Hot Club of Cowtown is sizzling hot.  All three members of the band (Elana James on fiddle, Whit Smith on guitar, and Jake Ervin on stand-up bass) play their respective instruments impeccably and with a passion that is undeniable.  Their gypsy jazz infused music is infectious.  It’s nearly impossible to sit still in your seat when listening to them.  Their new CD Rendezvous with Rhythm harkens back to their roots and more than exemplifies their dedication to the musical…

SummerTyne Americana Festival

Sage Gateshead, UK

20-22 July

This was the seventh Annual Sage Americana Festival on the Southern banks of the Tyne and as usual, most of the acts on the Jumping Hot Club stage were virtually unknown to 99% of the audience at the beginning of each day; but judging by the noisy applause each act received at the end of their set everyone went home with at least one brand new favourite band.

    The Jumping Hot Club Hot…

FTB podcast #171 features the new album by CORY CHISEL AND THE WANDERING SONS called Old Believers. Also new music from STEVE POLTZ, KELLY HOGAN & BOVINE SOCIAL CLUB.

Here's the direct link to listen…

This episode marks the 4 year anniversary of The Americana Rock Mix. But we’re not really doing anything special about it. We’ll do that next year. Instead, we’re carrying on as usual, bringing you the best new music you haven’t heard yet!

Download this episode HERE

Music in this episode:

- One-Eye’d Barber AND Party by The…

I first started going to live gigs in my early teens. I was underage. I lied about my date of birth so that I could become a member of Friars, a music club based in Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire. Life membership was 25p. I still have my member’s card. Wild Turkey in June 1971 was the first live band I saw and some forty one years later I am still occupying live music venues but not pretending to be older than I am!

In my early concert going years one of the bands I saw was…

Yukon Blonde

Tiger Talk

(Dine Alone Records)

Put aside any notion of fair-haired babes in Eskimo garb… and key in on the idea that despite any frigid environs the name may suggest, Yukon Blonde is one hot combo. One of the real highlights of last year’s Mariposa Fest, this young Canadian outfit displays a seasoned savvy that finds them on quite a roll only two albums on. Tiger Talk is pure pop exuberance, from the one-two-three punch of the album’s first three…

Grand Ole Podcast #4 - Previewing The Grand Ole Echo show on May 6th, 2012

Track Listing

1 – The Deserters – Country Radio

2- Brian Spence and The Transcendent Hula Hoop – Call Me Down The Road

3 – Hot Club of L.A. –…

New Documentary Exploring the History of The Cambridge Folk Music Scene From 1958-1968 To Premiere At Boston International Film Fest

 Features Interviews With Joan Baez, Tom Rush, Taj Mahal, Judy Collins, Maria Muldaur, Geoff Muldaur, Jim Kweskin, Jackie Washington, Jim Rooney and Peter Rowan

Includes Audio Of Two Unreleased Bob Dylan…

She was the queen of post-modern cred-country. He was the aw-shucks singer/songwriter with the #1 records on George Strait, the Dixie Chicks, and Tim McGraw with Faith Hill. They were the first couple from Texas’ alt-country scene, and separate but equal propositions with their own careers to tend to.

Last South By Southwest, Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis did the unthinkable: they teamed up for the Americana Music Association’s show at Antone’s. More a merging of solo acts than a…

Tom Russell

Gateshead Old Town Hall

January 20th 2012

Alan Harrison

Although it is actually two full years, it doesn’t seem 5 minutes since Tom Russell was playing this exact same venue to about 100 people yet tonight was a complete sell-out which bode well for Roots…

* Wolf Call! by Various Artists. Another fine Norton collection of greasy, sleazy rock 'n' roll and R&B from the late '50s and early '60s.

This isn't quite as diverse as other Norton compilations like Mad Mike's Monsters or the I Hate CDs series. But he'll, plaster a picture of a stripper on the cover and you probably could…

Pajama Club

Self-titled

Independent release

First, a word of warning. Abandon any expectations that might have been heightened by the knowledge that ex-Crowded House helmsman Neil Finn is behind this band. Pajama Club doesn’t resemble any of Finn’s previous projects in the slightest. An album that began on a whim during down time at home with Finn’s wife Sharon, the Pajama Club is strictly intended as a way to left off some steam and simply have fun. It certainly…

...and it's only Wednesday!

The 2 Kens host not only a great weekly comedy show You Can't Make It Up they also do a wonderful monthly show called Club Indie - an in-depth interview with a musical guest and their songs. This month features none other than -Jim Armstrong. Thank you…

Hot Club of Cowtown

What Makes Bob Holler

Proper Records PRPCD071

****

Flawless Western Swing and Jazz fusion as the Hot Club return to their roots.

A new Hot Club of Cowtown release is a pretty big deal in these circles and as my detractors probably believe  I don’t know enough about Country music to do such a record justice (as if!) I invited two friends who are HCCT fans around for a listen on Sunday morning.

Without any introductions, the New Queen of Country - Elizabeth Cook - wearing a delightful Italian felt fedora, magnificently embroidered Mexican Bolero jacket and impossibly tight jeans stood alongside and floppy haired husband Tim Carroll opened their set with Gonna Be from the BALLS album and followed that with a gut-wrenching version of Girlfriend Tonight from 2010’s WELDER album. …