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"Empty Beach' is the third single taken off the excellent Polite Company album, Please Go Wild. It's an album that hasn't left the player for months such is it's infectious, hook-laden charm. Alan is available for interviews and sessions.
A song about two people and a dog on a beach from the album 'Please Go Wild'.
'This is an album to savour for its wit, warmth, songwriting prowess, musicianship and celebrates the vitally important role ‘jingly-jangly’ music is and has had. Too early to suggest contender for album of the year? Absolutely not.... ' 9/10
GREAT review from those good folk at AmericanaUK
They know their onions...
Going wild about jangly guitar corker from ex-Mutton Bird. It’s always interesting how people react to new music and on viewing a couple of videos from this brilliant album, one astute individual w…
Absolute gold this.. The Polite Company album 'Please Go Wild' comes out end of May. This and the album have been on constant rotation for two months here and I'm still loving it!! Alan Gregg (Mutton Birds/Marshmallow) not only writes killer, catchy gems he is a master of social observation. Looking for plays, reviews, and just some feedback from my media friends if I can, please... PM for promos: Downloads/CD/Vinyl
He's an ultra-high net worth individual.
Just a reminder, this is the second track taken from Alan Gregg's (Mutton Birds / Marshmallow) new project 'Polite Company'. Barefoot Billionaire' is available to stream and is a gorgeous slab of intelligent, witty pop. The brilliant album Please Go Wild is out end of May. PM me for review/playlist copies folks!
Let's get some spins on this one..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCyYAHH2rxs
Jazz Track of the Day
As you are probably aware because I talk about it all the time this last year and a half has been spent exploring musical chasms that I've never really ventured into - Free jazz, Ambient, Avant Garde, Hardcore, Emo (ffs!) - and it's been a truly enlightening experience and one that shows no signs of stopping. However, after initially thinking that I'd never be able to listen to a lot of music again as it didn't have that 'fire' I now need, I have actually been drawn back to artists I'd kind of neglected in the past and now, with a more open and receptive ear, I am enjoying in a different way. Take Johnny Griffin for an example. I'd always had the 'little giant' down as a full toned blower along with people like Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis and Gene Ammons, both great players in their own right. It never really excited me tbh. But a little diggin' and I uncover this gem. Recorded live in Rome in '74 and backed by an Italian band Griffin literally soars off the deck here. It's an incendary performance that stretches, meanders, and then pummels home the intent. Absolutely ace!!
Johnny Griffin (ts) ジョニー・グリフィンFranco D'Andrea (p) フランコ・ダンドレアGiovanni Tommaso (b) ジョバンニ・トマーゾBruno Biriaco (d) ブルーノ・ビリアコ1974/04/7https://www.discogs.co...
Ex Mutton Bird and Marshmallow Leader Alan Gregg Set To Release New Power Pop Project, Polite Company.
One thing is always certain, you can rely on Nick West and the seminal BUCKETFULL OF BRAINS to be where the gold is.
Thanks for a lovely write up on James Varda's Chance And Time, a record everyone needs in this crazy, crazy world...
https://nickbob.com/2024/03/20/james-varda-chance-and-time-unspun-heroes/?fbclid=IwAR2WMjH5WiZT5Joz37Bt05riJniDU8KkTPEf6H7uQhBHOaUt4VxC7JzxF
James Varda released Chance And Time in early 2015, only a matter of months before his death from a rare form of cancer, and the album was conceived, recorded, and completed in the full knowledge o…
"The tag line for Unspun Heroes is
“Music deserving of wider attention, reissued on vinyl”
and I honestly can’t think of a more deserving first release than Chance And Time.
An unmissable album, full of this songwriter’s heart and soul, a passionate reminder to treasure life and the people we love.
Very fitting it should now exist in this new physical form of 300 vinyl pressings complete with lyrics and personal notes from James’s friends and family, a lasting and outstanding tribute indeed:~
“Let my place be a chord that echoes through the years”.
Thanks to Anita Joye at Rocking Magpie for these words on James Varda's Chance And Time'
'An unmissable album...'
Americana, Blues, Folk, Alt Country, Country and a Whole Lot More!
Thanks to Dave Esson at The Express for this lovely 4**** review of James Varda's Chance and Time.
'An astonishing album..." Yup!
Since 1998 the festival has attracted some of the finest names in the Americana/Roots canon, including Calexico, Giant Sand, Drive-By Truckers, Jason Isbell,
If there is a better way to spend a weekend than in the wonderful Kilkenny for the Kilkenny Roots Festival This year they celebrate 20 years, and the line-up, as always, is ace including Jeffrey Martin, Robert Finley, Brown Horse, W***y Mason and Sam Outlaw. Tickets are on sale and selling fast. If there was any way you could maybe preview the festival or any thing else please let me know.
As I say, I'm on my 12th year now and it's the first thing in the diary EVERY year! Lovely city, lovely people, lovely festival of great music, fun and laughter...
Since 1998 the festival has attracted some of the finest names in the Americana/Roots canon, including Calexico, Giant Sand, Drive-By Truckers, Jason Isbell,
What's on my mind? Well, my good friend Chip Taylor is going through some tough stuff at the minute but still manages to make utterly beautiful records. This is his latest. Promos/downloads available folks, just holler!!
Thanks to the lovely KLOF Mag for this wonderful piece on James Varda's 'Chance And Time'. Really swell...
James Varda’s 2014 album Chance and Time will be reissued for the first time on vinyl. We look at his songwriting influences, his journey from folk club to TV appearances, and more.
Dipping toes back into the PR shark pool for a bit. Currently working a stunning vinyl reissue of James Varda's heart breaking 'Chance And Time', the second and equally brilliant lo-fi Chip Taylor album in 6 months, and just about to start on a campaign for the Polite Company album, one time Mutton Bird and Marshmallow Alan Gregg's new power pop gem. PM me for promos, pics, interview requests, downloads or if you just wanna know a bit more about these records..
One thing you can always rely on in this world is Ralph McLean. Not only does he have the best ears in the business he genuinely listens and cares about the albums he is is sent. So HUGE thanks to Ralph for a spin and lovely words about the James Varda album, Chance And Time. Thank you Ralph, always appreciated.
Ralph has music from Gram Parsons, Margo Price and Gino Lupari.
Currently working James Varda's extraordinary album, Chance And Time, getting a reissue from 2015. Here's what my friend Michael J Sheehy, who has great ears, had to say about it..
"Tonight’s medicine: James Varda - Chance and Time. A few years back I remember seeing Wilko Johnson being interviewed around the time of his cancer diagnosis and he described how his grim prognosis granted him a type of ecstatic insight, he was suddenly able to view the world through new eyes, the mundane everyday things he took for granted became imbued with deep meaning and beauty. This album embodies all of that. James Varda was given a very short time to live after a cancer diagnosis and he channeled his hopes and fears into this beautiful, heartbreaking album. While there is sadness here, there is also hope, beauty, limitless love and a refreshing lack of self-pity. A truly special record"
And he is spot on. Media friends please let me know if you would like to consider plays, reviews, maybe even a feature or two. There is a story and to back it up a special record. Email me at [email protected]
James Varda
Chance And Time
Released in UK on March 15th
Chance And Time James Varda’s Hauntingly Beautiful Paean To Life And Death Set For March 15th Vinyl Only Reissue On Unspun Heroes
Suffolk-based singer songwriter James Varda’s fourth and final album before his death from a long battle with cancer in 2015, Chance And Time, set for a vinyl only reissue on Unspun Heroes (March 15th), is an astonishing aural document of a creative, forward -thinking musician coming to terms with a life slowly evaporating away. There is hubris, melancholy and an undeniable weight of sadness in these ten songs but, miraculously, there is also a stoic realisation and acceptance from Varda that is both heart-wrenching and deeply affecting. On Chance And Time Varda reconnects the human spirit to the land, a heavy, fearful heart to an optimistic soul, and in a beautiful poetic flourish gives a real tangible sense of loving and hope to his family and friends offering genuine reassurance and even, at times, a green light for celebration.
Carrying a certain air of mystique, that same sense of a ‘other worldliness’ if you will of say a Karen Dalton or a Jeff Buckley, Varda’s delivery and tone carries huge emotional weight here and an unique ability to add an honest perspective and warmth to the starkest of realities. The hard hitting impact of the opening tracks is blunt and sharply defined. There is pain, hardship, and fear wrapped in these tales, - ‘The Doctor Spoke, Two Hearts Broke” - made all the more hitting as this is a real life journey in the here and now being catalogued. As we move towards the second half of the record there is something even deeper and truly incredible at play. Varda’s whole demeanour is one of understanding and acceptance - hear the celebratory shamanic vibe of the extraordinary ‘Pass It On’ and the poignantly reflective, chokingly sad finale ‘We Won’t Dream’ - bringing to an end a record that will leave a mark on everyone who hears it. Real art is both timeless and omnipresent, these songs from James Varda will hang in the air forever and be there for those who look to find understanding, joy and a sense of hope. Chance And Time is both an extraordinary record and poignant study of life and living, of death and what comes after.
James Varda released four albums between 1988 and his death in 2015. A fledgling career beginning on the singer-songwriting folk scene where his arrival was met with both curiosity and critical acclaim as was his debut, the John Leckie produced Hunger. Any momentum was lost however as it would be ten years before the next, In The Valley was met with a ruffle of applause. Cancer took hold of the troubadour and for a number of years Varda lived life and wrote songs until The River And The Stars appeared like a phoenix from the flames as he began to wrestle with the realities of his situation. It’s a record that beautifully lays the ground for this his masterpiece that was to follow.
Unspun Heroes, a new label set up by Simon White, has the sole purpose of finding and reissuing albums that he considers both undervalued and seemingly ignored. All releases will be on vinyl only complete with Obi strip and extensive liner notes. Each will be individually numbered and limited.
A full biography is available on request.
A stream of ‘Chance And Time’ is available on request
Limited to 300 copies
For further information on both James Varda and Unspun Heroes please contact Del Day at [email protected]
Very honoured to be working both the new Chip Taylor album and the vinyl only reissue of the extraordinary Chance And Time, James Varda's 2014 crushingly beautiful masterpiece. Both are simply stunning. Hit me up for streams, pics, interview requests...
Always great to get the new Shindig! Magazine... the latest! especially when it had a lovely piece with Danny Champ on the Bennett Wilson Poole album. Lovely!! The magazine is great, go grab a copy folks!
Great 4**** review for Bennett Wilson Poole in Mojo.
Wonderful Bennett Wilson Poole review from those good folks at Fatea Magazine
Fatea Magazine Home Of Acoustic Music
Another lovely Chip Taylor review, this time from those good folks at Folk Radio UK
Chip Taylor’s The Cradle Of All Living Things is a generous double album, offering comfort for those quiet twilight moments.
5***** for Bennett Wilson Poole in the Express. Nice…
Thanks to Lonesome Highway for another lovely Bennett Wilson Poole review..
New Album Reviews March 13, 2023 Stephen Averill Dave Sutherland Last Drop Of Empty RectifierAfter a break of quite a few years, Londoner Dave Sutherland has returned to writing and performing his own material in support of his recently released album, LAST DROP OF EMPTY. On top of this, he was awar...
Bennett Wilson Poole including on this mighty fine playlist from One Chord To Another blog. Sweet...
Thanks again Silmien Takana for that Courtney Marie Andrews concert. I had a great time. Seeing a marvellous concert and meeting likeminded people means a whole lot and also gives some inspiration to keep on doing this music blog. Next day was a little rough, because I was home at 1.30 am and had to...
Another fine Bennett Wilson Poole review, this time in The Afterword
Bennett Wilson Poole I Saw A Star Behind Your Eyes, Don’t Let It Fade Away 03/04/2023 by niallb 12 Comments What does it sound like?: In case you weren’t paying attention, five years ago, the album ‘Bennett Wilson Poole’ earned this ‘supergroup’ the Americana UK Artist of the Year and wa...
More plays for Chip Taylor on Mike Ritchie Celtic MusicRadio
Nice!
Mike Ritchie loves music in the Americana, alt.country, roots, bluegrass, rock, singer/songwriter fields: so there is no shortage of great tracks for his show, which is a mix of music, news, reviews and him blethering (says Mike) about gigs, albums and artists in general.
Thanks Ralph McLean for another Bennett Wilson Poole play on the BBC Radio Ulster
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001kgfs?fbclid=IwAR2-GBwWyXLgCwaCtoNnV62bk9J2JdRWe1hD7Hv6TR6FS8GYeEU_OBYua0g
Music from Stoned Cold Country, Brothers Osborne, Steve Earle and Rachel Baiman.
Now't to see here folks.... Well, only a massive heartwarming interview in The Independent for Chip Taylor... Nice!!
Fresh off a bout of treatment for throat cancer, the pioneer of country-rock and Voight brother speaks to Helen Brown about his storied career writing hits such as ‘Wild Thing’, his past as a professional gambler and finding everlasting love with his wife, Joan
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