Station Archive

"Americana" is alive and well thanks to Jason McNiff, who hails from the coast of Southern England. Jason also introduced us to Sarah Gillispie, and we ended the interview playing one of her songs.

British troubadour Jason McNiff has made five albums which people call folk, or Americana, or alt country. There is an Englishness in his guitar playing, however, and you might think of Bert Jansch or Wizz Jones meeting John Prine & Townes Van Zandt. “McNiff’s quiet, intimate, fragile-sounding vocals draw you into his world," wrote Time Out in London, "an almost timeless place through which he drifts, a romantic loner, a dreamer, at home with the blues.” He is often touted as one of the UK’s most overlooked musical treasures, as a songwriter and fingerpicker.

His album April Cruel (Fledg’ling) was nominated for best album in the alt country category at the Independent Music Awards in 2011. A double CD anthology, Rain Dries Your Eyes, was issued in 2017. A new record made during lockdown will be coming soon.