I’m on the road….except this week the road brings me home before it sweeps me away south again. So, I have a night off from being a troubadour to return to the warmth of the AC studios in Glasgow and reunite myself with a pile of brilliant records to play this Tuesday night.

 

You’d imagine a tour would offer plenty of opportunity for listening, reading and writing but it’s a strange old thing. I’ve never – in 30 years of this caper – written a decent song on tour. Occasionally I’ve started one – but it’s taken another time at home to get it fixed. I also have found that reading is too easily distracted by what I might have to be doing later on and as far listening to new music –  I virtually listen to no music. I haven’t fully understood any of this but there it is…the life of the troubadour. It’s hugely rewarding, slightly scary and you meet some lovely people but your life seems to go on hold a bit. I’m not a real troubadour – Crazy Heart style – I only do this kind of thing now and again I’m grateful I get to spend more time at home than on the road.

I often talk to artists from Music City who regularly spend 200 days of the year on the road and I really can’t imagine what that feels like. This week on Another Country we welcome one of life’s great travelling singer-songwriters who may well claim the road as his middle name. Listen in this week for a very special conversation and session from Langhorne Slim. Langhorn is someone we’ve been trying to get on to the show for ages and we’re delighted to bring you this session recorded when he visited Scotland a few months ago. His new album ‘Lost at Last’ came out this month and he is essential listening.

Listen out too for some great new artists including J. Roddy Walston and The Business, Peter Oren, Sam Lewis and Caroline Spence as well as some new music from old friends like Cam, The Barr Brothers and Danny and The Champions of the World.

We shall be catching up with our very own Nashville correspondent, Bill DeMain during the course of the show as we hear all the gossip from last week’s CMA awards. Did anyone notice Sturgill Simpson busking and what did it all mean? We’ll also talk to Bill about the life and legacy of Mel Tillis who we lost in this last week.

All this and some great new music, old favourites and country music…our way. From five past nine on BBC Radio Scotland.

Join me live if you can.

Share: