Interviews

South Yorkshire’s Underneath the Stars Festival is organised by the family production team of acclaimed Yorkshire folk singer-songwriter Kate Rusby. Now in its fifth year, Kate talks to us about what makes a great festival in 2018.

‘A Romantic Destination’ see’s Jamie Lockhart of Mi Mye, reimagining music from a book of songs that has been passed down by his family in the Highlands for 166 years and then performing them at a special event in Wakefield with just his voice and a fiddle.

With a new ‘worth the wait’ album now delighting fans the world over, we caught up with the singular John Prine, our Artist of the Month, to discuss nocturnal writing, old songs and families.

We talk to Circuit des Yeux about her latest album ‘Reaching for Indigo’ and her new project commissioned by Opera North to score the cult silent film Salomé which is to be performed as part of the Leeds International Festival and at the Barbican in May 2018.

Greg Russell & Ciaran Algar give us an insight into the songs on their latest album ‘Utopia and Wasteland’ which “explores a formidable range of human emotions and political ideas, and one that flits easily between the minuscule detail and the grand statement.”

Veteran singer songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter has just released ‘Sometimes just the Sky’, a reimagined set of songs that span a thirty-plus year long career. We met to chat about the inspiration behind the project.

David catches up with Roger Dean Young who, after entering semi-retirement from music for many years returns as Roger Dean Young & the Tin Sea with a brand new full-band album, Wrought Iron Will. Music of this quality is just too valuable to remain unheard.

Currently, on the road with his Spirit Wife Tour, Jonathan Day talks to us about synchronicity and his ongoing album project Vagabond Language as well as sharing some of his many travelling experiences.

Michael McGoldrick releases ARC, his new solo album, next month, his fifth in 22 years. We caught up with Mike in Manchester to chat about his new album, his championing of future generations of Irish traditional music players and to find out how he manages to balance his busy time as a musician.

On their EP trilogy, India Electric Co. have set out to not only explore different musical pathways in search of their sound but to take us (the audience) on that journey with them. Rob sat down with Cole and Joe one afternoon during their UK headline tour to find out more about the motivation behind the EP trilogy.

We talk to Irish fiddle player Martin Hayes at Celtic Connections, the day after The Martin Hayes Quartet delivered an outstanding, hugely energetic performance, about how he got from Clare to here.

We talk to American singer songwriter Mary Gauthier, our featured Artist of the Month, about her latest album, Rifles And Rosary Beads. A work that brings new songs to her audience, from a quite remarkable source.