Bit of a slow start to 2020 with no gigs for the first three weeks, but then I made up for it by attending the Gloucester Cajun and Zydeco Festival - where I was the MC and also got to take part in the end of festival jam. Lots of good music, good food and good company.
Carol Wilson of Acadian Strings:
Cheryl McIlroy of Rough Chowder
Festival finale - one advantage of being the MC was access to shots like this! (It was the end of proceedings too and I'd just been playing and singing some Beau Jocque...)
Then it was straight off stage, drive home, six hours' kip then catch the (cheap) slow train to London where I attended the Americana Music Association UK Showcase Festival in Hackney - met even more lovely people and saw lots of excellent music. First night was a charity fundraiser at Oslo in Hackney - "Americana Clash" where a house band was joined by the likes of Kyshona, Peter Bruntnell, Terra Lightfoot, Danny Champ, Irish Mythen, Grace Petrie, Austin Lucas - and Frank Turner - for an evening of Clash songs.
Elsewhere, I enjoyed sets by Austin Lucas:
Amy LaVere (who I last saw in 100 degree heat playing under a gazebo at Drifter's Bar in east Nashville. Bit cooler in Hackney:
Michaela Anne
Mapache were a new name to me - duo west coast harmonies and some songs in Spanish - sublime:
Sam Baker isn't my normal cup of tea, but his Tom Waits-esque story-telling silenced the Empire Bar:
Good to see Chatham County Line for the first time in around 10 years - last met up with them when my band played Kilkenny Roots and they asked us about the Jools Holland show they were appearing on - they'd never heard of him!
Liking the current Amy Speace album and it was nice to hear her and see her backed by Kyshona and Ali Sperry. We've got Amy booked in Biddulph on the 12th February so it was good to get a taster:
Next up I'm playing a gig on 1st Feb for Independent Venues Week at Pilgrim's Pit in Hanley, then it's up to Bury Met for RH night two.