Focus on: Filey Americana

Don’t be too fooled by the name – Filey Americana encompasses a range of gigs across a range of towns along the Yorkshire Coast. Headed up by Chris Lee, a wonderful assortment of musicians from across the globe can be sampled in our seaside towns, in intimate venues. We take a closer look at some of the events happening in the early part of 2025.

Coming up on Saturday 1st February we have the Ruth Moody Trio at the Old Parcels Office, Scarborough – currently sold out, but with a waiting list you can sign up to. Having last visited the UK some ten years back, Ruth, from Winnipeg, is an award-winning singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Her other worldly soprano voice and her inspired songwriting have gained the admiration of hearts, minds and ears of millions of listeners. As a solo artist as a founding member of The Wailin’ Jennys and in her collaborations with Mark Knopfler, she has performed to rapt audiences in sold out audiences across the world.

Ruth took time off to start a family in 2016. Now she is back with a new album ‘Wanderer’ which is a chronicle of her life’s journey over the last ten years. From the first note, the listener is immersed in a lush and intimate world of open tuned guitars, soaring pedal steel and intricate harmonies. Ruth will be accompanied by Anthony De Costa on guitar and Sam Howard on bass.

Then there is not long to wait before Gavin Fairhall Lever performs at Scarborough’s Cask Inn & Club on Monday 3rd February. Back by popular demand after a local show last year, this trio consists of multi-instrumentalist and composer James Patrick Gavin, tenor vocalist and guitarist Adrian Lever, and double bass player Tim Fairhall. Together, these three acclaimed musicians present fresh, contemporary folk music born of their diverse roots. Punk fiddle meets jazz bass and Balkan guitar, in a colourful mix of the traditional and the original.

It’s back to the Cask at the end of the month for Sorrel Nation on 24th February. Making her Scarborough debut, this exciting new voice on the roots scene is described as a ‘travelling troubadour’, bringing a soulful mix of folk-rock to country and beyond and possessing “one of those voices that makes you immediately stop what you’re doing to give her your full attention”. Known for penning songs that can truly “open the heart to grief and, like all valued songwriters, possess a giving presence…she heralds gorgeous ballads that could become Sorrel Nation’s trademark sound”.

To Roscoe’s Bar and Function Room in Scarborough on March 7th, for American singer-songwriter, musician, recording artist, and forager Sean Rowe. Rowe has a powerful sound with an emotional conviction that demands attention. NPR’s All Songs Considered says of Rowe’s vocals, “He can just crush granite with that voice. It’s so powerful.” Whilst The Wall Street Journal proclaimed, “Mr. Rowe’s ringing baritone is as timeless as his approach, recalling the ecstatic intensity of late-’60s Van Morrison and stark subtlety of late-era Johnny Cash.”

Rowe has graced the stage of Mountain Jam, Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival as well as opening for Robert Plant and the Alabama Shakes. Both an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and having his song, “To Leave Something Behind” featured in the film, “The Accountant”, have expanded his voice to an international audience. Rowe continues to write heartfelt songs strongly rooted in singer-songwriter tradition. An avid naturalist and renowned forager, Rowe often speaks of his fascination with the woods and his connection to the land.

Beverley venue, The Sun Inn, plays host to The Dunwells on March 12th, with a warm welcome awaiting them after their sell out debut show in 2024. The Dunwells are a successful Leeds based Indie-folk / Americana band with strong vocals, powerful melodies and heartfelt lyrics. They have found favour with audiences across the world having toured extensively in the USA, Europe and the UK as well as having supported artists including Mumford and Sons and Elbow on UK tours. They are passionate and prolific singer-song writers having written material for joint collaborations as well as other high profile up and coming artists.

Back to the Old Parcels Office on March 15th, where you can find The Lost Notes (Trio) delivering some foot-stomping, rootsy three-part harmonies. Hailing from Birmingham, their songs range in subject matter from the sublime to the ridiculous. Merging a love of folk with a love of jazz, their sound incorporates “a drag of soul roots, a slug of gospel, or downright country with a thump of jazz around the edges.” Winners of the FATEA 2024 Band Award, they have recently released their third album. Having had a slew of festival appearances and stints as Album of the Week on various UK Country Radio stations, their fast-paced, fun, audience-engaging performance is not to be missed.

Also at the OPO, on 1st April you can catch Lynne Hanson with support from Blair Hogan. Hanson is an Ottawa-based, Americana songwriter known for her high energy roots guitar driven live performances with an authenticity that’s as entertaining as it is disarming. Too tough for folk and too blues-influenced for country, her brand of porch music with a little red dirt can turn on a dime from a sunshine, blue sky ballad to a full on thunderstorm of gritty Americana swamp from one song to the next. She’s toured extensively across North America, Europe and the UK, and appeared at leading international festivals including Take Root (Netherlands), Glasgow Americana (Scotland), Maverick Festival (UK), Kerrville Folk Festival (US), and Winnipeg Folk Festival (Canada). She has also toured as support for Grammy-nominated artists like Gretchen Peters, Steve Forbert and Albert Lee.

Hanson is joined by fellow Ottawan, Blair Hogan. Hogan has a great melodic sensibility to his guitar playing. He adds to a song in a way that can be both unobtrusive and in your face at the same time, weaving around lyrics with well-crafted hooks full of delay reverb. With a huge sonic pallet at his fingertips (and feet), and an ever-expanding collection of old amps and guitars, the right sound for any gig is always achieved. Hogan has spent the better part of the last decade as touring guitarist for award winning singer/songwriter Brock Zeman (Busted Flat Records), as well as playing guitars, bass, mandolin and keys on many of his twelve albums.

April 10th at the Crescent Lounge sees the Scarborough debut for acclaimed Nashville based artist Stephanie Lambring. Her two most recent records, Autonomy and Hypocrite have both received glowing reviews. Born and raised in Indiana, she got her start in Nashville working as a songwriter on Music Row, but after five years of composing for other artists, she asked to be let go from her publishing deal and walked away from the music business entirely. Feeling adrift creatively, she picked up work waiting tables at a restaurant and quit writing for an entire year until a regular customer—legendary songwriter Tom Douglas—encouraged her to return to her craft, this time for herself.

May brings a wealth of acts in a short space of time for Filey Folk Festival. We’ll take a more in-depth look at that, and dates for more Filey Americana gigs, a little later in the year, but the acts will include Fire & Rain (James Taylor tribute), Mean Mary with support from Hazjak, and the Jake Leg Jug band, all at Filey’s Evron Centre.