In a recent Rough Trade podcast John Moreland picks some of his favourite records. On it he talks about his punk rock roots and discovering Bruce Springsteen around the time of The Rising. John also talks about being asked to play his version of Thunder Road on his recent BBC visit…oh that was us John, that was us. We saw a YouTube of John doing the song and we thought we’d love that to happen on Another Country.
This coming Tuesday night you can hear what it sounds like when a young singer from Tulsa Oklahoma puts his own voice around the lines, ‘It’s a town for the losers and I’m pulling out of here to win.‘ That will be the bonus on a really beautiful session which was recorded just a couple of weeks ago when John came to Glasgow. As he explains in the interview, it was his first visit to play a show here but he’d already come across the border just to be here on a previous tour. We think John may become a regular visitor to our country once people hear the music he is playing. Beautifully crafted songs of heartache would be an easy way to describe John’s records, but don’t label him to easily. Coming from a background of 150BPM Punk rock he’s a lover of Minor Threat and other bands of that ilk. On twitter today someone got put in their place when they suggested Chris Stapleton is taking the title for “Sad Bastard of country” away from John…… Here’s JM’s reply: Good, I ain’t country and I ain’t sad.
John Moreland.
The listeners to this week’s Another Country can be the judges of that. It’s a brilliant session where John performs an acoustic version of a song he hadn’t performed solo up until that point and then there is that cover version. John Moreland may or may not be country – that’s really not the point – he is however singing something quite unique in a new fresh voice. Once more the sound of America comes from Oklahoma and we’re enjoying so much of what we’re hearing.
Also we have new and great things from Steve Earle, Bonnie Prince Billy, Pieta Brown and ….wait for it people….Fleet Foxes. We’ll explain – with good audio evidence – why John Mayer has gone country and we’ll remind you of some great music from Buck Owens and Nanci Griffiths.
My producer, Richard Murdoch is back from his American peregrinations with vinyl in his suitcase and you’ll hear the sound of Lillie Mae – fresh from Third Man Records , Pie Town, Nashville Tennessee. It’s going to be a great night. Join us live from five past nine on BBC radio Scotland FM.
