Interview: RYAN KINDER, C2C Country 2 Country 2018, London

Photo credit: Warner Music Nashville

Ryan Kinder is certainly a name I expect we'll be hearing a lot more of over the next few years, with his unique songwriting and growing fanbase. I caught up with Ryan after his gigs at C2C Country 2 Country 2018 to discuss heading out on the C2C Roadshow, playing to UK audiences, and country acts he thinks we need to listen to - read on!

Ciara's Country (CC): So to start off, how’s your year been going so far?

Ryan Kinder (RK): It been fantastic! Finished up my headlining tour earlier this year and just got back from jamming with you guys in the UK!

CC: You’ve recently played C2C - what was that like? 

RK: It was great. Everyone that attended the shows were just vehement music lovers and it showed at the gigs. Very attentive and kind. It was a lot of fun. Looking forward to coming back.

CC: What was it like heading out on the Roadshow afterwards?

RK: It was an incredible opportunity to see some beautiful, fun cities and be able to play for more awesome fans. Had some great tour mates, too! Ashley McBryde, Ashley Campbell and Mo Pitney are just pros and great to be on the road with.

CC: How does the audience compare here to back home?

RK: Comparing would do a disservice to the love they all have for the music they’re listening to and the concert they’re attending. You’ll run into a rowdy, rocking crowds and quiet, engaged crowds anywhere you go. It’s all a beautiful, ever changing experience. I think any crowd, group of people or few people coming out to a show is incredible in itself. Hate to try and compare.

CC: And what does the next year hold for you? More trips to the UK?

RK: We will be back as soon as possible! And it’s sooner than you think. I can’t stay away. 

CC: One of the things I love about country is that its songs are used to tell stories, and a lot of country music draws on the backgrounds of the singers – how has your background influenced your music?

RK: Every experience you have growing up, and every day, shapes who you are. It’s no different musically. I grew up in Alabama. I was very close to Muscle Shoals so I was inundated in that soul sound from a young age. My mother always listened to Bonnie Raitt, Linda Rondstat, James Taylor, the Eagles and many more so that was a big part of my up-bringing. I also found the blues at a very young age and lost myself in it.

CC: What’s your creative process like when it comes to songwriting? 

RK: It's different with every song. It really depends on how the idea or groove presents itself and where it needs to go. It usually leads us to where it needs to go.

CC: What songs have you found most fun to write, and most fun to perform? 

RK: Every song we’ve got feels like a baby. We’ve nurtured it from conception, helped it grow, seen it finds its own voice and sometimes take off in a way we never could’ve imagined. So each song in its own right has its own story of why it was fun to write and perform. 

CC: Tell us about your latest single, Leap of Faith.

RK: We wrote that song over 6 years ago in a time we would write with no inhibitions and no specific agenda. There’s something beautiful in letting a song grow from a mindset like that. The chorus is all about taking that chance. That one opportunity. Grasping it and doing everything you can to make it happen because we don’t know “what’s behind that curtain.”

CC: Country music is changing a lot as we move more into crossover with pop and rock – do you like the direction the genre is going?

RK: I don’t pay attention much to “genre” these days. Good music is good music and it’s so accessible these days that nothing needs to be pigeonholed or cornered into a space of genre. 

CC: Who do you think is the most underrated artist out there that people should really be listening to?

RK: Theo Katzmann. He is an absolute beast of a musician/songwriter.

CC: Definitely one to check out there. Thanks so much for your time, and we're looking forward to welcoming you back to the UK soon!

Thanks to Ryan for chatting with me, and I hope you'll think about checking him out next time he's in the UK! For more country related content, be sure to follow me on Twitter @CiarasCountry and drop me a message in the comments below with any suggestions for artists you think I should check out!

Press Conference: LITTLE BIG TOWN, C2C Country 2 Country 2018, The O2, London

Whilst at C2C, I got the opportunity to attend Little Big Town’s Press Conference, where they discussed where they discussed the growth of the festival over the years, playing at the Royal Albert Hall, line dancing, and their hidden talents – read on! I was also told by band member Kimberly Schlapman that I have amazing hair, so my life goals are complete!

Q: You’ve just won the CMA International Award. Quite a few years ago, Rascal Flatts were winning all the awards and now you’re the band to beat – how do you feel about that?

Kimberly Schlapman (KS): We used to call it the Rascal Flatt Award. It’s very humbling – every time it has happened, we’re grateful because our journey was not easy. It means so much to us when it does happen and we’ve enjoyed it immensely and if it happens again that would be amazing and if not we’ll support whoever takes it away!

Phillip Sweet (PS): We sat there for so many years watching Rascal Flatts win and it was great. We’ve been around long enough to see them win a bunch, and Lady Antebellum. They’re all our friends. It’s quite an honour to win that award. We try not to put too much on awards but it feels really good when you get one.  

Q: You guys have been such a big part of this festival over the years and indeed the growth of country music in the UK. What do you make of the growth of the festival, and what do you put it down to?

PS: It’s about the fans. The first time we came over we were so blown away by the response and the enthusiasm, the energy, the love of country music fans. We just couldn’t wait to come back again and again. You give us so much back. You know all the words. That’s not always the case in America, so it was really exciting and we felt a real connection. That was amazing for us.

Karen Fairchild (KF): I think the first time we came and played the 4 o’clock slot and we played in front of Vince Gill and Tim McGraw and we got stuck in London traffic on the way over here. We almost didn’t get to soundcheck which is really important to us. We were a bunch of nervous little cats, but we got out there and we had the best time, and then we came back about 6 months later, and we sold out Shepherd’s Bush. Honestly that was one of my favourite shows that we’ve ever played as a band. It was electric in the room, and just like Phillip said, the love and the appreciation that you guys have is a very rare thing.

Jimi Westbrook (JW): It’s amazing to see how this festival continues to grow and how country music is being embraced overall. I just think it’s a beautiful thing to have been a part of for this many years. It’s such an honour so we come here every time excited and can’t wait to get on the stage.

Q: Following on from that, what was it like to play at the Royal Albert Hall, because Kacey Musgraves described it as like playing inside a giant cake.

PS: The most beautiful cake you’ve ever seen, and it sounds amazing too. What a special place. That was a check off the bucket list.

JW: That’s the stuff of dreams there. It was such a magical night and I will never forget it. What a beautiful venue.

KS: And our children were with us, so they got to sit up in the seats and watch. They probably don’t realise how amazing that was but for us to look at their faces out there was just incredibly special. And that was the night we found out that we were going to be able to play C2C! So that was even more special.

Q: Everyone always goes on about you as a live band, and people love your records but when they see you live they’re blown away. I was wondering when you’re on stage, what are you thinking? Are you completely focused on the music or do you let your mind wander?

PS: All of the above. I think there are moments where we try to get each others attention because there’s something happening in the crowd, but we’re also in the moment and enjoying each other.

KF: We’re pretty focused on the music and if we’re connecting or not. So if something is really working we’re also watching the ebb and the flow of the setlist. Last night in Dublin we noticed that they started line dancing and it was so sweet.

JW: We all took turns going to that side to watch, like ‘you gotta go over there and see this’.

KS: We’ve also been together for so long that we can talk to each other without saying words, and so we do that a lot on stage. We catch each others eyes and we know exactly what we’re thinking.

KF: Kimberley and I are much better.

JW: Most of the time they’re talking with their eyes and we have no clue.

Q: A few years ago when your album Pontoon came out, a German choreographer made a line dance tutorial to your song Pavement Ends – have you heard of that?

KS: No, you’re going to have to send us that!

KF: I used to line dance a bit in college a little bit, and our children will love that.

KS: They have dance parties!

KF: If we put it in the setlist tonight, are you going to do it?

Q: Of course you’re well known for being fantastic songwriters and musicians but I’m wondering if you can share some hidden talents.

KF: You guys might not know this but Kimberley has an entire cooking collection in the United States – pans and dishes, cookbooks, she has a TV show. It’s not a hidden talent, you guys need to have her over here to do a cooking segment.

KS: We can cook bangers and mash!

PS: Karen is quite the fashion designer and has her own line called Fairchild. She came up with some beautiful pieces.

KS: Karen dresses us a lot. We have a stylist that we use who lives in Los Angeles and she does us for a lot of things, but Karen is just as good as she is. So she helps us pull our look together a lot. I love it when she shops for me, which is a lot of the time. Actually, everything I have on, she bought for me.

KF: We try to expose all our talents!

PS: I’m sometimes the band neck massager.

JW: He really is good at it.

KF: Jimi is obsessed with all things space and stars.

Q: The challenge next time is that Jimi before you come back will have thought of a hidden talent for us.

JW: I have some, they’re just not appropriate!

Q: Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you perform in the UK more often!

What a pleasure to see Little Big Town on their triumphant return to the UK, and what a fantastic set they played for us (you can read my review here) Let me know what you think of their responses and make sure to follow me on Twitter @CiarasCountry for more reviews and interviews coming soon!

Interview: CATHERINE MCGRATH, Country 2 Country 2018, London

Rising star Catherine McGrath was kind enough to catch up with me at C2C almost a year after we last had an interview together (which you can read here) – read on for a sneak peek into her upcoming album, what to do in Nashville, and touring with some of the biggest names in country music.

Ciara’s Country (CC): Today I’m talking to a very exciting artist who I first saw as the act opening the Under The Apple Tree Roots Festival in 2016 and then caught up with last year when she opened for country superstar Kelsea Ballerini who we have the pleasure of seeing perform on the Main Stage at C2C! If Catherine McGrath’s meteoric growth over the past few years is anything to go by, we have a lot to look forward to in the future. Catherine, thank you so much for joining me again!

Catherine McGrath (CM): Thanks for having me!

CC: I thought as a means of introduction, I actually had a look at your Facebook bio and it said that your life mainly consists of singing, listening to country music and eating chocolate, so I’m going to start the interview by asking your favourite song to sing, your favourite country artist and your favourite chocolate.

CM: My favourite song to sing right now is Talk of This Town because I had my first headline show the other night and everyone sang along, so now I feel like it’s just a great memory and I’m really excited about it. My favourite artist at the minute is Kelsea Ballerini, and my favourite chocolate is just plain Cadbury’s Dairy Milk with a cup of tea, dip it in until it melts – perfect.

CC: Chocolate dipped in tea?!

CM: Yeah! You don’t do that?

CC: I don’t think that’s a thing over here.

CM: Oh my gosh, we do that every single day! Okay, well everyone needs to try it – dip your chocolate in your tea!

CC: Will do! So you mentioned there you had your first headline show – how was it?

CM: It was amazing. I couldn’t believe everyone sold it out. They all ran to the front, everyone was singing along, it was just so much fun.

CC: What was it like knowing that everyone was there to see just you?

CM: It was kind of like a bit of pressure. It was amazing but I was like ‘oh gosh, I really need to do a good job this time because there’s no one after me!’ It was really good.

CC: I think we know you always do a good job but it must have been a great show. Will there be more headline shows on the horizon?

CM: Yeah, I’ve got one in Bush Hall in May which sold out. We sold out Manchester as well but we’ve got one in Glasgow King Tut’s that there’s still tickets for. Hopefully I can do more because they’re so fun.

CC: There you go, Glasgow fans, make sure to sell out that show. Amazing that you’ve sold out your first headline tour. Very cool! As I mentioned it’s been almost a year since we last caught up – what have you been up to since then?

CM: I’ve been writing a lot more songs, I’ve been deciding what ones to put on my album, and getting ready for Country 2 Country Festival! It’s basically been putting all the songs together for the album which comes out in May. I’m in the process of finishing it up now and working towards the release date.

CC: Tell me a bit more about the album.

CM: It’s going to be a 13 track album, I’ve written on all of the songs. Some were written in Nashville, some in the UK. They’ll be some old ones people will have heard if they’ve seen me and some brand new songs nobody’s ever heard. It will be a summary of my life for the past 2 years really.

CC: You’ve written songs in Nashville with some of Nashville’s finest songwriters like Liz Rose and Jeffrey Steele. What’s the process like writing by yourself and then with some of these established songwriters?

CM: What I do is, if I think of a lyric I’ll write it into my phone, or if I get a melody I’ll sing it in; and I try to get as much of it together and then I’ll go in to the studio and say what ideas I have, or somebody else will talk about an idea they have. We work around it and figure out how to turn it into a song. I’m constantly writing in my own way, keeping it in my phone until I’m in the studio next. That’s how it usually goes for me.

CC: And is it similar when you bring those ideas to other songwriters?

CM: Yeah, that’s why I really like working with Jimmy Robbins in Nashville because he’s so good at picking out the best of my ideas. We’ll be talking about something and he’ll pick out the words that stand out or the parts he think makes a good song. That’s why I like working with other people because they find the best in what you do and they make sure you stay on track with where you’re going. I’m really happy with all the songs we’ve got so far.

CC: Fantastic! So May release date then. I take it you’ve been to Nashville a couple of times then?

CM: Yeah, I’ve been 5 times now! It’s my second home!

CC: 5? Wow, I’m sure everyone reading this interview will be quite jealous because that’s every country fans dream. What are the places you would recommend people go if they visit?

CM: The Bluebird Café, 100%.

CC: Who did you see?

CM: I saw Jimmy Robbins play there, I saw Marcus Hummon who wrote Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts. Everyone there is incredible. If you go to a writers round in the Bluebird, that will be amazing. Acme on Broadway does the best burgers, and Wendy’s, just because. I got a triple bacon burger – so good. Just walk around Broadway and Centennial Park and whatever bars you can get into because everyone’s so nice, everyone’s so friendly and there’s good music everywhere.

CC: And speaking of a new city, you’ve been in London for a while now.

CM: 2 and a half years now. It feels like it’s been shorter than it actually is.

CC: Do you feel like a Londoner?

CM: No, I still don’t like olives and avocadoes which I feel everyone in London likes, so not quite there yet.

CC: Well maybe the next trend will be dipping chocolate in tea.

CM: Then I’ll be 100% a Londoner!

CC: Yeah! So you’ve had an amazing year – opening for Kelsea Ballerini, Dan & Shay, Una Healy. What kind of insight can you give us from touring with these artists?

CM: They’re just all so nice, and that’s the main thing I’ve noticed about everyone I’ve toured with. They’re all incredibly talented but they’re such nice people. They all listen to my soundcheck or my set, give me shoutouts on stage and just made me feel really welcome in the country community. Especially when the artists are coming over from Nashville to the UK, you’re like ‘are they going to judge me because I’m not from Nashville, will they think we’re not as good?’ but they’ve all been so lovely and made me feel a real part of it.

CC: Well the country community is renowned for being nice!

CM: Yeah, everyone in Nashville is so friendly.

CC: Would you ever consider moving there?

CM: Yes, I would move tomorrow if I could. We’ll see.

CC: Maybe that’s something on the cards?

CM: Yeah, I’d love to live there for 2 years at least, even if it’s when I’m 50. I’m going to do it someday.

CC: Put it on your bucket list! So the last time I saw you play, you played a song called Wild and told us a great story about it – can you repeat it for our readers?

CM: Yeah so it’s about this guy who had a girlfriend for about 5 years. They broke up and he sort of thought he liked me but clearly wasn’t over his ex. He was meant to go see Coldplay with her and took me instead, he was holding my hand for most of the concert and then he would text her. Every time we were together, she was somewhere in the background. I went into the studio the day after the concert and I wrote the song – I had a huge rant about every single detail that was happening and we wrote the song. I get to release it at the end of this month which I’m so excited about – everyone seems to love it, so I’m excited to get to put it out.

CC: Has the boy heard the song?

CM: Yeah, he has. His first reaction was that it was very harsh, because it was so real. I think that’s why I like it because it’s the most real song that I have – it’s word for word what happened. That’s what’s different and cool about it. It’s really its own story. I don’t talk to him anymore so I don’t know what he’s doing now but it’s one of my favourite songs that I’ve written.

CC: Well if you think of some of the most successful songwriters like Taylor Swift for example, all of her songs are famed for their realness, and that’s what makes them great.

CM: Yeah, it makes me happy that I got something out of the situation that was a positive.

CC: And in terms of some of the newer music we’re expecting, are there any exciting stories behind those songs?

CM: I like the story behind Lost in the Middle because it’s about how country music can transport you to whatever the song is about. It doesn’t matter where you are, country will take you to some other place. The lyrics in country music are so important and that’s what that song is about, so I like that one. For anyone who likes country music that’s going to be an important song on the album.

CC: You’ve just released the music video for Thought It Was Gonna Be Me – very arty!

CM: It was fun, we tried something with animation. It was weird filming it because I didn’t know what it was going to look like so I was just walking around doing my thing. It was fun filming it.

CC: The locations you shot in were cool too – backstreets.

CM: Yeah, just out and about in London!

CC: And of course here we are back at C2C – how have you enjoyed it?

CM: It’s been incredible. I saw Kelsea Ballerini, Tim and Faith, Sugarland, Kacey Musgraves.

CC: People can’t wait to see you too – we just had the interview interrupted by someone saying they love you, I’ve seen people walking around in your merch.

CM: That’s so cool, seeing people in my t-shirts.

CC: You’re making a name for yourself!

CM: We’ll we’re playing the Radio 2 stage and then going up to Glasgow. It’ll be cool seeing what Country 2 Country is like in Glasgow.

CC: Are you playing Dublin?

CM: No, I feel like next year I should, because it’s home!

CC: Well I have my own theory that in a few years you’ll be playing the Spotlight or the Main Stage. The meteoric rise to fame that I see with you is going to happen! We’ve spoken about some big artists today – who is someone people might not be aware of that you’d recommend people check out?

CM: Raelynn, she’s incredible. She put out an album called Wildhorse last year. I was going to say Old Dominion but anyone who’s at Country 2 Country will know them! Oh, Morgan Evans – he’s awesome.

CC: Yeah, I was thinking I’d love to see Raelynn play the indigo2 stage. As well, Morgan Evans gave me Keith Urban vibes so I see good things in his future too! So, after C2C, what’s the rest of the year looking like for you?

CM: Well after the album in May we’re going to be playing a bunch of festivals in the UK, and then I’m not sure where we go from there. It depends what happens with the album – hopefully I’ll get to play some more headline shows.

CC: Is there anything outside of music you’d like to get up to, because I imagine a lot of your life revolves around that.

CM: Basically my whole life, but it’s fun. I think whatever I do, I’m always going to be writing or singing. But I’d like to do some more travelling, even if that means only going back to Nashville, cause it’s my favourite place!

CC: With music being your whole life, is there a threat it could lose its enjoyment because it’s all you ever do?

CM: I don’t think so, because I try to do it in a way that I don’t base how much I love it based off anyone’s reactions or where I go with it. It’s just something that’s always fun to me, and as long as I keep it that way I don’t think it can ever be ruined.

CC: So music for you is just for you, not for anyone else but you do it because it’s something you love.

CM: Yeah, all my songs are about my life and they’re all things that I’ve gone through. I’m so glad that people can relate to that, and I think the reason they can is because I’m not trying to write it for other people or trying to write what people want to hear, I’m just saying something real. I think that’s what people like about my music and country music in general – it’s just real, it’s not built up to be something for other people to like, it’s just a natural thing.

CC: Well I’m excited to see you on the BBC Radio 2 stage tomorrow and then hear your album soon! Huge things coming this year… I’m going to finish this interview with my favourite question – what’s a question you’d love to be asked in an interview but never have been?

CM: Ooh, if I’d like some chocolate. It would be great if interviewers just had an endless supply of chocolate.

CC: You know, I do have some in my bag…

CM: I’m not going to actually take your chocolate because you weren’t ready for this!

CC: Put it on your rider.

CM: I do, it’s the only thing on the rider, it’s the only thing I care about.

CC: And on that note, thank you so much for answering my questions!

Thanks so much to Catherine for joining me – to keep up to date with more reviews and interviews like this, make sure to check me out on Twitter @CiarasCountry, and drop me a message in the comments below with any questions or suggestions you may have!

Interview: CLARA BOND, C2C Country 2 Country 2018, London

I was lucky enough to catch up with Clara Bond during C2C Country 2 Country 2018. Read on to find out her thoughts on touring with Lindsay Ell and Wildwood Kin, honest songwriting, and upcoming releases...

Ciara’s Country (CC): I’m joined today by one of the loveliest artists in UK country music, Clara Bond. It’s been pretty much a year to the day since our last interview (which you can read here) so I’m thrilled that we managed to catch up again this year at C2C. Thank you so much for joining me!

Clara Bond (CB): Thank you for having me!

CC: So as I mentioned it’s been a year since we last caught up, and we all know that a lot can happen in a year. What have you been up to since we last spoke?

CB: Oh gosh, I’m trying to comp up one year into a conversation! We went on tour with Wildwood Kin, we played Country Music Week supporting Lindsay Ell. We’ve been writing as well for the next release and figuring out what we want to do with that, and how we want to release it and whether it’s going to be an album or an EP. We’re narrowing it down now, and that to me feels like it’s a big step because it feels like I’ve actually managed to wrap my head around how I’m going to treat my career over the next year. I’ve almost kind of used the last year to plan the next one!

CC: And how do you decide if it’s going to be an album or an EP?

CB: Honestly it’s whether or not you’re ready. Personally, I don’t feel ready to release an album, but I’m still loving the whole process of being able to release music, the whole process of going into a weird room with my weird band and just making weird sounds and seeing what comes out of our brains! I feel like the way that our minds are working at the moment, I want to be releasing things really, really regularly so that I can just keep feeding my fans my music. I hate that I’ve made people wait so long to hear the new music, and I don’t want people to wait any longer, so we’re going to start releasing singles very regularly. Every two months I think, just so that there is constantly music because that’s the way we want to work, the kind of music we love listening to, by the kind of artists who just need to make music and get it out there. That’s the beautiful thing about Spotify now, because you can treat it like it’s SoundCloud and go ‘I’ve made this great song, I believe in it, and I want you to have it!’

CC: There must be so much pressure with every single release you put out – will people like it, will it set the tone for your future releases.

CB: Exactly, because Out of Towners was taken really well, and obviously every artist develops in their own way, and their last release won’t be the same as their next release. It’s hoping that you bring something new to the table so that your dedicated fans still like it and are still with you and get what you’re trying to do, but the change is strong enough to get new fans who didn’t like your sound before. You’re finding your own new thing and that’s what the whole process is about, but you’re right, it’s so hard!

CC: You mentioned that you’d spent part of the year touring and getting your music out there. What was it like doing that, and especially touring with artists like Lindsay Ell?

CB: Yeah, she’s an absolute sweetheart and a really lovely person to share a stage with. Those experiences are the most important by far – the touring experiences where you’re living out of a bag, everything that could possibly go wrong goes wrong – those are the things that really forge you. I can’t imagine going through life when everything goes perfectly! The Wildwood Kin tour was great, seeing parts of England that I hadn’t before, and playing to different crowds. It’s such a special experience. A Manchester crowd is so different to a London crowd, and we got to see all of that. Amazing experiences and I’m so happy music has given me those experiences.

CC: You’ve opened for some great artists – is there anyone particular you’d like to open for?

CB: I’d really like to open for Jillian Jacqueline. I love her songwriting, I think it’s really, really smart. And Maren Morris for the same reason. She’s just so damn sassy and her writing is so refreshing because she’s not afraid to say anything, she’s not afraid to talk about certain topics – she swears, she talks about sex, she writes whatever she thinks about and that’s what music is supposed to be. It’s really hard because as a woman you feel like you can’t talk about certain things and she really turned that around.

CC: I feel like Maren is due to release an album soon so there might be a tour after that…

CB: Yeah, I’ll just send her a quick Tweet!

CC: I feel pretty caught up on last year, but what about this year – you said some music is in the works?

CB: Yeah, we’ve been making music. It’s really important that fans know that we’ve come up with like 100 ideas of songs but they’re not right. I didn’t want to release something just for the sake of releasing music because I knew fans wanted more than that. It took me such a long time to figure it out. Ollie, my guitarist, kept saying ‘you have so much to say’ but I was really having trouble tapping into what it was, and the stuff we’re coming out with now has a bit more guts. Last year, whilst being amazing, it taught me so much – so many things went wrong that should have been right, and I can write about those things and the things I’ve learnt. I think it’s going to be a very special year for my songwriting and I hope that shows. I really hope the fans love the music as much as I loved writing the words. It sounds corny but you know what I mean!

CC: You said you were trying to find the right things to talk about – did you find them?

CB: Yeah, I really did. It’s really tough when you feel something so passionately, it’s really hard to talk about it unabashedly, just to talk about it with no consequences, because you’re really worried about how you’ll come across. It’s really hard to talk about things that you feel that you’ve been wronged without sounds holier than thou. I’ve really tapped into that now, and the band are all with me. I love the music that’s coming out of the speakers right now, and the kind of music I love – the reason I love Maren Morris’ album – is that you listen to those tracks and they’re all people playing those instruments. It’s not made on a box or on a laptop with synths, it’s all about the musicians and that’s what we’re going to be including a lot of.

CC: Great! So in preparation for this interview I checked out your website bio and it said that towards the end of last year you went phone and internet free and were just writing. How was that?

CB: It was really good. We did it again a couple of weeks ago but the weather was so disgusting!

CC: Does the weather influence your songwriting?

CB: It was really nice actually because there’s such a moment of clarity when you’re looking down at yourself and you’re just covered in mud and you’re like ‘I really want to wear a cute outfit so in the photos people will think you just checked it on’ but in reality I’m drenched in mud, there’s a muddy dog on me and you just say ‘screw it, let’s write a song.’ It’s really good. We went to this place and it’s completely off the grid. That’s what I need. I’ve worked out that I really needed to go somewhere without distractions where I’m just with people who love me and love my music, and we can just make music together.

CC: Maybe that photo of you covered in mud with the muddy dog can be the cover art of your next EP?

CB: I think that would be a new direction for me! But I’ll be releasing the photos to show how the songs came about. We got this boathouse and we set the whole living room up like a recording studio. We were sleeping around it – you’d be asleep on the sofa and there’d be a boom mic hanging over you. I love that. I’m not one for a pristine studio where everything looks Instagrammable. I want a place where the wallpapers peeling off the walls, somewhere a bit weird.

CC: You’ve been writing since you were about 16, is that right?

CB: Yeah, that’s when I starting thinking that I wasn’t terrible.

CC: And how has your musical style changed over the years?

CB: Oh my God, so much. I wouldn’t want anyone to hear that now!

CC: Was it full of teen angst?

CB: It wasn’t really teen angst, it was more teen naivety. Just these sweet pop songs about God knows what… About a love that never really existed. And my voice back then! I heard a recording – it’s the most disgusting thing! I didn’t know what being in tune was back then…

CC: That better be one of the tracks you release on your upcoming releases!

CB: No chance!

CC: So we’re talking at C2C – you’re back for your second year. How’s it going for you?

CB: It’s going really good! They’ve changed the structure so I’m still kind of finding my way around and I get lost very easily so it’s a challenge for me. I’m really loving it though, just walking into the Backstage area and there’s like three of my musical friends – you know, I’d run up and give Liv Austen a hug. I just love being surrounded by all this, being surrounded by music and everyone just sitting around and being a part of it. I’ve really looked forward to it.

CC: We all have! And last year I loved your cover of John Mayer’s Love On The Weekend – do you have anymore unusual tracks on your repertoire this year?

CB: This year we’re doing a cover of Tom Petty’s American Girl which is one of my favourite songs ever. Tom Petty is one of my favourite writers and performers and we were on our way to another gig and it came on my Spotify playlist and I just thought ‘why haven’t we done this song? We’re doing this song’ and we immediately started rehearsing.

CC: Who would you put on your wishlist to see at C2C?

CB: I would love to see Jillian Jacqueline.

CC: To tell her you want to tour together?

CB: To tell her we ARE touring together! She’s great. Kelsea Ballerini I would love to see, same with Little Big Town. Liv Austen too as I’ve not seen her band stuff before. I’m sure there’s a million more.

CC: I’ll give you a hard question – is there any underrated country artist you think we should know about?

CB: There’s a girl called Lisa Wright who is an absolutely outstanding singer and songwriter and is a real sweetheart. She’s not playing this weekend which I think is gutting for the audience – she is an absolute gem. I’ve gigged with her a couple of times and am always amazed by what she comes up with. Everyone should check her out. Everyone knows she’s amazing though!

CC: We’ve spoken a lot about music, but to let people get to know you a bit better what do you do outside of music, or is music your entire life?

CB: Music is my entire life! That can be stressful and hard to compartmentalise music for work, like how you make your money and feed your dog, and like original music where you’re kind of trying to pour your heart and soul out. Trying to juggle your love of music with it being your actual job has been a hard transition. I do music from the minute I wake up to when I go to bed. It’s all that occupies my brain!

CC: I wonder whether doing something so much like you do has the potential to bring the enjoyment out of it?

CB: Say you do like a covers gig or something, then when you do an original gig it just really solidifies that this is what I should be doing, this is where my love is, this is what I look forward to above anything else.

CC: Fair enough! One final question for you: is there one question you’d love to be asked in an interview but never have been?

CB: Oh my God! Does anyone ever answer this question quickly?

CC: Not usually!

CB: I think I’d like people to ask more about the band and be more aware of how important they are, not just to me but to the music. My music wouldn’t sound the way it does without the band. I have Ollie Harris as my guitarist and anyone who’s been at a gig would have seen him – I’ve never done one without him. He’s the reason I’m here and making this kind of music. He’s so amazing it’s a bit terrifying! If there’s anyone who could make you feel insecure about how good you are at something, it’s Ollie and his guitar!

CC: Can you introduce me to your band?

CB: Ollie Harris is my guitarist; Chris Tilk is my bassist and produced the Out of Towners EP. Ozzie Parker is my keyboard player and currently rocking a Bieber haircut right now, and Josh Williams is my drummer.

CC: Thank you for introducing me to your band and for taking the time to speak to me today!

CB: Thank you!

I hope you enjoyed today's interview! There are plenty more to come so make sure to stay tuned on the blog and on Twitter @CiarasCountry. I'd love to know your thoughts on my content and if there are any other artists you'd love for me to interview - let me know in the comments below!

Concert Review: C2C COUNTRY 2 COUNTRY 2018 (Day 3), The O2, London

All too soon it was the final day of the festival – whilst I’d spent the best part of 4 days at the O2 for C2C, it always seems to fly by! (Make sure you check out my reviews of the previous days, already uploaded on this blog.) I made my way back early on the Sunday morning to secure a spot in the indigo2 for the BBC Radio 2 Stage where more of country’s hottest up-and-coming artists would be playing throughout the day.

First up was an artist I have great admiration for – Catherine McGrath, having first seen her perform a year and a half ago at the Under the Apple Tree Roots festival. Since then, she’s had a great start to her career, continuously releasing catching tracks reminiscent of early Taylor Swift, as well as opening for artists like Dan & Shay and Kelsea Ballerini. Throughout her set, she performed songs like Cinderella, Hell Would Have to Freeze Over and latest single Thought It Was Gonna Be Me to which the crowd responded very warmly to, with some attendees even sporting Catherine’s merch. A personal new favourite of mine was Lost In The Middle which describes exactly what many of us feel when listening to country. I greatly look forward to hearing it on her upcoming album.

Next to take to the stage was Mo Pitney, an artist whose voice never fails to surprise, with a deep truly country voice akin to the likes of Scotty McCreery and Josh Turner. His storytelling prowess really shone throughout the set, from the amusing true story retold in I Met Merle Haggard Today to the heartwrenching Just A Dog which I’m sure brought any pet owner in the audience to tears. Mo certainly has something special about him – definitely one to watch.

We moved from Bluebird style storytelling session to rock show with the arrival of Ryan Hurd who danced his way around the stage to songs like We Do Us and Hold You Back. I particularly enjoyed when the tone slowed down with the addition of Michigan For the Winter which showed a softer side to Ryan. Even if audience members didn’t know Ryan (apart from being Maren Morris’ fiancé) they would certainly have know You Look Good, the hit single he was responsible for writing for Lady Antebellum.

I was pleased that Ashley Campbell was playing a set on the BBC Radio 2 Stage having unfortunately missed her stint on the Spotlight Stage in the Main Arena the night before. I was mostly familiar with Ashley for her banjo-playing in Rascal Flatts’ aptly named Banjo and my goodness, did she show off her banjo skills during this set. Her songs are both hugely fun, as with Better Boyfriend, and deeply moving such as the song written for her father Glen Campbell, Remembering, the lyrics of which change from never having to ask her father to sing for her to having to tell him the words as Alzheimer’s took over. She’s definitely not living in her father’s shadow but making a clear name for herself too.

We moved back to the rock show as Russell Dickerson took the next slot, with party songs where the crowd was encouraged to join in on like Float and Blue Tacoma. I can easily see how Russell’s ‘bro-country’ style can appeal to many, but also how I’m sure it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Nevertheless, there’s no doubting that he’s an entertaining artist to watch, and whilst not every song could be described as lyrical genius, you can’t deny Yours is hugely catchy and worthy of a karaoke session!

The final act taking to the BBC Radio 2 Stage was Jillian Jacqueline who appeared to have acclimatised more to playing to the large crowds after her emotional set on the Spotlight Stage the night before. She was a lot of fun with a mix of relatively sad songs like Holier Than Thou and Hate Me to groovy and bluesy love songs like Shady. She has great vocals and a loyal fanbase already grounded in the UK so it won’t be long before she’s back.

With a break between the end of the Radio 2 Stage acts and the start of the Arena show, I took the opportunity to catch a press conference with the ever lovely Little Big Town (coverage coming soon to this blog!) and check out the Town Square, which this year had moved from its usual position inside the O2 to outside its Main Entrance in the marquee. It wasn’t terribly busy when I visited but I’d heard throughout the weekend that it got incredibly crowded, to the extent that the queues twisted all the way back to the train station, causing people to walk around and undoubtedly losing the vendors inside a significant amount of business. Not the best location, and I hope they’ll move it back to its usual location next year.

Sunday night’s lineup had a few artists I wasn’t too familiar with, so I was pleased to see Midland on the bill as I’d hugely enjoyed their debut album On The Rocks. They are quite unlike anyone else we currently have in the genre and have somehow brought traditional country to a contemporary audience, allowing them to enjoyed by both traditionalists and modern fans. They walked on stage dressed to the nines in suits and cowboy hats, beginning their set with the hugely catchy and ever relevant Check Cashin’ Country. Whilst they may well be raking in the money with their newfound fame now, it’s refreshing to hear the story of how they got here.

Their harmonies were flawless as they made their way through many of the songs on their album, ranging from the thought-provoking At Least You Cried, the cheeky Make A Little and the song everyone needs to hear, Drinkin’ Problem. If you’d told me a few years ago that I’d love, and be dancing along to a more traditional country artist, I’d have said ‘probably not’, but Midland bridge gaps in the genre in new ways that any other artist.

Rock chick Lindsay Ell was the first act up on the Spotlight Stage with a brief but smooth set of he most popular songs, Waitin On You, ballad Space and current US hit Criminal. Like many of the artists throughout the weekend, she proved herself not only as a talented singer but musician also, taking a few minutes to treat us to a rockin’ guitar solo where it was clear that the music truly moved her as she feel down to her knees like a true rock goddess.

Next on the Main Stage was Margo Price, an artist whose name I’d heard thrown around a few times but wasn’t really familiar with. This is probably because she’s one of the few artists at the festival who hasn’t had significant commercial success with her alt-country sound that doesn’t particularly fit with most of the ‘made for radio’ music we hear. For this reason, she was an unexpected but nonetheless interesting addition to the lineup. However, for me and many other attendees, C2C is an opportunity to expand our country horizons.

Dressed like a modern cowgirl, Price’s set was a lot more relaxed than her predecessor with bluesy songs like Do Right By Me and Tennessee Song. In my opinion, she might have been a better opening act rather than second on the bill as her style of music was perhaps not as ‘warm-upping’ as Midland’s. However, with a costume change into a fantastic sparkly dress she brought the energy with final song Proud Mary and we then got to our feet.

The Spotlight acts throughout the night were interestingly chosen as I wouldn’t have thought Russell Dickerson to have been an obvious choice to follow Margo, although his set did indeed have a different feel without the addition of backing band as had been the case in the indigo2. Russell played it safe with easy to sing along to hits Every Little Thing, Blue Tacoma and Yours. No doubt his multiple appearances throughout the weekend will have gained him plenty of new fans.

Emmylou Harris was next on the Main Stage, another artist who was a relative unknown to me (forgive me, diehard country fans, I’m more of the Carrie and Brad era!) This wasn’t to say I hadn’t heard of her and there’s no question to the impact she made on the genre and particularly opening it up for all the subsequent female artists who have had success within country music.

Her set was a good successor to Margo’s with a more easy listening style than the ‘get up and dance’ of many of the other artists throughout the weekend. With such a long career, Emmylou certainly had her pick of songs to play and we were treated to new and old like Red Dirt Girl and Michelangelo as well as a surprising number of covers (which I still can’t say I knew) such as The Flying Burrito Brothers (what a great name) Wheels, and Billy Joe Shaver’s Old Five and Dimers Like Me. As she says, it’s few artists who would be able to sing that song like that mean it, and Emmylou did a hell of a job.

Again, quite the change as we moved to the Spotlight Stage to watch country/rap crossover artist Walker Hayes. I’m always quite surprised to hear that Walker is 38 years old, as he certainly doesn’t look it nor do his songs sound like it, but it’s when he talks about his wife and kids that you see he’s actually been doing this gig for quite a long time. You wouldn’t mistake Walker’s distinctive style for anyone elses and he also chose to stick to big hits You Broke Up With Me and Beautiful, and yes, we did have to sing along!

It feels brash to say that Little Big Town have come such a long way, but if you think back to when they first played C2C as second on the bill in the inaugural year of the festival to now headlining, I don’t think I’m that wrong. In fact, I loved how during I’m With The Band home video footage from years past of the band playing in shopping malls and tiny dives was projected on the screens, truly highlighting ‘yes, they did come from there to here’.

All LBT songs are fan favourites and we got to hear so many throughout the set with plenty from most recent album The Breaker including Happy People and the Taylor Swift penned Better Man and old favourites like Sober and the powerful Tornado fronted by Karen Fairchild. They made their way to the Spotlight Stage for an acoustic interlude of Your Side of the Bed and a Glen Campbell Tribute Wichita Lineman. They both brought the party and stunned the arena into silence and it’s true to say that we really love LBT every time they visit. My only grievance? No encore! Hopefully they’ll take that into account next time they visit which I’m sure won’t be before too long.

So there you have it, my full coverage of C2C Country 2 Country Festival 2018! I hope you enjoyed my reviews of the 3 days and the Songwriter Series. Stay tuned for interviews from some of the artists throughout the weekend, and let me know who was your favourite if you attended, or who you would have loved to have seen had you gone. And don’t worry, I’ll be back next year for my annual fix of country’s biggest festival!

Concert Review: C2C COUNTRY 2 COUNTRY 2018 (Day 2), The O2, London

A few hours of sleep after my first day at C2C (which you can read about here) and I was back at the O2 early in the morning to jump into the indigo2 where I was to spend most of my day. This venue was home to the BBC Radio 2 Stage where smaller, but still known artists were to play. We began with Levi Hummon who played a fun set with his own music including songs like Stupid as well as rousing covers from the likes of Keith Urban’s Days Go By. A benefit of this venue was the artist signings which followed each set, giving fans the opportunity to meet artists who no doubt will continue to hone their craft over years to come.

Next up was – well, let me preface this by saying that at each festival, I tend to find an artist who I cannot praise enough. Previously, these included Brooke Eden and Logan Brill and there is no doubt that this years accolade goes to Delta Rae. Had I heard of them before? No. Will I be telling everyone about them now? You bet. Both vocalists, Brittany Holljes and Liz Hopkins, have absolutely stunning vocals, and boy are their songs good. They got us dancing with songs like I Moved South and A Long and Happy Life, they made us cry with No Peace In Quiet, and they took us to (metaphorical) church with No Dry Eye in the Chapel. Just go and listen to them and thank me later!

We continued the day with Ashley McBryde who I honestly think could have an equally successful career as a comedienne. I was jealous of those who would see her at C2C’s version of the Bluebird Café because her stories behind her songs were hilarious, as were her songs themselves – take You Got Fat, I Got Famous for an example. It wasn’t always satire though, and we all loved Girl Goin’ Nowhere with its truthful lyrics like “When the lights come up / And I hear the band / And where they said I’d be is exactly where I am / I hear the crowd / I look around / And I can’t find an empty chair / Not bad for a girl goin’ nowhere”.

Following Ashley was Walker Hayes who for me was the least country of all the artists I saw performing at the festival (but we can talk all day about what country actually is) with his talk/rap style of singing. I can see the appeal of songs like Lila’s Stars and of course You Broke Up With Me (interestingly written about his record label, not an ex-girlfriend) and he certainly makes a good argument for the fact that country can be anything you want it to be.

I was looking forward to the next artist, previous The Voice winner Danielle Bradbery mostly because her song Sway had been making me feel like doing just that whenever I heard it. She had some great songs in her set like Worth It and the emotional Human Diary, so you can be sure I’ll be downloading a copy of her album I Don’t Believe We’ve Met soon, and no doubt will try and catch her gig if she comes back to the UK.

The tone changed dramatically with the arrival of LANCO as the performance turned into something of a rock show. The 5-piece band blew the speakers with Long Live Tonight and Born To Love You, with lead singer Brandon Lancaster jumping into the audience at one point to literally bang his own drum. He certainly was a showman, dancing all over the stage and encouraging the audience to sing at the top of their lungs. Again, they certainly brought the party although it did feel slightly strange for 3 o’clock in the afternoon.

The rock show continued with Canadian singer Lindsay Ell and her very cool guitar. Like LANCO, she was very high energy, working the stage and occasionally diverting into a rousing guitar solo. I particularly enjoyed the slower tracks she played including her own self-proclaimed favourite song from her album, Castle and bluesy Waiting On You which truly allowed her vocal range to shine.

At this point, I ducked out for another interview (Catherine McGrath – coming soon!) before making my way into the arena. Due to the long queues, I unfortunately missed Ashley Campbell’s stint on the Spotlight Stage (although I’m sure she was due to play the Main Stage when initially announced). Nevertheless, I heard great things about her tribute to her father Glen Campbell which brought audience members to tears.

First on the Main Stage was Luke Combs who for me was this years Chris Stapleton in that he needed nothing more than his voice to put on a fantastic show. There was no need for elaborate visuals projected on the background as his gritty voice quite literally did all the talking as he began with the stirring Out There. There wasn’t a low moment in the set and we continued in a great fashion with fun songs like One Number Away and Moonshine.

His songs are undoubtedly hugely entertaining – I mean who can say no to a song about a break-up being the best thing that’s ever happened to you? Whilst a year ago I would have said ‘who?’ if you’d asked me about Luke Combs, now I’ll be forever rethinking his great opening set. He also took this as an opportunity to announce a second date at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire later this year which, after that performance, I have no doubt will sell out.   

We moved to the Spotlight Stage for Ashley McBryde who was undoubtedly one of my highlights of the festival. Whilst her set here was only long enough for two songs, they couldn’t have been better suited to the occasion as her intense vocals rang out across the arena on American Scandal and of course the lyrics behind Girl Goin’ Nowhere could not have been truer than right in that moment. I only wished she’d had time to show her fun side too as she’s truly a very versatile artist.

Next on the Main Stage was Kip Moore who counts himself as another of C2C’s returners. His set was markedly different to that which I saw on Thursday at the Songwriters Series as Kip proved himself as an artist who can play acoustically as well as in an arena setting. Whilst Luke brought the more traditional country, Kip brought the rock, racing around the stage to songs like The Bull and Wild Ones.

His set list was full of fan favourites and there was no halting the sing alongs that occurred with songs like Hey Pretty Girl and Somethin’ Bout A Truck. If ever there was an artist needed to tear the roof off the arena, you can’t go far wrong with Kip. As country is very much a storytelling genre, I was pleased that Kip chose to end his set with an stripped back version of Guitar Man in which he regaled the tale of heartbreak that those there on Thursday at the Songwriters Series had had the chance to hear. It’s clear that Kip has come a huge way since then, and the only way is up.

We continued with Jillian Jacqueline on the Spotlight Stage where she performed powerful and emotional songs like Hate Me, Reasons and God Bless This Mess. Not only where we able to hear the emotion in her voice, but it was clear that playing the O2 was a huge deal for her as she shed a few tears throughout her performance. No doubt this was made all the more special for the fact that her mum was in the audience (and recording the whole thing) – a very proud moment for the both of them.

I was excited to see the next act, Sugarland, perform as I had no doubt that they would be hugely fun, and I wasn’t disappointed. Having seen both Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush play at C2C separately in previous years, but never together, we knew we were in for a treat as one of the first performances that the duo would play together after their six year hiatus. Whilst we were told that a new album is in the works, the pair did not debut any music for the crowd with the exception of new single Still The Same. However, I don’t think this was an issue at all as it allowed us to relive our favourites and sing along to tracks we were already familiar with.

And what a fun night was had! It’s impossible not to dance along to All I Wanna Do and Stuck Like Glue with their infectious energy, brought even higher by Nettles who looked like she was having the absolute time of her life on stage. I imagine that both Nettles and Bush are absolutely lovely people and this persona came through very clearly as the two performed on stage. They’ve both been brilliant performers in their own right (and showed this again at the festival by taking time to sing their solo hits Trailer Hitch and the emotional Unlove You) but it is when they came together that it seemed like this was where they were supposed to be. Their lyrics (slightly adapted by me) to Baby Girl could not seem to be more true: “Please don’t worry cause I’m alright / I’m (playing here at the O2 tonight) / What do you know, we made our dreams come true.”

The tone changed quite quickly as we moved to the Spotlight Stage to watch Lukas Nelson, who I wasn’t too familiar with, but it wouldn’t take anyone long to realise what family he comes from, as his voice was to me a mirror image to that of his father, Willie’s. He used the venue to really accentuate his guttural tones on songs Just Outside of Austin and Find Yourself, slapping his guitar and roaring out across the silent arena. He’s certainly something different to much of modern country and if the world is ready for it, we could well have Willie Nelson 2.0 on our hands.

The headline act was one who I would have happily seen had it just been her playing – Kacey Musgraves. This excitement was made all the more palpable at the thought that we would be amongst the first to hear songs from her upcoming album Golden Hour. As much as I love her previous albums, it will be nice to add some more songs to my Kacey playlists! She took to the stage in a sparkly rhinestone jumpsuit – a considerably different look from her 2016 set where she and her band sported pink suits and cowboy hats.

The set kicked off with a brand new song and one I can’t wait to hear on the album, Slow Burn which just sounded so very Kacey – listen to it and you’ll know what I mean. The night continued with a mix of the old, like Silver Lining, Family is Family and one of my all time favourite songs Late to the Party as well as a considerable number of new tracks including Butterflies, Velvet Elvis and a tribute to her grandmother played on the Spotlight Stage in the form of Rainbow. It was an interesting move to play new songs before we’d even heard them as obviously there’s little chance of engaging your audience to join in with singing, but I think it just added to fans anticipation for the album.

The concert also undoubtedly ended the best that I’ve ever seen any concert end, as huge neon beach balls descended from the back of the arena as she sang final track High Horse and so we spent the last few minutes whacking the beach balls around the arena and having the time of our lives. What a party, and a good indication of what’s to come on her return to the UK (and Wembley Arena) in October.

Saturday was an absolute highlight for me and I hope you enjoyed my review! Stay tuned for coverage of the final day of the festival, as well as exclusive artist interviews coming very soon to this blog. Make sure to follow me on Twitter @CiarasCountry for all the latest country music news and drop me a comment below with any questions or suggestions you have!