Interview: Lucie Silvas

'It's so good to be back!' Lucie Silvas beamed this past Wednesday, in a packed out Oran Mor. The feeling was most definitely mutual.

Since relocating to Nashville nearly ten years ago, Lucie has kept busy over there writing new music and touring with the likes of Chris Stapleton, Kacey Musgraves and Little Big Town. It's been a while since she last toured the UK but the songstress made sure that the wait was worthwhile with an hour and a half long set that left the crowd hanging on every note.

The set was mostly comprised of tracks from new album, Letters to Ghosts. It didn't seem to matter much that the album was only a few days old (in the UK, at least), the crowd still knew all the words just like they still knew all the words to tracks from her first two albums, which were dotted in between the new stuff. 

Fans demanded an encore and were treated to a final three songs, including the immensely popular 'Breathe In', before Lucie and her wonderful band took their final bow with the promise that they'll be back 'soon'. For everyone in the audience, 'soon' can't come soon enough.

Before the show, Lucie was kind enough to take a few minutes to chat with us about the new album, living in Nashville and more.

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You had your first show last night, a sell out in Manchester. Could you have asked for a better start?

I could not. It was unbelievable. It’s the first time in however many years that I’ve been back and it was such a warm crowd and I was nervous. I knew that I would see familiar faces, I knew that I would have a good time but it was the first show back in the north of England for a while. And this [Scotland] is very special as it’s a little bit of home.

You said that you were a bit nervous. Were there also any nerves about releasing an album after so long?

I wasn’t nervous. You do get bouts of that when something is about to happen, like ‘okay it’s coming out today’. I get nervous in those moments but I don’t get nervous at the overall picture because I made an album that I love. The process was so on my own terms that doing that in itself made me so happy that nothing could possibly ruin that.

The album is quite personal. Were you nervous to release something that was so personal?

No, because they’ve always been that way. I think that The Same Side was very much that way. It’s funny with songwriting because I feel that people, songwriters, creative types or whatever, they know what’s inside their heads more than they realise. I’ll write things, like on the second album even, I’d realise later how apt and how true to life it was. With Letters to Ghosts it was the same way. You write it and then afterwards go ‘wow, I clearly needed to get that out’.

You moved to Nashville and obviously there’s a country sound to the album. Was that intentional or did it just happen naturally?

Just naturally. When I moved to Nashville, it wasn’t about country necessarily. It was just about being in a musical environment. But everyone was in close proximity. Everyone wanted to help each other. Everyone aspires to what each other is creating. I took in my surroundings, started to play the mandolin and then you write that way and it becomes more of that sound. My sound touches edges of pop and Americana and country so I never really thought about it. I just did something that I enjoyed listening to.

There’s so many great songwriters in Nashville. Who have you had the privilege of working with?

Some of my favourites are people like Barry Dean, who has co-written some amazing songs with Little Big Town and Carrie Underwood, and Busbee. There is an amazing guy who I got to write with, Allen Shamblin who co-wrote ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’ for Bonnie Rait. She’s one of my heroes so it was lovely to get to work with him. Artist-wise, I got to write with Miranda Lambert recently which was an amazing experience because I’m such a fan of her and we seem to connect on lots of levels.

Did you listen to country before you moved to Nashville?

I did but there were lots of people who I didn’t know. I didn’t even know who Vince Gill was before I moved there and now this guy blows my mind and I couldn’t believe that I had missed out on years of listening to him. My mum would listen to Merle Haggard and Dolly Parton. I knew Hank Williams, Willie Nelson and all that stuff. But more of the pop-country that exists these days, I didn’t know a lot of those artists because it wasn’t something that had crossed over to the UK.

Would it be fair to say that country music is expanding in the UK now?

I think it’s starting to. I’m not here all the time so it’s hard for me to know how it’s doing but I see C2C is building and I know the Nashville show is taking off. I think its such an amazing genre because I think its one of the truest forms of lyric writing and music there is. It’s very reflective of the lifestyle. I really hope that the rest of the world can embrace country as much as they’ve embraced pop, gospel, blues and RnB. I think it’s an amazing genre that is the most truthful of them all.

You recently played the Opry. What was that like?

I’ve been in Nashville more or less on and off since 2007 and when I played the Opry, not only were my parents there and, because I’ve been living in different countries for ages, it was the first time that they’d seen me perform on stage since 2008. So they had come in from New Zealand and were in the audience. I had done so many things in Nashville, worked with lots of people, performed at the Ryman, opened for Chris Stapleton, I had done loads of different things but when I performed on the Opry stage, I got this feeling that I must have made it in Nashville. That’s when, after all those years of watching other people and my heroes play the Opry, I thought I cannot believe that I was on that stage. I felt embraced by Nashville.

So definitely a career highlight?

Absolutely.

So the album only recently came out here in the UK. Was there a reason why there was a year between the US and UK releases?

It was just because that I didn’t plan any of it. I was doing it independently. I made the album without any backing, which was hard but it was fun because I got to do everything. I didn’t have an A&R person, I didn’t have a manager when I was making the album. I didn’t want to wait for the music industry, I didn’t want to wait for a record label. I had music that I wanted to release. I didn’t have a promo team, I didn’t have radio play so it’s amazing to see what the album was able to do by itself and gain support. Then Decca suddenly came along and said that they wanted to put this album out commercially and that they wanted to hear me on the radio. It’s very hard to cut through on your own, as an indie artist and I felt like I was definitely starting to but this was an opportunity to reach wider.

You talked about being an indie artist. Do you prefer the sort of freedom that being an independent artist offers? 

Because of the point that I signed my deal at, I feel like I’m in a certain mind-set that I can’t change now which is a good thing because I’m like ‘this is how I’m doing it’ and they seem to understand how I operate, that I want to make music and live a happy, balanced life. I’m not after the pop scene of fame, I just want to make music and tour. I still feel that I have a lot of freedom.

Have you started work on the next album?

I have. I’ve started writing it and in the new year we’ll start recording. But I want to give Letters to Ghosts a really fair shot first.

You’ve played the Opry, released your new album…what’s next?

Next is, after these dates which have been a long time coming so I’m going to make the most of this week and enjoy myself, I’m going on tour with Brothers Osborne in November and December. Before then I’m playing all these festivals across America. It’ll be all touring and then we’ll see in the new year, hopefully I’ll be back in the UK again.

And finally. What advice would you give to upcoming artists, especially country artists in the UK?

Do what’s authentic to you. You’ll have people tell you ‘this won’t fit here’ or ‘this won’t fit there’. If you really love what you’re doing and you really love the music you’re making, you need to stick to your guns. Keep your head down and work hard because there’s plenty of talented people in the world. Your work ethic and how humble you remain as a person are two of the most important things in this business.

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Lucie plays Birmingham tonight, London on Saturday (as part of the C2C Social) and Bristol on Monday. Her brand new album, Letters to Ghosts, is available in the UK now.

'Nashville Nights' Reveals National Dates

The organisers of Nashville Nights, who run club nights designed for fans of country music, have announced that they will be taking their unique brand of party across the UK throughout the rest of 2016.

Inspired by trips to Music City itself, the popularity of the events so far is testament to both the fact that the country scene in the UK is growing, and that the team behind Nashville Nights are doing something right. To date over 1,500 country fans have come together to enjoy the nights, most of which have been at Under The Bridge in London, with DJ Baylen Leonard (BBC Radio 2, Amazing Radio) providing the soundtrack. Many of the artists on the playlist will be familiar to those who attended London’s Country to Country (C2C) festival in March - now one of the largest country festival outside of the US - such as Thomas Rhett, Sam Hunt, Little Big Town, and Kacey Musgraves. Fans are also encouraged to request their favourite songs via social media, using the hashtag #NashNightsUK.

In the words of co-founder and Events Director Janine Lambert: “We love dancing to country music, singing along to country music, having a drink and socialising to country music and there was nowhere we could go to do this, no bar or nightclub anywhere that just played the best in NEW Country music from the USA Country music charts, the music we wanted to hear.... We'd been to Nashville, we enjoyed the honky-tonks, the atmosphere, the country music blasting out from every bar and club on Broadway… we wanted to bring the spirit of Nashville back to the UK.”

Nashville Nights hits the road later this month, with further dates confirmed for October, November and December:

NEWCASTLE - The Cluny - September 17th 2016*
BRISTOL - The Tunnels - October 14th 2016*
GLASGOW - Classic Grand - October 28th 2016
LONDON - Under The Bridge - November 19th 2016
BIRMINGHAM - The Asylum - November 25th 2016
BRIGHTON - Latest Music Bar - December 10th 2016

(* - Holloway Road guest DJs at these events)

Rising country stars Pauper Kings, who are about to join Dan + Shay for their UK tour, are due to perform at the next London night on November 19th.

Tickets for all Nashville Nights events can be purchased in advance from CountryTickets.co.uk and NashvilleNights.uk

Holloway Road To Release New Single 'Where We Are Tonight'

Holloway Road appeared on the King Says Country Show (Keep it Country/Sky TV) last night to announce that their brand new single ‘Where We Are Tonight’ will be released via iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Bandcamp and other digital outlets on 23rd September 2016. The band will celebrate the launch of their single with a release party at Cargo, Hoxton on the same date.

You can get tickets for the show and pre-order the new single exclusively through BandCamp.

ABOUT HOLLOWAY ROAD

The first thing you notice about UK duo Holloway Road’s live performance is that it doesn’t look like country music; they’re more baseball caps and trainers than Stetsons and boots. But the sound they make sits somewhere between the country-pop chart and the Nashville songwriting they both grew up listening to. The second thing you notice is the crowd’s response; Holloway Road have spent the last two years playing throughout the UK & Europe, honing their live show, and as a result they understand the importance of being both a standout name on any lineup and a high energy crowd-pleaser.

They haven’t been afraid to gain momentum while learning their craft - having played the Martin stage at CMA Fest 2015, performed for the Country to Country (C2C) crowds on two consecutive years, written with Jacob Bryant (John & Jacob), partied with Kacey Musgraves, and landed both their EPs in the iTunes country top ten thanks to radio play across the UK for their single ‘Little Harder’ - success in a growing international country scene is increasingly becoming part of the Holloway Road story.

'Where We Are Tonight' marks a turning point for the band, who wanted the song to capture the feel of a live set while retaining the pop sensibilities of their previous studio offering Roots. In their own words: “We're excited to get this single out there - we want to give people a taste of what we have up our sleeves for what's next to come…”

ALBUM REVIEW: Letters To Ghosts - Lucie Silvas

It was 2008 when I first fell in love with country music thanks to the wonders of YouTube. This was a revelation for twelve year old me as I now had almost unlimited access to this new genre of music, a genre that the UK was still very reluctant to embrace.

Before this exciting discovery, I spent a good chunk of my childhood indoors incessantly watching the two music channels we had - TMF and The Hits (now 4Music). One of the many songs that I discovered, and soon learned all the words to, from these channels was a song called 'Breathe In'. Ten years later, I still know all the words, still absolutely adore that song and am now sitting here writing this review of Lucie Silvas' debut country album, Letters To Ghosts...for me, it feels almost full circle.

But enough about me.

Letters To Ghosts is an album years in the making with first traces of the release appearing online as early as 2011. It may be Nashville tempered but it does not at all feel like a departure from her earlier discography. The same soul that distinguished Lucie from other artists in the mid noughties remains, anchored at the heart of every song - only this time it comes mixed with the new and different influences that Lucie has encountered since relocating to Music City. As radical as a switch to a different continent sounds, the resulting change in musical direction feels completely natural. 

Lucie only very recently made her Opry bow and Letters To Ghosts will almost certainly cement her position as a regular on that famous stage. This tremendous album is packed with honesty and emotion. The opening title track is a story of strength and loss, powered by an infectious stomp. The powerful 'Smoke' follows with a chorus that packs one hell of a punch and a captivating vocal. The word 'captivating' perhaps best describes the album as a whole with later songs such as 'Roots', 'Unbreakable Us' and 'Villain' leaving you hanging on each individual note.

It's not all intense. 'Find a Way', 'How To Lose It All' and 'Happy' are more upbeat numbers, a nice change of pace and a chance to take a breather between the heavier numbers. They lean more to the pop side of the spectrum, a little throwback to Lucie's earlier hits. This album will appeal to both new and old fans alike and I suspect that it will appeal to a whole host of new listeners.

In short, there is not a single bad track on this album. The time that has been taken for this album to come together has clearly been very well spent. Lyrically, it's clever and musically, it's an exciting new sound for Lucie, who has never sounded better.

I can't recommend this album enough and if you're lucky enough to be able to go to one of her upcoming UK shows, go so that you'll be able to say 'I was there' when she becomes one of Nashville's biggest stars.

Letters To Ghosts is officially released in the United Kingdom tomorrow (September 2nd) and Lucie will be embarking on a set of UK dates next week. For more information on both, visit luciesilvas.com.

Phil Vassar's 'Songs From The Cellar' To Launch on Sky TV in the UK

Nashville hit songwriter Phil Vassar will launch his TV series ‘Songs From The Cellar’ in the UK on 6th September 2016, airing weekly on Sky’s Keep It Country channel.

The show features guests from across the world of music and entertainment, ranging from Charles Esten (Nashville), John Rich, Charlie Daniels, and Cam to individuals outside of music like Mike Tyson and comedian Carrot Top. Phil will also debut brand new songs throughout the episodes, as well as introducing viewers to up-and-coming talent like The Cains and Shawn Lacy.

In his own words: “I'm really excited about ‘Songs From the Cellar’ being on Keep It Country on Sky TV. I love playing in the UK - I'm always so impressed how the fans are so enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the artists... I hope we can tour the UK for years and years to come!”

The first show will feature singer-songwriter Sarah Darling, who has opened for Carrie Underwood, played the Grand Ole Opry stage multiple times, and enjoyed success with her recent radio singles ‘Home to Me’ and ‘Little Umbrellas’. Sarah tours the UK in September as part of the Nashville in the Round tour. 'Songs From the Cellar' will air weekly on Tuesdays at 18:30, repeated on Saturdays.

Visit philvassar.com and follow the hashtags #noPHILter & #SongsFromTheCellar for more information.

Single of the Week: Lightning Bugs and Rain - Whiskey Myers

With an upcoming album titled Mud, it is perhaps written in the stars that Whiskey Myers's first release from said album would be a thumping, gritty track.

On 'Lightning Bugs and Rain', the band's frontman Cody Cannon tries to convince a girl he has his eye on, to escape with him to a secluded spot on the mountains with only, as the title points out, lightning bugs (perhaps better known as fireflies to us on this side of the Atlantic) and rain (something that us on this side of the Atlantic, know all so well). It's a bluesy number with some lovely guitar riffs, horns every now and then and a foot-tapping drumbeat. Despite the title, this song is made for kicking back and relaxing in the remainder of these summer months.

This was my first taste of this particular Whiskey and I'm already addicted. Have a listen to the track below.

About Whiskey Myers

Whiskey Myers, the soulful Southern rockers, will release their fourth studio album, Mud, on September 9th via Spinefarm Records, featuring the single ‘Lightning Bugs and Rain’. Helmed by Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Rival Sons, etc.), this record sees the East Texan outfit taking their easy style and sound to fresh levels, straddling a number of different genres – soul, country, classic rock, blues, etc. – in the process.

The follow-up to Early Morning Shakes (2014), Mud features ten new tracks packed with narrative vocals, emotive hooks and twin guitar strength, including ‘Frogman’ (a co-write with Rich Robinson previewed live at the Download Festival) and ‘Deep Down In The South’, a classic slice of Southern Rock celebrating a culture rich with tradition and solid values.

Through the quality of their song-writing, ability to straddle different genres, plus their undeniable power in concert and on record, the band has attracted a devoted army of home-grown fans who pack out venues, sing their praises online, and continue to make Whiskey Myers a word-of-mouth sensation… and that fervour is now spreading quickly overseas.

Whiskey Myers were recently here for Ramblin’ Man Fair and will return this December for the following dates:

December 1st - The Dome, London
December 2nd - O2 Institute, Birmingham
December 5th - Ruby Lounge, Manchester
December 6th - St Luke's, Glasgow

For further information on Whiskey Myers and their upcoming UK tour, check out their official site.

Holloway Road Release Session Video + FREE DOWNLOAD For 'Good Thing Gone Bad'

One of Somethin' Country's favorites duos, Holloway Road, have released another single from their most recent EP, Roots (click here to read our review of the release) - this time in the form of an acoustic session video and a free song download via Soundcloud.

The release follows a summer of festivals for Jack Cooper and Robert Gulston, including appearances at Buckle & Boots, Village Green, Essex Jamboree and Leigh Folk Festival,

Filmed in and around Southend by Music Gaff, the song is notably the first "slow jam" the band have released, and since being added to the live set earlier this year has been met with a fantastic response by audiences up and down the country.

Check out the video below, and head to the guys' Soundcloud to grab your free copy of the single.

For further information on Holloway Road, visit their official site.