal, now living in Toronto, Neville Quinlan is the front man, singer songwriter of NQ Arbuckle. Listening to Hanging The Battle-Scarred Piñata, his latest UK release, the image of his cigarettes and alcohol world is immediate and relentless, but behind his gruff voice and the dark settings of his songs is intelligence and humour. On a recent short solo tour of the UK he spoke to Barry Jones about his muse, and an unusual encounter with Kathleen Edwards. Read more... Updated Monday, October 17, 2005 | | Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub)
Initially inspired by Classic 60’s pop, like The Beatles and The Byrds, Glasgow band Teenage Fanclub (www.teenagefanclub.com) have, in turn, been hugely influential themselves, including people like Kurt Cobain in the list of many admirers. After some sixteen years in the business they have recently left Sony and formed their own label to release their album, Man-Made, which exudes all the quality we have come to expect. Songwriting talent abounds, with Gerard Love, Raymond McGinley and Norman Blake all contributing material, and on their recent UK tour Barry Jones met up with Norman, and in the historic surroundings of Ma Egerton’s pub, in Liverpool, they chatted about the band’s career and future plans. Read more... Updated Friday, October 07, 2005 | | Kathleen Edwards
Canadiana artist Kathleen Edwards burst on to the scene with Failer in 2003. Universally acclaimed, it opened many doors and the ensuing years have seen her establish herself as a major artist, touring with the likes of Bob Dylan and opening for AC/DC and The Rolling Stones. 2005 sees the release of her follow up album Back To Me, and during her promotional UK tour she visited Liverpool and spoke to Barry Jones in the comfort of her tour bus. Read more... Updated Thursday, September 15, 2005 | | Karl Broadie
After a few years absence, Sydney resident Scot Karl Broadie is back touring the UK. Following the release of the highly acclaimed new album, Black Crow Callin’ he’s touring his band throughout August 2005. Having spoken to him just after his last UK tour we took the opportunity to catch up with him before he set off this time, and Barry Jones spoke to Karl one chilly Sydney evening. Interview date: 15th July 2005 Read more... Updated Monday, July 25, 2005 | | Joesolo
‘Joesolo’ is the alter ego of Paul Thompson, formerly of Hull guitar-pop outfit, Lithium Joe. As the band’s songwriter and vocalist, Paul played in excess of 350 gigs as the group released a string of self-funded records through their own label, ‘Resolve Records’. After a musical hiatus, 2004 saw Paul commence recording as a solo artist with his debut CD ‘An Exile In Suburbia’. Paul talks to Nick Quantrill about his new musical direction and life as a fiercely independent musician. Read more... Updated Monday, July 25, 2005 | | Mark Browning (Ox)
Canadian band Ox is the vehicle for singer songwriter Mark Browning. No stranger to Americana UK, Mark’s album Dustbowl Revival has now been released in the US by Universal, and it looks as though his talent will soon be recognised by a much wider audience. Emerging blinking from a gig in the gloom of Liverpool’s famous Cavern Club on a sunny Saturday afternoon in May, Barry Jones spoke to Mark to find out what had been happening since their last conversation. Interview date: 7th May 05 Read more... Updated Saturday, May 07, 2005 | | Jeff Caudill
‘Good music is just good story telling’ says Jeff Caudill, ex front-man of US pop-punk band ‘Gameface.’ The last couple of years have seen Jeff move away from this field towards a more rootsy, alt-county sound. Finding his feet with an acclaimed mini-album, ‘The Way Back’, July 2005 sees the release of his full-length debut, ‘Here’s What You Should Do’. Jeff speaks to Nick Quantrill about his music and development as a musician. July 5th 2005. Read more... Updated Tuesday, July 05, 2005 | | Laura Veirs
Seattle resident Laura Veirs (www.lauraveirs.com) has a sound which is individual and atmospheric. Art country, rather than alt.country, her hauntingly beautiful songs have caught the attention of growing numbers in Europe and now the USA, where a well-deserved record deal should mean a wider audience for her distinctive work. Barry Jones spoke to her at the very picturesque Telford’s Warehouse in Chester. Interview date: 7th March 2005 Read more... Updated Monday, March 07, 2005 | | Paul Quinn (from the Primary 5)
When he was drumming for Teenage Fanclub Paul Quinn had no desire to write songs and sing, but since he left all that’s changed. He is now fronting his own band The Primary 5 whose debut album North Pole is a fine collection of summery melodic songs. They recently toured the UK supporting Arthur Lee and Love and made short work of winning over the audiences with their accomplished performances. In Manchester Barry Jones was waiting to chat to Paul, just before soundcheck. Interview date: 31st March 2005 Read more... Updated Thursday, March 31, 2005 | | Danny George Wilson with Simon Alpin and Josh Hillman
In the heady days of the late sixties and early seventies, the combination of musical talent of Grand Drive’s Danny Wilson (www.dannygeorgewilson.com) and Willard Grant co-Conspirators Simon Alpin and Josh Hillman would have been called, without a trace of irony, a “Supergroup”. Although the term may now be a bit passé, the sentiment is still valid, and will undoubtedly be seen as genuinely appropriate by those lucky enough to see them play on their recent UK tour. Barry Jones played the support slot for their excellent Americana UK house gig, and changed hats the following week to interview them on their brief return to Liverpool. Interview date: 21st March 2005 Read more... Updated Monday, March 21, 2005 | | Gina Villalobos
The release of Rock and Roll Pony (Laughing Outlaw 2005), Gina Villalobos’ self produced album, was unavoidably delayed because of an accident from which she is still recovering. Swapping the warmth of her LA home for a late winter European tour is probably not everybody’s idea of recuperation, but Barry Jones met a very upbeat Gina for a chat at the very picturesque Chester venue of Telfords Warehouse. Interview date: 7th March 2005 Read more... Updated Monday, March 07, 2005 | | Sparkwood&21
Sparkwood&21 made their recent well-received debut at Hell’s Ditch, Liverpool’s very own monthly Americana, alt.country night. Americana UK’s editorial team were at the gig, and took the opportunity to set up an interview with one of the newest bands on the scene. Barry Jones put the questions to singer/guitarist Dave Williams. Interview date: 8th Feb 2005 Read more... Updated Tuesday, February 08, 2005 | | Jess Klein
In 2000, when Jess Klein (www.jessklein.com) released Draw Them Near she was being hailed as a rising star, but things went a bit quiet, apart from some collaborative projects, including contributions to the Willard Grant Conspiracy album, Regard The End. In April 2005 her follow-up solo release, Strawberry Lover, is destined to raise her profile once more. Barry Jones spoke to Jess in her Brooklyn, New York, home to find out what she had been doing, and why it had taken so long for this welcome return to centre stage. Read the interview here! Interview date: 23rd February 2005 Read more... Updated Tuesday, February 22, 2005 | | Fred Eaglesmith
“I’m not part of the music business, I’m not interested in it and I HATE IT!”’ The words of Fred Eaglesmith, a name that may not be familiar to you, but should be. He has just released his 14th album ‘Dusty’ and just completed a solo tour of Holland and the U.K. His songs have been covered by The Cowboy Junkies, Chris Knight, Dar Williams, Kasey Chambers etc. His music has a vitality and compassion that is rarely expressed. Martin Whittle caught up with him just before his gig at The Borderline in London to see what he had to say. Interview date: 22nd February 2005 Read more... Updated Tuesday, February 22, 2005 | | Megan Hickey (Last Town Chorus)
Megan Hickey is The Last Town Chorus. She writes the songs, and her lap steel guitar gives the band its distinctive, ethereal sound, redolent of her New York home. She spoke to us in 2004, and now that she has a distribution deal for the eponymous first album, and a 16th January 2005 visit planned to London’s 12 Bar, Barry Jones had a brief chat with her to get an update on what appears to be a well-deserved upturn in her musical career. Interview date: 6th January 2005 Read more... Updated Friday, January 07, 2005 |
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