Folk Roots Radio Episode 338: Leah Morise Interview & More New Releases

Singer-songwriter Leah Morise joined us recently to record an edition of the Sun Parlour Coffee House Sessions. We’re pleased to bring that interview to Episode 338 of Folk Roots Radio, alongside three of the six songs she played live for us. And as always, we have a look at some of the latest new releases. Check out the full playlist below.

Interview

Fingal Ontario singer-songwriter Leah Morise released a lovely live album in 2015, “Live At The House Of Harmony”. The album was recorded in the living room of her converted church home “The House of Harmony” which doubles as the perfect rehearsal space/recording studio and house concert venue. Crossing over from folk to contemporary to light jazz, the album features Leah’s warm voice on twelve songs that showcase her playful and charming lyrics.

Earlier this year, Leah joined us in the Quantum Sound Productions studio in Kingsville Ontario to record an episode of the Sun Parlour Coffee House Sessions. Artists join us in the studio to record five or six songs live and chat about their music. We’ve included the interview and three songs from Leah in this episode. The full session will be released in the fall of 2017.

For more information about Leah Morise, visit leahmorise.com. Check out the Sun Parlour Coffee House Sessions online at sunparloursessions.com.

Show Notes

Notes about some of the new music on our radar that made it into Episode 338 of Folk Roots Radio.

Somerset England singer-songwriter Reg Meuross has just released his 12th CD release since 1991, “Faraway People”. Faraway People is the second in a trilogy of completely solo albums (the first being ‘December’) that give Reg Meuross’ well-crafted and thought-provoking songs about the human condition, an intimate stripped down almost live feel. A protest album of sorts, the songs on Faraway People focus on concerns about the rising tide of xenophobia and racism moving across much of Western Europe, and a developing societal antipathy to the plight of refugees, driven from their home countries by war and strife; alongside others that discuss the impact that UK government austerity measures have had on everyday life, the health of the National Health Service (the NHS) and the caring professions.

“I wrote the song Faraway People after finding the Hephaestus site which was a long list of all the people up until the end of 2014 who had died directly as a result of austerity measures, cuts to their benefits by ATOS or because of the bedroom tax. The names are real and just a tiny few of the many who suffered.”

SLEEVE NOTE from Mike Davies: “The big picture is important, but sometimes you only get there via the small details. None of the names have been changed to protect the guilty, some you may recognise, others not, but all those mentioned in the lyrics have died as a direct result of the government’s cuts to incapacity benefit. They are the faraway people, but they could be your neighbour. They could be your family. They could be you.”

Faraway People is designed to make you think, and it does that very well. It’s out now on Proper Records. Visit Reg Meuross online at regmeuross.com.

The Sherman Holmes Project has returned to music, after the passing of his Holmes Bros bandmates, brother Wendell and Popsy Dixon in 2015. His first solo release in 50 years of music, “The Richmond Sessions” by The Sherman Holmes Project and is now on MC Records. A blend of bluesy gospel, bluegrass and gritty rock n’ roll the album includes a duet with Joan Osborne on the Dan Penn classic, “Dark End of the Street.” alongside versions of The Band’s “Don’t Do It,” John Fogerty’s “Green River” and the song we play on this episode, Ben Harper’s “Homeless Child.”

“Sounds pretty good for a 77-year-old, doesn’t it?” says Sherman Holmes. “I was overjoyed to do this, because I didn’t know how I was going to restart my career. We chose a good collection of songs that we wanted to do—We got some gospel in there, and some bluegrass. It’s a good mix of the Americana music, as I like to call it.”

And that’s all we have time for, this time around. Thanks to all the artists who share their music with us, and thank you for listening. We have a lot of great music and interviews to bring you on future shows. I hope you’ll join us!

Listen

You can listen to this episode again on Mixcloud by following the link below. You can also listen to episodes of Folk Roots Radio, on demand, via iTunes, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Tune-in Radio. (Click on the highlighted link to reach your chosen platform.)

Playlist

Nicolas & The Iceni (Theme)
Lucy She Rises (demo)
Roll Right (Pre-release, self)

Reg Meuross
Faraway People
Faraway People (2017, Proper Records)

The Eisenhauers
All I Have Left
The Road We Once Knew (2017, Black Hen Music) CDN

Harpeth Rising
Prison Trilogy (Billy Rose)
Against All Tides (2017, Midwest Records)

The Sherman Holmes Project
Homeless Child
The Richmond Sessions (2017, M.C. Records)

Guy Bélanger
Better Days
Traces & Scars (2017, Disques Bros Records) CDN

Leah Morise
Tiny Trailer
Live at the Sun Parlour Coffee House Sessions

Leah Morise
She’s A Hurricane
Live at the Sun Parlour Coffee House Sessions

Interview: Leah Morise at the Sun Parlour Coffee House Sessions.

Leah Morise
Highway 17
Live at the Sun Parlour Coffee House Sessions

Kim Doolittle
Under A Memphis Moon
Into The Blue (2017, Doo-A-Little Music) CDN

Ann Vriend
Get Back To Me
Anybody’s Different (2017, Aporia Records) CDN

Tia McGraff
Faraway Man
Nothin’ To Lose E.P. (2017, Bandana Records) CDN