Cosmic American are delighted to welcome back Mary Gauthier to Nottingham for a show at the Metronome in April 2024.

As she has so eloquently accomplished over the past 25 years, acclaimed singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier has used her art once again to traverse the uncharted waters of the past few years. “I’m the kind of songwriter who writes what I see in the world right now,” she affirms. Thankfully, amid dark storms of pandemic loss, she found and followed the beacon of new love: Her gift to us, the powerful Dark Enough to See the Stars, collects ten sparkling jewels of Gauthier songcraft reflecting both love and loss.

Her eleventh album, Dark Enough to See the Stars, follows the profound antidote to trauma, Rifles & Rosary Beads, her 2018 collaborative work with wounded Iraq war veterans. It garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album, as well as a nomination for Album of the Year by the Americana Music Association. Publication of her first book, the illuminating Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting, in 2021, brought her more praise. Brandi Carlile has said, “Mary’s songwriting speaks to the tender aspects of our humanness. We need her voice in times like these more than we ever have.” The Associated Press called Gauthier “one of the best songwriters of her generation.”

Special Guest Support :JAIMEE HARRIS

Austin’s Jaimee Harris has the sort of voice that reaches into your heart and makes you feel less alone, more connected, and somehow seen. Jaimee Harris is poised to become the next queen of Americana-Folk, a slightly edgier Emmylou Harris for the younger generation. She draws comparisons to Patty Griffin, Ryan Adams, and Kathleen Edwards – all writers who know how to craft a heartbreakingly beautiful song with just enough grit to keep you enthralled. Harris writes about the basic human experience, in a way that is simple, poetic, and often painfully relatable.

NB - Due to building refurb at St Peter’s Church in Redmile, this show has now moved to The Old Cold Store in Nottingham.

Kevin Montgomery is an American singer, songwriter.

Nashville plays a big part in Montgomery's development as a songwriter. His parents got married on a Thursday night in Littlefield, Texas so they could be at the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday night. Dad wrote songs for and played with Buddy Holly. Mom sang with Elvis (suspicious minds) and their next-door neighbour was Patsy Cline.
Kevin Montgomery's recording career began with his debut album "Fear Nothing" on A&M Records in 1993. He has toured the US with acts including Sheryl Crowe, Stephen Stills and David Crosby and featured on a duet with Mary Chapin-Carpenter on the 1996 Buddy Holly Tribute album "Not Fade Away" singing his father's composition "Wishing", his father also co-producing the track.

Montgomery has written songs for Juice Newton and Martina McBride. Sang on Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance".....his debut album on A&M Records was critically acclaimed. He has released several records since independently and toured relentlessly, including four 50 States and 50 Days tours. The last visit to Nottingham was with Garry Tallent from Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.

SPECIAL GUEST : JUDE JOHNSTONE

Jude Johnstone is an American singer-songwriter. Her songs have been covered by Laura Branigan, Trisha Yearwood, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Bette Midler, Johnny Cash, Stevie Nicks, Mary Black, and others. Johnstone wrote the No. 1 song "The Woman Before Me" on Yearwood's debut CD, which also won an award from Broadcast Music Incorporated. In 1997, Johnny Cash won the Country Album of the Year Grammy for American II: Unchained for which Johnstone wrote the title track. She is to Trisha Yearwood what Jimmy Webb was to Glen Campbell.

SPECIAL GUEST SUPPORT : Michael Scott Boudreaux

Michael Scott Boudreaux, born and raised in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, is a singer/songwriter and accomplished guitarist whose 2020 debut is sure to turn the heads of country music listeners. His influences of Classic Country, Classic Rock, Texas Country, Americana, and Louisiana Roots music give him a sound like no other.  Michael began playing guitar at the age of three and started singing and playing for others not long after. Over the years, he began to develop an appreciation for songwriting and has studied artists such as Robert Earl Keen, Willie Nelson, Charlie Robison, Bruce Robison, and many more. Performing live as a teenager and eventually participating in festivals such as South Louisiana Songwriters Festival as a writer, his experiences as a performer and a writer come in a broad range

Boudreaux released his debut EP in 2020, with plans to release new music in the very near future!

For this show, Rod will be playing two sets, with the show kicking off at 8.15pm.

“Songs like Raymond Carver short stories” – Houston Chronicle
“Great writing is all about story, and Rod is so damn good at story” – Mary Gauthier

Over twenty-three years, thirteen albums, three published books and thousands of shows Rod Picott has worked; powered by the fuel of the blue-collar world he was born into. Through white-knuckled determination Picott has been fortunate to open for Alison Krauss and Union Station, play the Shrewsbury Folk Festival, appear several times on the BBC2 Bob Harris sessions, play the Maverick Festival and receive the “Song of the Year” award for his co-write (w/Slaid Cleaves) “Broke Down” at the Austin Music Awards.

Picott’s latest album, tentatively titled A Puncher’s Chance, was produced by musician and filmmaker Neilson Hubbard (John Prine, Lucinda Williams). A Puncher’s Chance features some of Picott’s sharpest writing to date. There is darkness rolling through the collection, but also hope and grace. Picott is a writer who mines the invisible, working-class men and women of the world he comes from and does this with the grace and dignity, only someone who knows the splinters of that life first-hand can conjure.

Dan Stuart – Marlowe’s Revenge Tour
Dan’s solo acoustic show will feature songs along with stories of the early days with Green on Red and throughout his solo years!
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Dan Stuart aka Marlowe Billings is set to return to Europe for his first shows since 2018 featuring songs from across his solo and Green on Red catalogue and a very brief reading from his third and latest novel Marlowe’s Revenge along with stories of his time with Green on Red. Green on Red will be releasing the first volume of their back catalogue this Sept featuring the years 1980-1984.

Dan’s latest novel sees him returning to Tucson, Arizona in the '90s to get clean and save a failing marriage. Staving off demons with countless rounds of golf, he stumbles into his hometown’s crime-ridden underbelly, where old friends and a brewing cartel war threaten his sobriety, his sanity, and his life.
Dan Stuart is a musician and author who was the leader of Green on Red, a band associated with both LA's Paisley Underground of the 1980s and the beginning of the so-called Americana movement. His "false memoir" The Deliverance of Marlowe Billings was published in 2014 to critical acclaim which was followed up with The Unfortunate Demise of Marlowe Billings in 2018. All three of his books have albums by the same name, with the last getting Americana Album of the Month in UNCUT Magazine, Dan has released over 15 albums between Green On Red and his solo years.

"I want to thank the El Tiradito shrine that Marlowe Billings rides again. Dan Stuart was in one of my favourite bands, Green on Red, and now has created Marlowe Billings my favourite golf-loving, ex-junkie, trouble-collecting miscreant. With Marlowe’s Revenge, Dan Stuart proves once again he keeps getting better and better." —Willy Vlautin, award-winning author of The Motel Life and songwriter for The Delines and Richmond Fontaine

“Marlowe's Revenge is top-rate screwball noir, a finger-clicking mix of guns, drugs, golf and rock & roll. Think Carl Hiassen, Dave Barry, and Laurence Shames, with a little Charles Willeford on the side. Hip, hardboiled and hilarious.” —ALLAN JONES, author and former editor of Melody Maker and UNCUT Magazine, author of Can't Stand Up For Falling Down: Rock 'N' Roll War Stories  

We are delighted to welcome back Courtney Marie Andrews to the Metronome this September, this time with a full band!
Since she was last in Nottingham, Courtney has released her album her latest album ‘Loose Future’ which has garnered stellar reviews!

“ On the honey shores of Cape Cod in a beach shack, Courtney Marie Andrews found self-love and her voice. Every morning, she’d walk 6-8 miles around the back trails of an island and meditate on her life, perusing old memories and patterns like browsing a used bookshop. That summer of introspection led her to a joyous sense of beginnings and ends. When she let love for herself in, she therein let the outside love in, too—the summer feeling, the swaying cypress, the full moon, and the possibility of healthy love. This phase came only right after one of her darkest, though, where being alone with oneself was the most terrifying thing you could do. After more than a decade on the road, the Phoenix-born songwriter, poet, and painter finally had the space to process all the highs and lows of a life of constants. She was finally ready to make a record of triumph, while not completely forgetting the years that made her.

That record is Loose Future”

SUPPORT : Jack Francis

“A mix of raw soul, honest country heart and undeniable British resolve” - Holler Country

“This whole album should be declared an area of outstanding natural beauty.” - Louder Than War

Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jack Francis’ heartfelt songs are rooted in the finest musical traditions of America, whilst staying true to his own British and Irish heritage. His unique voice and perspective lend authority to lyrics exploring the complicated terrain of life with passion and poetic precision.

Jack’s musical journey started at 15 years old, honing his craft performing music in pubs, clubs and venues. After more than 10 years of experience touring around the UK, a stint writing pop songs for a publishing house followed. This become the catalyst for Francis to focus his attention on recording and releasing his own music, the way he wanted it to be heard.

During a break between the Covid-19 lockdowns of 2020, his self-titled debut album started production with the help of old friends, Ferris & Sylvester, at their home studio in Wiltshire. Upon its release, the songs from his debut were championed by the likes of Janice Long, Tom Robinson, Ricky Ross, and Iain Anderson all across the BBC.

A string of tour supports, as well as festival appearances in the UK and Europe, followed in the summer of 2022, before he started work on the follow-up album in September of the same year.

"Arguably the UK's finest export" - The New Yorker
"Great songs, great voice. The real thing" - Time Out
"Utterly compelling, quite beautiful and frequently hilarious" - The Guardian

Mercury Prize-nominated singer-songwriter John Bramwell is one of the UK’s most unique and talented singer-songwriters and has been performing as a musician for over 30 years.

In the early 1990s, Bramwell formed The Mouth with friend and musician Bryan Glancy that later included members of I Am Kloot – Andy Hargreaves and Peter Jobson. The Mouth first played live at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles, and on returning from America, Bramwell worked booking bands at Manchester venue Night & Day Café during the mid-to late-1990s. In 1999, he formed I Am Kloot. The band released their first album Natural History in 2001 – produced by Guy Garvey from Elbow.

In 2023 he returns showcasing new material from the forthcoming album The Light Fantastic (Townsend Records). The former I Am Kloot songwriter will also perform material from his earlier albums ( Leave Alone The Empty Spaces reached Number 1 in the iTunes songwriter chart in 2018) and some Kloot classics as well. As part of I am Kloot, John released ten albums, receiving a Mercury Music Prize nomination for the exquisite, ‘Sky at Night’.

SUPPORT : David Fidler

“Jerry Leger has that spark in him that all the great songwriters have. He's the real deal.” - RON SEXSMITH

“The gently sardonic, arch wordplay and country-rock twang recall Nick Lowe." - UNCUT

Born in the mid-80s, singer-songwriter Jerry Leger came of age in the East End of Toronto.

Surrounded by music from a young age, his grandfather first turned him on to Hank Williams.

Leger was intrigued by the ways that Williams’ songs told a story and often conjured up

mysterious images in his head. Other seminal influences were added including John Lennon

(and the Beatles), Bob Dylan, Lightnin' Hopkins, Leonard Cohen, Elvis Costello, Neil Young, the

Everly Brothers, Tom Waits, and Gordon Lightfoot.

In 2005, a nineteen-year-old Leger cut his first independently released album. Since then, the

the prolific singer-songwriter has recorded10 additional albums under his own name, with the last 4 released via Cowboy Junkies' label, Latent Recordings.

Released in March of 2022, Jerry's album Nothing Pressing (produced by Michael Timmins)

received positive notices in such music magazines as Uncut and Rolling Stone. Paired with

such evocative lyrics are wonderfully crafted melodies, soulful vocals and the spirit and energy

of a mature songwriter, comfortable in his skin and growing as an artist with every release.

Leger and his band supported the album with a successful European and UK tour, before

returning to Toronto for a packed hometown show at Paradise Theatre. This performance was

captured on tape and film, resulting in the EP Live From Paradise released at the beginning of

2023.

SUPPORT: The December Flowers

This is the rescheduled date - all original tickets for 10 April 2022 will still be valid.
NB: The timings for this show are a little earlier than usual: Doors 7pm, Ags Connolly at 7:30pm, Mike & The Moonpies at 8:15pm, Venue Curfew: 10pm.

After recording the unfinished songs of the late, great Gary Stewart on last summer’s Touch of You – The Lost Songs of Gary Stewart, Mike and the Moonpies return with a new original album: "One to Grow On". Set for release on August 10th, it features guest appearances by Shooter Jennings and Quaker City Nighy Hawks.

It's been more than a decade since Mike and the Moonpies launched their career, initially paying their dues as a versatile cover band with a catalogue of 300 songs. Once celebrated as Austin's premiere dancehall band — with popular residencies at local institutions like The Hole In the Wall, Broken Spoke and the White Horse to match — the Moonpies have spent years expanding their reach far beyond the Lone Star State. Geographically, they'll always be a Texas band. Musically, they've grown into much more than that, having traded the two-steppin' twang of their earlier years for a diverse sound that's both fresh and familiar.

Their first single from the new album “Paycheck to Paycheck” is now available. This is a hard-charging blast of Texas boogie and barroom country that calls to mind the outlaw singer alluded to in the title: Johnny Paycheck.

“Paycheck’s in the tape deck and blaring on the radio,” singer Mike Harmeier howls, as the Lone Star State band roars behind him. “Tell the IRS to shove it and give me eleven twenty-nine,” a nod to Paycheck’s 1976 prison ballad “11 Months and 29 Days.” Harmeier wrote the group’s new song — destined to result in many a speeding ticket — with Moonpies bassist Omar Oyoque and the group’s long time producer Adam Odor.

SUPPORT: AGS CONNOLLY

Canadian Double Bill : Sarah Jane Scouten and Del Barber (with full band)

Four-time Canadian Folk Music Award nominee, Sarah Jane Scouten is a songwriter of rare quality, combining sounds of early country music, ballad singing, folk rock and 60’s soul. It’s modern indie Americana that knows exactly where it comes from, with confidence and sophistication only bought by time. Surrounding herself with top-notch musicians, the live show is as dynamic as her four (soon to be five) albums: at any moment making feet move or eliciting laughter or tears. She is dry, funny, irreverent yet generous. She has a job to do and she takes it very seriously: to entertain, to inspire, and to be cathartic. An ever-expanding palette and a warbling iconic country voice – honed over many a campfire – brings a freshness to her brand of ambient indie Americana. It's as relevant today as it is rooted in the music of her forebears.

Raised in a musical family on Bowen Island, British Columbia, Sarah Jane now calls both Scotland and Canada home. The daughter of a Scottish immigrant to Canada, she was raised with ceilidh culture and fiddle music which fed directly into her passion for American old-time, country, and folk song. Her father played the 5-string banjo while her mother taught Scottish country dancing, and with that, she found her way in music through songwriting.

Like any songwriter worthy of the name, Sarah Jane explores love with a fine-toothed comb but isn't limited to romantic love. Love of a place, a time, the natural world, and all its inhabitants tug at her sleeve, which she handles with equal power to delight and break a heart. According to Tom Power of CBC q, "Stan Rogers was able to do it, Ron Hynes was able to do it, Kate McGarrigle was able to do it – and Sarah Jane Scouten is able to do it."

"An agile voice, ruminative songwriting, and love for classic country, indie pop, and everything in between."
- American Songwriter

Del Barber
With nominations for JUNO Awards, Western Canadian Music Awards, and Canadian Folk Music Awards - Del Barber has shaped the folk music canon in Canada with five critically acclaimed studio albums under his belt, as well as a myriad of fans. 'Easy Keeper’ recorded in a cabin during the pandemic, has received critical acclaim from Rolling Stone Magazine and The Bluegrass Situation.
As the follow-up to his Easy Keeper record, Stray Dogs finds Del Barber bridging his past and present. Conceived during pandemic isolation at his rural Manitoba home, the eight songs on Stray Dogs are drawn mainly from Del’s large stock of previously unfinished demos, given renewed focus and polish by his longtime band and producer Scott Franchuk. Paring things down to the bone, the acoustic-based Stray Dogs captures the essence of Del’s art, of which Rolling Stone wrote, “Like John Prine (one of his primary influences), Barber writes the types of songs his characters might listen to themselves.”

Without doubt or qualification, The Sadies are one of Canada's greatest extant rock ’n’ roll bands — just as they have been for the last quarter-century. Versatile and imaginative, they skip from astral psychedelia to shuffling bucolics and leap from puckish pop to righteous garage-rock without losing momentum or mastery. Their new albums deliver master classes on pointed songwriting, lockstep harmonies, and a devil-may-care attitude to expectations and past successes.

With their preternatural musicianship and vocal harmonies, The Sadies can blow pretty much any band off the stage—anyone who’s ever seen them live knows that. But what is sometimes overlooked is their superlative songwriting. With the new release, “Colder Streams” they’ve delivered one of their most memorable albums yet: 11 distinctively original new songs imbued with melody, mystery and that indefinable Sadies magic. It’s been said before, but it bears repeating: most bands only get worse with age—much, much worse—the Sadies continue to confound us by getting better and better.

“The Sadies' world has been shaken,” said the band in a joint statement. “While we struggle with the loss of Dallas – our brother, friend, and band mate music has been our source of comfort and coping. We are honoured to announce the release of our new album, Colder Streams. We are so proud of Dallas and the work that went into this album and look forward to sharing it with you.”

SUPPORT:TBC

“I’m feeling pretty humbled and grateful these days,” says former Uncle Lucius frontman turned celebrated solo artist Kevin Galloway “I’m very comfortable being on my own, and I’m enjoying the more intimate shows and the opportunity to dig into the stories behind the songs. I’ve always gravitated towards songs that I can connect to on a personal level, so this is perfect for me.”

Secondhand Starlight is Galloway’s second solo album, following a productive decade-and-a-half run as charismatic frontman of the beloved Austin, TX combo Uncle Lucius. The ten-song set continues Galloway’s emergence as one of his home state’s most distinctive and compelling vocalists and songwriters, with a personally charged edge that consistently gives his compositions an effortless emotional resonance. This record consolidates the creative strengths that Galloway honed in his years with Uncle Lucius. By the time they disbanded in 2018, the group had released four acclaimed albums and earned a fiercely loyal grassroots fan base, thanks to its powerful, eclectic live shows, and to such enduring songs as the hit Galloway anthem “Keep the Wolves Away” which was certified Gold by the RIAA three years after Uncle Lucius disbanded. Secondhand Starlight was recorded at Austin’s E.A.R. Studio, continues Galloway’s productive collaboration with his former Uncle Lucius bandmate Hal Vorpahl, who handled the new album’s production, as well as contributing a pair of memorable songs, “Long As It Shines” and “Been Threw A Few.” A third non-Galloway composition is the Shel Silverstein classic “Whistlers and Jugglers,” best known for Waylon Jennings’ 1978 version.

“I can’t really tell if my approach to the music has really changed,” he concludes. “But I realized long ago that I’m at my best when I pay attention to inspiration and feeling, and just let everything unfold on its own.”

The Austin-American Statesman’s Peter Blackstock described Galloway as “one of Austin’s finest singers. His voice is rich, full of character and versatile; he can swing from an easygoing croon to a full-on soulful shout.” The artist has gained similar acclaim for his songwriting, with the Austin Chronicle, which noted that the artist “salves easy, country-licked melodies that contemplate gentle pleasures.

SUPPORT TBC.