It’s Sunday evening and a time when I usually get to do a little listening and thinking. As I sit at the desk in my studio I can see a beautiful full moon making the frost on the trees, the grass and the deserted roads sparkle. At the dark end of year the constancy of the moon in the sky brings some small comfort for these uncertain times.
These are difficult days. We’re living through domestic political turmoil, economic hardship and the dreadful shadow of a war being waged on our own continent. There’s much to concern us. As I stare out at the moon, however I cast my mind back to two years ago, when I sat looking a a similar scene not knowing when we would all meet up again as the pandemic showed no signs of slowing down. That time has passed and, like yourselves, I feel grateful to get most of our old lives back. It’s not the same as it was, but to meet with friends, travel and break bread together without the fear of the virus is a small, but significant blessing.
So, 2022. We welcomed guests back into the radio studios. We hosted events for C2C at the BBC in Glasgow and artists performed again at The Hydro. We recorded some visiting acts from the US and over the summer we made merry at a festival or two. However, there is a constant for all fourteen years Another Country has been on the airwaves; in the preceding twelve months we have fallen in love with new records and with new voices. Let’s start with the artists.
On Part One of our year-end round up we’ll remind you how we first heard Plains, Sad Daddy and Margo Cilker. We will also play a track from the excellent Dillon Carmichael whose album Son Of A is a must listen if you dig the music of Eric Church or any of the new traditionalists. More than this we can rejoice in the knowledge that many of our favourite artists did not disappoint in ’22. On this week’s AC you’ll hear tracks from Miranda Lambert, Tre Burt, Charlie Crockett and our good friends Ferris and Sylvester. We will have beautiful reminders of why you might want to include the names of Martyn Joseph, Morgan Wade, Luke Combs and Tenille Townes on your Santa letters and on that seasonal note we’ll play you some great Christmas songs which may well become holiday standards in years to come.
We’ll do all of this within our normal two hour time slot and you can catch the show live from five past eight this Tuesday evening or in your own time and favourite listening spot on BBC Sounds. Either way, do join me if you can.
