This is going to be tough. Last week we hosted an evening in the CCA which we all consider to be one of the best nights in the AC calendar. What a fabulous evening it was too. Old friends, Tift Merritt and new old friends Lewis and Leigh and a first time visitor who we hope will become a regular visitor, Margo Price. You can still hear this show on the BBC Scotland website and have a look at the photographs from our night here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04qwzl9/p04qwzhw. It sounded as good as it looked too.
So it’s going to feel a little disingenuous to have the best night of the year followed immediately by another one….but that’s what we’re planning tonight. In Studio live from BBC’s Pacific Quay we welcome Joseph, Brent Cobb and the one and only Jim Lauderdale all playing live on Another Country. Joseph will bring familial harmonies. Hailing from Oregon, Natalie Closner will be joined by her younger twin sisters Meegan and Allison playing songs from their 2016 second album I’m Alone, No You’re Not. We have played Joseph on the show over the last few months and we’re delighted that we’ll be able to hear those voices ringing out in our own studio. We’ll get a chance to get a chat with the sisters too and we’ll hear how they met up with Mike Mogis (of Bright Eyes fame) and recorded in his studio down in Omaha, Nebraska.
There’s a family connection with Brent Cobb too. We first heard his music sitting in his cousin’s studio last year in Nashville. Dave Cobb, now custodian of Nashville’s RCA Studio A, gave us a sneak preview of Brent’s debut album which he’d produced fairly recently. Brent is from Georgia and he came to Nashville a few years back to start his career where he’s written some fine songs for other country artists already. Thanks to his father reminding Dave about his son’s music, Brent eventually found, in his own family, his ideal producer. We are already very aware of the title track of his album as it’s a song he wrote with our good friend Andrew Combs. ‘Shine on Rainy Day’ always seemed like an instant classic and Brent’s version reveals his own musical tastes which are perhaps more rootsy and raw than his friend Andrew’s. He is another artist who has contributed to that great project of Dave Cobb, ‘Southern Family.’ He’ll be playing songs from his debut album live this Tuesday night and he’s going to play a great country cover too.
If all of this is not too much we have a spectacular second hour planned too. For only the second time in the long life of the AC we welcome back Jim Lauderdale. Jim is a busy man and he doesn’t tour much this way, so we are delighted he’s going to join us to play some selections from his new album, ‘London Southern.’ Although Jim doesn’t tour the UK too regularly he did find time to record this album in London with Nick Lowe’s band…it sounds fantastic. If you don’t know Jim, his music or his many side projects you are in for a treat. We’ll try to catch up with all the things he’s been up to but we hope it will lead you to finding out more yourself.
If I sound excited about this show it’s because I am. Do join me live this Tuesday on BBC Radio Scotland FM if you can.
