This has been a lovely week in the world of the AC. On Sunday evening I popped down to the CCA in Glasgow to see Hayes Carll before Hayes visited us in our magical Studio 1 space the following morning. On Wednesday we welcome Richmond Fontaine to the studio for the final time though we hope we never have to say goodbye to Willy Vlautin. In between these days I’ll be live from our usual perch in Studio 6 at the BBC in Glasgow to host another two hours of Another Country and we’ll be thinking about old friends. Richmond Fontaine and Hayes Carll are both in that category; we think we interviewed Hayes in our first ever season and we’ve been trying to coax him back in for the last few years. We’ll broadcast that session and conversation over the next few weeks along with many other great things we have stored in the can.
We will also play records by two artists who we haven’t played in a long time: Canada’s own Woodpigeon and Mary Margaret O’Hara. This time however we’ll get them on the same song as Woodpigeon return with a new album. We will introduce you to some new names…..step forward American Young, Carter Sampson and Phil Cook. We’ll celebrate Glen Campbell’s birthday and we’ll toast the coming of two of Country Music’s biggest acts’ visits to Scotland; Dierks Bentley, who played last weekend and The Dixie Chicks who alight on these shores in seven days.
I’ll also preview an amazing conversation with this man….
Graham Nash is the subject of an hour long special programme BBC Radio Scotland will broadcast next Bank Holiday Monday. We talked about his new album, This Path Tonight, his first band The Hollies and his time with the The superstar band of all time Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. He’ll share stories of Mama Cass, Joni Mitchell,Gerry Garcia, David Crosby (be prepared), Stephen Stills and Neil Young. Remarkably, at the age of seventy four, Graham not only remembers all the stories but is currently in a creative hot spot and his voice sounds better than ever. We’ll give you a sneak peak on Tuesday evening.
Finally…..and I’ll tell you more next week, I’m going to be live on BBC Radio 2 on every Wednesday night in May for an hour playing you music I think you may well love. I’ll tell you more next week. Meantime please join me if you can this Tuesday night from 9 on BBC Radio Scotland.
Looking forward to meeting some of our Scottish visitors – Daniel Meade & The Fling Mules, The Wynntown Marshals – and music fans from as far away as Stornoway at the Kilkenny Roots Festival this weekend. Wrap up it’s chilly over here!
Featured acts for 2016:
RICHMOND FONTAINE (USA), TEDDY THOMPSON & KELLY JONES (UK/USA), HAYES CARLL (USA), THE WEATHER STATION (CANADA), RYLEY WALKER (USA), THE DELTA SAINTS (USA), FERNANDO VICICONTE (USA), BARNA HOWARD (USA), DAVID CORLEY (USA), LEWIS & LEIGH (UK/USA), CALE TYSON BAND (USA), MALOJIAN (IRELAND), TIM V. SMYTH ((IRELAND), JOHN BLEK & THE RATS (IRELAND), JOHN MURRY (USA), TV JONES y LOS GATOS (Ireland)) and WILLY VLAUTIN from Richmond Fontaine in conversation with Irish Times music critic, Tony Clayton-Lea.
Plus! Over 80 free gigs on the Smithwick’s Music Trail featuring
Barefoot, Beef Supreme, Ben Reel Band, Blood Red Mountain Band, Daniel Meade & The Flying Mules, Deep Down Detox, Desert Aces, Gavin Povey & Oke-She-Mokes-She-Pops, JD & The Straight Shot, Joe Fury, Lands End, Loudest Whisper, Lucky Bones, Midnight Union Band, Minnie & The Illywhackers, Mongrel State, One Horse Pony, Psychedelic Pill, Strange Brew, The Barflys, The Needables, The Savage Jim Breen, Tomcat & The Zodiacs, Tony McLoughlin Band, , Trouble Pilgrims, Woodbine, Wynntown Marshals.