SPIRIT AND ROOTS EPISODE #20 w/ BRUCE “MISSISSIPPI” JOHNSON – NOW UP ON MIXCLOUD

My featured guest for the 20th episode of Spirit and Roots was US singer Bruce “Mississippi” Johnson, nephew of soul legend Jackie Wilson.


We talked about his journey from the American Deep South to London, via Africa and Paris, and how his travels have shaped him as an artist and songwriter.


You can listen to the entire show and interview here:


Episode 20 Playlist

1/ R.L Burnside – I Love Mississippi – Heritage of the Blues: No Monkeys on This Train

2/ TED HAWKINS – Bring It Home Daddy – Watch Your Step

3/ STEVE FORBERT – Romeo’s Tune – Jackrabbit Slim

4/ POPS STAPLES – Somebody Was Watching – Don’t Lose This

5/ BRUCE “MISSISSIPPI” JOHNSON – No Good – The Deal Baby

6/ BRUCE “MISSISSIPPI” JOHNSON – The Deal Baby – The Deal Baby

7/ GIL SCOTT HERON – We Almost Lost Detroit – Bridges

8/ JIMMIE RODGERS – Any Old Time – Train Whistle Blues

9/ BOBBIE GENTRY – Fancy – Fancy

10/ JESSE WINCHESTER – Mississippi You’re On My Mind – Learn To Love It

All artist links can be found in the YouTube and MixCloud footnotes.

SPIRIT AND ROOTS EPISODE #19 w/ LORRAINE WOOD – NOW UP ON MIXCLOUD

My featured guest for the 19th episode of Spirit and Roots was the ethereal Lorraine Wood, one of London’s best kept musical secrets.


We talked about her journey from busking to the big stages of London; the influence of The Velvet Underground on her music and why the recording of her debut album has been challenging.


You can listen to the entire show and interview here:


Episode 19 Playlist

1/ FIVE HAND REEL – Ae Fond Kiss – For A’That

2/ KRIS DREVER – Wild Hurricane – Mark The Hard Earth

3/ MICHAEL MARRA – Houseroom – Houseroom

4/ MARK KNOPFLER w/ GERRY RAFFERTY – The Way It Always Starts – Local Hero

5/ ROD STEWART – Girl From The North Country – Smiler

6/ ANDY M STEWART/PHIL CUNNINGHAM/MANUS LUNNY – Fire In The Glen – Fire In The Glen

7/ LORRAINE WOOD – Don’t Get Me Started – Unreleased

8/ LORRAINE WOOD – London Have A Heart – Unreleased

9/ THE VELVET UNDERGROUND – Pale Blue Eyes – The Velvet Underground

10/ TALKING HEADS – City Of Dreams – Sand In The Vaseline

11/ BELLE AND SEBASTIAN – Seymour Stein – The Boy With The Arab Strap

12/ THE CEDARS – Phoenix – Little Copper Still

13/ THOMAS FRASER – Over The Rainbow – Long Gone Lonesome Blues

14/ PAOLO NUTINI – Tricks Of The Trade – Sunny Side Up

15/ TONY CUFFE – Tail Toddle – Sae Will We Yet

16/ R.M HUBBERT – Car Song – Thirteen Lost And Found

17/ IAIN MACKINTOSH – I Wish I Was In Glasgow – I Wish I Was In Glasgow

18/ ARCHIE FISHER w/ GARNET ROGERS – Going Home To Caledonia – Off The Map

All artist links can be found in the YouTube and MixCloud footnotes.

SPIRIT AND ROOTS EPISODE #18 w/ THE THUMPING TOMMYS – NOW UP ON MIXCLOUD

My featured guest for the 18th episode of Spirit and Roots were the barn storming Thumping Tommys, who have been making great waves on the UK live roots music scene.


We discussed their wide range of musical influences; where they got the inspiration for their unusual band name; and how they go about writing songs.


You can listen to the entire show and interview here:


Episode 18 Playlist

Spirit and Roots episode #18 w/ The Thumping Tommys is now available for play back on MixCloud – just click the link below 🙌

1/ DAVE MOORE – Down To The River – Breaking Down To 3

2/ GEORGE STRAIT – Easy Come, Easy Go – Easy Come, Easy Go

3/ LEO “BUD” WELCH – I’ve Come To Praise His Name – Sabougla Voices

4/ THE THUMPING TOMMYS – I Wish There Were A Devil To Blame – The Thumping Tommys

5/ THE THUMPING TOMMYS – Wake Up – Unreleased

6/ DICK GAUGHAN – Erin Go Bragh – Handful Of Earth

7/ ADAM TORRES – High Lonesome – Pearls To Swine

8/ FAIRPORT CONVENTION – Farewell Farewell – Liege & Lief

9/ PAUL BRADY – Beautiful World – Spirits Colliding

All artist links can be found in the YouTube and MixCloud footnotes.

SPIRIT AND ROOTS EPISODE #17 w/ ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS SHOW – NOW UP ON MIXCLOUD

Our 17th episode of Spirit and Roots was a Christmas special.

We played a selection of songs to inspire, soothe and question the heart and mind over the festive season.


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You can listen to the entire show and interview here:


Episode 17 Playlist

1/ IRIS DEMENT – Let The Mystery Be – Infamous Angel

2/ DAVID MALLETT – Nothin’ But A Long Goodbye – Parallel Lines

3/ REVEREND JAMES CLEVELAND AND THE Southern California COMMUNITY CHOIR – What Shall I Do? – Having Church

4/ RANDY NEWMAN – Harps and Angels – Harps and Angels

5/ ANAIS MITCHELL – Now You Know – XO

6/ GEORGE HARRISON – Rising Sun – Brainwashed

7/ BUTCH HANCOCK – Chase – You Coulda Walked Around The World

8/ BOB DYLAN – Every Grain Of Sand – Biograph

9/ JEFF BUCKLEY – Satisfied Mind – Sketches (For My Sweetheart The Drunk)

10/ VAN MORRISON – In The Garden – No Guru, No Method, No Teacher

11/ THE NICHOLS FAMILY – Walking In The Way With Jesus – Always Lift Him Up: A Tribute To Blind Alfred Reed

12/ DOUG MACLEOD – Dubb’s Talking Blues – There’s A Time

13/ THE PHOENIX FOUNDATION/CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS – Corale/Thoughts on Religion – Music from Jarvis Cocker’s Sunday Service

14/ PIERCE PETTIS – Instrument – Father’s Son

15/ GREG TROOPER – Everything’s A Miracle – Live At The Rock Room

16/ DOROTHY LOVE COATES – Strange Man – It Was Jesus

17/ DAVID OLNEY – Jerusalem Tomorrow – Deeper Well

18/ WILL GOSNER – Two If By Night, One If By Day – Unreleased

19/ GAVIN BRYARS FEAT. TOM WAITS – Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet – Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet

All artist links can be found in the YouTube and MixCloud footnotes.

SPIRIT AND ROOTS EPISODE #16 w/ GABRIEL MORENO – NOW UP ON MIXCLOUD

My featured guest for the 16th episode of Spirit and Roots was London-based Gilbraltar songsmith, Gabriel Moreno.


We talked about the effect fatherhood, writers block and politics have had on his songwriting.


You can listen to the entire show and interview here:


Episode 16 Playlist

1/ BILLY BRAGG – English, Half English – English, Half English

2/ CHRIS WOOD – None The Wiser – None The Wiser

3/ THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE QUEEN – Merrie England – Merrie England

4/ GABRIEL MORENO – Lena Kalinka – Poetical Resistance 5

5/ GABRIEL MORENO – We Can Write England Again – Single

6/ BILL CALLAHAN – Diamond Dancer – Diamond Dancer

7/ ANDY SLATER – The Daily Mail Song – This Fine Day

8/ SEAN TAYLOR – This Is England – This Is England

9/ ELLIS PAUL – Election Day – The Storyteller’s Suitcase

10/ SEAN TYRRELL – The Rising Of The Moon – Message Of Peace

All artist links can be found in the YouTube and MixCloud footnotes.

SPIRIT AND ROOTS EPISODE #15 w/ PEPE BELMONTE – NOW UP ON MIXCLOUD

My featured guest for the 15th episode of Spirit and Roots was Irish-Italian troubadour, Pepe Belmonte. Here he is performing his track, ‘Sinking Ships,’ for us live in the studio.


We talked Hawaiian music, his childhood in Ireland and his journey back to performing after a life-threatening cycle crash in 2012.


You can listen to the entire show and interview here:


Episode 15 Playlist

1/ DAMIEN DEMPSEY – School. Days Over – Joy of Living: A Tribute to Ewan MacColl

2/ TOM RUSH – Child’s Song – Tom Rush

3/ TEXAS TORNADOS – She Never Spoke Spanish To Me – Texas Tornados

4/ DIRK POWELL AND THE TRANSATLANTIC SESSIONS BAND – Waterbound – Transatlantic Sessions 5

5/ JAMES TAYLOR – Copperline – Live

6/ ALELA DIANE – Lost Land – About Farewell

7/ PEPE BELMONTE – Pending On My Mind – Live at the Royal Albert Hall

8/ PEPE BELMONTE – Sinking Ships – Unreleased

9/ GABBY PAHINUI HAWAIIAN BAND – I’m Livin’ On A Easy – The Rough Guide to the Music of Hawaii: Slide & Slack key Surfing Sounds

10/ RY COODER – Yellow Roses – Chicken Skin Music

11/ PLANXTY – As I Roved Out – Live 2004

12/ JASON MCNIFF – Woody’s Annie Hall – Off The Rails

13/ DAVE ALVIN – California Bloodlines – West of West

14/ GARY CLARK – Shenandoa – The Big E: A Salute To Steel Guitarist Buddy Emmons

15/ BRYAN FERRY – Falling In Love Again – As Time Goes By

16/ JOHN DILLON AND JESSE COLTER – The Last Dance and the Kentucky Racehorse

17/ JACK RUTTER – Hills of Longendale – Gold of Scar and Shale

18/ BEN HARPER AND THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA – I Shall Not Walk Alone – Live at the Apollo

19/ LUCERO – Union Pacific Line – Live From Atlanta

20/ BON VOYAGE – Kate & Anna McGarrigle (feat. Jane McGarrigle) – The McGarrigle Hour

All artist links can be found in the YouTube and MixCloud footnotes.

PEPE BELMONTE – OUR NEXT GUEST – 23 NOVEMBER

The next episode of Spirit and Roots will be Saturday 23th November – 2-4pm (GMT).

We’re so happy to welcome as our guest one of the UK’s very finest troubadours, Pepe Belmonte. He has a new album about to drop, ‘Live at the Royal Albert Hall,’ and we’ll be hearing selections from that as well having him perform for us in the studio.




Be sure to tune in and join us here:

https://ktokradio.com/shows/spirit-and-roots/

SPIRIT AND ROOTS EPISODE #14 w/ STEVE MAHONEY – NOW UP ON MIXCLOUD

My featured guest for the 14th episode of Spirit and Roots was North-West London’s own, Steve Mahoney. Here he is performing his track, ‘My Favourite Guy,’ for us live in the studio.


We talked about his love of Neil Young’s Shocking Pinks’ period; what it’s like to record an album in a single day; and what motivates him to write songs.


You can listen to the entire show and interview here:


Episode 14 Playlist

1/ THE WILDERNESS OF MANITOBA – Through Blue Light – Between Colours

2/ MINK DEVILLE – Mixed Up Shook Up Girl – Cabretta

3/ CHRISTIAN KJELLVANDER – Rider in the Rain – A Village: Natural Light

4/ STEVE MAHONEY AND THE MILKSHAKES – Evelina (Queen of Costa) – The Second Referendum

5/ STEVE MAHONEY AND THE MILKSHAKES – My Favourite Guy – The Second Referendum

6/ NEIL YOUNG – Payola Blues – Everybody’s Rockin’

7/ JOHN HARTFORD – Tall Buildings – Good’le Days: Essential Recordings

8/ OCEAN COLOUR SCENE – Outside of a Circle – B-Sides, Seasides & Freerides

9/ KEB’ MO’ – City Boy – That Hot Pink Blues Album

All artist links can be found in the YouTube and MixCloud footnotes.

STEVE MAHONEY – OUR NEXT GUEST – 12 NOVEMBER

The next episode of Spirit and Roots will be Tuesday 12th November – 9-10pm (GMT).

My featured guest will be North-West London’s very own musical maverick Steve Mahoney. Steve and his band, The Milkshakes, are just about to release their fantastic sophomore record, ‘The Second Referendum,’ and we’ll be hearing some exclusive tracks from it.




Be sure to tune in and join us here:

Spirit & Roots