A musical journey by proxy...

It's been a while since I did one of these posts but I have to say it is always on my mind. The thing is that it just takes a little something to get started. In this case it is the realisation that I am spending twelve days over the next four weeks at music festivals.

For a start that means that I will be seeing one hell of a lot of live music.  Another aspect is that I need to prioritise what I wish to see and part of that is to examine the possibilities in the context of what I already know. Finally, it needs a seed to grow into an idea and at the time I was fairly sure that this might be one possibility. 
I was at the smallest stage of a festival almost four weeks ago and saw this woman live for the first time; in fact it was the first time that I had ever heard of her therefore I came to it with no preconceptions at all.
Nor indeed did I realise that Alabama blues was a thing. If I had then I would have come along with the concept that I was almost certainly gonna like this. I would have been right, too.
This turned out to be a starting point. It has still taken me almost four weeks to write about it.

Debbie Bond, Apple Garden stage, Truck Festival, 22 July 2018.

Back home she normally plays with full band backing. Here it was just her and, on keyboards or harmonica, 'Radiator' Rick Asherson. I'm actually rather glad that I first got to hear this music stripped back and in such a small and intimate setting. It was pretty much how I imagine it should be, for this is essentially down-home music. Try 'Enjoy the Ride (Shoal Sessions)' here.

What really prompted me to start writing is another artist, again new to me, who has been plying her trade for a long time.
In this case festivals or indeed live music was not involved. Based on what I have heard I would love that to change. Again not a household name --- I suspect that this applies in her home country too.

Sarah Peacock - Hot Sheet Motel EP (27 July 2018, American Roots Records).

This, her latest offering, is definitely toward the rock side of things and is what initially caught my ear. I can't actually recall how this came to be so. I suspect it was via a Spotify 'Discover Weekly' playlist. This is a more acoustic take on her craft.

Sarah Peacock - Beauty In The Ashes Unplugged Volume 1 (12 May 2017, American Roots Records).

What bearing does this have on what I might wish to see at forthcoming festivals?
I have the opportunity to see the gamut of somewhat younger female US artists live in a very short space of time.  At this time most are still playing the smaller stages and I can't imagine another circumstance in which this might be possible.
Here are five such, listed alphabetically by artist, that have come to my attention:

• Japanese Breakfast - Soft Sounds from Another Planet (14 July 2017, Dead Oceans)
• Lucy Dacus - Historian (2 March 2018, Matador Records)
• Phoebe Bridgers - Stranger In The Alps (22 September 2017, Dead Oceans)
• Snail Mail - Lush (8 June 2018, Matador Records)
• Soccer Mommy - Clean (2 March 2018, Fat Possum)

The respective releases that have given rise to this see-live equivalent of a play-list are also there.  That might sound like a mission. In a way I suppose it is but it is just a splash in the pool when it comes to three 3½ day festivals.
I rather suspect that some of the highlights will be acts about which I currently know absolutely nothing at all. I really hope that this is the case once again. One of the very best things about festivals is the surprise factor. Truck Festival last month only served to remind me just how important that is.