Glasgow Americana 2015: Guest blog by Festival Director Kevin Morris
On Wednesday this week the 9th Glasgow Americana Festival kicks off in venues across the city. We managed to catch up with the Festival Director, Kevin Morris, for a few words on this year’s highlights. Over to Kevin…
At Glasgow Americana we’re gearing up for our 9th Festival and we can’t wait to welcome music lovers to various venues including St Andrew’s in the Square, The CCA, and The Glad Cafe.
This year we have legendary singer-songwriters Bruce Cockburn and Tom Russell, Kathryn Williams & Michele Stodart from The Magic Numbers, Lewis & Leigh, Danny Schmidt, Hazy Recollections, Sam Lewis & Krista Detor and more.
Bruce Cockburn has been lined up to play the Glasgow Americana Festival for the first time, appearing at St Andrew’s in the Square, on Wednesday, October 7. It’s a great feeling that someone of Bruce Cockburn’s stature, an artiste so widely admired, has agreed to open this year’s Festival. It will be an outstanding night for all his followers, and a great first night for us.
Bruce Cockburn
Since we started in 2007 we have used a variety of venues across the city and our hall of fame reads like a who’s who of the Americana scene.
Artists including Mary Gauthier, Laura Cantrell, Sturgill Simpson, Sam Baker, Alejandro Escovedo, Steve Forbert, Israel Nash Gripka, The Hot Club Of Cowtown plus so many more acts have passed through our doors.
Our promoters The Fallen Angels Club looks forward to another great 5 days starting this Wednesday, .
On Thursday, Kathryn Williams and Michele Stodart (The Magic Numbers) will co-headline at the CCA, featuring songs from their new albums.
Kathryn Williams & Michele Stodart
The man from El Paso, Tom Russell, appears at St Andrews in the Square on Friday October 9. Tom Russell is as good as it gets when you think about singer-songwriters of the past 30 years, and an evening in his company is time well spent.
Tom Russell
The Glad Cafe is the place to be on Saturday 10 when Danny Schmidt makes a welcome return to the festival for a classy Saturday matinee. Danny will be supported by festival debutante, Betty Soo. It’s a great opportunity to see two performers with excellent songs to share.
On Saturday evening the country-tinged duo, Lewis & Leigh, perform their unique blend of what they dub ‘Celticana’. First- time visitor, Curtis McMurtry, joins this great line up of emerging musical talent so Festival fans are in for a real-deal treat.
The CCA on Sunday is a lovely way to spend an afternoon when Nashville-based Sam Lewis and Krista Detor from Indiana will provide a compelling matinee double bill.
Sam Lewis
Both of these singer/songwriters have earned loads of praise and won many admirers in recent years — they’re a great addition to this year’s festival line-up, I think their popularity will be boosted.
Hazy Recollections, featuring musical talent from home and overseas, brings the curtain down on Sunday evening at the CCA. Over the years, Hazy Recollections has become an increasingly popular feature of Glasgow Americana, and 2015’s line-up boasts artistes who are clearly lighting up today’s music scene.
Host again this year and head honcho is, Findlay Napier – whose latest album, VIP Very Interesting Persons has enthralled fans and critics alike this year. Keeping him company will be Nashville-based, Sam Lewis, Edinburgh’s Dark Green Tree and Cera Impala, who is a Scottish-based American singer/songwriter.
Sam Lewis is filling the Sunday matinee slot at this venue as well – but you can’t get too much of such a fine performer with great tales delivered with a soulful voice. Waiting On You – his sophomore album released in April this year – is emotional, rich and a joy to listen to.
Dark Green Tree are Jay Brown, Ross Cockburn and Cera Impala – and their brilliant Secret Lives album, produced by Boo Hewerdine, is easily one of 2015’s best releases. It is played masterfully while the songs are simply quite beautiful.
Cera Impala, born in Arizona, is a multi-instrumentalist who wields a mean banjo. Performing in a timeless manner she’s stylish, sweet and gritty whenever the song mood demands.
What better way, then, than for them to bring the curtain down on this year’s festival…