Laurel Canyon Music

24 Blackbush Avenue Chadwell Heath, Romford, England, RM6 5TU United Kingdom

For fans and musicians of Folk, Americana, Country, Blues, Singer-Songwriter, Rock, Roots & Acoustic and music from the Laurel Canyon late 60’s/early 70’s era.

LCM is a new co-operative music community, promoter, event organiser and on-line magazine to promote & support the music that we love. All the latest news, reviews and interviews

LCM is your indispensable insider guide to the wonderful world of independent music and beyond

We aim to help music fans connect and discover great new music and help indie musicians promote their music and help them build relationships with supporters and industry professionals.

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Filtering by Tag: July 2017

Hannah Johnson - Shaken (10/07/17)

August 16, 2017  /  Gary Smith

  • Artist: Hannah Johnson
  • Genre: Country, Blues
  • Release Date: 10th July, 2017
  • Record Label: Wood Ville Music
  • Tracks: 11
  • Website: http://hjbrokenhearts.com/

The album was recorded at The Ameripolitan Studios in Austin, Texas. It features some of Hannah's favourite musicians including Stewart Johnson, Bryce Clarke, Chris Shirley, Beth Chrisman, Joshua Hoag, Emily Gimble, Tom Lewis, Sophia Johnson, Brian Kremer and Devin Jake. 

Hannah delves deep into her influences of old country, the blues and honky tonk music. The choice of material is imperative to Hannah, who has spent a long time studying the vocal styles of country greats such as Faron Young, George Jones & Ray Price.

At a time when it is fashionably cool to be “Americana” and dressing “vintage” is de rigueur, it is easy to feel tired of the cliches around the modern country scene. Much of the music coming out of Nashville today seems to be either watered down country pop, or stylistically affected Americana with chanted choruses and stomping bass drums.

However, there is also reaction against these extreme ends of the industry machine and artists like Hannah Johnson are approaching their music with a refreshing honesty and commitment to the core principles of ‘old’ country music, celebrating the heritage and history rather than diluting it. Undoubtedly spending so much time in Austin, Texas has influenced her immensely, as the music she is making falls much more under the bracket of what Dale Watson is doing with his “Ameripolitan” genre than the new country from Nashville. Hannah sings classic country songs about drinking and heart ache straight from a Honky Tonk, her sultry and smokey voice taking on the likes of Patsy Cline, Skeets McDonald and Willie Nelson. But what also cannot be ignored in her voice is the strong influence from the blues, as exemplified on her cover of an old Charlie Patton number and her powerful rendition of ‘Trouble In Mind’.

The stand out tracks however, are her own compositions, ‘Your Girlfriend Hates Me’ could perhaps be seen as a modern, less aggressive take on Loretta’s “fist city”, clearly placing relationships between women at the centre of her experience, and proving not always easy being the only girl in the band. ‘Morning Cocktail’ then takes her in a more soulful and reflective direction, lamenting a highly destructive lost love, the dangerous numbing qualities of alcohol, while demonstrating her vocal prowess. ‘Nowhere Train’ immediately hits an infectious country groove, delivering classic twangy telecaster and providing a strong catchy chorus as the album’s opener.

Hannah's fans include Imelda May, Robert Plant and Ronnie Wood, indeed Hannah and her band provided the entertainment for Ronnie’s recent 70th Birthday party. She is set to spend the summer 2017 gigging and promoting her record in Austin, TX.

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categories / Country Music, Blues Music, Americana Music, Acoustic Music, Singer-Songwriter
tags / Hannah Johnson, Shaken, LCM New Releases 2017, July 2017

Reg Meuross - Faraway People (28/07/17)

July 26, 2017  /  Gary Smith

Faraway People is the second in a trilogy of completely solo albums from Somerset singer-songwriter and storyteller through song, Reg Meuross. It delivers his poignant and powerful songs with the same intimacy and authenticity of the live performances that have captivated audiences throughout the UK and abroad for nearly 30 years now. The album, which will be released as a CD on 28 July 2017 and on vinyl in the Autumn, could not be more timely. Reg comments courageously on the world we are living in now, from the ravages of austerity to the injustices of racism and the plight of refugees. He also delves into history, echoing warnings that resonate through the decades and are still relevant today. Stories told include people from living memory such as anti Nazi activist Sophie Scholl from WW2, and Michael Brown (victim of the fatal Missouri shooting in 2014) as well as ancient history (Cicero) and even a fictitious meeting between two of the artist's greatest heroes. Amongst the protest there is beauty, love and humour. These songs spring straight from the heart of one of the UK's finest singer-songwriters.

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categories / Folk Music, Singer-Songwriter
tags / Reg Meuross, Faraway People, LCM New Releases 2017, July 2017

The Queen Of Hearts - Offa Rex (14/07/17)

July 19, 2017  /  Gary Smith

Offa Rex is the exciting new project by excellent singer-songwriter Olivia Chaney and Portland's very own The Decemberists.

The thirteen tracks on their new  debut album 'The Queen of Hearts' draw largely on traditional English-Irish-Scottish music to create a transatlantic collaboration that combines elements of psychedelia, prog folk and folk rock to create a new rich and sublime mix.

Offa Rex will tour this summer, including performances at the Newport Folk Festival, Town Hall in New York, and at The Aladdin in Portland. They will also be performing at Travelers’ Rest, The Decemberists’ two-day curated festival in Missoula, MT on August 12 and 13. Additionally, Olivia Chaney will support The Decemberists during their August tour, during which she will join the band on stage to perform songs from 'The Queen of Hearts'. Olivia will also do a few solo shows around these dates.

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categories / Folk Music
tags / Offa Rex, Olivia Chaney, The Decemberists, The Queen Of Hearts, LCM New Releases 2017, July 2017

Meg Mac - Low Blows (14/07/17)

July 15, 2017  /  Gary Smith

  • Artist: Meg Mac
  • Genre: Indie Pop, Singer-songwriter
  • Release Date: 14th July, 2017.
  • Record Label: 300 Entertainment
  • Tracks: 11
  • Website: https://www.megmac.com.au/

Meg Mac is back, burning bright with her keenly anticipated debut album 'Low Blows;' a powerful set of dynamic, deep soul, exhortations that have an all-enveloping atmosphere and presence; 'Low Blows' is distinctly and uniquely Meg Mac. In 2014, Meg Mac was named Triple J's Unearthed artist of the year; the station spearheaded her trajectory worldwide, playing multiple tracks from her highly acclaimed debut EP. "Roll up your sleeves" was played on radio across America and featured in the US TV series 'Girls' and 'Grace and Frankie.' In 2016 she was in Triple J's Top 5 'Unearthed' discoveries of the last decade. Meg has played festivals and sold out shows in Australia, America & UK but the most momentous was with D'Angelo. "The most inspiring was the 'Black Messiah" tour with D'Angelo, I learned what it was to tour America, it was all real and that's the magic." Meg explains. "We played theaters, from LA, across the South and up to New York where I also played with Gary Clark Jr." Gary Clark commented "I heard this voice. I was blown away by how powerful her voice was and how cool she was. It blew my mind. She's amazing" " Meg Mac recorded her debut album 'Low Blows' in America with 'Niles City Sound' who produced and played on the Leon Bridges album.

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categories / Pop Music, Soul Music, Singer-Songwriter
tags / Meg Mac, Low Blows, LCM New Releases 2017, July 2017

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