Gig Review - Alyssa Bonagura - Hare and Hounds Birmingham

 

Birmingham has always had a thriving music scene, birthplace to (among others) UB40, Duran Duran, Ozzy Osborne and host to many touring acts, recently including The Shires at Town hall supported by a certain Alyssa Bonagura.  

Kings Heath’s Hare and Hounds - itself an iconic venue – was the venue for the first date of Nashville Unicorn Alyssa Bonagura on her first ever headline tour.  We call her a Unicorn because she's a Nashville native, growing up on a tour bus as the only child of travelling musicians with Baille & The Boys.  Despite her American upbringing, Alyssa has a real fondness for the UK, having performed here many times and graduating from Liverpool Institute Of Performing Arts.

Opening for her Birmingham show were close friends and Brum natives Gasoline and Matches.  Equally accomplished as an acoustic duo and a full band, tonight saw just Sally and Steve on stage entertaining the crowd with personal stories, and songs from their ever-growing catalogue.  Both could relate the story of when they first saw Alyssa when she was playing as part of duo The Sisterhood and how their friendship grew, including hosting her as part of their popular “Nashville Sounds In The Round” literally across the road in the intimate Kitchen Garden Café.  Its not a Gasoline and Matches set unless they finish with their popular drinking game/song “Never Have I Ever” which was joined in with gusto – despite it being a school night for most!

 

Alyssa took to the stage with a cry of “Are You Ready To Rock?” and for the next hour or so showed us what can be achieved with just two guitars and excellent songwriting.  Three guitars – she took delight in playing a beautiful blue guitar that was just “£80 in Denmark street”

 

Alyssa was accompanied on stage by Steve Shirley who plays lead guitar and boyfriend!  Together for two years, Welsh born Steve brings his own Birmingham connection having graduated from the University of Birmingham with a degree in Physics – “Shout out to all UoB physicists” was possibly the most niche shout out ever!

 

Its very clear how much Alyssa loves being on stage – and it doesn’t matter how big the stage.  She’s performed all over the world but seems incredibly at home in any venue. Talking about how much she enjoys hearing stories of how her fans relate to her stories she described her audiences as “We start as

strangers but leave as friends”.  The whole set could be best described as upbeat acoustic with songs drawn from across many years.  “This could be my Eras Tour” she said before inviting the audience to suggest what they sing next – which did mean a little bit of discussion over how songs start and showed that Steve isn’t just a guitarist/boyfriend but a great support to her on stage. Writing “happier songs” over the past two years, even Alyssa’s more heartfelt songs still have an element of energy to them, and we were all thrilled to light up our phones in memory of friend and collaborator Roman in a lovely tribute.

 

I caught up with Alyssa after the show, and after she’d taken time with every audience member – signing merch, posing for selfies – and asked her, after a lifetime touring, how different this – her first headline tour – feels

 

It’s a dream come true.  I’ve been wanting to do this since I was a little kid and its crazy when people buy tickets to your show and your able to pack out a venue.  Tonight was sold out.

It’s a total dream come true

 

In the words of her song Road Less Travelled

 

I ain't gonna chase money or fame

I'm just gonna do what makes me smile

 

You can catch Alyssa on her UK tour for the rest of June as well as find her on Facebook & Instagram and follow her on Spotify

Silverball Country attended the show as guests of Alyssa Bonagura and Gasoline and Matches 

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Single Review - Mr Shame - Emilia Quinn

It has been an absolute joy watching Emilia Quinn growing over the past few years.  We have the privilege of working closer with many acts when we manage stages at Independent Festivals, and whilst we are always sorry to see acts move on from our stage, it is with absolute pride that we see them take their place on a main stage.  We’ve had exactly that with Emilia, from performing solo with an early slot on the Paddock Stage at Buckle and Boots to an evening slot full band where she absolutely blew the roof off – and the following year smashing it on the main stage!

The next step in that growth is her headline tour in November this year, taking in London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Glasgow before ending in her adopted hometown of Leeds.

Emilia’s new single, Mr Shame, is also about growth, in the form of growing your confidence and growing your self love.  In Emilia’s own words

The inspiration for Mr. Shame came from a situation where an ex was making me doubt myself and my confidence. It's about choosing yourself over others' thoughts and opinions and choosing to be confident despite criticisms. 

 

A heavy guitar opening gives way to Emilia’s vocal, absolutely setting the tone for the song.  Hard rocking with a story is the style we’re accustomed to from the performer often described as “a firecracker”.  The pace, the bass line, all contribute to the sense of taking control and rejecting whatever is holding you back.  The backing vocals drop in perfectly in a style we don’t hear enough off, as do the pauses and the slowing down of the instrumentation. Throughout the song, you get a sense of power from Emilia, power coming directly from her.  As a whole, it is reminiscent of the female rockers in music, and we can start to number Emilia in that group.  The final guitar solo absolutely cements this track as being on the rock side of country, and very much an Emilia Quinn badass song.

 

Mr Shame, the new single from Emilia Quinn is available to download and stream from Friday 13 October.

Emilia's  Wanderlust and Breaking Rules Tour kicks off in November with tickets available via her social media 

You can find Emilia on Facebook and Instagram, and follow her on Spotify

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Emilia is represented by Zimagined artist management and is signed to 

W21 Records

Single Review - Heroes and Heroines - Jade Helliwell

 

Jade Helliwell caught the attention of the public when a video of her singing with a busker went viral on YouTube and got 23 million views across social media platforms.  Whilst that video put her firmly in the limelight, and boosted figures for her previously released ep, it is not down to a single video that keeps Jade at the top of the UK country scene, performing on festival stages all over the country – that is down to her songwriting skills and excellent performances.

 

Ahead of her second UK headline tour, which kicks off in November, Jade is releasing her new single Heroes and Heroines (which is also the title of the tour).  Fittingly for a song about acknowledging the people in your life who are everyday heroes the track was co written with JessThristan and produced by Alyssa Bonagura – two people that Jade has worked with and admires.

 

Jade has carved her own pop country niche in the UK country genre, combining meaningful lyrics with catchy, up-tempo instrumentation.  Backed by some great guitar sounds (unsurprisingly given that she is engaged to a very talented lead guitarist in Luke Thomas!) the song is very much driven by Jade’s vocals, with the production and mixing keeping her very much to the forefront, although with well-timed instrumental breaks and inserts.

Here’s to the hold it togethers

Here’s to the no regreters

Here’s the see it throughers

Here’s to the hallelujahs

An anthem to the ordinary heroes, people doing what they can, day after day – this one will sound great on stage whether at a festival or that forthcoming tour.  Overall, it’s a great sound, and we can’t wait to hear it live!

 

Heroes and Heroines – the new single from Jade Helliwell – is available to download and stream from Friday 6 October.

Tickets for the Heroes and Heroines tour are available from here: tickets

You can find Jade on Facebook and Instagram and follow her on Spotify

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Gig Review - One Night In Nashville - Birmingham

 

Country Music is the fastest growing genre in the UK, with many people loving the sound without admitting to being a country fan.  30 years of DJing at weddings and events has taught us that any crowd will go wild for 9 to 5 or Country Roads.  The UK audience is keen to hear the Nashville classics – Dolly Parton, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, John Denver as well as the 90s big hits – Shania Twain, Billy Ray Cyrus, Garth Brooks and the current crop of Luke Combs, Maren Morris, Chris Stapleton.  While its hard to see these artists live outside expensive stadium gigs in the UK – unlike in the US – there is a growing market for tribute shows that aim to transport you to the Broadway bars of Nashville.  These shows can be found in bars as well as theatres with an audience that spans from hardcore country fans to pink hatted hen parties.  The age range is just as wide, with younger guests word perfect on songs from decades before they were born, such is the appeal of Country Music.  These touring shows include A Country Night In Nashville, Nashville Bad Boys Of Country, Honky Tonk Roadshow and possibly the original – One Night In Nashville.  People will never fail to love a good night out with songs they can sing along to, a bit of dancing or sat least foot stomping and clapping – ideally with a beer in hand.

 

Last Friday, dressed in our boots, belts and bling we headed to Birmingham’s Bierkeller for one of these shows.  

One Night In Nashville sets out to “replicate the experience of being in a Honkytonk in Nashville Tennessee” Maria and the band have certainly achieved this with the added bonus of their chosen venue, Bierkeller, which permits the dancing on tables and benches to really get the party going (not seen that in a Honkytonk!)

Whether you are a regular follower or stumble across the night by chance you’ll know you’re in the right place as its one of the biggest collections of hats shirts and boots seen outside of C2C.  Maria herself didn’t let the side down with awesome silver boots tied in with her outfit.

Right from the off we were straight in with the classics, only Maria’s showmanship and powerful voice can do justice to the range covered getting away with jumping between everyone’s favourite Dolly song Jolene right back to the classic Tammy Wynette Stand by Your Man and up to date with Maren Morris, Luke Combs.  Audience participation did not fall as One Night In Nashville is timeless and appeals across the ages.

The show is scripted to ensure that the audience are having a good time, there wasn’t a drop in energy, even when the audience were treated to one of Maria’s own song.  Maria Jordan - check her out on YouTube and other socials.

Maria couldn’t give such a high energy show alone, she’s accompanied by her band including Dave Heyes, an incredible drummer who happens to be Maria’s husband and Sam Heyes on bass.

The 90 minute show comes to end far too quickly with the crowd left screaming for an encore.  In Birmingham we were treated to not one but two songs and a promise that they will be back – before the country disco kicked in to round off the night.

 

If you’d like to experience One Night In Nashville make sure you buy your tickets soon, as shows are already selling out!

Silverball Country attended One Night In Nashville at Bierkeller Birmingham as guests of the band

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Single Review - House On The Hill - Kezia Gill

 

 

After many years in the business, awards, hit records and her position within UK Country music you might think that Kezia Gill can relax and take things easy, but what she actually does is keep on growing and developing into an even better version of herself.  However success can be measured – appearances at Country 2 Country, a sold out headline tour, a show on Radio 2 – there is still more out there for Kezia, and it is all certainly well deserved.

 

With her latest single release – House On The Hill – Kezia acknowledges many of the things that she has achieved -  travelling the world, seeing amazing sights, but at heart she is still a hometown girl.  This who know her personally know that the hometown is Derby and her anchor is husband Lloyd.  If you don’t know her personally, the song actually spells it out for you.  The House On The Hill in the title is literally the home she shares with Lloyd nestled on a hilltop in Derby.  Throughout lockdown, Kezia (and Lloyd) regularly live-streamed from the living room, often in her fluffy slippers, showing that even when performing, home is where she feels most comfortable.  Even if you’ve never seen it you can start to picture it, not just physically but as a safe haven, a place to come back to as an escape from the hectic world of music and growing success.  Even those of us who aren’t rising through the ranks of Country music can identify with having our own space to go back to, our very own House On The Hill.

 

The song itself shows how much Kezia is constantly growing.  If you take a walk through her back catalogue you will hear her very distinctive style and her UK take on the Country music tradition, with this and some of her more recent music you can hear how she is embracing the Nashville sound that is so popular in the UK but still very definitely making it her own, still keeping it UK and keeping it Kezia Gill

Guitar driven, the track effortlessly combines the energy that you see on stage with the song-writing and vocal that Kezia is known for. 

Written for the sheer joy of it, and incorporating some real honesty, House On The Hill is sure to be a live favourite as we head into the festival season.

 

House On The Hill, the new single from Kezia Gill is available from Friday 31 March.

 You can find and follow Kezia on Instagram and Facebook and stream her music on Spotify

Kezia Gill is represented by ZimagineD

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Single Review - Whiskey Over Ice - Kezia Gill

 

When you think about Country Music, you often think about Whiskey, when you think about Kezia Gill you will think about Whiskey and let’s be honest, in the when you mention UK Country Music you think about Kezia Gill.

 

This is not us casting any shade of Kezia and her drinking habits!  Having previously released a single “Whiskey Drinking Woman” and naming her very popular livestream sessions “Pour Me A Strong One”, even the most casual of fan is aware that Kezia is partial to a whiskey (with lemonade!) and so it is no great surprise that this latest single is Whiskey Over Ice. 

 

The song was debuted on the recent headline tour, and when introducing it, Kezia said

Write about what you know, and if it ain’t broke…

 

Some people will have heard Kezia playing at one of the UK’s country festivals, others when she supported The Shires on tour, still others from the club scene in Derby while Bob Harris’ country show on Radio 2 may have been the first time.  Perhaps this single will be the first introduction to the music of this award-winning singer songwriter.  However you have found Kezia you will have heard her touching lyric writing, powerful performance style and her distinctive voice, all of which are evident in this new single

 

Drums, guitar, slow beat and we are under way with Kezia’s vocal.  Heavily US influenced but with a definite UK sound the song sits firmly in the Country genre, with a rock edge to both the instrumentation and the performance. That edge and the power demonstrate why Kezia is such a favourite when she takes to the stage for a live show. 

Cleverly using drinks analogies to describe the excitement of a new relationship, the writing is pure Country, and the guitar from Luke Thomas really cements the feel – it is rare for a UK song to sound so much like it has come direct from a Nashville writing room, or perhaps a Nashville bar! The production was tweaked in Music City, but the song undoubtedly already sounded Nashville before being sent there for a final polish.

 

We will certainly join this “Whiskey Drinking Woman” for some Whiskey Over Ice – both through this song plus her upcoming live performances with the Girls Night In – The Round Tour, an appearance with the Honky Tonk Roadshow plus appearing in both Glasgow and London for Country 2 Country!

 

Whisky Over Ice, the new single from Kezia Gill is available to download or stream from Friday 3 February.

 

You can find and follow Kezia on Instagram and Facebook and stream her music on Spotify

Kezia Gill is represented by ZimagineD

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The British Country Music Festival 2021

 

Forget your buckle and spade, we might be off to Blackpool but to attend The British Country Music Festival, a weekend of Americana, Roots and Country Music.

Friday 3^rd September:

Trying to miss the illuminations traffic, people checked into hotels/B&Bs and made their way to the Winter Gardens. From the outset it was clear that something different was occurring in Blackpool as the queue outside the box office was full of cowboy boots, a few hats and plenty of denim. We took our place and made it into The Arena to catch Jack & Tim mid set.

Eddy Smith & The 507 were next up, recently seen at Buckle & Boots. Eddy has a beautifully deep voice and the band is upbeat getting the first dancers up. 

The Remedy Club set up on the 2^nd stage to the side of the room. This is a husband-and-wife duo from South East Ireland. Silverball Country has introduced them previously at Millport. Sally Haden was host for the room, her introduction explained that they were called the Remedy Club because they cured all ills and elements and were good for the soul.  She reflected that due to the pandemic the lyrics of the songs had more significance.

Juna N Joey closed The Arena. This is a very young duo from Florida, they found their way into the British Country Music Festival because they are currently supporting Twinnie. Very interesting and uncommon for them to play to a backing track rather than having a band.

There were queues outside The Empress Ballroom before 7pm as nobody wanted to miss Kezia Gill. She looked amazing in a short, sequinned jumpsuit and along with The Good Old Boys they kept everyone on the dance floor. After finally getting a capo she admitted she could have missed the next song out but it was where it all started and therefore the crowd sang along to Build It Up.  The Friday night crew were not to be missed waving around a large flag.  We managed not to cry as she sang Local  Man’s Star and The Mess I Made was a nice plug for the merchandise table.

The Essex duo Holloway Road who claimed to have travelled “a long, long way to get there” changed the musical style.  Promoting their own brand of beer, which unfortunately is currently out of stock, we got to be the first to hear the newly released (as in that day) single (if you don't count their mums). If you looked closely, that was Luke Thomas supporting on the guitar.

Nathan Carter showed off his skills on the accordion and flattered the ladies in the audience with a rendition of She Don't Know She's Beautiful.  With classics such as Rhinestone Cowboy and Wagon Wheel the crowd were clearly having a good time. Despite the Liverpool accent, he did his Irish followers proud with Donegal, with a request to shine your mobile light, and Irish Rover.  His band were amazing, all the usual instruments but the sax added something extra.

 Sadly the room emptied out a little before Peter Donegan and band took to the stage. He played his dad's songs along with other covers including Strawberry Wine.

Tucked into the corner of the stage Matt Spracklen who as acted as host to the stage closed the night off with a disco, there were several people who just didn't want the night to end or to sit down.

At 1am, many a merry reveller, in tassels and Stetson embraced the bars around Church Street, particularly The Galleon Bar.

 

Saturday 4^th September:

12 noon saw the start of the second day of the festival with Demi Marriner on The Arena stage in an amazing pair of silver sparkly boots. Acts then alternated between stages 1 and 2 throughout the afternoon including Tennessee Twin, who we discovered were named after a deal on Jack Daniels, a more confident and at ease Robbie Cavanagh, and Hayley McKay who is completely new to Silverball Country. She is an ambassador for the Prince's Trust and has been compared to Kate Bush and Eva Cassidy. There was a strong folk feel to stage 2.

We switched to the Horseshoe Pavilion at 14:40 to witness the Songwriters Carousel hosted by Tim Prottey-Jones featuring Wildwood Kin, Elles Bailey and Pete Riley. Always a festival favourite to hear how the songs came to be, we heard songs about: walking on water (EB), childhood fashion (PR), sunrise (WK), regret (EB) and sticking it to the man (WK). Tim PJ’s humour was present with a great line about tagging the 'to be confirmed music festival' and his desire to start the chav genre of country, complete with trainers and trousers above the ankle. Oops -  the sound engineers put the background music on before Wildwood Kin played their last song.

Back in The Arena, we watched Blue Rose Code - our find of the festival, Pete Riley, Morganway - who have not been slowed down by the pandemic and gave a very energetic performance, lifting the atmosphere of the room and seeing dancers take to the floor. Tommy Atkins was the last to perform on stage 2 and was joined by Eleri Angharad to provide the female harmonies. Last but not least, Bailey Tomkinson was the last performer in the room. The afternoon saw a decline in the sound quality, and it was difficult to hear the introductions which was a real shame. 

At 7pm the Ballroom was set alight by Katy Hurt, my floor buddy from the carousel (full house so we sat on the floor in front of the stage with Gasoline and Matches) with Unfinished Business.  Who would have guessed it was her first gig back, and despite the early hour the crowd obliged with mobile phone lights.

Followed by Elles Bailey, as she promised in the Songwriter's Carousel her set was much happier, moving into Americana. Giving a shout out to Katy, she explained it had been too long since she had performed and was happy to be amongst friends again.

Next up were Wildwood Kin, a trio of sisters that have more contemporary folk sound, dividing opinion within the crowd. By self-admission they love country music but don’t feel country, especially given the other artists but thanked Bob Harris without whom they wouldn’t be where they are.

Just as everyone was tiring a new burst of infectious energy was released from Gareth Nugent. Starting with a couple of covers he had the audience rocking along with him. Accompanied by an almost full band (Keys has covid) they blended covers and his own material perfectly, encouraged a little drinking alongside a rendition of happy birthday and a congratulatory message on the engagement of Sinead (which we now know is Irish for Jane). 

The night was again rounded off with a DJ set from Matt Spracklen and revellers spilled out into the neighbouring bars whilst the sensible headed to bed.

 

Sunday 5^th September:

It was an earlier start to the day, but it didn’t stop us and there was a strong turnout to watch Tim Prottey-Jones with a full band. Tim took the time to explain the background to each song, strongly featuring his family members before knocking it out of the park with the upbeat Fire.

Fine Lines, the six-piece roots infused Americana group took the stage next. There was great banter between David and Zoe but the crowd wasn’t buying in, not even when Paul asked how the beer was. The tale of covid changing their Lanzarote filming plans to the Wirral in March is something we sympathised with.

Martin Harley brought a touch of the blues to the stage next and went down well with the audience who were growing in number and by now slightly more awake. Seated for his 1^st number to show off the slide guitar, it was hard not to tap along.

Candi Carpenter stole the hearts of the majority of the attendees, with the biggest meet and greet queue we saw all weekend. Her first performance in the UK, she smashed it. She was even complimented on her outfit by Matt Spracklen, sparkling like the star she is. With her gospel roots, her performance focused on her vocal quality but as an American we are not sure how she met the criteria for the festival – but we were glad she was there!

Lisa McHugh may be Scottish but it’s evident she now lives in Ireland, “living the dream” in her own words, as she has mastered the winning formula seen by fellow Irish artists of mixing covers and original material to get a party started and keeping everyone on their feet. Despite the baby on board she gave a great performance and treated the audience to the unreleased About Last Night, a first date song that paid off for her. We will forgive the trainers because we loved the glitzy guitar strap.  

This festival stands out because it is indoors but what it really offers is diversity! Therefore, we much appreciate that not everything will be to everyone's liking, but hey it’s in Blackpool so there are plenty of other attractions that can help pass the time.

The Winter Gardens is a beautiful historic building but is it the right setting for this event? Whilst it is great to see a festival approached in a different way, there were numerous times when the atmosphere was flat, it lacked the outdoor festival feeling. We can’t help but wonder if the table and chairs make it too relaxed and should be removed but then is it too big of a venue? Unfortunately, the sound quality was an issue and the lighting seemed to be the wrong way around - a photographer’s nightmare - and the bar staff were another let down, with little knowledge and speed causing big queues to form throughout the event. We had hoped that these problems would have been resolved from the event back in 2019 but there have been some changes and hopefully as time goes on, the event will improve and grow.

 

Single Review - This Drink (is like having you home) - Alan Finlan

 

With his new single (co written with Stephen Manley) Alan Finlan seems to have found the style most suited to his voice.  This Drink (is like having you home) is a song about loneliness – which is one of those subjects that is very relevant at the moment.

Opening with a simple acoustic guitar the intermittent steel is not only beautiful but adds a poignancy to the feel of the song.  The addition of the slow drumbeat and the tone of Alan’s vocal all combine to reinforce the solitude in the lyrics – which are chock full of imagery, helping to tell the story.

Dropping to a near whisper with no backing instrumentation, our storyteller relates his long working day, his return to the empty house and takes off his watch that is ticking away, showing the time that  he is spending alone.  Without the watch, he can pretend that time isn’t passing so slowly.

As so many before him, he is drinking, but perhaps not to forget but in fact drinking to remember.  When he’s drinking he can feel like he isn’t alone and he is surrounded by memories – for good or for bad.

Luckily, we know Alan has tended a bar or we could be worried about alcoholism as he offers important advice: there are drinks that don’t mix and those that play tricks – they hurt the one you love the most.

There’s a reference to Jack and Diane, assuming that is the John Mellencamp song, 2 American kids doing the best that they can, then it’s true – life goes on.

So whatever your tipple, wine, whisky or rum, grab a glass or several; remember there’s no closing time when you’re alone, and listen to Alan -   hopefully your night will be improved.

This Drink (is like having you home), the new single from Alan Finlan is available to download and stream from Monday 30 November

Find and follow Alan of Facebook, his website, Instagram and Spotify