Jonathan Aird

6 days ago | americana-uk.com | Jonathan Aird

Today is definitely an eyebrow raising day as we introduce the new song from ARREN. ARREN is a Dublin-based, Clare/Limerick-born artist who aims to bring the anthemic scale of iconic ’90s and 2000s pop-rock into the intimacy of singer-songwriter and who says that he draws inspiration from the likes of Radiohead, Oasis, Mumford & Sons, Hudson Taylor, and U2. We can, even at this remove, hear the sharp intake of breathe from some quarters. Don’t worry – we wouldn’t sell you a bad one.

1 week ago | americana-uk.com | Jonathan Aird

The latest Folk Roundup is a pretty mixed bag on what we (loosely) call Folk music, with the welcome return of a long-serving – but relatively small outputting – band in the form of Flook, as well as what seems to be becoming a regular Welsh contribution to the column. Good. And there’s what we might call “cultured” folk with carefully crafted harmonies which sit a long way from traditional sounds. And a concept album on the theme of trains.

1 week ago | americana-uk.com | Jonathan Aird

We can thank Topol for today’s track premiere – as Anne Harris was inspired as a child to take up the violin after watching ‘Fiddler On The Roof‘.  We don’t know if she has herself ever played on a roof (it seems quite likely though), but we do now that on May 23rd she’ll be playing at the Grand Ole Opry backing up Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’.

1 week ago | americana-uk.com | Jonathan Aird

‘Scotty’s Tyres‘ is the new single from up-and-coming British-American singer-songwriter Ella Spencer, co-produced by Jerry Joseph and Steve Drizos at The Panther studio in Portland, Oregon and released on Right Track Records.  It’s a co-write with Canadian Poesy, and originated with just a melody line as Ella Spencer describes: “The title ‘Scotty’s Tyres’ originated from a voice memo I took of the melody of the first line, which my phone automatically named as I walked past my local tyre shop.

1 week ago | americana-uk.com | Jonathan Aird

A band name that really does beg the question, “Who are The Mayflies?”  Well, we can tell you that The Mayflies USA is a power-pop band formed in 1996 in Chapel Hill. The band have just completed their new album, their fourth and the first in 23 years. Matt McMichaels, Matt Long, Adam Price, and new member Tony Stiglitz—decided to record their fourth full-length album after a mysterious illness struck guitarist Matt Long in 2022.