Americana Cavalcade is the most recent throb from the beating heart of country music in the heart of our country – Perth. (Line up and ticket info below)
So why has the recent flowering of power pop country in the fare city of Perth manifested in such great bands as Southpaw and derivatives The New Madrids, & Red Pine Timber Company? Why has Southern Fried Festival found such fertile soil to grow into Scotland’s biggest and best American Roots Festival? Why do I have so high hopes that the newly founded Americana Cavalcade can become Scotland’s biggest out door celebration of Americana & Western Music & Horse culture? I try to explain just why its all happening in Perth these days, and not just Footballing glory!
Americana Cavalcade is sure my wild pipe dream, what if Scotland (the emerging nation of Europe had an our door celebration of American music and culture? Apart from the fact Perth Racecourse is perfectly situated at the heart of our nation in its ancestral seat, and has the facilities and space to grow to 15,000 people, Perth has the musical history and heritage to cultivate this type of event from, let me explain. For those in the know Perth has been the beating heart of cosmic country music for over near 40 years, due to one principle and propagating factor – Gold Rush Records. Once situated at 9 Kinnoull Street , Gold Rush is in my view responsibility for the seeding and for the modern day flowering of the great Country based music we are now seeing bursting out of this rurally situated community.
Gold Rush was home of legendary vinyl purveying brothers John & Berkeley Thompson, and was the first and last place to find all those rare imports from all the Texas Outlaws, the cult cuts from Laurel Canyon’s hippest hipsters and the classic collections of all the coolest Nashville Cats, they were the Rock and Roll Doctors with the finger on the pulse and the cure for all our ills, great great music..
John & Berkeley’s emporium in the heart of town and their enthusiasm for the music was firmly and always will be at the heart of Perth’s inherent love of Country Music. Perth caught on early how good this music was and young folks got turned on and tuned in here before the rest of the country shook off their post Prog prejudice. Goldrush brought awakened cosmic country fans in from the cold and we traveled from all over the country to empty our wallets and fill up our souls, this pilgrim firmly in the queue at the till.
To further emphasise their passion, confidence and their commitment to the music J & B put their money (our money) where their mouths were and brought over many of these fay geniuses (before it was so easy to do so) for their first Euro experiences, so folks in Perth got to see the likes of Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Mickey Newbury & Steve Young before anyone else on this side of the pond, and they saw it was good.
Add to this the heady mix of higher education opportunities at the newly establish Perth College Rock School with an increasing realisation that talent could mean a living in music. So came the influx of said talented youngsters from around the country with bursaries bursting to spend on even more rare American imports and duly Perth became our Americana Mecca and market place.
This all kicking in as that all encompassing title “Americana” started to round up all the disparate roots genres that Nashville had abandoned in search of the Country Music Silver Dollar when Rock Music needed a post punk rehab home and moved to music city. Whole sections of every high street record store proudly announced them selves as Americana and we equally disenfranchise true Country, Blues, Bluegrass, Cajun, Soul and Rock n Roll fan’s rallied dutifully to the call.
lo and behold Perth had already got a whole shop dripping with every record a down home homeless vital vinyl junky would ever want, cheerfully delivered in John and Berkeley’s own inimitable down home style of salesmanship. How could we resist? We didn’t and we didn’t resist in our droves.
They inspire me and others like me to do our bit all over the country, we set about also trying to sell the good stuff, promote the best gigs and the good brothers fed us the real thing live and on record for over 20 glorious years, until inevitably the internet closed its net on the high street record retail industry and the gold run out for Gold Rush.
However until that fateful day, all country roads lead to and from Perth and no surprise even in these digital “everything at your finger tips” times, they still seem to……
I had the equally great good fortune to help get Belladrum Festival started 10 years ago (Now capped at 15,000 people and sells out every year) and have Joe Gibbs (Hipster laird of Bella) to thanks for the introduction to the lovely people at Perth Racecourse, and will rely heavily on him and our Belladrum colleges to help its with its growth. Our remit then was much the same as this event, attract 2,000 people and we know their is a market and we can grow it from there.
I say now what I said at the instigation of Belladrum Festival, come to the first one and you will be able to boast for ever more I was at the first Americana Cavalcade, and everyone at the first Belladrum maintains it was their best one ever, it was very special.
Lets hope the Festival weather gods smile on us the same way that they
did on that glorious day, see you in Perth…………………………………………… Rob Ellen
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So in that spirit of the pioneers Medicine Music is proud to present the first ever Americana Cavalcade June 7th at Perth Racecourse (as part of Gold Cup Weekend)
There will be singing there will be dancing, gun toting, horse riding, rodeo, revelry!
Perth Racecourse invites me and you to a Cavalcade of Country in celebration of Equestrian Americana.
Welcome to our western family fun day, with Country Music to spare. 15 Acts on 2 stages, “Hit Makers and Hipsters” plus a Medicine Show Carnival of attractions, Western Enactments, Fast Draw display, Western Riding, Lasso and Roping, Knife Throwing, Horse Shoe Pitching, Bronco Busting and much more .
The KO Corral Stage (Open air main stage)
Ring Master Roberto Cassani Scotland’s favourite Italian, king of Rock n Mirth and Perth local compeers and fronts his hot Rockabilly combo to open up the Shindig.
The Notorious Byrd Brothers
Sixties Hit Makers Vanity Fare celebrate the music of seminal Country Rock Band THE BYRDS play the hits that sold 5 million copies for them, feature tracks from their new album West Coast their homage to the comic music of the west coast of America, where to this day they are still cult British invasion figures, they will also provide backing for our esteemed US visitor Charlie Roth
Charlie Roth (From The USA) The Magical and Medicinal Musician Rancher Horse Breeder Charlie brings the music of the prairies of Minnesota to Americana Cavalcade.
Vanity Fare are these days backing band of choice to the stars, (the new cd West Coast features Chris Farlowe, Peter Sarstedt and Ray Phillips). At the moment packing them on their block buster Solid Silver Sixties Tour, they return to Scotland for this
exclusive performance to play the hits including “Hitching a Ride” “Early In The Morning” “Better By Far” & “Live For The Sun” and to back our Star from The States Charlie Roth, as well as present their much acclaimed tribute to seminal country rockers The Bryds “The Notorious Byrd Brothers”
The Red Pine Timber Company Fitting that Americana Cavalcade should be happening in Perth which has been the beating heart of Country Music in the heart of our Country for generations as explained, and never has it beat so strongly then in this new generation. The Red Pine Timber Co are a roots music collective led by Gavin J.D. Munro, who’s new album Another Kind Of Lonely is garnering 5 star reviews and international airplay, this 8 piece band are made for the Big Stage and none bigger that this homecoming show at Americana Cavalcade.
The New Madrids Simply one of the best live bands working! Perth’s own Power Posse, Cow Punk, Alt Country, Country Rockers, (call it what you like), but a solid touring schedule, with other Summer Festival appearances lined up and now a radio hit album, The New Madrids are about to burst out, and not just from the KO Corral.
Roberto Cassani and the Tickety-Two are a breath of fresh air. A smoking hot Rock A Silly Trio led by our very own unique double-bass slapping comedy poet.
Northern Rough Riders hailing from the Wild West Town Tranquility in the bad North lands of Moray, they will be re-enacting the Gun Fight at the OK Corral (at the KO Corral) and other famous Wester Scenes between the acts, and generally keeping the streets of Scone-stone safe for honest hard working folks throughout the day
Meanwhile Roasting Hog Saloon .
This is where you can unhitch the gun belt and loosen your spurs, we’ve gathered together a posse of like minded harmonious hombres with a mind to entertain. Lead and hosted by Country Cultist Comic songster The Bull Fash Stewart, he will lead off proceedings, with his own blend of high rolling hokum, then bring you the dance music of yesteryear for the Dancers of today, in the person of Mark Dean the Yodelling Mix Master and his hip hoped up tribute to the Singing Cowboys, before Good Time Charlie Roth, pulls the wagons in a circle and lights up blazing campfire of songs of magic and medicinal mystery. Then from Sweden (Via Balintore) finger licking, finger picking, old time shit kicking duo John Mitchell (& his Sweetheart Of The Rodeo) Sofie Jonsson. bring their blend of American Celtic and Scandinavia soul. Enter Cowboy Dave Fleming to keep it Country and croon some for us, meanwhile back at the ranch BarberaVille Recording artist and Celtic Cowboy Dastardly Davy Cowan will whoop it up in the Roasting Hog Saloon, while handling the music-box and hitting a jag-time tune. Then the Fife Posse pull in from the gold rush town of Kingskettle The David Latto Band, with a ten gallon hat full of songs and a bottomless heart full of harmonies championed by BBC Radio Scotlands Janice Forsyth Roddy Hart and Tom Morton .
Ladies and Gentlemen, its time for our show stoppers and party starter Hellhounds, The Incomparable Ballachulish Hellhounds bring the hoot to the Hootanany! The Veterans on many a Trail and Festival campaign The Hellhounds will do what they do best of all “Party”.
Americana Cavalcade is presented in conjunction with Medicine Show Records. Many of the artist featured here are available on their latest compilation CaledoniaVille and available from www.medicineshowrecords.co.uk for more information on other Medicine Show Revues and Festival appearances this year www.medicineshowontheroad,co.uk
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You’all Come Now
Rob Ellen
