Sounds like: Maren Morris, Kelsea Ballerini, Taylor
Swift, Danielle Bradbery
Norwegian
born, London based Liv Austen describes her music as “part Scandi pop, part UK singer/songwriter
and part Nashville country”. Her new single Window Shopping is full of great lyrics and catchy melody hooks,
which is what made people pay attention to her when she first came on the
scene.
Austen
wrote Window Shoppingwith Kaity
Rae, a young, extraordinary songwriting talent, often mentioned as a
favourite of Ben Earle of The Shires. Earle has followed and supported both
artists' careers from early on. He also wrote Liv's 2016 single Over, released by Decca Records.
Liv and Kaity bonded over their frustration with how superficial a lot of people are when looking for love. We are all expected to have a "type", and the standard for young people is to judge who they want to date from a photo. Is the addiction to keep browsing for the perfect match preventing us from having real life connections and feel genuine attraction? Window Shopping challenges listeners to live life authentically, to "try someone on" rather than just tick boxes and expect love to be the result!
While taking inspiration from the great modern sound that is coming out of Nashville, the track is also undeniably European. The song's use of English terms like “fit” confidently declares that there is no desire to mimic American artists.
Liv ensures that her music is a genuine UK product, not just in how she writes and who she writes with, but also in her choice of musicians and producers. The song was recorded with London based producer Jon Wright. Liv also co-produces all of her own tracks.
Liv says: "It is always a goal of mine to write something that's fun and catchy on the surface, but holds a much deeper meaning for anyone who listens closely to the lyrics.” Window Shopping is a perfect example.
Cover Art Fashion
Liv Austen wearing JADED Badges High Neck Mesh Bikini Top (80% polyamide / 20% elastane £25.00 (Product; regular price £35.00) adding a wipe clean JADED Pink Patent Mini Skirt £20.00 (Product; regular price £40.00) with a front zip with ring puller and jaded taping. With an off the shoulder pose she co-ordinates with a JADED Rose Gold Rain Mac £35.00 (Product; regular price £50.00). Liv Austen “Window Shopping” (Single Review)
Sporting a new blonde hair-do and fresh look it
was evident from both her look and sound from her C2C Festival set in March
that Liv has moved towards a more pop-infused direction, dubbed Scandi pop.
Co-produced by Liv, this pleasing brand new
single Window Shopping, tagged Pop, is certainly proof of that and the
groove is taut on this fun-soaked-tongue-in-check-number on which there is a
sense that Liv feels comfortable in this musical home.
The opening riffs (Jon Wright: guitar) with the
handclaps have something of a speeded-up vibe of Blake Shelton's ‘Boy Round
Here’.
Liv lays
down some new humorous ground rules in the first verse whilst looking for a perfect
match but certainly not perfection in terms of the looks department but carrying
a caveat that the fella must have something going on upstairs!
I'm not looking for a pretty face
Hot, but the head's just empty space
Perfect hair, perfect teeth,
Spends more time getting ready than me
Nothing more to say past the first date
conversations
Might look good behind that glass
But it doesn't work like that
Yes, the dating APPS don’t appear to have come
up roses so far and is looking for something meaningful that’s a good fit
rather than a hot looking dude with superficial feelings. With its catchy auto-tune
chorus (co-writer Kaity Rae providing background vox) slap-bass lines (Mike
Prince) and backbeat (Stuart Pringle: drums) it opens the possibility for an
energetic one-of-a-kind Average Joe!
I gotta try you on, wear you out all night long
Don't care if you're fit, just if we fit, oh
To me you've got it going on if you give me a
feeling so strong
That I've got no hope in stopping
I'm not gonna find that, window shopping (I'm not,
I'm not, I'm not gonna find that)
Good conversation
and a little rough-around-the edges charm is the order of the day here rather
than those top high street brand names and a Love Island appearance.
An
unquestionable tension-filled relationship will push the right buttons, make
the connection and have the lady hooked!
Liv adds
a cheeky spoken line “He’s not much to look at but I love him” Fancy a little fun-filled snap, crackle and pop, then seek out with a little window shopping. Adrian Clark
Others take on Window
Shopping
It was co-written with Kaity Rae so you know it’s an absolute
banger. It’s surely destined to be Austen’s third Chris Country radio A-list
single in a row, and one of many highlights on her forthcoming debut album. - Redrospective.com
If you are a fan of the likes of female powerhouses Kelsea
Ballerini, Maren Morris, Danielle Bradbery and Taylor Swift then you are going
to absolutely love this latest release from Austen which promises to be one of
the biggest songs of the Summer. - Laura KlonowskiCelebmix.com
The upbeat, slightly dance vibe number is a perfect feel-good
summer anthem that makes you want to get up and dance.
If you mix the best sounds of Taylor Swift and Little Mix then you
get Window Shopping. Blast this from the car stereo with the windows down or
have it blaring from the garden whilst hanging out with friends then neighbours
and passer by’s are bound to take notice of the tune - Hannah JessicaBuilding Our Own Nashville
Essentially Pop.com: Six Quick Questions With Liv
Austen Ahead Of Release Of New Single ‘Window Shopping’
EP: You describe your style as “part Scandi
pop, part UK singer/songwriter, and part Nashville country”. Has your sound
been a conscious decision or do you feel you have to sing this way, it’s part
of you, it’s the way you must express yourself?
LA: It’s really just how
it turned out – from the music that I’ve been influenced by in my life. I have
never made a conscious decision to be any one thing, I have just always wanted
to make the music that comes out naturally, and that’s the best way I can
describe it!Read more at Essentially Pop.com
Your Life In A Song.comINTERVIEW (by Dan Wharton): Liv Austen On Her New Single ‘Window
Shopping’, Signing A Record Deal, Changing Musical Direction & More!
Originally from Olso in Norway, Liv moved to the
UK to develop her acting career, when the songs she was writing in her spare
time found their way into the hands of music industry folk who clearly saw
their potential.
A few years later she performed at C2C 2015 playing The
Brooklyn Bowl just after Ward Thomas, plus had Ben
Earle from The Shires write material for her and
became an instant force to be reckoned with on the UK’s Country Music scene.
Liv wrote tracks for an upcoming album with various people
including Jessica Sharman who wrote five tracks Cartwheels by Ward
Thomas (the first Country album to make No 1 in the UK).
As well as this she’s filming for a well-known Channel 4 series
as well as gigging with her band around the UK.
Looks like 2018 is shaping up to be an exciting year for Liv
Austen and her heartfelt blend of Country-Pop.
After her debut single release for NUA Records, The
Next Time (Sept 15 2017 Amazon
UK – UK iTunes), which enjoyed
a 11-week run on the Chris Country A-List (the only UK artist
featured), Livstormed
into 2018 with the release of her updated next single, Don’t Regret
A Single One (Jan 26, 2018 Amazon UK - UK iTunes) and was also featured in Country Music magazine’s 2018
Hot List alongside The Wandering Hearts, Tyler
Childers, Catherine McGrath, Jade Jackson and
others.
Her rich lead vocal was described as “akin to the same
dynamic power as Carrie Underwood and the result is a performance both infectious and
inspiring”.
She
performed at all three days of the 2018 Country
To Country Festival at The O2 in London playing Big Entrance Stage (Fri 9
& Sat 10 March 2018) and C2C Close Up (Sun 11 March 2018; Building Six; with
Meet & Greet).
Be sure to check her website for upcoming gigs and – you won’t
regret a single one!
Saturday
21 July 2018 - Create Festival (1:30 PM Victoria Park, Ashford)
Friday 27 July 2018 - Buck’ N Bull Saloon and Nashville
Meets London come together to host a
‘Southern Fridays’ boat cruise down the River Thames. The programme
includes acoustic performances by Liv Austen, Frankie Davies, and Raintown (Stevie Lawrence guitar; Paul & Claire Bain Vocals), and a DJ
set by Baylen Leonard featuring fan-favorites spanning Country and Americana. More
information surrounding the pre-festival cruise is available by visiting www.bucknbullsaloon.com| Tickets (£37.80; VIP 8 people Table £530.00).
Saturday
11 August 2018 - The Pheasantry, Chelsea,
London (MAP; 152 King's Rd, Chelsea,
London SW3 4UT)
7:00 PM Event
Saturday
8 September 2018 - Millport Country Music Festival BLOG£30
TicketsLine Up:Jesse
Dayton | Robert Vincent | Raintown | Liv
Austen | Jerry Harmon | The Rising | Kevin McGuire | Steve Young UK | Two
Ways Home | East Lonesome Drifters | Johnny Lee Memphis as Elvis | Fredrik
Lundman as Johnny Cash | Katee Kross | Veloninos | Kid Millport | James N Wood
| Stateline | Rodeo Stomp
After her debut single release
for NUA Records last year, The Next Time,
which sat on the Chris Country A-List for 11 weeks as the only
UK artist featured, Liv Austen storms into 2018 with the
release of her updated next single, Don’t Regret A Single One,whilst
also featuring in Country Music magazine’s 2018 Hot
List alongside The Wandering Hearts, Tyler Childers, Catherine
McGrath, Jade Jackson and others.
With its upbeat feel and rich
accompaniment, Don’t Regret A Single One is a song with
a catchy melody and lyrical charm and was mixed by Ash Howe, known
for his work with James Morrison, The Corrs, Little
Mix and Ellie Goulding to name a few. Of the lyric,
Liv explains: ‘the song is an anthem for anyone who’s made mistakes in
love, and learnt from them. It’s about how heartache makes you stronger and
that relationships, both successful and unsuccessful, make us who we are
today’. Her rich lead vocal is akin to the same dynamic power as Carrie
Underwood and the result is a performance both infectious and
inspiring.
Country Music Hot List artist Liv Austen is
performing at all three days of C2C Festival at The O2, London and
will be available for interviews across the weekend.
Liv will be performing at the following times:
Fri 9 March 2018: 16:40–17:10
- Big Entrance Stage (Main Entrance)
Sat 10 March 2018 15:10–15:40
- Big Entrance Stage (Main Entrance)
Sun 11 March 2018:
11–12 – C2C Close Up (Building Six) with Meet & Greet
C2C2018 Festival
Timeline Guide Feb 2018 (Issue 1)
View
the document online here, to use Zoom, Larger View,
drag options or FULL SCREEN option (bottom right, in embed graphic below) then
press ESC to exit.
ABOUT:
Originally
from Olso in Norway, Liv moved to the UK to develop her acting
career, when the songs she was writing in her spare time found their way into
the hands of music industry folk who clearly saw their potential.
Now,
a few years later, having performed at C2C playing The Brooklyn Bowl just after Ward Thomas, plus having Ben Earle from The Shires write material for her, Liv Austen is a force to be reckoned with
on the UK’s Country Music scene.
Liv
is currently writing tracks for her upcoming album with various people
including Jessica Sharman who wrote five tracks
on Cartwheels by Ward Thomas (the first Country album to
make No 1 in the UK).
As
well as this she’s filming for a well-known Channel 4 series to be broadcast later this year as well as gigging
with her band around the UK.
Looks
like 2018 is shaping up to be an exciting year for Liv Austen and her heartfelt blend of Country-Pop. Be sure to check her
website for upcoming gigs and we suggest getting a few of them in your own
diary too – you won’t regret a single one!
A
brand new country music festival, Coffee and Country, is due to take place on Thursday
28th April 2016 across multiple venues in Fulham, London.
Organisers of the newCoffee
& CountryFestival, taking
place in Fulham this year, have confirmed the final details of their one-day
festival: Artists appearing: Anna Jay, Backwoods Creek, Elliot Joseph, Fifth Floor, Katy Hurt, Lisa Wright, Liv Austen, Rett Russell, Southern Junction, The Southern Companion.
Hot on the heels of the success of Country to Country festival, the unique
one-day festival will see rising country stars primarily from the UK perform to
fans across two South West London cafes. In a bid to replicate the vibe of the
world-famous Bluebird Café in Nashville, the handpicked line-up of ten artists
will perform acoustic sessions in The
Lekkerbek and the Labis Deli,
Fulham.
Easiest way to there is the District Line to Fulham Broadway.
Founder ofCoffee &
Country, 24-year old Ida Ahlbom
said:
“The driving purpose behind Coffee and Country is to continue to
raise awareness of this increasingly popular genre in the UK and to champion
the excellent British country talent that doesn’t always have a platform to
showcase their talents. By hosting the festival in The Lekkerbek and
Label Deli cafes in Fulham, we hope to capture the ambience and atmosphere of
Nashville’s famous Bluebird Café and introduce members of the public to a host
of rising stars.”
Presenter for the new country music channel Keep It Country TV
(Sky 389 and Freesat 516), Lynne
McDowell (Facebook
Photo), added: “Festivals and
events like Coffee and Country keep the love for the genre alive in between
heavy-hitting national shows like C2C and the forthcoming UK tour of the
Nashville TV series. There is a growing passion for country music in the UK and
a demonstrable wave of support for initiatives like this one. I hope this festival will create an even
higher demand for country music in the UK and encourage the creation of similar
events nationwide.”
The full line-up: Anna Jay, Backwoods Creek, Elliot
Joseph, Fifth Floor, Katy Hurt, Lisa Wright, Liv
Austen, Rett Russell, Southern Junction, The Southern Companion.
THE
LEKKERBEK
16.00 Katy Hurt
16.40 Elliot Joseph
17.15 Fifth Floor
18.00 Southern Junction
19.00 The Southern
Companion
LABIS DELI
16.20 Anna Jay
17.00 Rett Russell
17.45 Backwoods Creek
18.30 Lisa Wright
19.15 Liv Austen
The FREE festival will kick off at
4pm and wrap up at 8pm and more information can be found at coffeeandcountry.wix.com. Donations
at the door will be welcomed with all proceeds going to The Haven – a national
charity providing personalised care and support for people with breast cancer,
helping them to achieve the best possible quality of life. Details about the
charity’s work can be found online atwww.thehaven.org.uk
This lovely young
lady is part of the W21 Music artist
roster.
She was nominated
for Horizon award at the British Country Music Awards in 2015.
She is described by
w21 Music as being "one of Britain’s
brightest young country singer-songwriters" and was a winner of the
Battle of the Bands at the 2014 Rockfield Country Music Festival.
As a sweet looking
teen she released a Pop single “Wait for You” (Mu Recordings) back on 16th Jun
2013 (Amazon)
In her "breakthrough year" she released her
debut EP, BLUE SNAKE on June 23,
2014 (Amazon UK) with regular performance slots, while she was still at school.
Katy lived her
early years in New York, gaining an
understanding and appreciation of the country sound, subsequently moving with
her family to the UK.
F.Y.I The sleeveless scoop neck printed dress in this photoshoot was by Calvin Klein, the boots were by Cowboy Pro 'Alexa Turqueza' from Crocodile For You, Anaheim, California.
One of her earliest
singing successes came in the Live and
Unsigned competition with a Final performance at London’s O2 Arena.
A couple of years
ago she returned to America, spending time in Nashville, making one of her
first recordings at the legendary Sun Studios. An experience guaranteed to
steal the heart of anyone with a love of country music.
Back on June 16,
2013 she released a single “Wait for You” (Amazon UK)
On 23 Nov 2015 she released a single "Part Time Girlfriend" (Amazon UK - UK iTunes - Amazon.com) with
a debut #2 UK Country iTunes Singles
Chart (#464 Overall UK iTunes Chart; peaking at #359) behind Dolly Parton &
Kenny Rogers with Islands in the Stream
at #1 (#232 overall UK iTunes). On Nov 25 it slipped to #776 (#8 UK iTunes
Country) then fell of Top 1500 (#17 Country) and by Day 4 was at #65 UK iTunes
Country.
Katy shared: Seeing
my name on the chart among some of my greatest idols made all the hard work and
long days feel so worthwhile. I walked into class on Friday to the applause of
my classmates. I cannot put into words how proud I felt. The realization of
almost 5-years work. It was like Christmas, my Birthday and the CMAs
all-at-once! I am so grateful for all the support the team at ACM (The Academy
of Contemporary Music UK) have given me throughout.
Watch her perform "She Can't Love You" written and performed by Katy at Metro
Acoustic, Metropolis Recording Studio, London.
CONNECT with Katy Hurt:
About Elliott Joseph:
Is a Country, Rock,
Folk, Gospel, Christian singer-songwriter and musician inspired by the likes of
Eric Church and Tim McGraw. He hails from Chichester, UK and is based in Fulham.
Blurb: Brings a new
light to the warmth and positivity of the country music. Stepping forth from
the likes of Springsteen, Eric Church and Kip Moore, his music resonates with
nostalgia, life stories, energy and world experience. With an unrelenting
artistic use of warm and unwavering melodies, down to earth lyrics and home
grown, farm boy charming style, his music is a direct look into honest
storytelling and life occurrences that anyone can experience.
- "My love of
music comes from my experiences, my music, these songs are the means by which I
sing my memories and look forward to the feature. They are my life, my
hometown, my travels, my friends, my family, my passions, all written into
chords and melody"
Having picked up
his first guitar at the age of six, the love for music, passed down through
each and every family member has grown in him to current date. Having spent a
considerable amount of his life in the United States, Joseph has taken on the
southern sound of the Georgia and Tennessee landscape and continues to shape it
with his own personal take on modern American country music.
He has a single
“One Of A Kind” released on UK iTunes May 31, 2015)
CONNECT with Elliott Joseph:
About Fifth Floor:
They are a Swedish
singer/songwriter duo with modern pop, rock and country influences.
After meeting at
university in London, Moa and Matilda began writing songs together
and eventually made the decision to form a duo in the
summer of 2014.
Blurb: Two lead
vocalists, strong harmonies and a knack for writing songs that stay in your
head is what makes Fifth Floor a breath of fresh air on the London music scene.
With influences from artists like Miranda Lambert, McFly and Little Big Town,
they are on a mission to further push country music and strong female fronted
acts into the spotlight.
They aimed to have
their EP finished in April. It was crowdfunded using gofundme.com platform (£725 raised of a 700 goal; raised by 40 people in 2 months)
Watch them cover
Dierks Bentley's "Somewhere On A Beach" >> YouTube
CONNECT with Fifth Floor:
About Southern Junction
The group is
composed of Katie Jayne (Vocals; From Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia),
Carlos Heath (Vocals, Guitar; born Ferndown Dorset; 1999 - 2002 Ferndown Upper
School) and Harrison Perks (Vocals, Guitar and Piano; born in Midlands U.K).
The original trio
performed their first live performances at the Isle of Wight festival playing
four stages over the entire weekend (Boheminan Stage & Zebra Champagne Bar
& Ace Casino) and were slated to release an E.P in the near future
Southern Junction
blend Contemporary Country Music with Pop, Rock and Classical Roots for an
energetic and soulful sound.
The Trio's self-penned
songs incorporate their individual musical backgrounds joining them together to
create a fresh original sound with rich harmonies and honest content.
The Bournemouth
based outfit self-released a country/ pop single "I Want To" on May 20, 2015 (Amazon UK MP3 - UK iTunes)
Later in 2015 due
to visa restrictions Katie was informed she had to go back to Australia when
her working visa ended. Immigration were unlikely to let her re-enter the UK
for 6 months after her visa ended. They
working hard on their forthcoming E.P and added a few music videos into the mix
allowed them to still be able to present their product even though they are
apart. They were in Nashville in October 2015 and on the 29th Katie posted “Had
a great day shooting part one of the Southern Junctions EP Cover! They shared
some great sneak photos on Facebook taken by the talented country go-to
photographer Get Flex'd, the CMA official photographer Anthony D’Angio(aka Flex The Frog;Website) who was shooting for
pending EP. The fabulous shots were taken at the Radnor Lake State
Natural Area in Nashville.
In early 2016 they
went to Australia playing some shows. Using an entertainment visa they were
able to play 2 days (March 12 & 13, 2016) at the C2C Country to Country Festival performing on the Big Entrance
Stage.
CONNECT with Southern Junction:
About The Southern Companion:
Genre: UK Country/Americana
| Home Town: Lymington, Hants
A band and
brainchild of Darren Hodson, a musician and songwriter from Hampshire, England
Members: Darren
Hodson (Vocals / Guitars), Simon Johnson (Guitars / Backing Vocals), Stuart
Ross (Bass / Backing Vocals), Olly Richmond-Jones (Drums / Backing Vocals)
& Lee Maycock (Keys)
The Southern
Companion are a band fronted by singer/songwriter Darren Hodson. It's a
collaboration with his band of best friends and talented musicians. Since
honing his craft from his early teens, Darren has now been working on his music
for a good twenty years, even though his new album 1000 DAYS OF RAIN was only his second record. The band’s
genre-bending sound was described by For The Country Record
as being "situated somewhere in the midst of country, folk, blues, rock
and even pop – to create songs that are catchy without sacrificing the
musicality or substance.
The lead single
from ‘1000 Days of Rain’ was “Feels Like
Years” and had an impact date set at May 25th 2015. It begins quietly with
minimalist electric guitar and rhythmic mandolin, as Darren’s scratchy, husky
vocals come in only to be followed by drums, piano, fiddle and acoustic guitar.
Although strong and commercial, the band deliberately steer away from the pop
polish of their contemporaries to retain a certain rawness, falling into a
country folk jam towards the end. “It feels like years since we’ve had a good
time,” Darren sings passionately and throatily on the chorus, looking back
nostalgically on good times and hoping to replicate those in the present.
In 2015 The
Southern Companion embarked on a UK and European tour opening for Radio 2
favourite Rumer with Darren Hodson additionally
playing guitar in her band. Dan also opened for her in Nashville at The City
Winery.
In January 2016 Maverick Magazine featured them on
their Maverick Music Volume 19 CD.
Darren Hodson and
his Southern Companion opened shows for Lulu
on her 7-week March/April 2016 run British tour. Darren Hodson played in
her band and was in bands years ago, before packing it in. With the UK enjoying
a renaissance in country music, with the C2C Festivals and The Shires and Ward
Thomas heading the pack of Brit acts, it seems the urge was too strong to resist
and he headed for a modern country / Americana direction drawing on his
influences covering the likes of The Black Crowes, The Allman Brothers, Tom
Petty & The Heartbreakers, Ryan Adams and others.
On Friday 11th
March 2016 The Southern Companion appeared at and kicked things off on the Big
Entrance Pop Up stage at C2C Country To
Country Festival at London's iconic O2 (North Greenwich) Arena.
On 23rd Feb 2016
The Southern Companion's 10 track album 1000 DAYS OF RAIN (Streets Productions
Ltd) dropped. Darren incorporated elements of southern rock, country, blues
folk, soul and Americana into his music, grounding the songs in earthy guitars
and husky vocals. The effect was described in NewsHub.comreview as having "a cohesive
musical style that is apt for starting a party in true roots fashion, but that
is also not a stretch to drop down into stripped-back ballads. Although most of
the songs are up-tempo and mid-tempo foot-tappers with a cheery sensibility,
The Southern Companion spend the majority of their latest album ‘1000 Days of
Rain’ dealing with emotions, and what sound like Darren’s own very personal
experiences"
CMP Review Click to
ENLARGE
It was awarded 5
STARS by Country Music People's
reviewer Chris Smith in the April 2016 issue who said "quality oozes from this album right away and
you would expect it to given the musicians involved" and that it’s an
album which "sets the tone of tight
arrangements, strong vocals and well written new songs" and urged
readers to "have a listen and be
prepared to change your mind"
(Review: The Rocker65) He tackles themes of
love, emotion and mortality. It’s certainly as good as anything else in this
genre right now, and with a very listenable voice, and strong musicality, he
may well tap into the zeitgeist." He rarely gets out of second gear,
instead concentrating on feel and emotion, and there is a strong set of songs
here. ‘Letting You Go’, ‘Dead Man Walking’ and ‘The Leaving Kind’ all get you
hitting the repeat button, and there are even a couple of songs here that would
sit comfortably on modern Radio 2. It’s
more for the Mojo crowd than the out and out country fans, but it’s certainly
worth a listen.
Baylen Leonard the Nashville
Nights DJ, Amazing Radio and BBC Radio 2 Country presenter has been championing
the music and the band were featured in a special Front Porch session (April 2)
recorded in the Newcastle studios.
The Southern
Companion performed "Driving With The Brakes On" (Del Amitri cover)
for a Under The Apple Tree (WhisperingBobTV
channel) live session, curated by Bob Harris (OBE) himself. The video was published on April 7, 2016.
CONNECT with The Southern
Companion:
LABIS
DELI Acts:
About Anna Jay:
Anna Jay (Anna
Josefine) is a Swedish singer/songwriter loving life in the UK.
A British country
influenced singer/songwriter/guitarist based in Oxfordshire, England.
Following a career
playing in country rock and blues based bands in the North of England, Rett
moved to Oxfordshire and, in recent years has been writing, recording and
performing across the Southern England.
THE ROAD TO HAVING FUN (released 13 Oct 2015), is his first solo album. The 14 original songs draw on traditional and
modern day country influences, as well as a wider range of contemporary music.
'The Road to Having
Fun!' was recorded at Appletree Studios in Buckinghamshire in the first half of
2015, with Rett singing and playing acoustic, electric rhythm and bass guitars,
supplemented by Tony Collins on lead guitar, Phillip Goss on drums and
percussion and Nancy Sawyer on backing vocals. The album was engineered and
produced by Phillip Goss and is available from iTunes, Amazon and many more
online music sites.
His current self-penned
European single “Country Boy”, which
rather plods along, is however quite pleasant. It was promoted across the UK
& Europe via the March 2016 #207
Hotdisc promotion CD. It made a debut at #27 and thanks to good scores from
the DJs and media right across Europe climbed the chart with a highest rank to
date of #7 (Chart date April 10, 2016)
On entering the top
20 the >> official video qualified to receive TV coverage on
the HotDisc Top 20 chart show and was aired on Keep it Country TV (Phil Mack Productions) on Sky channel 389 and
Freesat 516
Rett shared that
"Country Boy", is a rye take on the life as a British county music
lover who has 'never been to Nashville', chronicling some of the more off-beat
'language barriers' between English and American culture. Songs “Locked Down in
Paradise” tells the true story of a Scandinavian road trip, whilst the album's
title track “Road to Having Fun” re-lives a camping adventure closer to home in
North Wales!
On 8th April he
took part in an hour long interview with internet station UKCountryRadio.com
(the station which claims to play "The Hottest country music in the
UK"). He talked about the stories behind the songs on his new album and
playing some exclusive live acoustic versions in the studio.
You can listen to a
>> radio interview and artist
spotlight with US country music radio station: HVRebelCountry.com
CONNECT with Rett Russell:
About Backwoods Creek
They are a UK based
Country band, hailing from Guilford who comprise:
Jamie Wood (Vocals,
Guitar), Yannick Van Riet (Guitar, Backing Vocals, Mandolin), Jake Rigden
(Guitar), Jacob Stirrat (Fiddle), Tom Gatens (Banjo, Backing Vocals), Jack
Densley (Bass) and Kamil Bartnik (Drums)
They are said to
"bring a touch of the Southern States over to the UK, touching the
traditional and modern aspects of the genre in their songwriting".
The band's debut 4
track EP STORIES FROM THE DIRT ROADS
(Backwoods Creek) was released on June 19, 2015 and is available at: Amazon UK| UK iTunes
CONNECT with Backwoods Creek:
About Lisa Wright:
Genre:
Country/Pop | Home Town: Essex
Short
Description: Country singer-songwriter.
Long
Description: Tempting the UK to country/pop music
Influences:
Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift, Alison Krauss.
Lisa
Wright, 23, is your not-so-typical Essex
girl (from Harold Wood, a suburb in NE London)
A
country enthusiast at heart, she began singing and song writing at an early age
and dons Alison Krauss as her idol.
In
2012 she was given the thumbs up at the auditions of the Open Mic UK competition and performed at Towngate Theatre in
Basildon in the live regional stages of the UK competition. She performed in
front of hundreds of audience members and a professional judging panel for a
place in the national final at the O2 arena in London.
The
former Redden Court School pupil, was then in her second year studying drama at
the Liverpool Institute of Performing
Arts (LIPA), and hoped the competition would be a launch pad for a career
in singing – her preferred style is Country!
A
musical vocation wasn't always a
goal for Lisa – she never thought she could sing when she was younger. She shared"I had a
singing teacher who was really good for me, she said I could do it. At
university I've joined a band and perform in clubs and pubs in Liverpool. It's a
great town to be a musician in."
Lisa
has since graduated from the
Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, studying an Acting degree although it
was there that music really started to develop.
If
she's not performing, then you can probably find Lisa watching and swooning
over Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing.
After
supporting Nashville artist, SaraBeth, on her UK tour, Lisa released her first
single, “Faith”, which she was awarded 'Song of the Year 2014' by W21 Music
and then follow up single "Home" as a
She
spent 6 weeks in Nashville and
although she wished for longer, Lisa met some fantastic and funny people; saw
incredibly inspiring musicians at work and recorded her EP that she is very
proud of.
The
4 track BEFORE I DIE (EP) was
self-released on 17th Sept 2015.
We
reviewed this lovely upcoming UK artist’s EP here
If gentle
tuneful acoustic flavoured styled country is up your country road then this EP
is well worth checking out.
Liv grew up in
Norway and trained as a musical theatre performer. In her final year of
training she was simultaneously performing in Jesus Christ Superstar at DNT
(The Norwegian Theatre, 2009-2010). She moved to the UK in 2010 to train at the
Guildford School of Acting. She graduated in 2013 with a first class honours
degree and is now based in London. Since graduating
she appeared in the musical Scandinavian Heart, written by Dike Okoh, as the
passionate and idealistic Swedish student Brigitta Häggström who gets involved
with the occupy movement in London, it was first put on at the Tristan Bates
Theatre in 2013 and then recast and performed Upstairs at the Gatehouse in
2014.
Liv Austen grew up
in a musical home and sang from a very early age. As a teenager she started
writing her own songs, but it wasn't until August 16, 2014 that she released
her first record, the four track EP "WORKIN'
MAN'S DREAM".
Why the wait? Five
years of acting and musical theatre training caused that. Liv graduated from
drama school in 2013, and was combining acting and singing. She teamed up with
the website Pledge Music to raise the funds to record her debut EP, and
approached producer Sean Kenny at Ten21 Studios to record the songs. The result
is an EP with great production value, pop/country songs that have a girly
singer/songwriter feel to them but with an edgy production, with drums and
guitar giving it that great country feel of the artists that have inspired Liv
over the years. Following on she has performed at venues around London and
continue to expand into 2015.
She and her band
played a terrific set on the Brooklyn Bowl stage at Country To Country Festival in March 2015 which included a
memorable performance of "The Guts
You Always Had", from the EP, a piano driven ballad inspired by Liv's
relationship with her sister - a song about learning to respect and love the
people in your life and understanding the struggles they have gone through.
When performing live, this song has had enormous response from the audience.
In Jan 2015 the
talented newbie artist promoted her engaging self-penned single “Rain On My Side” across Europe under
the name Liv Austin & The Banned via the promotional Hotdisc. The single was promoted by CMR Nashille CEO and BCMAwards
president Lee Williams’ Django Promotions. Her supporting band “The Banned”
(who played with her at C2C) are the former members of the Hayley Oliver Band
who split with lead singer Hayley Oliver in July 2014. The single made a debut
at No.28 and climbed to #13 (#2 British & Irish Chart).
On Oct 27 2015 she
released a single "Don't Regret a
Single One", which she had played previously at gigs. It was slated to
get a big crowd reaction with its "Taylor Swift-like subject matter, it’s
fun, upbeat nature and catchy hook". A song with a 90s female country vibe
with a modern twist, featuring a driving drum beat, polished rock guitars and
the twang of a fiddle. It was described by the excellent blog For The Country Record as
"a great empowerment anthem that paints dating plenty in a positive light
and also advocates being glad for all life experiences, no matter how horrible
in the end".
The very likeable Liv
has gone on to perform at a lot of prestigious venues around London, including
Camden Barfly, The Troubadour and The Bedford, joining other great UK country
acts like Gary Quinn, Luke & Mel, Dexeter, Megan O'Neill and Lucy May
(Source W21 Music)
