The main focus of this group is music – introducing each other to new or interesting or less well-known artists. The popularity or obscurity isn’t the issue – we’re enjoying music that is essentially roots based.
Those roots can be from blues, country, folk, gospel and on through the musical alphabet to zydeco. That means the artists tend not to be from the mainstream, but we’re a broad church, and the important thing is the quality that’s on offer
Our guiding principle was voiced by Neil Young many years ago when post Harvest he rejected mainstream success: Travelling there soon became a bore so I headed for the ditch. A rougher ride, but I saw more interesting people
The music doesn’t have to be performed by Americans. There are musicians from across the globe who interest us and we embrace them
The group also intends to explore some wider culture aspect such as film, theatre, literature, photography and more
▷ Updated gig guide
If this sound like something that interests you, sign up below
Frequency
Third Wednesday of every month, 2-4 p.m.
Venue
Victoria Stakes, 1 Muswell Hill, Muswell Hill, N10 3TH. First floor room with no step-free access
Group Convener : Carl Parker
Status at May 2022
New members welcome
Our sessions
April 2022
The theme : Home coming songs
Little Steven : Tuscon Train
Edward Sharpe & Magnetic Zeros : Home
Rachael Price : Can’t Find My Way Home
Johnny Cash & June Carter : Jackson
America : Ventura Highway
Terry Allen : Gimme A Ride To Heaven
Ringo : Beaucoups Of Blues
Joni Mitchell : California
Gretchen Peters : Leavin’ Kentucky
Arlo Guthrie : Coming Into Los Angeles
Jack White : Wayfaring Stranger
Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn : My Home’s Across the Blue Ridge Mountains
Miko Marks & The Resurrectors : We Are Here
Hazel Dickens : West Virginia, Oh My Home
Miranda Lambert : The House That Built Me
Vassar Clements et al : Long Journey Home
Emmylou Harris : All My Tears
Cowboy Junkies : When We Arrive
Sam Outlaw : Ghost Town
March 2022
The theme : Leaving songs
Jimmie Rodgers : T.B. Blues
Rufus Wainwright : Going To ATown
Confederate Railroad : Daddy Never Was The Cadillac Kind
Dave Rawlings : Cumberland Gap
Allison Russell : Persephone
Jason Dea West : Making A New Start
Linda Ronstadt : I’ve Had Enough
Lucille Bogan : I Hate That Train Called the M & O
William Elliot Whitmore : Field Songs
Zac Brown : Colder Weather
Damon Evans : There’s A Boat Dat’s Leaving Soon for New York
Hal Ketchum : Small Town Saturday Night
Paul Kelly : Letter In The Rain
Mary Chapin Carpenter : A Lot Like Me
Gene Pitney : 24 Hours from Tulsa
Louis Jordan : I’m Gonna Leave You On The Outskirts Of Town
Carole King : So Far Away
Shelby Lynne : Leavin’
February 2022
The theme : Tribute songs
Tim Hardin : Tribute to Hank Williams
Joan Baez : Diamonds and Rust
Neil Young : The Needle and the Damage Done
Vince Gill : Ain’t Nothing Like a Guy Clark Song
Memphis Minnie : Ma Rainey
Ry Cooder : John Lee Hooker For President
Joni Mitchell : Furry Sings The Blues
Sonic Youth : Tunic (Tribute To Karen)
Jonathan Richman : Velvet Underground
Rod Stewart : Sam, Muddy & Otis
Paul Simon : The Late Great Johnny Ace
Don McLean : American Pie
Rodney Crowell : I Walk The Line (Revisited)
January 2022
The theme : Gambling
Bob Dylan : Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts
Gabriels : Blame
Bruce Springsteen : Atlantic City
Dr John : Quitters never win
Jerry Garcia : Loser
Townes van Zandt : Mr Mudd and Mr Gold
Blind Willie McTell : The Dyin’ crapshooter’s blues
Clint Black : A good run of bad luck
Jerry Garcia : Deal
Bonnie Raitt : Gamblin’ man
Lucinda Williams : King of hearts
Lady Gaga : Poker face
Mary Chapin Carpenter : I feel lucky
Joni Mitchell : Me and my uncle
November 2021
The theme : Cheating
Bobby Charles : See You Later Alligator
Marvin Gaye : I Heard it Through the Grapevine
Velvet Underground : Pale Blue Eyes
Joni Mitchell : Me And My Uncle
Lonnie Johnson : Too Late to Cry
Paul Simon : 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
Percy Sledge : Dark End of the Street
Carly Pearce & Ashley McBryde : I Never Wanted to be That Girl
Etta James : I’d Rather Go Blind
Eagles : Lyin’ Eyes
Carrie Underwood : Before He Cheats
Creedence Clearwater Revival : I Heard it Through the Grapevine
The Doors : Back Door Man
Johnny Cash : Long Black Veil
Michaela Ann : Somebody New
October 2021
The theme : States of America, Canada and Mexico
Willie Nelson : Georgia On My Mind
Bruce Springsteen and Tom Waits : Jersey Girl
Doug Sahm : Is anyone going to San Antone
Nanci Griffith : Lone Star State of Mind
Neil Young : Ohio
Chris Rea : Texas
Frank Zappa : Montana
Rhiannon Giddens : Waterbound
Gordon Lightfoot : Alberta
Del McCoury & Doug Grisman :East Virginia Blues
Bill Neely : Texas Law and Justice
Neil Young : Alabama
Nina Simone : Mississippi Goddam
Neil Young : Helpless
Emmylou Harris : Leavin’ Louisiana
B52s – Private Idaho
Chastity Brown : Colorado
September 2021
The theme : Working Life
Grateful Dead (Dead & Company) : Easy Wind
Bruce Springsteen : Factory
Gillian Welch : Miner’s Refrain
Peggy Seeger : Gonna Be An Engineer
Candace Corrigan : Hard Times Cotton Mills Girls
The Animals : We Gotta Get Out Of This Place
Bruce Springsteen : Highway Patrolman
Lee Clayton : Old Number Nine
Little Seven & the Disciples Of Soul : Bitter Fruit
Billy Joel : The Downeaster (Alexa)
Bob Dylan : Working Man’s Blues #2
Bruce Springsteen : John Henry
Paul Robeson : Joe Hill
Glen Campbell : Wichita Lineman
Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks : Payday
Alabama : 40 Hour Week
Patty Griffin : Making Pies
July 2021
The theme : California
Ry Cooder & Flaco Jimenez : Do-re-mi
Joni Mitchell : California
Los Lobos (with La Marisoul) : Dreamland
Randy Newman (with Tom Petty, Jackson Browne, & John Fogerty) : I Love L.A.
Wayne the Train & The Honky Tonk Brakemen : California Blues
Ry Cooder : Poor man’s Shangri-la
Eric Burdon (Animals) : San Franciscan Nights
Led Zeppelin : Going to California
The Doors : L.A. Woman
Kate and Anna McGarrigle (with Linda Ronstadt) : Talk to me of Mendicino
Ry Cooder : Down in Hollywood
Beach Boys : California Saga (California)
Gatlin Brothers : All the Gold in California
Mamas & Papas : California Dreamin’
Chuck Prophet & The Mission Express : Nixonland
June 2021
The theme : Dancing
Jimmy McCracklin : The walk
Brian Fallon : We came To dance
Jimmy C Newman :
Bonnie Raitt & Norah Jones : Tennessee Waltz
Dance Me To The End of Time
Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars : Uptown Funk
Emmylou Harris : Tennessee Waltz
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas : Dancing In the Street
Ray Bryant : Madison Time
Bruce Springsteen : Dancing In The Dark
The Honeycutters : Jukebox
May 2021
Theme : The American landscape
Blind Willie McTell : Searching the desert for the blues
Leon Bridges : River
Otis Redding : (Sittin’ on) the dock of the bay
Brad Mehldau Trio : River man
Joni Mitchell : Ladies of the canyon
Eilen Jewell : Green river
Bela Fleck / Abigail Washburn : Take me to Harlan
Marvin Gaye / Tammi Terrell : Ain’t no mountain high enough
Doobie Brothers : Black water
Pokey Lafarge : Shenandoah River
Eagles : The last resort
Blue Rodeo : Finger Lakes
March 2021
Theme : New Orleans
The playlist:
Fats Domino : Walkin’ to New Orleans
Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday : Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?
Martin Simpson : An Englishman Abroad
Professor Longhair : Mardi Gras in New Orleans
Trombone Shorty : St James Infirmary
Bruce Springsteen : When the Saints Go Marching In
The Roches : Hammond Song
The Neville Brothers : Yellow Moon
Wynton Marsalis : Bourbon Street Parade
Steve Earle : This City
Emmylou Harris : Crescent City
February 2021
Theme : New York
The playlist:
Dion : King of the New York streets (live)
Alicia Keys : Streets of New York
Tedeschi Trucks Band : Midnight in Harlem
Nilsson : I guess the Lord must live in New York City
Willie Nile : New York is rockin’
Richard Shindell : The last fare of the day
The Lovin’ Spoonful : Summer in the city
Eagles : Hole in the world
Bob Dylan : New York Town
Caleb Caudle : N.Y.C. In The Rain
January 2021
Theme : Americana from European performers
The playlist:
Brinsley Schwartz : Country Girl
Sandy Denny : Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
Bill Le Sage’s New Directions in Jazz : Night Talk
Arnaud Fradin : Walk with Your Maker
John Lennon : Stand By Me
Hank Wangford : You Only Herd The One You Love
Elvis Costello : What’s So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding
First Aid Kit : America
The Vagaband : An Eye for an Eye
Lonnie Donegan : Rock Island Line
First Aid Kit : My Silver Lining
Dean Owens : Elvis Was My Brother
December 2020
Theme : Songs heard for the first time in 2020
The playlist:
Bruce Springsteen : Ghosts
Warren Zevon : Splendid Isolation
Joachim Cooder : Over The Road
Bob Dylan : Goodbye Jimmy Reed
Jean Jacques Milteau : Long Time Gone
Jake Blount : The Whole Night Through
Billie Eilish : Bad Guy
Taylor Swift : The Lakes
Barbara Dane : Wild Women Don’t Have The Blues
Mary Chapin Carpenter : Between The Dirt And The Stars
November 2020
Theme : Weather
The playlist :
Maxine Sullivan : Stormy weather
Irma Thomas : Backwater blues
Neil Young : Like a hurricane
Bruce Hornsby : Mandolin rain
Howard Tate : Louisiana (1927}
Woody Guthrie : Dust bowl blues
Adelaide Hall : Stormy weather
Allman Brothers : Stormy Monday
Jim Reeves : Just walking in the rain
Sister Rosetta Tharpe : Didn’t it rain
Tony Joe White : Rainy night in Georgia
Ry Cooder : Footprints in the snow
Jackson Browne : Before the deluge
James McMurtry : Hurricane party
October 2020
The month’s theme was travelling songs, preferably by automobile.
The playlist:
Richard Shindell : Transit
Hurray For the Riff Raff : Crash On The Highway
Joni Mitchell : Amelia
Van Morrison & Lonnie Donegan : Midnight Special
Prince : Little Red Corvette
K.C. Douglas : Mercury Blues
Ry Cooder : Crazy ‘Bout An Automobile
Randy Newman : Dixie Flyer
Kris Kristofferson : Me and Bobby McGee
Janis Joplin : Mercedes Benz
Bruce Springsteen : Racing In The Streets
Holly Williams : The Highway
September 2020
The month’s theme was songs about cowboys
The playlist:
Sandy Denny : To Yuma
Grateful Dead : Me and My Uncle
Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood : Summer Wine
Ennio Morricone : The Good The Bad And The Ugly
Ramblin’ Jack Elliott : Buffalo Skinners
Paula Cole : Where Have The Cowboys Gone
Joni Mitchell : Me And My Uncle
Willie Nelson : The Red-Headed Stranger
Lyle Lovett : Cowboy Man
Marty Robbins : El Paso
Willie Nelson : Ride ’em Jewboy
Ian Tyson : Navajo Rug
Matraca Berg : Back In The Saddle
Blues Brothers : Theme from Rawhide
August 2020
The month’s theme was songs about addictive substances
The playlist:
Thelonius Monk : Straight, No Chaser
Ry Cooder : Fool for a Cigarette
Julia Lee : Marijuana
Muddy Waters : Champagne and Reefers
Peggy Lee : Is That All There Is?
J.J. Cale : Cocaine
Bob Dylan : Rainy Day Woman ♯12 & 35
The Commander Cody Band : Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)
Little Feat : Willin’
Dale Watson : I Lie When I Drink
Fraternity of Man : Don’t Bogart That Joint
Emmylou Harris and Margo Price : Two More Bottles of Wine
July 2020
This month’s theme was songs inspired by trains.
The playlist:
Blind Boys of Alabama : People Get Ready
Johnny Cash : City of New Orleans
Lucille Bogan : I Hate That Train Called The M & O
Guy Clark : Texas 1947
Louis Jordan : Choo Choo Ch’boogie
Ry Cooder : Boomer’s Story
The Impressions : People Get Ready
Steve Goodman : City of New Orleans
Bob Dylan : Duquesne Whistle
Nancy Whiskey : Freight Train
Ella Fitzgerald : Take the ‘A’ Train
Willie Nelson and The Highwaymen: City of New Orleans
Grateful Dead: Big Railroad Blues
Bob Dylan : Slow Train Coming
Johnny Cash :Folsom Prison Blues
Dillard & Clark : Train Leaves Here This Mornin’
June 2020
The month’s theme was covers of Bob Dylan songs.
The playlist:
The Byrds : You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere
Norah Jones : Forever Young
Fairport Convention : Si Tu Dois Partir
Tedeschi Trucks Band : Don’t Think Twice (It’s Alright)
Jimi Hendrix Experience : All Along The Watchtower
T-Bone Burnett & Friends : Kansas City
The Byrds : Mr Tambourine Man
Ben Sidran : Everything Is Broken
Eliza Gilkyson : Love Minus Zero/No Limit
Taj Mahal :All Along The Watchtower
Joan Baez : Love Is just A Four Letter Word
K.T. Tunstall : Tangled Up In Blue
Spirit : Like A Rolling Stone
Roy Harper : North Country
May 2020
The month’s theme was underrated artists
The playlist:
Russell Smith : The End Is Not In Sight
Hayden Triplets with Ry Cooder : Single Girl, Married Girl
Chuck Brodsky : Bill and Annie
Robert Hunter : Tales Of The Great Rum Runners
Hurray For The Riff Raff : Living In The City
Adam Eckersley : Tomorrow Night, Same Again
Jerry Garcia and David Grisman : Shady Grove
Iris DeMent – Our Town
Hannah Aldridge – Parchman
April 2020
This month’s theme was a favourite song by a male singer. The playlist:
Roger Miller : King of the Road
Neil Young : Unknown Legend
Bob Weir : Looks Like Rain
Jack White : Wayfaring Stranger
Prince : Raspberry Beret
Ry Cooder : The Prodigal Son
John Prine : Hello In There
Guy Clark : L.A. Freeway
Neil Young : Heart of Gold
Talking Heads : Burning Down The House
The Band : The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Jason Ibell : Elephant
January 2020
Group members had been asked to select a favourite song by a female singer. These were all collected into a presentation format and each member spoke a few words about their choice. Here is the playlist:
Dolly Parton : Little Sparrow
Mavis Staples : No Time For Cryin’
Gretchen Wilson : Redneck Woman
Dolly Parton : Halos and Horns
The Stone Poneys : Different Drum
Mazzy Star : Fade Into You
Maria Muldaur : Long As I Can See You Smile
Kate & Anna McGarrigle : Walking Song
Frazey Ford : Done
November 2019
The main topic was a audio/visually illustrated talk given by Carl on the musical career of Bruce Cockburn, which spans close to 50 years.
After a short career in unremarkable psychedelic bands, in 1969 Cockburn set out on a solo career, releasing his first album in 1970. He was recognised in the Juno Awards (Canadian equivalents of the Brits and Grammys) winning folk singer of the year for three years running in the 70s. It wasn’t until the late 70s that he had material released outside Canada. He also experienced a slow conversion to Christianity, elements of which began appearing in his music. He first appeared in Britain in the early 80s and began building a small and loyal following. The big change in his music came following a trip on behalf of Oxfam Canada to Central America, where he witnessed the horrific, bloody impact of US Foreign Policy on the inhabitants of the area, most notably Guatemalan refugees. This led to much controversy being engendered by his song If I Had A Rocket Launcher. Condemned in some quarters as a call to violence, Cockburn denied this, saying it was an expression of rage on behalf of the beleaguered refugees. His music also came to embrace environmental concerns and the wider political world with songs such his anti International Monetary Fund tirade Call It Democracy. He also came to question his Christian faith, especially as his marriage collapsed and he sought to identify its commonalities with other religions and faiths while questioning aspects of the doctrine. In parallel with his changing worldview Cockburn was developing as a musician and became in time to be recognised as an extremely skilful guitarist. In 2001 Cockburn received a Juno Award for Lifetime Achievement. He has released 26 studio albums along with four live collections and had numerous compilations culled from his oeuvre.