Track of the week: Gengahr - 'Mallory'

Following In A Past Life from the Pale Seas chaps last week, a new tune from Gengahr has made it to our track of the week spot today! Back in 2014 when I had just started university I caught them both supporting Dry The River - it's great that both support bands are doing pretty well for themselves now! Following their 2015 debut album A Dream Outside the band, an alternative four-piece from London, have released this new single and announced that their new record Where Wildness Grows is due to be released on 9th March. Get listening to the new tune below!

Follow Gengahr online - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

Eight questions with Will Stratton

Coming up in November we've got a special show with touring folk artist John Smith - his name is pretty commonplace but his music and guitar style are far from it, and kicking off the evening we've got brilliant support from Martha Bailey and Will Stratton. We caught up with Will in the run up to the show... find out what he had to say below and grab tickets for the show here.

(c) Nika States

1. First up, who is Will Stratton?! How long have you been making music?

I’ve been playing piano for 26 years and guitar for 18, and writing songs somewhere in between. I’m from California, originally, but I’ve lived in the Northeastern U.S. most of my life. I’ve made six records so far and I plan on keeping going as long as the songs keep coming.

2. Tell us your favourite artists and biggest musical influences!

It’s probably pretty obvious to anyone who listens to me that I love the music of Nick Drake and Bert Jansch. I’m also into a lot of North American guitarists like Leo Kottke and Nathan Salsburg, and songwriters like Joni Mitchell and Karen Dalton. I listen to a lot of classical music, though I don’t know how much of it has rubbed off on the way I play and perform. If any of it has, it’s probably been the piano music of people like Erik Satie and Bill Evans.

3. Your latest album ‘Rosewood Almanac’ was released back in May… how has the response to the record been so far, and how does it feel to have it out in the world?

It feels good. People seem to like it. This is my first record with Bella Union, a label that I’ve long admired, and so I’m proud to be working with them, and excited that I get to see so much of the British Isles in touring behind this album. I’m pretty unsentimental about my records once they’re finished, though, and I’m deep into working on the follow-up album, now, so I’m looking forward to gradually incorporating more newer material into my sets.

4. Who is your audience and how do you connect with fans - all the usual social media?! Any crazy, fun, exciting stories about your fans are very welcome!

I think people who listen to my music tend to know that they can reach out to me and expect some sort of response--hopefully things never get so crazy that this becomes too difficult. I prefer meeting people and talking to them in person, and corresponding on e-mail, but of course I’m on social media as well.

5. We’re excited to have you playing our John Smith show at St Barnabas Church, Oxford as John’s tour support - what should fans expect from your set?

My sets tend to just be guitar and vocals. I love playing in churches because they seem to have some of the best acoustics for my kind of music. There will be a lot of variation musically with the simplest of materials.

6. Have you played in or visited Oxford before? We hope you’re planning to squeeze in some sight-seeing… would definitely recommend the University Parks!

I’ve haven’t been to Oxford since I was 6 years old, but I have a great aunt who lives in Oxfordshire in the countryside and I’ve visited her as much as I can. I mostly know Oxford through the murder mystery TV shows I like to watch with my girlfriend. I hope I’ll get a chance to walk along some canals. I’ve fantasized about living in a boat on one of those canals.

7. Describe your dream gig to us! Any venues that you’re desperate to play in the US or further afield, or an artist that you’d particularly love to collaborate with?

I’ve been fortunate enough to collaborate with a lot of people that I admire, either directly or indirectly. Top of my list now would probably be Jim O’Rourke and Olivia Chaney, both brilliant artists in very different ways. I’d also like to collaborate with a film composer like Olafur Arnalds. Making film music has always appealed to me. As for venues, I haven’t given that much thought, but I guess I’d like to play at Town Hall in Manhattan, and at the Barbican in London. I think it’d be fun to do a one-off concert where I write some songs for chamber orchestra and guitar.

8. You’re touring with The Weather Station and John Smith through some of October and most of November, what else does the rest of the year hold for you?

I’m going to try and finish up the songs for my next record so that I can go into a recording studio again in early 2018, and get in lots of time with family and friends in between.

Gig of the week: The Big Moon, Get Inuit & Be Good at The Bullingdon, Oxford (18th Oct)

Another cracking week of live music coming up... it's always tricky to pick a gig of the week but this is one that we'd massively recommend catching if you're in Oxford on Wednesday! As if headliners The Big Moon and tour support Get Inuit weren't enough, locals BE GOOD are opening up the evening - what a line-up! BE GOOD recently released new tune It's Cool But It Ain't You which we've had on repeat constantly since making it our track of the week a couple of weeks back. Take a listen to all the bands before and head to the Facebook Event to find out a little more about the show! It looks like it'll be a sell-out any minute, so grab tickets asap (beg, steal or sell a limb if you have to...)

Track of the week: Pale Seas - 'In a Past Life'

If we could make an entire album the track of the week we would do (album of the week, if you will...) with the new record from our old pals Pale Seas. After being away for a couple of years they returned over Summer with news of their debut album Stargazing For Beginners and the wait was finally over this Friday. We've whittled the record down to one of our favourite tracks, In a Past Life - listen to that below and check out the full record on Spotify and in all good record stores! Also... if you're in London head along to Rough Trade East on Thursday (12th) to catch them performing and signing copies of the record from 7pm - free entry so definitely worth heading along to if you're about, more info on Facebook here.

Follow Pale Seas online - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

Gig of the week: Fenne Lily, Paul Thomas Saunders, Sivu & Siv Jakobsen at Cecil Sharp House, London (12th Oct)

With lots of our favourite artists out on tour at the moment it's a tricky week to choose our top tip, but we're pretty confident that if you head to Cecil Sharp House on Thursday night (12th Oct) you'll have a brilliant evening with four incredible artists performing. Fenne Lily, Paul Thomas Saunders, Sivu and Siv Jakobsen are currently on a co-headline tour, with shows this week in Glasgow and Newcastle before the tour finishes up in London on Thursday evening with a show promoted by our friends at Parallel Lines.

These are four extremely talented young artists and the show should definitely be on your radar if alternative and acoustic tunes are your cup of tea! Take a listen to the four acts below, and grab tickets for the night here.

Track of the week: Strong Asian Mothers - 'Hard To Find'

In another brilliant week for new tunes, our track of the week this week comes from Strong Asian Mothers. They're back with a new single Hard To Find with some cracking press photography from Dan Harris and they're launching the track with a headline show courtesy of Communion Music at the brilliant Oslo Hackney (London) on November 30th - grab tickets here if you dig the tune!

Follow Strong Asian Mothers online - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

Gig of the week: Benjamin Yellowitz at The Lock Tavern (6th Oct)

Our gig of the week is the Benjamin Yellowitz single launch show as he takes to The Lock Tavern for the London date of his Erase You tour. The show is this Friday (6th Oct) with special guests and Laura Grandy in support, and it's free entry! Check out the event for more info here.

Follow Benjamin Yellowitz online - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.