Kentuckyseven

Liam Bailey is a rising, folksoul star from the UK. He mixes it all with a voice who stands up to legendary artists as Otis Redding, Sam Cooke and Bob Marley. Kentuckyseven got a couple of words with the man.

¤ What are you listening to, right now?

– I´m listening to a lot of talk radio like LBC fm, radio 4 and Various drum and bass tracks from my mates spotify playlist.

¤ Best book read in a while?

– The best book Ive read in a while would be one called ’The Book Of The Law’ by Aleister Crowley.

¤ Your hopes for this year?

– I hope to be happy and at peace. I also hope to go on holiday soon, maybe to Thailand or Sardinia.

¤ Three artists who inspire you?

– Richie Culver, Jean-Michel Basquiat and John Lennon.

¤ Who deserves a breakthru in 2011?

– I’d say me and anyone else who’s doing it for the right reasons.

¤¤¤ As a bonus we got Bailey´s rather fabulous video for the new single ’It’s Not The Same’ which was shot in Cuba.

’It’s Not The Same’ is taken from the EP of the same title out July 3rd on Polydor Records. His next gig is at Glastonbury Festival, June 24.

There are some people who just know. The folks over at Woody West, they are definately those kind of people. Tonight the give they the  Swedish Westcoast something really special. A minifestival, a pre-party to Way Out West if you will.

With artists like these, this will be a night to remember. A crowd of a bit over a 1000 will get the chance to meet bands like Band of Horses, First Aid Kit and artists like Dylan LeBlanc, Basia Bulat up close and personal.

Kentuckyseven will be there. For this Limited Edition. Thank you Woody West.

Starts at 17.00 @ Trägårn’ Gothenburg.

Tix: Check out Ticnet, Nudie Jeans Store or Pusterviksbiljetter

Picture Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and Leonard Cohen, somewhere there among those voices and sounds are Joe Fletcher & the Wrong Reasons, this magnificent Rhode Island band. Mr Joseph Fletcher has a voice that convinced me from the first line. And the Western-shirts worn in the videos I’ve seen, testifies of the authenticity of the band.

Listening to the album White Lighter, I notice how I move from dreary rainy Swedish june-days to a dusty and rural American countryside. The country that gave birth to this genre. The genre that keeps changing, for the better.

Joe Fletcher and the Wrong Reasons are a great part of taking the great Americana and Country music to the next level.

Check it out… and start stomping your feet.

Simon Raymonde from Bella Union and Cosmos Music Group opened our eyes for Cashier No. 9. The band from Belfast have become a Kentuckyseven-darling and we´re hooked on their sound, their cook-up of Northern Ireland and California. We´re hooked on their brilliance.

In the words of Simon Raymonde:

”When I heard the music, it was like finding that missing jigsaw piece. Taking cue from the 60s greats, like The Zombies, The Kinks and The Beatles, waltzing through the 70s with all the west coast Beach Boys flavours , all delivered with that swagger that has been missing from UK music since early Verve, early Stone Roses, early Oasis, and yet the most important ingredient is of course the songwriting of Danny Ford, singer and guitarist.”

Check out the vid: Goldstar

Check out Guillemots forthcoming single ’I must be a lover’. The song will be released July 3rd on Geffen Records from their record ’Walk the river’ reviewed on Kentuckyseven – here.

Releasedate: 2011-06-13

Label: Dine Alone Records / Cooking Vinyl

This is – without any doubt in my mind – one of the best records of 2011. The voice of Dallas Green keeps knockin down my door, begging for another listen. Well, I wont let the man down. He is a genius.

City And Colour´s third full-lenght album is simply beautiful. This Canadian fella just needed to sing his first words and the hook hit my heart. It´s a multifaceted tool, it´s a six-way street, it´s all of the above.

The songs were recorded at Catherine North Studios in Hamilton, Ontario – a converted church with wideopen architecture – with producer Alex Newport (Death Cab For Cutie) at the helm. They´ve made a masterpiece.

Take the Dylanesque twist of ’The Grand Optimist’, where Dallas Green sings of his dad who always sees things on the bright side. Then, the chorus with the fateful chord and the everlasting line: ”I guess I take after my mother.” Brilliant.

Or the haunting ’O´Sister’ who describes the struggles faced by the singer’s own sister through some really tough times. Moving, strong stuff that will make a difference to people. It´s nervy and anxious. It´s hard to get by.

A piece of advise? Don´t miss out on this one.

¤ 6/7 Kentuckyseven´s

¤ Listen: The Grand Optimist

¤ Listen: O´Sister

Photo: Alissa Anderson

Listen to this great rocksong from the fresh Vetiver album The Errant Charm, out next week via Sub Pop. It´s a really sweet record, a perfect soundtrack of a warm summer evening. An elusive, wandering tale.

Ride ride ride is an old-school shuffle, a boogie-woogie for the already lost. Ancient, easy-going stuff. And man it rocks. Don´t miss Vetiver in Gothenburg, June 21, on Woody West Limited Edition.

Vetiver – Ride ride ride

Remember Ben Harper? The man that gave us classic 90´s-albums as ’Will To Live’ and ’Fight For Your Mind’ not to mention the kick-ass ’Live From Mars’ from 2001. He´s back with a new album; ’Give Till It´s Gone’.

Kentuckyseven loves this guy. He just released a great new single with that free-flyin-Tom Petty-Bob Dylan-whole-hearted-American sound that we can´t resist.

This is a tune that grows on you. Great lyrics, and a certain vibe that makes me wanna get behind the wheels and head into the dark, dark night. Check it out.

”I am most in my element when my hands are on the keys”, now that is what made me want to listen. Sunday Lane, a 20 year old artist from Tulsa OK, now living in L.A.

Classically trained, and with a voice that would fit in any genre given to her, she creates music. Music about social injustices, young love, and growing up. And the way she does it. The expression. Beautiful in every note.

If you happen to be in Pasadena CA on june 18, be sure to check her act out.

Meanwhile, check out this great video of Won’t Go Back Down…

Kentuckyseven will be following this artist.

June 4 The Low Anthem´s USA-tour hits our dreamvillage of Louisville, Kentucky. They play Headliners Music Hall (together with Daniel Lefkowitz and The County Line) and it will for sure be a night to remember.

Kentuckyseven had a chat with bandleaders Ben Knox Miller and Jeff Prystowsky when they visited Gothenburg, Sweden. We talked about Pringles chips, the soundtrack of Sweden and the smart kids of Deer Tick.

Welcome to Sweden! Last time you played here were a much talked-about gig at Pustervik in the summer of 2010. You recall?

“Sure, that was one special evening. It was late, late at night, a really rowdy crowd who had their fair amount of Swedish beer.  We started out with all our instruments on stage and I know we looked at each other and didn´t know which way it would turn. But after three or four songs we knew, everything connected and we really enjoyed it.”

You even played to the crowd in line outside the bar who couldn´t get in?

“Yeah, that’s right (laugh). It was sold out and a long line of people stayed outside. It was raining, and we stopped and played a song for them outside. The night was dark, it was very special. “

The song  “I´ll Take Out Your Ashes” is your most Swedish song ever, Ingmar Bergman-style. Beautiful, guilty, sad feeling. Like a soundtrack of Sweden. What can you say about that song?

“Really? Well now for sure we will play that one tonite. The song was written a night after hanging out at a bar with my friend who just told me a story about her mother passing away, about how her family was feuding about how to deal with the ashes. The family was fighting about who should come to the ceremony, and who shouldn’t. Meanwhile the ashes was at my friends house, on her kitchentable. For months. She more or less wrote the song, just telling me the story.”

In our ears you got two different type of songs. One aggressive, direct, rock-style. One slow, thoughtful, folk-style. Why does it come out like that?

”It’s all about commitment. We just don’t play the arrangements. We keep ourselves to a high standard of really being there emotionally in the songs. And whether it’s the loudest, most abrasive song or the most beautiful, inviting rich song, it’s the same level of commitment to it, so I think that is the same about those two styles. I really didn’t look at it as a matter of styles, just a matter of intensity.”

You´re from Rhode Island. What can you say about the place?

”We live in Providence, in Smithsville. There is a wonderful community of artists there, and an artschool, and Brown University, where we went. The schools are very liberal, and the area is very un-American. And also it is very off-the-map, no national music comes there. Which is kinda good.”

Deer Tick is another Kentuckyseven fav-band, also from Rhode Island, you know them?

”Sure, we know them. They are wild, but it is somewhat staged… they are actually smart kids, they are making an effort to look weird you know. They love the artistry, and they are cool like that. By the way, you need to check out another guy from Rhode Island, Death Vessel. And Brown Bird, you need to check them out as well.”

Social Media, such as Facebook and Twitter. Is that important to you? How do you handle it?

“We don´t.  I think it´s pretty boring for the fans with a twitteraccount that some publisher or pressguy takes care of. It´s seldom from the artists themselves, and rarely any personal and interesting stuff.” But we do write all the emails, for the mailing lists and such.”

Finally, the future. Where will The Low Anthem be, say in 10 years?

”Making records.”

Artist to artist:

Q: John Grant:

”How have you managed to keep from having your collective digestive systems destroyed by the ravages of Pringles whilst on the road?”

A: Ben Knox Miller: ”I think that the food at the venues saves us, coz if we were left at our own devices we would probably eat the food from the gas stations, you know those Swedish hot dogs, love em. So we balance the crappy food with Pringles. And ketchup.”

The gig after the interview was amazing, and the guys were as well. We hope to see them again in Sweden soon. And by the way, the played their most swedish song, upon request…

Read the review here: The Low Anthem @ Pustervik