Tag Archives: Rhythm and Blues

americana, blues, Blues Music, Louisiana, Mississippi

CloudwatcherUno Podcast S9 Ep 4 ~ Kaspar ‘Berry’ Rapkin

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Kaspar ‘Berry’ Rapkin sits down with CloudwatcherUno to record a special live interview podcast and play two live tracks “Police Dog Blues” originally recorded by Blind Blake in 1929 and “Window Peepin’ Mama” from his self titled album “Kaspar ‘Berry’ Rapkin and The Swamp Dogs”. All of this was recorded at CloudwatcherUno Podcast HQ.

We talk about meeting at Long Road Fest earlier in this summer, a grrrrreat event full of americana artists. It was there we got to exploring Kaspar’s blues music and lo and behold here we are with this fabulous podcast.

“Police Dog Blues” from Kaspar ‘Berry’ Rapkin recorded for CloudwatcherUno Podcast

Kaspar’s blues journey begins with a guitar gifted to him from a family friend when he was 11 on the condition that Kaspar would learn how to play it. At the age of 12 he discovered Pride and Joy on Guitar Hero and quickly realised this was the blues. This would send him on a path of education and revelation to the blues as a genre and a life style.

Kaspar in action with his steel guitar.


Kaspar went to New Orleans to celebrate turning 18 where he performed in B.B. Kings Blues Club (and was discovered by Harold Marcho music producer). Harold invited Kaspar back to the states to record his first single Sailing. Kaspar is now performing with his live band, Kaspar & The Swamp Dogs around St Albans, London and where ever he may be invited to. The band consists of Seb Rejal on bass guitar and drummer Mia Casey.

Kaspar is the real deal, a musician who lives and breathes blues music.

Enjoy our conversation on the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring Kaspar ‘Berry’ Rapkin. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

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CloudwatcherUno Podcast S5 Ep 1 ~ Lauren Housley

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Lauren Housley is a true ‘Girl From The North‘ growing up in Rotherham and then moving to Newcastle and Manchester. Her musical journey began with releasing ‘The Beauty of This Life‘ and the tracks ‘Sweet Surrender‘ and ‘Ghost Town Blues‘. From there Lauren played at Blues Fest at the o2 and Nashville’s American Fest. Lauren then followed this up in quick succession with many gigs to build her reputation as a phenomenal troubadour. Then in April 2021 Lauren released ‘Girl From The North‘ an album that showcases her extraordinary range as country/americana singer, songwriter and lyricist.

‘This Ain’t The Life‘ by Lauren Housley

In this podcast Lauren sits down with host CloudwatcherUno over a glass of wine to talk about how much her life has changed since those dreams of being a musician as a young girl in Rotherham. Two pivotal moments in her life has to be getting married to her friend and fellow musician Thomas Dibb in their one bedroom flat/recording studio and then the birth of their son Noah. Lockdown actually produced some extraordinary changes in Lauren’s life.

Lauren Housley ~ Girl From The North

My favourite tracks from are ‘Whats Troubling You Child?’ which I first heard on Bob Harris’s Country Show on Radio 2, ‘This Ain’t The Life‘ and ‘Stay Awake To Dream‘. The new album was produced with the help of Mark Lewis who previously worked on Lauren’s previous singles. So many female artists have inspired Lauren by proving that you can have a family life but also carry on with the life of a touring musician.

Lauren Housley from the podcast. Photos: CloudwatcherUno

Falling in love with Newcastle when Lauren was auditioning to get into university and a really strong feeling that this was the place she wanted to spend the next three years of her life and then met her best friend and then her future husband Tom also moved there to study music (they had met in college). Then spent the next five years gifting and learning the craft of songwriting. Lauren was inspired by the jazz, blues and roots music and then felt the need to grow and needing a change moved to Manchester.

‘What’s Troubling You Child?‘ by Lauren Housley

The studio has now moved from Rotheram to the Yellow Arch Studios in Sheffield. During the lockdown Lauren and Tom performed ‘Tuesday Night Live‘ from their kitchen a unique live-streaming experience for fans and share their music and songs from the album. One of Lauren’s favourite moments as a musician is to hear the songs in her head and bring them to life and share with the world. For the future Lauren will be playing at festivals across the country and promoting the album when touring the country in November/December 2021.

Lauren Housley ~ Killer songwriter and musician

Click below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring Lauren Housley. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

americana, bluegrass, Blues Music, country, Country and Western, Dance Hall, Dirt Wave, Honky Tonk, Music Row, nashville, Red Dirt Country

Artist Showcase with Cristina Vane

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Cristina Vane’s new album ‘Nowhere Sounds Lovely’, took two years for it to come out before fans could listen to her country and western music sound. In this podcast with CloudwatcherUno we get to talk about her experience of touring while writing the songs for the album, moving from Los Angeles to Nashville and then getting Rodney Dawson and Cactus Moser to mix and produce this amazing album.

‘Travelin’ Blues’ by Cristina Vane
Cristina Vane photo by Alex Skelton

Cristine is very much influenced by traditional country music brings with it a modern sensibility That captures the experience in all its ups and downs of being a travelling musician and not having a home or a homeland and that uncertainty brings its own friction and is captured not only in the songs of this album but the mood of the album itself.

‘Prayer For the Blind’ by Cristina Vane

While studying at Princeton it didn’t really seem like a possibility for Christina to pursue a music but then after graduating she gave her whole heart and soul to becoming a singer songwriter and to take her songs across the United States. Pete Steinberg became a mentor of sorts for the young Cristina Vane and he inspired her from giving guitar this lessons, encouragement and support as he could see the potential within another human being to produce passionate music that connects with other souls.

Cristina Vane photo by Aleks Zagozda

For Cristina to sing the words that she is written down on paper and that she is kept for his songs and produce music for fans that is her favourite thing to have achieved as an artist. Songs can be very traditional verse chorus verse chorus bridge but what’s most important for her is to convey a message something I can connect with other people to lift their spirits. For the future Christina plans to tour over the summer and then to get back into the studio to begin recording album number two.

‘Badlands’ by Cristina Vane.

Click below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring Cristina Vane. Also streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podcast Addict or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Cristina Vane from the podcast. Photo by CloudwatcherUno.
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CloudwatcherUno Podcast S1 Finale Ep10 ~ Whiskey Wolves of the West

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Tim Lee Jones (L) and Leroy Powell (R) from Whiskey Wolves of the West

Whiskey Wolves of the West is the best music you’ve ever heard. Don’t believe me? Before you jump in with your choices have you heard ‘I Can’t Take Me Anywhere’ or ‘End of Rope’ what about ‘Sound of the South’ you really need to hear ‘Poor Side of Town’ It’s a bold statement but it’s a statement of undeniable fact. Leroy Powell and Tim Jones are majestic singer songwriters in their own right. Accomplished instrumentalists and vocalists together they bring their musical personas to create the super band known as Whiskey Wolves of the West.

Whiskey Wolves of the West

In this podcast we talk to Tim and Leroy about what inspires them to write about the songs they have, what makes a song not just good but has ‘soul power’. We talk about their musical influences such as Jerry Garcia from the Grateful Dead and all the music in between that’s influenced them to write and perform on stage. And then there’s the special magic of collaboration between other souls who exchange their words, energy and passion to produce songs like Laura Evans ‘Take Me Back Home’. There was even a collaboration on the beginnings of a song with yours truly as well! Check out the podcast at 28:03 for ‘The Sun is a Long Distant Memory’

Whiskey Wolves of the West

We get to hear four songs in this podcast. ‘Ain’t Giving Up On You ‘, ‘Freedom’, ‘Friend of the Devil’ and ‘Lay That Needle Down’. It was a unique and special honour to listen to these two consummate musicians perform their songs with so much passion and joy in the heat of a Nashville garden.

For now the closest that we’ll get to having them play live in these pandemic times will be their ‘Welcome to the Backyard Party’ which they host on Face Book Live usually at 8pm CST on Saturday evenings. Looking forward they will be releasing a new single and playing outdoor gigs on September 4th in Augusta, Georgia and September 5th in Port Royal, South Carolina. They will also be releasing a second album in October 2020, the first was ‘I Can’t Take Me Anywhere’ which was released in April 2020.

Whiskey Wolves of the West from the podcast. Photograph ©CloudwatcherUno 2020

So go pour yourself a drink and toast to Leroy and Tim, the Whiskey Wolves of the West who end the first season of this podcast and make it a finale to remember.

Click down below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring Whiskey Wolves of the West. Also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and many other platforms.

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CloudwatcherUno Podcast S1 Ep9 ~ Chase Crawford

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Chase Crawford

Chase Crawford is the real deal. 100 percent Country and Western, born in Nashville, raised in Alabama, Texas and all the parts in between. As the son of a travelling Pentecostal Preacher who lead tent revivals across the country Chase absorbed all the musical influences from Southern Gospel, Honky Tonk, Rhythm and Blues and Appalachian mountain music which you can hear right now in the EP “The Neon Lights Go on Forever” The album was finished in 2019 but released in 2020.

Chase Crawford

In this podcast we talk about the history of country music from pioneers like Deford Bailey to modern artists such as Mickey Guyton. And how modern country and western music could not exist without such artists and how instruments such as the banjo hailed from West Africa play such a key component of bluegrass music. When hillbilly music became mainstream it was then marketed as that or as a race record. Eventually many of these black artists became overshadowed or forgotten but their influence can be seen in the music that we listen to every day.

Chase Crawford

We get to hear two acoustic versions of songs from the new EP ‘Be Your Johnny Cash’ and ‘The Problem With Angels’ These two songs showcase the breadth and scope of Chase’s talents. ‘Be Your Johnny Cash’ is a love letter to his wife and he sang this to his bride on their wedding day, it features exceptional word play and is crafted like a carpenter may craft an item of furniture from a block of wood with love care and attention. ‘The Problem With Angels’ is a ballad of love and loss in a relationship and the struggle to keep love alive between two souls.

The new EP “The Neon Lights Go On Forever”

The whole EP comes fully formed with not one note, lyric, guitar riff, banjo twang out of place. It took minutes of inspiration, hours of hard work and years of dedication to produce a stunning album such as “The Neon Lights Go On Forever” So go show some support to an artist who truly deserves your love and attention.

Chase Crawford from the podcast Photograph © CloudwatcherUno 2020

Click down below to hear the podcast from CloudwatcherUno featuring Chase Crawford. Also available on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and many other platforms.