Brandon Padier sits down with host CloudwatcherUno as they talk about the inspiration behind his albums ‘Brothers Of The Flood‘(2020), ‘Rock and Roll Heart of Gold‘ (2019) and ‘To God Be The Glory‘ (2018) such songs as ‘Once Again (I’m Alone)‘ ‘The Hardest Thing‘ and ‘To God Be The Glory‘ his musical history of being in the band ‘Adopted Kids‘, and how being the guitar player led to him becoming a singer. His musical influences such as The Beatles, Jason Isbell, Neil Young, Tom Petty, The Band and The Grateful Dead are evident in the songs that he has released.
Brandon Padier ~ Stunning vocals combined with a spiritual soul makes for an original artist.
‘The Hardest Thing’ by Brandon Padier
For a self confessed introverted personality Brandon comes to life when talking all things music, art and culture. Taking that first step into song writing was only natural after having written the songs themselves. we talk about how music is a universal language and his love of playing instruments such as the piano and trombone and especially those that challenge him especially the fiddle and the sitar.
Looking forward to the new album from Brandon Padier.
‘To God Be The Glory’ by Brandon Padier
Brandon is working on his new album and is being influenced by The Byrds, Wings era McCartney. The songs for this album are akin to tackling life in these pandemic times and universal concepts of isolation. The magic will be turning these simple concepts but turning them into something incredibly profound.
‘Everything Falls Apart’ by Brandon PadierBrandon Padier from the podcast. Photo: CloudwatcherUno
Click below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring Brandon Padier. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict and wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Darling West are the cosmic folk duo hailing from the land of Norway who have released Spelleman-winning (Norwegian Grammy) album ‘Vinyl and a Heartache’ and such hits as ‘Rolling On’, ‘Traveller’ and ‘The Sweetest Tune’. Host CloudwatcherUno sits down with artists Mari and Tor Egil Kreken to talk about their music, gorgeous lyrics and phenomenal harmonies and melodies. In the podcast Darling West perform live acoustic versions of ‘Rolling On’ and ‘Loneliness’ and there’s also the album version of ‘The Sweetest Tune’ that starts the show.
Mari and Tor Egil Kreken are Darling West.
Darling West started life as folk trio with very dramatic thoughts on how they would be a band and ended up more into cosmic folk territory with electric guitars, drums and the banjo. Tor plays claw hammer style banjo like his Appalachian heroes of the US. Darling West’s sound started out as an interest in old fiddle tune time songs with mountain folk vibe similar to the music from the film ‘O Brother Where Art Thou?’ It was a jumping off point for the band to start their exploration of building and writing their songs.
‘O Brother Where Art Thou’ (2000) Directed by Joel & Ethan Coen
The last EP ‘Interpretations’ explores their love of pop tunes through a country landscape. The music on the EP brings them joy and that translates to the listener when they hear the tracks ‘Don’t Start Now’, ‘Pamela’ and ‘Bulletproof’. It’s a way of expanding their audience’s expectations of the band. It was a challenge to find the tenderness within the original lyrics and the almost harsh production style and reimagine with a much softer gentler interpretation.
‘Bulletproof’ from the Darling West’s Interpretations EP _ Video from their Friday Sessions series
Darling West also bring their sound to life by showcasing their music through their Friday Sessions cover videos available on YouTube and Instagram. They bring the joy of their music by collaborating with fellow artists such as Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra. The ‘Friday Sessions’ started out as a response to the duo experiencing the lockdown in Norway and not being able to go out but still wanting to connect with their fans and audience. It’s a lot of work learning a new song every week and then record it flawlessly as a live video to such a high professional standard. Don’t expect the sessions to continue forever though as the duo need to work on releasing their own original music.
‘Gold Dust Woman’ performed by Darling West featuring Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra
One of my favourite songs from the album ‘We’ll Never Know Unless We Try’ is ‘Home’ written by Tor Egil with Mari in their family’s cabin and was a song that just came out so easily and encapsulates the cosmic folk catalogue of Darling West. You can feel the influence of Gillian Welch in the lyrics and it sounds like poetry put to music.
The duo have adapted as well as they can to having to put touring to one side and have now been able to focus on the Friday Sessions, their songcraft and building a nice home for themselves to create an atmosphere conducive to blossoming their creativity. Without the pressure of trying to make a Darling West record has enabled them to explore different genres, sounds and musicality.
Darling West showcasing the best that Nordicana music has to offer to the listening world.
Growing up Tor Egil started off wanting to play football but that obsession was overtaken by learning to play the guitar while listening to his older brothers record collection. In junior high school reading about musicians playing their instruments and touring with their bands, Tor Egil knew this was going to be his life. When Mari and Tor met 15 years ago, Mari didn’t even play an instrument. Mari always enjoyed singing and her father always sang as a way to relax. There was always country music on the radio. After 7 years together Mari also wanted to become a part of the musical community in a real way and bought her first mandolin. It took a lot of practice before Mari felt that she had the sound she wanted from her instrument and could call herself a musician. It was all worth it as the duo have released four albums showing their incredible virtuosity, skill and range in producing stellar music.
Lockdown has brought Darling West the time they need to craft their songs and focus on their sound.
Mari and Tor Egil don’t right formulaic music or middle of the road tunes for them there is no formula that they stick to. They want to keep their music as alive as possible and act as a homage to the Norwegian mountains. Speaking metaphorically if they found themselves in lifeboat having to recue their songs then they would save ‘Darling West’, ‘Vinyl and a Heartache’, ‘Someone Like You’, ‘Rolling On’, and River.
Mari and Tor Egil from the podcast. Photo: CloudwatcherUno
Darling West are at the forefront of the Nordicana music scene and bringing their own twist to the traditional Americana/ Appalachian music that’s been produced and being released. Their music is full of guitar, banjo and pedal steel which envelops the listener transporting them to a mythical country and western world. Going forward the duo want to focus more on their own song writing and they have more time to really record the songs they want in the style and production that showcases their music the best. A new album will arrive and when it does you know it’s going to be fantastic.
Darling West partners in music, life and storytelling.
Click below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring Darling West. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict and wherever you listen to your podcasts.
James Steinle ~ A musician to warm the darkest parts of your heart.
James Steinle is a kindred spirit, a spirit that fills your ears with warmth and wonder. In this first episode of the New Year get ready to really listen to a singer whose voice reaches out from the darkness of the ether to transport you to a magical land. A land of music that runs parallel to ours but echoes the long lost songs of yesteryear. His lyrics and songs sound like lost songs from childhood or something that was on the radio when you were growing up but in fact was released in 2020. In this most horrendous of years music has been our saviour and one of those knight errant taking you on adventures is a boy who grew up in Saudi Arabia, lived in Germany and has now gone back home to South Texas.
James Steinle in action.
CloudwatcherUno sits down with James to talk about ‘Cold German Mornings’ his album released in what conventional A&R thinking would be a complete non starter but for James it made perfect sense when else should you release an album that has songs set in snowy Germany than in winter? The album itself is full of gems that sparkle in the night sky, these are not filler songs but ones that have been polished with care and attention, so that a professor of song writing would mark this album with distinction.
‘Cold German Mornings’ by James Steinle from the album Cold German Mornings.
We talk about his thinking behind such songs as ‘ Three Dark Kings’ in which James effortlessly switches between his western cowboy drawl to German. Even though you might not know it is being sung and subtitles would be welcome they aren’t necessary as the feeling and music carries you along with this nativity set song.
Then you have ‘Ein Schnapps, Ein Bier’ a song that wraps its way around your consciousness to make you get up and dance and has so infectious a melody that you’ll be singing it in the shower in no time. Then we switch direction again when we listen to ‘The Lusitania’ about the tragedy that befell this ship and the consequences it had not only for those who lost their lives but for the world as it was the catalyst for ensuring that America joined the western powers in WW1 and bring about the defeat of Germany.
On the album James gets to sing with Juliet McConkey whose voice complements his on so many levels. The couple also join forces on the video for their version of “Christmas on the Line” by Michael Martin Murphey.
James Steinle a knight errant looking for adventure in the world of music.
Other topics of conversation range from he who must not be named who is currently in The White House, to Gun Control, The reality behind The Bluebird Cafe and it’s lack of authenticity and how to reach a global audience for your music in the age of a pandemic. For more of what we discussed you’ll just have to listen into the podcast! So what are you waiting for an invitation? Go listen to James’s music even better go buy his music because we most certainly want more unique melodies and songs from a one of a kind Texas artist.
Having fun with James Steinle on the podcast. Photo: CloudwatcherUno
James has also just released a new song ‘The Ballad of Wan Hu’ to kick off 2021 in style. It tells the trueish story of the Chinese astronaut Wan Hu and his attempt to leave the earths atmosphere on a chair propelled by 47 rockets!
‘The Ballad of Wan Hu’ by James Steinle
Click down below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring James Steinle. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict and wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Dalton Mills, first amongst equals when it comes to singer songwriters.
Dalton Mills soul sparkles so brightly you’ll need sunglasses to go with a Hazmat suit. An exceptional lyricist he’s captured the lives, loss and heartaches of the disposed. Like a later day Chekov or Tolstoy he sings about the lonely souls in society, those who have fallen through the safety net and then kept falling with no end insight. His self titled album ‘Dalton Mills’ explores the stories of those who don’t register on the mainstream, who aren’t able to voice their pain and longing in a world where increasingly they are becoming ghosts.
‘Tornadoes’ by Dalton Mills
In this podcast we get to listen to two acoustic songs from Dalton they are ‘Tornadoes’ and ‘Mountain Call’ from his majestic album. A labour of love for over a year and a half from taking the songs in lyric form and then with the help of friends, recorded in the back of a record store. The album was recorded just at the cusp of the pandemic, any later and we wouldn’t have such songs out in the world.
Dalton Mills is a bringer of light to those dark areas of the world we all need to see.
Coming from rural Kentucky from the small town of Middlesboro, (a city that’s built in a crater!). Dalton has seen his fair share of those who’ve been affected by drugs, mental health issues and those who’ve been abandoned by their families. Not one for happy songs, Dalton expresses more affinity for songs touched by darkness and damaged people, damaged people are often the most dangerous. They know how to make hell feel like home. Dalton follows in the footsteps of his musical heroes Townes Van Zant, Guy Clark, John Prine in writing and performing songs that matter and connects with an audience who want more than just manufactured pop songs.
Dalton Mills performing live.
‘Last Goodbye’ from Dalton Mills. One of the bleakest songs ever put to music. Magnificent!
Picking up a guitar as a high school student has led Dalton down this path of musical greatness. For the last 5 years Dalton’s been writing songs of a phenomenal calibre. One of the bleakest songs ever put to music is ‘Last Goodbye’ a tale of a bedridden soul, who has lost all hope and waiting to see if he will perish at the hands of his carer. It’s a song that will stay with you hours after you’ve heard it. Go listen to this sensational artist who brings words and stories from the darkest corners of humanity to life.
Dalton Mills from the podcast. Photo: CloudwatcherUno
Click down below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring Dalton Mills. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict and wherever you listen to your podcasts.
J.Tex has an authentic Texas sound that will immerse you in the stories told in his album ‘Neon Signs & Little White Lies.
Born in the USA but brought up in Denmark, J.Tex (Jens Einer Sørensen) grew up listening to Bluegrass music while other children were dancing to Abba. CloudwatcherUno sits down with J.Tex from his home in Copenhagen where we talk about his childhood, travelling to Tennessee as a teenager, his amazing tattoo’s, busking on the streets of Italy, driving trucks on the Faroe Islands and all the while honing his skills and his sound to produce a sumptuous album called ‘Neon Signs & Little White Lies’ from the Heptown Records label.
‘Way Down In The Country’ by J.Tex from the album ‘Neon Signs & Little White Lies’
This is his seventh album and is simply the nest. The album was recorded in Lund, Sweden with the production skills of Tommy Tift. The album was recorded on the same analogue mixing board which produced the hits for ABBA. With this album J.Tex wanted to capture the sound of that live music experience to his audience. Recorded in the studio over three days the music truly captures the electrifying magic that is J.Tex. Jens describes how his songs grow and develop from practice sessions to live performances. Music is his job 24/7, 356 days a year. In this podcast we get to listen to ‘Way Down in The County’ and two acoustic tracks ‘I Told You So’ and ‘Broken Rose’.
J.Tex ‘Neon Signs & Little White Lies’ needs to be in your album collection. It’s the sound that you’ve been looking for. Cheers to J.Tex for bringing country and western music to life.
J.Tex mixes Americana, Country, Bluegrass and Roots music and influenced by Doc Watson, Norman Blake, Mississippi John Hurt and Lightnin’ Hopkins. Jens music is a melting pot of sound, riffs and melodies that invoke an era of music that is far from the music that comes out of Nashville now. It connects with your soul, mind and body to make you smile and get up and dance.
J.Tex from the podcast. Photo: CloudwatcherUno
Click down below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring J.Tex. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict and wherever you listen to your podcasts.
John-Arne Gundersen and Anne Mette Hårdnes from Sweetheart
The Spellemann (Norwegian Grammy) award winning Sweetheart have just released a new self titled album ‘Sweetheart’ released by the label Mother Likes It Records It’s a phenomenal achievement for this band and one that places them on the music map. Sweetheart are John-Arne Gundersen and Anne Mette Hårdnes and hail from Norway. In 2003/4 Sweetheart was a three piece collective and then more of a country rock band. After a 14 year absence in 2018 the band was reformed into a more melancholic sounding band that currently tugs at your heart strings that carries you along into a different universe full of longing and memories of what could have been.
Sweetheart performing live on stage.
The new self titled album ‘Sweetheart’ explores the sense of missing something or someone. The songs feel like poems brought to life by the intense ghostly vocals that lay open the human condition.
‘Ghosts’ by Sweetheart from the self titled album ‘Sweetheart’ released by Mother Likes It Records
We get to hear the acoustic version of ‘Leaving for Stockholm’ which describes the true life experience of what it feels like when someone you love leaves to travel away from the family home. We also hear the acoustic track ‘Can We Make It Out Of Here Alive’ a song that could be an anthem for 2020. There’s also a favorite of mine ‘The Pines By The River’ that opens the podcast.
You need to add Sweetheart to your playlist.
Being a musician was always a childhood dream for Anne Mette and one that she always wanted to follow through into adulthood. Meeting John-Arne has focused her energies with his in producing an album that channels her beautiful voice to full effect. The turning point for John-Arne was listening to the album ‘Heartbreaker’ from Ryan Adams.
Click down below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring Sweetheart. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict and many other platforms.
Joshua Ray Walker has the voice that you find only once in a generation. Once you’ve listened to tracks such as ‘Loving County’ where he yodels his heart out and produces a spine chilling effect down your back. Not since Dwight Yoakum and Slim Whitman has there been an artist who can combine the craft of singing, yodelling and lyrics that hit you right between the eyes to such an effect.
‘Loving County’ by Joshua Ray Walker from the album ‘Glad You Made It’
Joshua’s music makes you want to think, cry and dance all at the same time. This is an artist who at his peak did 280 shows a year and only slowed down to release his first album ‘Wish You Were Here’. In the fall of 2019 he started his first Scandinavian where he discovered first hand the European love for all things country and western.
Joshua Ray Walker
Growing up in East Dallas Joshua would spend his time with his grandfather and was inspired for his love for bluegrass, soul funk and afrobeat music. Joshua loves the diversity of where he lives and enjoys the melting pot of cultures especially tejano music that influenced him coming out of backyards and continues to influence his music.
Joshua Ray Walker
‘Voices’ by Joshua Ray Walker from the album ‘Glad You Made It’
Joshua tells the story behind ‘Fondly’ which was the first song he ever wrote. It was important for Joshua to have this song on his first album. The song was inspired by his love for his grandfather and the loss that he felt when he passed away. Without his grandfather teaching Joshua in his workshop and the many instruments that he could pick up as young boy we wouldn’t have the magic of the albums that we have now.
Joshua Ray Walker
Joshua’s songs deal with subjects as diverse as underage sex workers, suicide, heartbreak and other intrinsic emotions that make the human condition. Joshua is inspired by those who feel downtrodden and who have fallen through the cracks of society. Its these characters that Joshua breathes life into through the genius of his music.
Click down below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring Joshua Ray Walker. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict and many other platforms.
So Are We are songwriters Guro Vikingstad (L) and Stian Haslie (R)
So Are We are a phenomenal duo who are a refreshing change in the world of Americana music. Guro’s voice is precisely the breath of fresh air you need in your music streams. And add Stian’s dreamy guitar and you’ve got a killer combination to make sure you have their songs playing on repeat.
‘LA Love’ by So Are We
In this podcast CloudwatcherUno sits down with Guro and Stian to talk about growing up in their native Norway and being exposed to the English language in all its forms from movies, television and most importantly music. It’s their mutual love of music that brought them together not only as songwriters but as a couple. In this podcast we get to hear two acoustic songs ‘Be Alright’ and ‘Alive Again’ with ‘LA Love’ as a bonus track.
We also discuss what it takes for artists to create, produce and release music in these pandemic times and what drives Guro and Stian to want to showcase their sound onto the global stage. Norway has seen an explosion of singer songwriters who have carved out a place for themselves in this uniquely western of genres.
‘Alive Again’ by So Are We
Having just released their latest single ‘LA Love’ from their upcoming album ‘Piece of the Puzzle’ out on 9th October 2020 the talented duo are making sure their musical vision is being heard loud and clear.
‘Piece of the Puzzle’ is the upcoming album by So Are We.
Click down below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring So Are We. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict and many other platforms.
William Poyer performing live at Luna, February 2020 ~ Photograph by Matt Bradshaw
William Poyer is as unique as his music. An outstanding lyricist whose words come to life with a passion and haunting elegance that goes beyond poetry into the sublime spoken word of fellow artists Ray LaMontagne and Jason Isbell.
In this podcast CloudwatcherUno sits down with William and discuss his adventures in Mexico City, taking the brave step of moving across the world to find himself and learning to focus on his music and meeting fellow musical souls such as Jairus McDonald and José (Tato) Grageda from the band Peregrino. In those years he learnt a new language, met his wife and they have a beautiful baby boy.
Wiliam Poyer ~ Photograph by Russell Sansom
William has supported Great Lakes Band and Ferris and Sylvester on tour and has performed on stages large and small to connect with audiences with his music. In this podcast we get to hear two acoustic songs ‘Where Do I Begin’ and an unrecorded song ‘Forgiven’ which he will record in the home studio of Ferris and Sylvester.
‘Where Do I Begin’ by William Poyer
For William his passion has always been the acoustic guitar and from there his love of creating hooks, melodies to connect with audiences on an emotional level. William gets to showcase these talents on 10th October by performing in a socially distanced gig at the Old Joinery in Greenwich and a premiere a documentary about artists performing at the Spiritual Bar in Camden on October 22nd / 23rd 2020. Tickets for this event will be out shortly.
Click down below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring William Poyer. Also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and many other platforms.
From L to R ~ Jairus, Ian, Eric and José are Peregrino
Peregrino is a distillation of four souls with their own unique musical experiences brought together by the love of music. Music that is cinematic, orchestral, folk and americana with a latin twist. In their latest album ‘Feels Like Leaving’ the band have captured the spirit of Ennio Morricone and the stunning aural landscape of those westerns with lyrics that merge heartbreak, loss, love and desire with an authentic sound that’s hard to manufacture without living these stories.
The latest album ‘Feels Like Leaving’ by Peregrino
In this podcast CloudwatcherUno sits down with Jairus McDonald (lead vocal, acoustic guitar, harmonica) and Eric Miller (electric guitar and back up vocals) you try getting four musicians to be in one place I dare you! We talk about how the pandemic has strangely given these musicians a level playing field in which to focus, write, produce and film videos for their songs. In these times live performances are a distant memory for musicians across the globe so now is the time to reflect and produce art that will inspire, make people dance and warm their souls. This is what we get with the acoustic versions of ‘Fire Away’ and ‘In Your Garden’. We also get to listen to ‘Gather Up Your Daisies’ one of my favourite songs in the album.
The video for ‘Fire Away’ from Peregrino
Are songs poetry, can they be things of beauty? Certainly in some genres the spoken word is given is given life in Hip-Hop but can it work in other genres. The answer is yes especially in Folk Music where the care and attention in bringing a song to life from idea, to the studio and then to an audience takes a certain dedication and arrogance to say to the world ‘Look at This!’ Give me your whole attention from your beer and your phone to listen to such songs as ‘My Revolution Days’.
Sometimes music chooses you or you choose the music. In Peregrino’s case it was a fine line between a life of academia and other paths to one where music in all it’s glorious aspects has now become the only way forward for these musicians. For the future Peregrino will continue to make music and write songs as unique as their shared history and the world is a better place for it.
Jairus
Eric
Ian
José
Peregrino in action
Click down below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring Peregrino. Also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and many other platforms.
CloudwatcherUno PLAY.LISTEN.ENJOY. 