Del and CloudwatcherUno talk about his new album “Almanac” out from Acronym Records on 28th April 2023. The 3 time Juno Award @thejunoawards nominee chats about his fantastic album from his farm in the Manitoban wilderness.
“I Told You So” by Del Barber
Del is a blue collar artist who has lived the life of the working man and his love of the rural outdoors has been seen in his artistry as a musician through albums such as “Where The City Ends”, “Prairieography” and “Stray Dogs (Collected B-Sides / Vol 1 “.
Del Barber’s new album “Almanac” is out on 28th April 2023
For me the stand out tracks from the new album are “Jared”, “Jim and Me” and “Still Got You”. The album is a snapshot of the human condition, happiness, love and grief all rolled into one distinctive album. The album keeps the tradition of John Prine and Ian Tyson alive for a new audience. Make sure you buy a physical copy as Del Barber is out on tour all over Canada as we speak.
Del Barber
To listen into the conversation with CloudwatcherUno and Del click the link below. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Natalie Prauser is a coffee aficionado, songstress and all round fabulous artist. We laugh, gasp and sit back in wonder on how this Kansas native is bringing her honky tonk music to life. Natalie’s album “Til The Sun Comes Up” is a veritable modern classic with all credit to her partner Marty Bush for mixing, producing and mastering the album. Let’s not forget also designing the look of the masterpiece as well.
“Til The Sun Comes Up” by Natalie Prauser
Natalie and Marty first met during Pre Covid times while Natalie was sleeping at a bar that Marty frequented. Plying him copious amounts of whiskey Natalie was determined to connect with Marty and that’s exactly what happened. The result is a relationship that has grown personally and professionally as musicians. There’s a to and fro of ideas and it’s a resource that Natalie draws upon Marty’s musical experience to decide which songs are EPIC and which are so so.
Natalie’s approach to songs varies but there was a time when she wrote “Cocaine” all on her phone while being a bouncer at Westport Saloon in Kansas City. Just imagine a 100 pound Natalie as a bouncer. Natalie’s mom recollects that as a child she was always writing songs and then at 13 she started playing at bars. For Natalie this was one of many paths that she could take, having dropped out of school, when Natalie was 16 she drove everywhere and slept in her car and be on the road as much as her finances would allow.
Natalie Prauser and Marty Bush
Natalie was living the vagabond existence and felt you don’t have to be Charley Crockett to live the life of a musician. Natalie’s musical heroes have been Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, John Prine and Blaze Foley.
For the future Natalie will be on tour with Marty and will be enjoying the writing process and produce another Cabin Session album. There will be another video to showcase her music and will continue to be touring across the States for the next year.
Click below to join in with the conversation with CloudwatcherUno and Natalie Prauser. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
CloudwatcherUno catches up with Jack Browning at his headline gig at the honkiest tonkiest bar in London @thedukesofhighgate Speaking with Jack just after his epic show (which features songs from his new album) we get to hear about the progress on recording the album, mixing and final overdubs on his songs. Jack has always played in other bands but when Covid came around he started focusing on his own personal songs.
Jack had struggled to write his own songs and then gave himself a deadline to write an EP’s worth of songs but ended up writing 10 songs. He then recorded them with a live band in Kent. Then Pat Lyons who plays with Colter Wall and other artists have added their magic to bring these songs to life. Jack is trying to bring that full band experience onto a live stage. The plan is to send the album around to see if there is any interest.
Jack has released singles/music before such as “Walkin’ Man” which Jack had recorded in his art studio. It was a strange feeling to be a leading man rather than a session player. Jack has always been into music and has leaned more into country music as he gets older. The album is a milestone for Jack as an artist as he reflects on his life.
“Walkin’ Man” by Jack Browning
Jack is a fan of country first and foremost and wants to capture the energy of this music and channel it into the album. Johnny Cash and The Highwayman, Townes Van Zandt, Blaze Foley, Charley Crockett and Colter Wall have all influenced Jack and his music.
Jack will be playing live on 23rd July 2023 in Peterborough at thewillowfestival.co.uk Make sure you catch him live on stage.
To listen into the conversation with CloudwatcherUno and Jack click the link below. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts
After getting her iced coffee from Ugly Mugs Coffee & Tea, LLC in East Nashville, Angela Autumn sat down with CloudwatcherUno for this first episode of Season 10. We talk about the last time that Angela had recorded which was with a full band sound. There is a yearning to leave the bluegrass sound of her “Frontiers Woman” album and channel more of an indie sound some of which can be heard on “My Blank Pages” but is being explored more in 2023. Angela is waiting for the right place to record her new album in this musical direction.
In our opinion one of the best songs that Angela has recorded is “Rascal”, which began life as an entry into the NPR Tiny Desk Competition in 2018 while she was 22 with her friends. Angela is really grateful for the support from Andy of Gems On VHS fame and Western AF and the way that they support indie artists.
“Rascal” Angela’s NPR Tiny Desk Entry.
“Your Heart’s Like An Arrow Pointed Straight At Me“
For Angela the pandemic showed her that there were many things under the surface, Living north of Nashville. In Old Hickory her neighbours were all of the older generation and so there was a sense of isolation and produced music through these times such as “Dancer”. Angela was someone who lived through the Dark night of the soul camp. Sharon Van Etten’s music is something that gives Angela joy and when live music came back, Angela was there to experience the thrill of her music.
Photo: Anna Warner
Angela talks us through her collection of guitars from a Martins to a Collings E28 Bluegrass guitar and has written over 50 songs on this beauty. Angela’s album “Blank Pages” is currently a Bandcamp exclusive but there may be a possibility of giving it a second life on Spotify. Angela put in a significant amount of funds in Fall 2022 to release this record, thankfully fans stepped up and covered the costs of producing this album. It’s definitely Adventure Time for 2023 as Angela looks forward to touring and producing music with her partner who plays the cello! Now that’s going to be an amazing collaboration on the next album.
“Dancer” by Angela Autumn
To listen into the conversation with CloudwatcherUno and Angela click the link below. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Season 9 Episode 10 Finale is with the legendary Gus Clark. We catch up with him from his home in Texas. We start the conversation talking about “Some Of My Songs” released by Gus in 2022. The album was actually all done before the pandemic and then couldn’t release the record or do anything with it and not knowing how long the pandemic would last and finally decided that he was going to put it out to the world. So it was released before Gus went out on his Spring Tour in 2022.
“Sing A Song” by Gus Clark And The Least Of His Problems
As other artists were working on new albums and new material during the pandemic Gus struggled with being creative and working on new songs. Creativity isn’t just something that you can just switch on like a tap, if the well is dry than nothing will come out. It wasn’t until 2022 that Gus decided to get back to it and flex his musical muscles and work on new music.
“You have to learn your own material. Even after playing a song 100 times it still changes”.
Photo: Connie Aramkai
You have to reach a point where you are almost sick of your songs because you’ve played them so many times but you have to get to that point where you are comfortable paying them. The experience of listening to a song changes from day to day because of how you feel. Listening to old 78’s and the arranged Nashville sound that Gus has made his own, Gus muses that there needs to be room for subtlety and improvisation and it’s interesting how a song can morph into something else when playing with different musicians from when it was originally recorded.
Photo: Connie Aramkai
Gus has been into music since his late teens, playing in punk rock bands and in his early twenties playing on the streets and hitchhiked a lot travelling to where the music he grew up on was actually born. Gus loves to connect with people and throwing himself out there and as a performer he loves it when the audience loves his songs but won’t take it to heart if they don’t.
“Go Down Swingin'” by Gus Clarke and The Least Of His Problems
Touring has changed for Gus, no longer is he sleeping rough and eating terribly. Now he’s eating alright food and sleeping in a van. Gus did 22 states in 2 months in early 2022 with the band and came to the realisation on how touring restores his faith in humanity and playing music to new rooms hundreds and thousands of miles away from home. It’s a reminder on how easy it is to connect to someone through music after being so isolated because of the pandemic.
“People do want to engage, people do want to connect and be generous in what they have to give emotionally from a heartfelt place. in true and honest support”
Gus is always wanting to engage with new people and grow his audience through touring , producing new albums and and adapting his sound so that it not only showcases the best of his talent but also all the musical influences that have shaped him as an artist. I for one am glad that Gus Clark’s musical vision is being shared with the world and would hope that listeners educate their ears by listening to a unique voice in country music.
To listen into the conversation with CloudwatcherUno and Gus click the link below. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
SJ Mortimer sits down with CloudwatcherUno to talk about SJ’s new single release “Hear Me Lover”, her life as the lead singer of @morganwayband and SJ’s Songwriters Sessions with @poppyfardell and @elibremusic which will be happening on 8th December 2022 @talltreescambridge so make sure you get a ticket for that!
In the podcast you’ll find out how SJ met @kieran_morganway and the fiddle playing legend that is @nicolejterry and how Morganway the band came together to take on the UK americana/country music scene. Morganway have also released new tour dates for 2023 as well!
We talk about how SJ travelled to Nashville to record her country album “Nashville Sessions” recorded in Nashville and released in 2015. We explore how the band had only recently got together as a group and released their self-titled album “Morganway” in 2019 before the pandemic brought music to a standstill.
“Hear Me Lover” by SJ Mortimer
When things started opening up SJ’s first live experience was at Tennessee Fields Festival and in 2022 the band played at The Long Road Festival. Now there’s a chance for SJ to explore her own musical career apart from the band and it’s taking SJ into a whole new genre. With the help of her brother and friends in the music business SJ’s sound is coming to life.
SJ Mortimer with CloudwatcherUno at The Long Road Festival in Summer 2022
Click below to join in with the conversation with CloudwatcherUno and SJ Mortimer. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Alyssa Bonagura chats with CloudwatcherUno about her life as a travelling gypsy touring from a very young age, being an in demand session singer and opening for international music legends Ringo Starr, Marty Stuart and Rod Stewart. Alyssa recently played to a sold out show at The Slaughtered Lamb in London.
We catch up with Alyssa while working on her music for her new album in London and performing at shows across Europe. We talk about her life growing up in Tennessee raised by parents who had hits on the Billboard charts as leaders of the country band Baillie & the Boys. Alyssa was grew up on the road travelling with her parents on tour across America.
The travelling gypsy Alyssa Bonagura
Alyssa has been in love with music from such a young age that it was written in the stars that she would become a musician. Alyssa’s love of music found her relocating to England to study sound technology at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. When she graduated in 2009, she received her diploma from the school’s co-founder, Sir Paul McCartney.
“I Make My Own Sunshine” by Alyssa Bonagura
Alyssa’s voice and skill as a multi instrumentalist having learnt to play piano, guitar, mandolin, bass and drums are showcased in her albums “The English Diaries”, “Love Hard” and “Road Less Traveled”. Alyssa’s time in Liverpool, England has greatly influenced her as an artist, singer and songwriter. Alyssa’s songs have been covered by artists such as Steven Tyler, has co-written many other hits and landing singles with Jana Kramer, Sarah Jarosz , and Jo Dee Messina.
Alyssa also spent time as one half of The Sisterhood Band, a major-label country duo whose whirlwind career included two EPs, critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, and a run of UK stadium shows as Rod Stewart’s opening act. Alyssa’s talent is in no doubt and now she is concentrating on her own solo career. With four singles released between 2021 and 2022 Alyssa’s latest single “Other Side Of The World” showcases her exceptional qualities as an artist.
Alyssa will be recording a special performance for Nashville Meets London live at Pizza Express, Holborn on Monday 7th November 2022. Enjoy our conversation on the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring Humbird. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
CloudwatcherUno S9 ~ Episode 1 starts with The Local Honeys who are Linda Jean Stokely and Montana Hobbs. They hail from the misty blue mountains of Kentucky and their music is at once modern but cloaked in the great Appalachian music traditions.
“The Ballad of Frank & Billy Buck” by The Local Honeys
We talk about their last trip to Europe in 2020 just before the world shut down and how it helped them to focus on getting the right sound for their self titled 2022 album ‘The Local Honeys’. their first release on La Honda Records. The Local Honeys captures the essence of rural Kentucky, conjuring old school melodies with deep grooves and haunting instrumentals.
Montana Hobbs and Linda Jean Stokely
Their previous albums “The Gospel” (2019) and “Little Girls Actin’ Like Men (2017) are modern day classics.
“Dead Horses” by The Local Honeys
Enjoy our conversation on the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring The Local Honeys. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
This is the CloudwatcherUno S8 Finale ~ Episode 10 with Jonathan Terrell and it’s a fantastic way to end the current season. JT is the ultimate renaissance artist he’s a cosmic cowboy, singer songwriter, film director, photographer and DJ.
“I Know” by Jonathan Terrell
We talk about his upcoming EP, “A Couple 2, 3,” his singles “Better For You” and “I Know”. His signing with Range Records @range.records Sharing his experiences touring with Midland most recently in Europe. When Jonathan’s not doing a million and one creative things all at the same time he’s finding time to playing golf with @markaroo (lead singer of Midland) and the one and only Arkansas troubadour @dylanearl.music
Photo: Mike Dunn
The EP comes out on September 9th 2022 although the final mix was done in January of this year. JT is excited to get this music out to the world. It’s a big step forward musically from his previous albums “Trails & Stimulation” (2008), “Past The Lights Of Town” (2015) and “Westward” (2020). JT never wants to put out the same album twice and takes inspiration from some of his favourite bands who stayed ahead of the curve and make new sounds to engage the audience.
Photo: CloudwatcherUno
JT is always looking to constantly refresh his music continuously to inspire his music and art and keep it all fresh. JT says that music is his forte and it was only after speaking to another artist who said that he needed to have other artistic endeavours such as photography. So he practised for over 3 years with his camera in hand taking photographs on the road and at his DJ residency. JT’s passion allows his creativity to stretch himself as a artist and musician.
Photo: Neil Perry
We talk about what it means to be a musician in this day and age when singers become Tik Tok famous but it doesn’t translate to the real world of live gigs and touring that traditional artists have gone through as a right of passage into the world of music.
Photo: CloudwatcherUno
JT’s next single release from the EP is “Texas” co-written with Jess Carson from Midland Then JT will be on tour with William Clark Green in September 2022 and will be promoting the EP and the singles out on the road.
Click below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring JT. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Forrest McCurren chats to CloudwatcherUno from the family farm in Missouri where they discuss his nick name ‘Dancing Legs’, shooting the video to his song ‘Little Rock’ the first track of his new album ‘Oh Me, Oh My’, Superman (specifically the 1978 version), how the title of the album came from a saying that his father uses, we also get to meet Forrest’s grandfather who is still working at a timber mill in his nineties.
“Little Rock” by Forrest McCurren
Forrest has a writers sensibility when it comes to his approach to song writing. Each lyric is treated as if it has come to life as the great American novel filled with poignant stories filled with characters whose shortcomings and triumphs make us laugh and nod at our own little quirks.
Photo: Brett Jackson
Music has always been a part of Forrest McCurren’s life. Forrest grew up listening to his grandmother play organ in church, his mother listening to Willie Nelson around the house and in the car, and his father singing ‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘Stand by Me’ as lullabies.
Forrest with his wife Margaret who sings, plays guitar and drums on the new album.
We talk about his older brother, Matthias, and how his travels across the globe inspired Forrest’s own adventures and how these inspired the songs that have influenced the new album. Matthias introduced Forrest to Springsteen and Townes Van Zandt and to the power of song writing. When Forrest left for college, Matthias gave his younger brother his old guitar and the rest is history as they say.
We talk about how Forrest has grown as a singer songwriter with the help of his wife Margaret who has been hugely influential in the sound of Forrest’s music which has been forged from countless performances at honky tonks, dance halls and clubs. On Friday 24th June 2022 Forrest releases the new single from the album which is also called ‘Oh Me, Oh My‘.
“Oh Me, Oh My” by Forrest McCurren
Forrest has great merch that he will have especially his inspired “Cuss Less, Kiss More” t-shirts designed by Margaret. Also in the summer around August 23rd 2022 the new album will be officially out, although Forrest already has the vinyl in his hand to sell to fans and new listeners alike. Forrest is looking to go back on the open road and play a couple of festivals, near and far across the great state of Missouri.
Forrest McCurren is a lyricist who captures the essence of the human experience. Photo: Byryan Strong
Click below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring Forrest McCurren. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
CloudwatcherUno PLAY.LISTEN.ENJOY. 