It’s 1974 or 1975 I’m still a kid and there’s a student comes to our church, name of John Fitzpatrick. He loves music. He’s at the university and he tells me about the gigs he’s been to. At the time  he liked it better – and if I’m honest, so did I – if the music had a Christian edge. It meant we could enjoy it more and not feel as guilty as we did when we dug the Stones. Do you know where I’m coming from?

Parallel to this I’d heard about this group of people in Nashville called The Outlaws. Waylon Jennings and Merle Haggard were in that elite group and then there was Willie.

So John get excited one day at the Youth Fellowship and tells me that Willie Nelson has brought out an album called ‘The Troublemaker.’ It’s all Gospel songs. What excited me more was that Willie was covering half the hymns in a Hymn Book we used to have in the Gospel Hall: Redemption Songs. But Willie was singin them like we’d never heard them sung……. Suddenly I was finding myself saying “Forget ‘Youth Praise,’let’s keep the old fogeys’ hymn book and sing it the Willie way. “Sweet Bye and Bye,” There is a Fountain Filled With Blood,” “Shall We Gather At The River” (my Dad’s favourite) and “When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder.” Man, these songs were no longer torturing me, they were released into glorious, abundant life by Willie Nelson. Thank you John, thank you Willie Nelson and thank you  Sankey and Moody.

I met up with the great man on his tour bus in Edinburgh a few months back and you can hear that as well as the music of Willie in Another Country. All on Friday from 8. The night before I’d been to see him do this. I wept.

Every Prime Minister , it was said, needs a Willie. Not much that Margaret Thatcher said I believed  - but she got it right there.

This is the place where ou should add our comments about this month’s movie.

In case you haven’t heard the Another Country Movie Club’s film of the month of August 2010

is Coal Miner’s Daughter. If you have seen the film and would like to make some comments on it then please add them to this blog. Don’t worry if you didn’t like it…there will be another one along soon!

Everyone’s gone back to school…OK…..not everyone. A student daughter leaves for University in a couple of weeks time, but she’s on holiday – but the others are back. Occasionally the house is empty; sometimes the car is too. I’ve taken some shortish journeys, but long enough to get acquainted with some new music. What I haven’t done yet is watch our movie of the month…though that will certainly happen.

For me finding time when I am totally on my own is often the key. Last week I had a significant car journey. I had to drive to the country to get a fault fixed on my laptop – it’s still not sorted – and the journey there and back brought two things: Firstly some music that I hadn’t yet had time to discover and probably more importantly a new song that I ended up writing and completely recording in one continuous session – all on my lonesome. I hope that one will see the light of day next year..keep you posted.

But here’s some things I listened to on that journey I think you’ll like: Starting with this:

Anais’s Mitchell‘s album Hadestown is hugely ambitious and I think it’s time we checked it out. You can see Anais sing it here but on the album you can hear her perform it with Justin Vernon from Bon Iver. It’s great.

I also want you to hear the greatness of Rory Erikson.

….we have had that on the subby’s bench for the last two weeks as well as discovering the delights of Laura Gibson.

But there’s more……..I mentioned that we have a new Justin Townes Earle album to play.

I hope you are aware of Justin. Famously he’s the son of Steve and he’s just made his third album. In a funny way his history aligns nicely with that of Another Country. It was at the start of last year that we had Justin as a guest on the show when he visited Celtic Connections. It’s great when you see someone you like developing so strongly. I think this is Justin’s best record by a mile and all the potential I saw in his live show is parcelled brilliantly into the album.

We’ll play two songs from that record so make sure you join us on time!

We’ll also have some new material from Ray LaMontagne.

However I have to tell you about our special guest: Annabelle Chvostek

is some time singer. guitarist, mandolin player with the Wailin’ Jennies. She made an album called Resilience which contains, in the title track, one of the best songs and recordings of the last year. It is a truly brilliant song that should become a modern classic. On Friday you can hear her live version and you can also see it here.

Make sure you join me.